Author: Mojo Ministries

“Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  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.  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Gal. 6:6-10)

It is amazing to me how quickly we can grow weary of things.  I hear people often getting excited to go on vacation.  They talk of getting to the beach and watching the sunsets.  By the time they are there for a few days, they get tired of watching those sunsets.  Children get excited about certain toys they want (and nearly have heart attacks if they don’t get them).  And when they do get them, they play with them for a little while, until they grow tired of them, and then that toy goes in the closet with the other 500 toys they grew weary of.  But we also see this in Christians.  I see people all the time that get into a church, get excited about the program, and even want to get in an contribute.  Then when you give them something to do, it seems in no time, they lose their enthusiasm.  You might say “They take off like rockets and come down like rocks!”

Why?  Because you can get weary in well-doing.  Listen, you can get tired in the ministry.  It seems every time you get the victory in one battle, another battle comes right behind it.  You can be in the right place, doing the right things, giving it everything you’ve got – and you can still get weary in well doing!

Listen, sometimes when we get weary, sometimes when we get discouraged, sometimes when we get overwhelmed, it’s because of the number of the enemy.  And sometimes no matter how hard we fight, no matter how right we are, the battles just keep coming.  Some days, we just get weary!

But sadly, sometimes when we get weary, we look around and see there is so much to do, and so few willing to help.  I can’t help but wonder how many times the Apostle Paul felt that way.  Yet, he writes, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”  

It doesn’t mean, of course, that you can never stop one job and start another. If you ask what the “well doing” is that we must not tire of, probably the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 is the best answer:

• Don’t grow weary of being patient and kind;
• Don’t grow weary of being good;
• Don’t grow weary of being faithful;
• Don’t grow weary of being gentle;
• Don’t grow weary of exercising self-control;
• Don’t grow weary of manifesting your peace and joy in all kinds of acts of love to your sphere of influence.

Verse 10 is a great verse to finish with.  It says, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”  

³² And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:  ³³ Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.  ³⁴ Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.  ³⁵ Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:  ³⁶ And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:  ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;  ³⁸ (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.  ” (Heb. 11:32-38)

Let me give you a little background to the Book of Hebrews.  The word “Hebrew” refers to those people who are ethnically Jewish.  So this Book is written specifically to those Ethnic Jews that had become followers of Jesus Christ.

During the time of this writing, these followers were under great persecution.  All of us have our own way of defining what that word persecution means, but chapter 10, verses 33 and 34 describes for us how the author defines it:

“33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way. 34 For you sympathized with the prisoners[a] and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions . . .” (HCSB)

So the picture here is of a believer who is taking a verbal beating because of their faith, and maybe another believer comes in and they begin taking a verbal beating, and you are there, standing side-by-side with them, because they are not alone – we are in this together!  WOW – how many times have we, as the followers of Christ taken a verbal beating because of our faith in Jesus Christ, in the work place, in the media (on a regular basis), in our government, in our homes, and sadly, even in our churches.

So, this Book is written to these Hebrews followers of Christ who were publicly humiliated and insulted, or who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with others who were, and you willing and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your possessions.

And it appears to me from reading this Book, that this had been going on for some-time, and the people were getting tired and worn down, and they had an option – and that was to return to Judaism.  If they would just return to the old system of sacrificing animals and living by the Law, many of these problems they were facing would go away.  So over and over again, the writer of the Book of Hebrews is contrasting the Old system, and the New System under Jesus Christ.

So basically what the writer is saying in a nutshell is this, “Why would you ever go back to the old system of sacrificing year after year, when you can have the final, once and for all sacrifice?”  SO the goal of the Book of Hebrews is to help the believers achieve perseverance.

So this brings us to Chapter 11, the Hall of Fame of Faith, or Heroes of the Faith, and how these Heroes of the Faith always had to walk the Journey of Trust – the Journey of Faith!

We are reminded of people like Abraham, and Sarah, and Jacob and Joseph – who lived tenacious lives of Trust in God.  So the writer is saying, “I know things are tough, I know you’re being persecuted, but trust in the LORD and stand your ground!”

Thomas Jefferson said, “The cement of this union is the heart-blood of every American.”

On March 23^rd, 1775, Patrick Henry, in his speech to the colonial congress said, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

Louis D. Brandeis said, “Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail?”

Adlai Stevenson said, “[P]atriotism… is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”

Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettysburg address, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

John F. Kennedy said, “We dare not forget that we are the heirs of that first revolution.”

With Bullhorn in hand, and speaking to the world after the attacks on the Twin Towers on 9/11, George W. Bush said, “I can hear you!” he declared. “The rest of the world hears you! And the people – and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.”

Elmer Davis said, “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”

The words of a power song by Lee Greenwood say, “And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free.   And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.”

Hebrews chapter 11, the author is telling us that before his mind fails him, he wants to remind us of great men of faith and courage, “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.  34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.  35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.”  In his final thoughts of these valiant warriors, the author says, “Of whom the world is not worthy.”

As Memorial Day approaches, and as I thought about that statement, I couldn’t help but to thank God, first of all, that I was born in a country of free men, made free by every generation of American that has fought for my freedom.  More importantly, I thank God for the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross that has allowed me a be born a free man in the family of God.

Secondly, I thanked God that during each generation of American history, we have not been devoid of our share of heroes.  Men and women “who out of weakness were made strong” and “waxed valiant in fight.”  Ordinary people, who like those mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11, that when called on, did extraordinary things.

From the battle fields of Valley Forge to Charleston; from Gettysburg to Cowpens; from France, Belgium, and Germany; from places like Bastogne, Battle of the Bulge, Normandy, Arnheim, Point Du Hoc, Sicily, Africa, Iowa Jima, Japan and the Philippines.  From the battle fields of Korea in places like the “Frozen Chosen,” Chongju, Chonan, Gloster Hill, Porkchop Hill,  Heatbreak Ridge and Hill 282.  From the Cuban Missle crisis and the “Bay of Pigs.”  From Gaujadala Canal to Vietnam.  In places like the Ho Chi Mein Trail, Dak, Tan Son Knut, Da Nang, Kashon, and Saigon.  In battles like Hamburger Hill, Dak Tu, Long Dinh, An Lao and An Loc, Battle of the Iron Triangle. In operations like Arc Light, Pony Express, Popeye and Tailwind, Operation Coronado and the Raid on San Tay.   Operation Eagle Claw in the desert of Iran, where American Special Operation forces gave their lives in an attempt to rescue 52 American hostages being held in Iran.  From the Island of Grenada during Operation Urgent Fury to Panama’s Operation Just Cause.  The deserts of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq during the 1^st Gulf War (Operations Desert Shield and Storm), to Operation Gothic Serpent in Somalia, which has come to be known as the Battle of Mogidishu.  From the war torn countries of Serbia and Kosovo to the Mountains of Afghanistan, in places like Ghaznee and Gardez, Kandahar, Lask Kar Gar, Helmand, Herat, Kabul, Kunduz and Jalabad.  From Bagram to Mazar-I-Sharif.  From Iraqi cities like Baghdad, Mosul, Kirkuk and Fallujah.  From the An Bar Province to the Sunni Triangle.

America has produced its’ share of heroes in every single generation!  People like:

• Jacob Parrot in the Civil War for his role in the Great Locomotive Chase;
• William Harvey Carney, the first African American, who in spite of being shot in the face, arm and shoulder, refused to let the American flag hit the ground;
• Mary Edwards Walker, a surgeon during the Civil War and only female recipient;
• Staff Sergeant Lucian Adams, for single handedly destroying a machine gun bunker in France;
• 2^nd Lieutenant Vernon Baker, Demonstrated outstanding courage and leadership in destroying enemy installations, personnel and equipment during his company’s attack against a strongly entrenched enemy in mountainous terrain;
• Sergeant John Basilone, who fought 48 hours straight to push off the enemy – later killed on Iowa Jima;
• Audie Murphy, who’s indominable spirit kept his men safe in the face of great adversity.
• Marine Corporal Charles Abrell, in Hangayong Korea, for sacrificing his life to destroy an enemy bunker.
• Army Private Charles Barker, who sacrificed his life in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy in Korea.
• Navy Corpman Edward Benfold, for giving his life to save other marines wounded on the battle field in Korea;
• Special Forces Capt. Roger Donlon, for his actions rescuing and administering first aid to several wounded soldiers and led a group against an enemy force.
• SFC Bennie Adkins, who fought for 38 hours straight in close quarter combat during the Battle of A Shau Valley.
• John Caviani, Risked his life by attacking a wave of enemy forces alone to allow the rest of his platoon to escape in South Vietnam;
• During the Battle of Mogidishu, SFC Randal Shughart and MSG Gary Gordon, 2 Delta Force Snipers assigned to watch over the operation, engaging targets from their position in the Blackhawk. As they monitored the downing of the second Blackhawk, it became evident that ground forces would not be available to secure the crash site and protect the critically injured crew of four, all of whom survived the crash. Gordon, the sniper team leader, requested that they be inserted at the 2nd crash site. His request was denied twice before finally being approved on the third request. The snipers were armed only with their sniper rifles and pistols. Upon reaching the downed Blackhawk, which was under intense enemy fire, Gordon and Shughart pulled the crew from the wreckage and proceeded to set up a defensive perimeter. The snipers, assisted by the severely injured Durant, began to engage the attacking Somalis from the opposite side of the wreckage using assault rifles stored on the Blackhawk. Shughart and Gordon were eventually mortally wounded after nearly exhausting all available ammunition;
• SSG Salvitore Giunta, Afghansitan , an Army Paratrooper, For risking his life to save a wounded soldier from being captured. Was the first living recipient since the Vietnam War.
• Marine Sergeant Dakota Meyer, Defied order from superiors and rescued 23 Afghan Allies and 13 Americans in the Battle of Ganjgal.
• Michael Murphy, Navy SEALS, Led a four-man reconnaissance team in a fight against superior numbers, exposed himself to hostile fire in order to call for help in Kunar Province.
• Marine Corporal Jason Dunham, in fighting near the Syrian border with Iraq, Fought hand-to-hand with the enemy and hurled himself on a grenade to protect fellow Marines.

America has not been devoid of its heroes.  I am proud to report to you, that after working the past 13 years as a contractor in both Afghanistan and Iraq, America is still producing its share of heroes.  I have watched these young soldiers put on their gear, put on their war face, and everyday head into harms-way, from FOB Frontenac and Wilson, Sangeray and Mizan, from Bagram Airbase to Kandahar Airfield, to ensure you and I can “sleep peacefully at night.”  I have watched them after being ambushed by those the government say “were dressed in an Afghan uniform,” in fear of offending them out of political expediency.  NO – they were the enemies of America!  I have watched these young men (and women) enter our bases after being hit by IED’s.  I have watched them mourn the loss of their friends, their Brothers-in-arms – yet pick themselves up and drive on with their mission.

A few years ago, a list was published that had our nation’s veterans listed as “Domestic Terrorist.”   Being among this list of veterans, and having served in some of the campaigns listed prior, I believe I can say on behalf of all my brothers and sisters who have served this great country in the military, I believe we would prefer you referred to us a Veterans, sworn to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States or America against ALL enemies foreign AND domestic.”

As I sit back and watch our government, and their liberal media work day and night to try and erase our history – to change the parts they do not like or agree with, I am afraid that because we have refused to take a stand, the memories of these warriors will be lost on the next generation.  Before my mind fails me, I want to say to you, to my children, to my grandchildren – that every generation of America has produced its share of true heroes.  Don’t forget them – don’t forget what they’ve done and why they did it.

Where are the heroes?  They are all around us – in every generation – in every church.  And to you I say, first to our veterans, Thank you for your selfless sacrifice! And to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ – thank you for your love of God and Country.

For the past 18 years, we have come to know all to well the meaning of the word, “war.” Regardless of your age, you have probably felt the pain of sorrow created by the times when our nation was at war. Some of you reading this remember well the days of World War II. Still some of you can vividly recall the battles with Korea, VietNam, Dessert Storm and, of course, our current “Global War on Terror” in Iraq and Afghanistan. We fully realize our freedom has come with a great price! It breaks our heart to see flag draped caskets being unloaded from U.S. carriers. We watch with heartache the grief stricken spouses, children, parents and families of our fallen soldiers. For that reason, the Lord has placed in all of our hearts a desire for the day when we will finally experience peace. However, that day will only come when we are in the presence of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ!

I want to call your attention to this text in the Bible to help us understand, as Believers, we are also in a spiritual struggle!

“Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight” Psalm 144:1

When we are born again into the family of God, we are enlisted in an army who is to fight against the evils of the devil. You have an enemy of your soul. He would love to conquer us any way he can. He doesn’t fight fair. He never gives up. His weapons are carnal. His torture is cruel. He is waging war against us and spiritual struggles are his tools.

We all face our battles. To win the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, we must seek His help. The Psalmist knew the Lord could teach him how to fight in this battle. He was well aware of the fact the Lord could guide his fingers in the art of spiritual warfare. The battle is real and the need for the help of the Lord is great.

Spiritual struggles work on us in different ways. If the battle gets too hard or lasts too long, it can cause the strongest soldier of the cross to begin to doubt the will of God. The enemy will make sure he brings the wrong kind of people at just the right time to sow the seeds of insecurity in our mind. God brings people into our lives to bless us. The devil sends people to blast us. When surrounded by those who question the will of God, you should pray for them. Remember, our battle is not with people. Our war is against the principalities and powers associated with Satan!

The battle the enemy brings to your life is sent to destroy your faith! That is his purpose. We all know the pain of losing trust in people. We have been lied to and led astray as innocent lambs only to see those whom we love sacrifice our trust in them on the altar of self-indulgence. You may have lost faith in a person but never lose faith in the Lord! Faith must not only stand the test of time, it must also stand the test of trials.

It is interesting to note in the parable of the sower, Christ mentioned there was some seed which was eaten by the birds. You must prepare yourself for this truth! Sowing seeds will always stir up the birds. Of course, the lesson the Lord taught was the devil and his cohorts love to steal from us the good news that Heaven sends to our heart. The spiritual struggles will try to deplete the Word of God.

I want to call your attention to the fact no nation has ever fought a war and not known it! The President, along with an almost unanimous Congressional vote, approved to “declare war” against the enemy. It does not matter what your commentary on the war may be. The thing I call your attention to is there were events and information that led them to a common understanding. The actions taken by others provoked our nation to enter into war. When we as Christians get involved in certain spiritual activities, we too are provoked to declare war on the enemy.

First, giving is an act of declaring war. The devil hates for us to give. He never wants us to give our time, talent or treasure to the work of the Lord. If he had his way, we would never witness to a sinner, visit the sick or help an orphan or widow. We would simply focus on our needs with a microscope instead of looking at others in need with a magnifying glass. Maybe it is so hard to get individuals to commit to giving today because they just would rather not declare war on the evil kingdom of the devil.

Second, worshipping is an act of declaring war. This word means to “reverence with high esteem for the sacred.” Sincerely we are to revere God’s house and His people. There is a big difference between “praise” and “worship.” Praise is usually based on the direct result of receiving a particular blessing. For example, we need a new pair of shoes, a healing of our body or a bill paid. Worship, on the other hand, is a higher level than praise. It shows our love and thanks to the Lord whether we receive anything or not. Even if we don’t have the shoes, the healing or the money, we go ahead and praise Him anyway! To “praise” means to express approval or “glorify.” To “glorify” means to “rejoice with jubilation.” Then “jubilation” refers to “exaltation.” The word “exaltation” means to “praise.” Then it starts all over again. In other words, worship is a circle that never ends. No wonder the Lord inhabits the praise of His people. The bigger the circle gets the more He lives in it and fills us at the same time.

Third, witnessing is an act of declaring war. Sometimes the devil will never do a single thing to fight us until we start telling others about the Lord. We are commanded in Scriptures to confess and witness to others. Most people tell me the hardest individuals to witness to is our own family. That is a reasonable conclusion. After all, they know our weakness as well as our strengths. They see us up and down. They know when we succeed and when we fail. However, Jesus still told the demoniac of Gadara to “go home” and tell them what He had done for him. The apostle Paul always told his story of conversion. It did not matter if he was before kings or rulers. He shared his personal testimony of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We are to tell the world about our salvation too!

Finally, praying is an act of declaring war. You may be battling today because you have prayed and prayed and still seem to have no answer. You may feel as the heavens have turned to lead and God is not speaking. Do you remember the days of your childhood when you were in school? The teacher never talked while the test was going on. Just because you have not heard from the Lord yet, does not mean He has not heard your cry for help. Never give up. Keep going to the throne. He sees your persistence and a greater power and blessing is given to those who do not quit. They win the war!

“And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.”

In Ezekiel 16, we find that the prophet Ezekiel, whose name means “Strength of God” or “when God strengthens,” is a messenger of God to children of Israel who were born in captivity.  In the first 14 verses of this chapter, Ezekiel is dealing with the Birth of the nation of Israel.  He is dealing with where God found them and where He brought them from.  And then in verses 15-63, he is going to deal with the Backsliding of that same nation.

• He deals with how they left God;
• He deals with how they forgot God;
• He deals with how they turned to false idols.

But I want you to notice with me in verse 6, the Bible says, “And When I Passed by thee . . .” and that is going to be the topic of this message “WHEN THE LORD PASSES BY.”  And I’m telling you, things happen when the LORD passes by!

I would love to take you through the Bible t and show you all the pictures of God’s Grace:

• Like when Abraham took Isaac up on the mountain top to offer as a sacrifice;
• How one the way in Luke 10 when a man was robbed, and beaten and left for dead, and how a “Good Samaritan” stopped to help him;
• Or how the prodigal son took his inheritance and spent all that he had, when he got down in the filth of the world, his daddy welcomed him home with open arms.

But I want to show you  a wonderful picture of the Grace of God in Ezekiel 16, so let’s back up a minute and look at verse 3:

“And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.”

So notice here with me, A REASON FOR GRACE.  God is dealing with their birth and in verses 3-5, He’s going to show us their Condition:

“3. And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.  4. And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.  5. None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.”

I want you know that this is the same condition that God found me in.  Notice verse 4 says, “In the day thy naval wast not cut.”  This is a picture of an aborted baby:

• It’s mother didn’t want it;
• It’s father didn’t want it;
• It’s mother said he looked too much like an Amorite;
• The father said he looked too much like a Hittite.
• So they both said, “We don’t want it.”

They cast it into the field and the cord is uncut.  This baby is UNWANTED.

I remember when I was attached to this ole world and I couldn’t cut myself free:

• I tried religion;
• I tried restoration;
• I tried rehabilitation.

I tried everything to cut myself free of this ole world, but I just couldn’t do it.

Then he said “neither wast thou washed in water.”  The baby was not only UNWANTED, it was also UNCLEAN – “Neither wast thou washed in water . . .”

Can you see this baby with the placenta on it; with the afterbirth on it?  So here is this baby and it is laying out in the field UNWANTED AND UNCLEAN.

If you are reading this and you are saved, you are a part of the family of God, do you remember where God found you?  Do you remember how UNCLEAN you were?

Isaiah said, “All our righteousness is like filthy rags . . .”  We were UNCLEAN.

Not only were they UNWANTED AND UNCLEAN, But, they were also UNCLOTHED – “ . . . nor swaddled at all.”

They were naked.  Oh, I can remember the day that Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and God opened their eyes to their nakedness.  And I remember this morning when I was naked in my trespasses and sins.  So, I see that little baby laying out there is that field,

• he’s alone;
• he’s filthy;
• he’s bloody;
• he’s unclean and unclothed.

I believe the buzzards were circling overhead waiting to have some dinner.  And let me tell you what else I believe – I believe that baby was dead!  Now I know you are asking, “Why in the world would you think that?  WELL, why else would God have to tell it to LIVE?

Now the Bible tells you and I that we were dead in our trespasses and sin.  Oh, but praise God, One day JESUS PASSED BY and found you!

If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you are spiritually dead the Bible tells us.

Those of us that are saved, do you remember when you were dead in your sin?  When you were unclean and unclothed, then sitting in a church service somewhere – JESUS PASSED BY????

When you felt Unclean and Unclothed and then verse 5 says, “None eye pitied thee.”

• This baby was unwanted, unclean and unclothed;
• Nobody wanted anything to do with it;

They said, “He’s dead, just let him go.”  That’s probably what the devil was saying about us:

• “They’re dead;”
• “They’re Unwanted;”
• “They’re Unclean and Unclothed;”
• “They’re ain’t nothing good about’em – just leave them alone.”

Let me tell you something, I grew up in church, but there were periods in my life when I lived wicked and outside of God’s plan for my life.  I mean, I was Unclean; I felt like nobody pitied me.

And I promise you, out there, people are waking up this morning in their vomit from a drunken stupor; they’re waking up with needle marks in their arms;  They feel like nobody loves them and worse, nobody even cares.  There is a world out there that is bleeding and dying.  They’re just looking for somebody to care for them.

The CONDITION of that baby:  Unwanted, Unclean, Unclothed, Uncared for.  So here’s that baby, laying out in that field all alone, and he is also UNDESIRABLE – “To the lothing of thy person.”

Nobody loved that baby.  And I will tell you right now, you would not have liked me very much back then either, when I was dead in my trespasses and sin.

Listen – I was Unwanted, Unclean, Unclothed, Uncared for and Undesirable.  This baby has been out there since it was born:

• It couldn’t help itself;
• It couldn’t clean itself;
• It couldn’t clothe itself;
• It couldn’t care for itself.

So that babies laying out there with the filth of the world, just laying there dead.  But thank God verse 6 says, “AND WHEN I PASSED BY THEE . . .”

When you and I were out there dead in our trespasses and sin, we couldn’t help ourselves; we couldn’t get to Him, because the Bible says of us in Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

So here’s this baby laying helpless and homeless.  What a pitiful picture – I mean, somebody ought to do something!  Well . . . Somebody did do something, look at verse 6:

“And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.”

We saw the REASON FOR GRACE.  NOW, Notice with me the RESOURCE FOR GRACE.  This is where we see Grace going to work!

Here is that little baby out there all alone, and God takes notice of that baby.  I’m glad this morning that God took notice of:

• Abraham and Isaac;
• That thief beaten on the side of the road;
• The prodigal son.

And I’m glad thank God that He took notice of you and I.

Verse 6 says, “And when I . . .” here we see the Pursuer!  The one that took the initiative.  I’m glad thank God that He came looking for me!

Somebody said about that little baby, “Just leave him out there – he’s dead; he’s worthless.  Just leave him alone.”

That what’s people probably said about me and you one day as well.  But I’m glad God, the Pursuer didn’t see it that way.

“And when I PASSED BY . . .”  We see the Provision.  How many of you remember the day that Jesus passed by?

I praise God that in 1969, Jesus PASSED BY a little ole Sunday School class at 4^th Street Baptist Church in Hartsville, South Carolina and found a little ole bus kid like me!

• I’m glad that when I couldn’t find Him – He found me!
• When I couldn’t reach up to Him, He reached down to me!

“When I (the pursuer) passed by (the Provision) thee (the Pursued).”  Now I don’t know how many people God pursued in that little ole Sunday School class, or how many He passed by in other churches across our Great Land that day – but I know He found me Praise His Holy Name!

Let me just say right here, it was the Potter that went looking for the clay!  That clay didn’t jump up out of that riverbed and go looking for the Potter.

That Potter goes looking for the Clay just like the Shepherd goes looking for His sheep!

“And When I (the Pursuer) passed by (the provision) thee (the pursued), and saw thee polluted in thine own blood (he pollution)”  You know something, the closer I walk with God, the more wicked I see my sin.  The closer I get to Him, the more I see pollution for what it really is.

God saw that baby laying out there in that polluted blood.  Let me ask you this morning, Do you remember the condition God found you?  Hey, some of you here haven’t always been the dignified christian that you are now!  Some of you here haven’t always loved your spouse the way you should, or your kids the way you should.

Some of you here used to wake up in the morning and wipe the crap out of your eyes, the vomit off your clothes, and the blood off your face and you’d say, “What in the world happened?  What have I done?  How did I get here?”

What I’m saying is that some of you know what it’s like to be polluted!  But here is the amazing thing:

HE SAW US IN THAT CONDITION AND HE CAME FOR US ANYWAY!!!!!

“And when I (the Pursuer) passed by (the provision thee (the pursued), and saw thee polluted in thine own blood (the pollution) – LIVE (The Power of Grace)!! LIVE!!  LIVE!!!

This is the Power of Grace:

• Religion can’t do that;
• The Mason’s Lodge can’t do this;
• The Motorcycle Clubs can’t do this;
• Your mommy and daddy can’t do this.

I’m glad that when I was dead in my trespasses and sin, Jesus Passed By and saw the condition I was in and said, “When thou wast in they blood, LIVE.  Thank God He brought me out of the pit and breathe life into my dead bones!

Now, “Old things have passed away and behold all things have become new.”

I’m glad that while I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me.  I’m glad that where sin abounds, GRACE did much more abound!

If you have never trusted Christ as your Saviour, there is absolutely no reason for you not to come to Him today. You can rest assured that you will be received, for He promised, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” No matter how sinful you may have been, Christ will receive you.

If you will trust Him now, I ask that you pray this simple prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, and I do believe You died for me. Here and now I trust You as my Savior and completely depend on You to take me to Heaven when I die. Help me to live for You and to be a good Christian. Amen.

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:” (John 3:1)

I would venture to say that most of us have heard of this man named Nicodemus.  Though he is only mentioned in the Gospel of John, and interestingly, he is only mentioned 3 times in this Book, yet he stands out as a prominent figure.

Let me point out three things before I really drive into the heart of this blog;

First, Nicodemus was a Religious man.  The verse we just read said he was “a man of the Pharisees.”  That means he was very devote;  that means he paid his tithes; that means he supported the widows and orphans; he was faithful in attending the synagogue on a regular basis; he was faithful, he fasted, he observed the Sabbath Day, he prayed publicly, he followed the letter of the Law.  Morally speaking, when you look at Nicodemus’ life – there were none better.

But not only was Nicodemus a Religious Man, he was also a Ruler.  Most people believe (and I agree) that he was a member of the Sanhedrin Court.  This was the most elite, the most dedicated, and most respected of all the Jews.  You might say he was on the Supreme Court of the day.

Not only was he Religious and a Ruler, but he was also a Rabbi.  In verse 10 of chapter 3, Jesus refers to Him as “a master of Israel.”  This word “master” translates into teacher or rabbi.   This means that from the time he was a child, he was trained in the Law.  This means that he would have lead in Judaistic rituals, he would have taught the Scriptures and answered questions regarding them.  In fact, if he were alive today and we were to look at Nicodemus, we would say, “If there is any man that is going to make it into Heaven, Nicodemus is that man.”  Yet, we find in reading John chapter three, there was something missing in his life.  He came to Jesus “by night.”

So, the first time we find him is in John chapter 3, and we find Nicodemus and CHRIST.  He comes to Jesus by night and he admits to Him there is something different about him. He says, “You have to be of God or you couldn’t do the things you do.”  He says, “I am also a Rabbi, but I can’t heal people.  I can’t cause blinded eyes to see or the lame to walk, or lepers made clean, or the dead to rise.  I can’t do the things you do so you must be from God.  There is something different about me and you.”

Now the reason he came to Christ by night is because the Pharisees and the Sadducee’s rejected Jesus.  If Nicodemus would have been seen with Jesus, more than likely he would have been kicked out of the Court.  So, he came to Jesus by night, I believe,  because he was curious.

And Jesus loved him so much that He cut right to the chase (don’t you love that about Jesus?).  Nicodemus says, “How do you do these things?”  and Jesus says, “Well, if you want to go to Heaven, you must be born again.”  I love that term “born-again.”  In other words, Jesus was saying, “Nicodemus, it doesn’t matter if you are Religious, or a Ruler, or a Rabbi – YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN.”  Nicodemus was not lacking sincerity, but he was sincerely wrong!

So Nicodemus asked an interesting question, “How can a man be born-again when he is old?”  And Jesus answered him by taking him all the way back to something he understands.  And that is something else I really love about Jesus, He doesn’t try to impress people when He talks to them, he simply speaks them in a way they can understand.  When Jesus wanted to talk to fishermen, He talked about fishing.  When He wanted to talk to farmers, He talked about farming.  Jesus got right down to where people were living and that’s exactly what He did with Nicodemus.  He said, “As the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”  Jesus was saying, “Nicodemus, look and live.”

Now I am sure Nicodemus knew the story.  In fact, he’d probably read it backwards and forwards.  He probably even had it memorized, of how the fiery serpents fell and bit the children of Israel in Exodus and how Moses went to God on behalf of the children of Israel.  And God said “take a serpent and wrap it on a pole, and raise the serpent – LIFT IT UP.  People will see the serpent on that pole and they will be healed of their snake bite.”  So Nicodemus knew exactly what He meant when he said, “Nicodemus, all you have to do is Look and Live.”

Isaiah 45:22 says, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”  Nicodemus, you want to know what you have to do to be born again – LOOK AND LIVE.

So, our first encounter here is with Nicodemus and Christ.  And I am sure that went he left that day, he was probably more confused than ever.

The second time we find Nicodemus was in John chapter 7.  There was a great deal of confusion among the church people.  Some of the people wanted to crown Jesus as King, and others thought he was a blasphemer and wanted to kill Him.  So Pharisees thought this would have a negative impact on their political ties with the Romans.  So, at the end of John chapter 7, they are asking questions like:  “What are we going to do with Him?”  And guess who stood up?  Nicodemus!  And in verse 51 he says, “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” He says to the other members of the court, “Wait a minute, you haven’t even talked to this man.  So, how you gonna judge Him when you haven’t even talked to Him?”   Now, I may be wrong here, but, at this point, I don’t think that Nicodemus was truly born-again.  The first time we saw Nicodemus, we saw Nicodemus and Christ.  But this time, I believe, we see Nicodemus and Conviction.  I believe that if he was truly saved, born-again, he wouldn’t have been a part of this court.  But I believe, in his mind, the words “Look and Live” were playing over and over again.  So here is Nicodemus standing up on behalf of Jesus.  I believe he was under conviction, though not necessarily converted.

The third time we see Nicodemus is in John chapter 19.  And beginning in verse 38, “And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.  ³⁹ And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. ⁴⁰ Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. ⁴¹ Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. ⁴² There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.”

I like that every time you find Nicodemus, it says, “which at first came to Jesus by night.”  But listen, it’s not night any more.  It’s day time now, and in fact, it’s just after Jesus has died for the sins of the world.  Joseph of Arimathaea might have had the Tomb – but Nicodemus brought the Treasure!   Well Joe, what do you mean by treasure?  The Scriptures say he brought with him a “mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.” It’s not night any more.  He’s not private any more.  He’s not hiding any more.  He was saying, “You know what, I can’t take it anymore, I can’t hide it any more.  I now know what it means to LOOK AND LIVE.”

Just how much treasure did Nicodemus bring?  Well, remember when Mary came an anointed the feet of Jesus with 1 pound, and Judas got angry and said “hey, we could have sold this for 300 pence.”  That was about a year’s wages in that day.  That was just one pound, but Nicodemus brought one hundred pounds.  In today’s terms, based on the average family income in America today, that would mean he brought about 50 million dollars of  myrrh and aloes to anoint the body of Jesus.

What is it that changed in Nicodemus?  What is it that moved him from the darkness into the light?  The first time we saw Nicodemus and Christ, then we saw Nicodemus and Conviction, but praise God, this time we see Nicodemus and the Cross.  And my friend, the Old Rugged Cross made the difference!

Remember John chapter 3, “Even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.”  “Nicodemus all you have to do is look and live.”  I don’t think Nicodemus understood a thing Jesus was saying at the time.  But as he stood somewhere in the shadows, and he watched Jesus as He was suspend between Heaven and Earth, and nailed driven in His hands and feet, he remembered those words “Nicodemus, LOOK and LIVE!”  The Cross made the difference in Nicodemus’ life.

Twenty-eight years ago, my grandmother, Miriam Moore, one of the godliest people I have ever known, went home to be with the Lord.  Six years after my Grandmother died, my brother Sonny was killed in an automobile accident.  I image one day when I arrive in Heaven, and I see my Grandmother and Brother asking me, “Well Joey, when did you get here?”  And I tell them, “Well I just got here today.”  And they say, “Well that’s funny, cause we just got here today too.”  WHY?  Because the Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference!”

Twas a life filled with aimless desperation

Without hope walked the shell of a man;

Then a hand with a nailprint stretched downward,

Just one touch then a new life began.

And the old rugged cross made the difference

In a life bound for heartache and defeat;

I will praise Him forever and ever

For the cross made the difference for me

One of the items on my New Year’s resolution for 2019 was to write at least one blog a week.  It is now February 11th, and I am finally getting around to writing the first one of the year.  Boy, have I been on track or what?  Funny how the curve balls in life constantly seem to hit us.  I have to say that the past 3-4 months have been the most physically, emotionally and mentally taxing that I can recall in a very long time.  During this time though, I came across this song by Bethel Music that has blessed my life beyond measure and has reminded me that no matter where I am or what I am going through, God hasn’t lost sight of me.  The title of the song is Goodness of God.  Please take the time to read the words to this song and let them sink in:

As I listened to this song over and over and over again, I was reminded of the verses of Scripture I used back in July to write a blog then.  Psalm 145 is known as David’s Psalm of Praise.   It goes like this:

Psalm 145:1-13, “I will extol thee, my God, O King;  (God, I just want to lift You up – cause You’ve been so good to me – in spite of me)  I will extol thee, my God, O King; And I will bless Thy name for ever and ever.  (LORD, as I write this, like King David, I just want You to know how much You mean to me).  Verse 2, “Every day (EVERY DAY) will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever (from the moment that I wake up, until I lay my head, I’m going to sing of Your goodness.  God, I’m not gonna let my circumstances dictate the song in my heart).  ³ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.  ⁴ One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.  ⁵ I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.  ⁶ And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.  ⁷ They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness (God, though I haven’t always been fiathful to You – You have always been faithful to me.  You have never once let me down).  ⁸ The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy (aren’t you glad for that Amen?).  ⁹ The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works (I’m so grateful that no matter how many times I have failed You, no matter how many times I have disappointed You and let You down – God Your goodness has always been running after me).  ¹⁰ All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. ¹¹ They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; 

So today Father, from the moment that I wake up, until I lay my head, no matter where I am, no matter what I am going through, no matter whether I am in the valley or on the mountain top, I will sing of Your Goodness!  Why?

¹² To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.  ¹³ Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.”

Cause all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God
Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God

I heard a story about a goose that forgot to fly South for the winter, and when he finally remembered that he was supposed to fly South several weeks late, he decided he better try to get there as quickly as possible.  So he takes off flying South and at some point, he got so cold he decided to land in a field and rest a bit until daybreak came and it warmed up again.  However, when he got in the field, the temperature dropped and it got so cold he couldn’t even moves his wings.  He thought to himself, man, this just can’t get any worse.  Well, about that time, a cow came by – and a cow is only good at two things, eating and making a mess.  When that cow came by the goose, he made a mess all over the goose.  The goose said to himself, “NOW there is no way life can get any worse than this.”  But, something began to happen, the goose noticed that he began to warm up and was able to move its wings again.  And about that time, a fox came by and began cleaning the mess off of the goose.  When he finished cleaning the goose – he ate him.  There is a moral to this story though, and it is this:

“Not everyone that gets you into a mess is your enemy, and not everyone that gets you out of a mess is a friend!”

Now I want to talk to you about the “Getting out of Life’s Messes.”  In James chapter 1, verses 2-4, James is talking to us about trials – how to deal with trials, how to handle trials, and in fact, how to pass the test of our trials.

We’ve all seen the bumper sticker or heard the phrase, “If your life was put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”  But I want to ask you a slightly different question:  If your faith was tested right now, what type of grade do you think you would receive?  If somehow, we were able to give everyone reading this blog a test of their faith right now, what grade would you receive?

Would you receive an A+ for your faith, or would you struggle to get an F?  Reminds me of a college student that took and exam at mid-terms and received a Zero.  He went to his professor and said, “Well Sir, I just don’t think I deserved a Zero on my test.”  The Professor replied, “I don’t think you deserved a Zero either, but Zero was as low as I could go.”

Now, let me make a distinction of several terms James uses in this chapter.  He uses the terms Trials and Temptations:

• Trials are a means of testing your faith – Temptations are to destroy your faith.
• A Trial is for your maturity – a Temptation is for your misery;
• Trials are used by God to make you strong – Temptations are used by Satan to make you weak;
• God uses Trials to help us stand – Satan uses Temptations to cause us to fall;

Now I want to give you four things about trials out of these verses:

THE REALITY OF TRIALS (v.2)

James says in verse 2, “My Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diver’s temptations.”

Now, if you and I are going to pass the test of trials in our lives, we have to realize that trials, tribulations and troubles will come into our lives.  There are no exemptions and there are no free passes from these “Test of our faith.”   Let me show you two things about the Reality of Trials:

• Trials are Unavoidable

I want you to understand that trials WILL take place in your life.  I don’t care who you are, I don’t care how long you have been a Christian; I don’t care how much money you have; I don’t care how much family you have; I don’t care what kind of car you drive or how big your house is – Trials WILL take place in your life.  Job 5:7 says, “Man is born to trouble as sparks fly upward.”

Just as surely as the sparks of a camp-fire fly upward – you are going to face trials, troubles, tribulations in your life.

I have heard preachers say before, “Now, if you don’t want any more troubles in your life, then you need to become a Christian.”  Folks, I’m telling you the Bible says man’s days a few and full of trouble – for both the Christian – and the non-Christian.

Job himself, the Bible says, was blameless, upright and that he feared God – yet Job had more trouble in his life than any of us care to ever have to deal with.  In one day, he lost his sheep, his oxen, his donkey’s his fields, his children – all in one day.  Yet, he was blameless, upright and he feared God.

Daniel was another.  Daniel was very faithful.  He prayed three times a day – everyday.  And you know what the reward of his faithfulness was?  He got a free pass to the Lion’s Den.

Joseph was another.  He was a man of the highest integrity and loyalty, yet he found himself in prison for a crime he did not commit.

The Apostle Paul, who I believe was one of, if not THE greatest Christian that ever lived, said, He was beaten more times than he can count – 5 times he received 39 lashes, 3 times he was beaten with rods – once he was stoned and left for dead, three times he was shipwrecked.

I say all that to drive home the truth that just because you are a Christian does not exempt you from the trials of your faith.  And what is a real shocker is the fact that when trials come doesn’t always mean that you’ve done the wrong thing.  We can grow weary in well-doing!

Peter tells us in I Peter 4:12, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:”

Now why would Peter say that?  Because he knew that trials were unavoidable.  But not only are trials Unavoidable:

• Trials are Unpredictable

James says, “Count it all joy when you FALL into diver’s temptations.”  Notice that word FALL.  Do you remember the story of the Good Samaritan?  The Bible says that while on the road to Jericho, he FELL among thieves.  Now, this fellow wasn’t going out looking for trouble, he wasn’t looking for thieves on the road to Jericho, and those thieves were not necessarily looking for him in particular.  The Bible says, “He fell among thieves.”  In other words, he stumbled into it, it just kinda happened.

And that’s how troubles and trials are in our lives, we don’t have to look for them.  We just stumbled into them, they just happen – they are UNAVOIDABLE and UNPREDICTABLE.  They are going to happen to you, and they are going to happen to me!

Now you might be reading this and you’re thinking to yourself, “Now Joe, that’s a good passage, and you’re making a good point, but things are going great in my life and I haven’t had a trial in quite some time, so this really isn’t doing much for me.”

Well, I would simply submit to you that you don’t know what the next phone call holds for you!  If may be a call at 6 pm on a Saturday evening telling you your brother was killed in an auto accident.  It may be your kids calling you while you’re in sitting in class in Bible College telling you your wife is in jail.  I submit to you that you have no idea what is NEXT around the corner of your life.

Folks, Trials in Your Life and in My life are UNAVOIDABLE AND UNPREDICTABLE.  SO if you and I are going to get out of the messes in our lives, or pass the trials, we first have to understand the Reality of Trials.

THE REASON FOR TRIALS (v.3)

You see, when trials come into your, they are not there to make you unhappy.  God doesn’t send trials into your life just to put you in misery.  Many times God allows these messes to come into our lives and I believe according to James 1:3 for two reasons:

• God Allows Trials in my Life to Test My Faith.

James says, “Knowing that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”  Notice that word trying.  It literally means a baby bird that is testing its wings.  It means to prove whether or not something is real.  Or whether it can do or not what it has been designed to do.  And one of the reasons for a trial is to Test out Faith – to Try our faith.  And I think in every trial we face, God is asking us two questions:

1. Do You Trust Me? Joe, Do you trust me?  (Insert your name) do you trust me?     When trials come along, I always find myself trying to handle them myself when all along God is just saying “DO YOU TRUST ME?”

1. If You Trust Me, How Much Do You Trust me?

• God Allows Trials in my Life not only to Test my Faith, But also to Toughen my Faith

God’s not only testing our faith to see how strong our faith is, but He is working to make our faith even stronger.  You see, when trials come into your life, they will do one of two things:

• They will either build you;
• Or, they will break you.
• They will either make you;
• Or they will mar you.

But God is trying to develop in you the kind of faith that will go the distance.  God wants to develop in you the kind of faith that can withstand whatever comes your way because you are firmly anchored to Him!

Now for those of you who were in the military, we did one of two things – we were either in war, or we were training to go to war.  Why did we train so much?  Why did we push ourselves to the limits of our abilities?  We did so to make us stronger, we did so to make us better, to prepare us.  That’s exactly what happens with the trying of our faith – God is trying to make us better, stronger, more fit for the fight!

When my son Joshua was a teenager, he loved to skateboard, and I mean to the extreme.  He would practice one single move, hour after hour.  I would watch him fall and bust his knees in the pavement.  Once I saw him cut his head open hitting the railing in the carport.  He had blood running all down his face.  I said to him, “Josh, why don’t you just quit skateboarding?  He said this, and I’ll never forget it:  “Dad, I didn’t buy this skateboard to learn how to quit – I bought it to learn how to skateboard.”

Listen, God doesn’t bring trials into our lives to teach us how to quit.  But He allows trials to come into our lives to teach us how to live.  God is trying to toughen, to strengthen our faith.  That is the Reason for the Trials in verse 3.  But notice also:

THE RESULT OF TRIALS (v.4)

James says in verse number 4, “But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”  James is trying that God has allowed these trials to come into our lives because there is some end product, there is something that He is trying to do, trying to accomplish in our lives.  And I think there are two things God is trying to do through the trials in your life and in my life:

• The Trials In My Life are for My Enlargement and Our Enrichment

“Let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect.”  Now James isn’t talking here about sinless perfection.  God doesn’t send trials into our lives to teach us to be sinless, but the idea of “perfect” has to do with the idea of being mature, to be strengthened, to grow!  Through the trying of your faith and my faith, God is trying to make us into to mature, full grown, strong, healthy vibrant Christians.

The trials in our lives should be making us stronger Christians.  It’s like an Oak tree that comes from an acorn.  Reminds me of the children’s poem:

When you’re feeling discourage and feeling blue;

Look at the mighty Oak and see what a nut can do!

We may not be as big as God wants us to be, but what God is doing is trying to “Mature you” and Mature me.  He is taking us from a small acorn and developing us into an Oak tree.  He is taking us from “Where we are – to where He wants us to be!”  God allows these trials for our ENLARGEMENT and Our ENRICHMENT:  But, Finally

Not Only is there the Reality of Trials, the Reason for Trials and the Results of Trials,

THE RESPONSE TO TRIALS (v.2)

Let’s go back to verse 2, and here is a little phrase I skipped over, and I did so because I wanted to save this for last.  James says in verse number 2, “My brethren, count it all joy . . .”

Now, we’ve just been talking about how Trials, tribulations and troubles are inevitable in our lives – we are all going to face them.  We talked about the reason for those trials.  And now I’m trying to tell you to Rejoice in those Trials?  Well at first glance, that just doesn’t seem to make much sense does it?

But, when you and I come to realize the reason for those trials is to test us and to toughen us, and we realize that as a result of those trials we have become stronger and more mature in our walk with God – that is what God is trying to do in our lives.  It is when we understand those things that we can do like James and we can “Count it all Joy” . . . when we fall into one of these these trials, when we fall into these tribulations, when we fall into these troubles.  Hey, we didn’t go looking for them, but God sent them our way – So,  “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

“…Thou shalt call His name Jesus” (Matthew 1:21).

These were the words of an angel telling the world that, through the miracle of a virgin birth, One would soon be born whose life and work would change the history of the world. JESUS was to be his name. The life and work of no other person who ever lived on this earth has so influenced mankind.

In the ninth chapter of John we have the record of Jesus restoring the sight of a blind man. When this man was cast out of the synagogue because of his faith and testimony for Jesus, he was asked this question, “Do you believe on the Son of God?” He answered by asking another question, “Who is he,…that I might believe on Him?” Our text answers the question. JESUS IS HIS NAME.

Jesus was born in a manger, lived for some thirty years in obscurity, probably engaged in hard labor at a carpenter’s bench. At the age of about thirty-three years, He was condemned to death as blasphemer of God and a traitor to Rome, and was accordingly crucified. By three years of public life in a little corner of this world, He made such an impression that after two thousand years, the leading nations of the world count time from His birth.

His birth was contrary to the laws of life. His death was contrary to the laws of death. He had no cornfields or fisheries, but He could spread a table for five thousand and have bread and fish to spare. He walked on no beautiful carpets of velvet rugs, but He walked on the waters of the Sea of Galilee and they supported Him.

Dr. R. G. Lee once said this about Him:

“His name blossoms on the pages of history like the flowers of a thousand springtimes in one bouquet.  His name sounds down the corridors of the centuries like the music of all choirs, visible and invisible, poured forth in one anthem…He is Literature’s loftiest ideal. Philosophy’s highest personality.  Criticism’s supremest problem.  Theology’s fundamental doctrine. Spiritual religion’s cardinal necessity.”

Wherever the name of JESUS is known, and nowhere else, there are hospitals for the sick, homes for the orphans, and schools for the young of all classes. Through faith in His name we’ve seen thousands of lives transformed. Drunkards are made sober; liars are made truthful; thieves are made honest; hypocrites made sincere; hard hearts are made tender; hatred is changed to love and cruelty changed to sympathy. His nail-pierced hand have cut new channels in human history, changed the almanac of the world, and swung the gates of empires off their hinges. “Who is He, that I might believe on Him?” JESUS IS HIS NAME.

Dr. B. R. Lakin once wrote this about Jesus:

“He never wrote a book, but hundreds of thousands of volumes have been written about Him. His words have been translated into more than one thousand languages and dialects. He composed no music, and yet thousands of songs have been written acclaiming Him Lord…He built no sanctuary, and yet millions of churches, chapels, and cathedrals have been built in which to worship Him. He built no hospital, but His followers, through the agency of the Christian church, have erected institutions of healing mercy the world over to care for the sick and the needy. He had no formal schooling, and yet most of our great institutions of learning the world over were founded by His constituents. He raised no army, but those who would fight for His truth and principles the world over, can be numbered in the millions.”

JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

I believed in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.  I believe you can find JESUS in every book of the Old Testament.  Many preachers have pointed this out, these include Dr. Jack Hyles, Dr. Oral Roberts, Dr. Robert Ketcham, and Roger Duncan, just to mention a few. From the books of others and from my own Bible study, here is a list where Christ can be found in “type” or “symbol” at least once in every book of the Old Testament:

In GENESIS, He is the Seed of Woman (3:15).
In EXODUS, He is the Passover Lamb (Chapter 12).
In LEVITICUS, He is our High Priest (entire book).
In NUMBERS, He is Water from the rock (20:8 and 11).
In DEUTERONOMY, He is the Prophet like unto Moses (18:15).
In JOSHUA, He is Captain of the Lord’s hosts (5:13-15).
In JUDGES, He is our Judge and Lawgiver (entire book).
In RUTH, He is our Kinsman Redeemer (Chapter 3).
In SAMUEL, He is the despised and rejected King (I Samuel 16-19).
In KINGS and CHRONICLES, He is King of Kings (I Chronicles 12:38-40).
In EZRA, He is the Rebuilder of the temple (entire book).
In NEHEMIAH, He is the Rebuilder of the walls (entire book).
In ESTHER, He is our Mordecai (chapter10).
In JOB, He is our Ever-Living Redeemer (19:25).
In PSALMS, He is our Shepherd (chapter 23).
In PROVERBS, He is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother (18:24).
In ECCLESIASTES, He is our Wisdom (entire book).
In the SONG OF SOLOMAN, He is the “Chiefest among ten thousand”(6:10).
In ISAIAH, He is the One who surely hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (53:4).
In JEREMIAH, He is our Righteous Branch (23:5).
In LAMENTATIONS, He is our Weeping Prophet (1:12-18).
In EZEKIAL, He is our Wheel in the middle of a wheel (1:13-16).
In DANIEL, He is the Smiting Stone (2:34).
In HOSEA, He is the Faithful Husband married to an adulterous wife (entire book).
In JOEL, He is the Lord of bounty (2:18,19).
In AMOS, He is the Lord of Judgment (entire book).
In OBADIAH, He is the Deliverer upon Mount Zion (verse 17).
In JONAH, He is our great Foreign Missionary (entire book).
In MICAH, He is the Everlasting Ruler (5:2).
In NAHUM, He is our Stronghold in the day of trouble (1:7).
In HABAKKUK, He is God’s Evangelist, crying “Revive thy work in the midst of the years”(3:2).
In ZEPHANIAH, He is the Mighty Saviour (chapter 3).
In HAGGAI, He is the Ever Present One (1:13).
In ZECHARIAH, He is the Fountain opened to the house of David for sin and uncleanness (13:1).
In MALACHI, He is the Sun of Righteousness arising with healing in His wings (4:2).

“Who is He, that I might believe on Him?” JESUS IS HIS NAME.

JESUS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Jesus can be found in every book of the New Testament as well.

In MATTHEW, He is the Messiah (chapters 1 & 2).
In MARK, He is the Miracle-Worker (chapter 5).
In LUKE, He is the Son of Man (19:10).
In JOHN, He is the Son of God (3:16).
In ACTS, He is the Ascended Lord (1:8,9).
In ROMANS, He is our Justifier (4:25).
In CORINTHIANS, He is the One who shall reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet (I Corinthians 15:25).
In GALATIANS, He is the Redeemer from the curse of the law (3:13).
In EPHESIANS, He is the One in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (1:7).
In PHILIPPIANS, He is the Supplier of all our needs (4:19).
In COLOSSIANS, He is the Pre-eminent Christ (1:18).
In THESSALONIANS, He is our Soon Coming King (entire book).
In I TIMOTHY, He is the only Mediator between God and men (2:5).
In II TIMOTHY, He is the Crowning Lord and Righteous Judge (4:8).
In TITUS, He is our Blessed Hope (2:13).
In PHILEMON, He is our Partner (verse 17).
In HEBREWS, He is our High Priest forever after in the order of Melchizedek (7:13-14).
In JAMES, He is our Great Physician (5:15).
In I PETER, He is the Chief Shepherd from whom the Christian shall receive a crown of unfading glory (5:4).
In II PETER, He is the Lord coming unexpectedly as a thief in the night (3:10).
In the EPISTLES OF JOHN, He is Love (entire book).
In JUDE, He is the Lord of Vengeance (verse 7).
In REVELATION, He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (21:6).

“Who is He, that I might believe on Him?” JESUS IS HIS NAME.

JESUS IN THE ALPHABET

“Who is He, that I might believe on Him?” JESUS IS HIS NAME.

II Timothy 2:19-21, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. ²⁰ But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. ²¹ If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”

I believe that in the heart of every truly born-again child of God,  there is a desire in every one of our hearts for the Lord to use us in some way for His glory.   I believe II Timothy 2:19-21 is a beautiful illustration of how the Lord uses us.  Paul writes about the most common thing available in every home of the day – vessels.  These vessels were not merely to look at, but they had a practical and particular every day use.  The Lord is not being a respecter of persons when He puts these vessels into different categories. He is merely teaching us an important lesson.  If you and I want to be useful in His work, then we need to have a desire to discern what role we are playing in His great plan for our lives.  The text tells us there are Priceless Vessels (Gold & Silver), Common Vessels (Wood) and Disposable Vessels (Earthen) in a Great House.  Folks, I know I am not always what I ought to be, or even want to be, but I still pray daily, “Lord, help me to be a golden vessel.  Don’t let me become a disposable vessel in Your work.”  That prayer brings two thoughts to my mind.

First, the Lord knows me!  I often hear people say (and I’ve even said it myself), “I’m so glad I know the Lord.”  And I know that we are to “Know Him and to make Him known.”  The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” If this great man of God wanted to know Him, then what a challenge this should be to us.  Yet, the reality is, you and I will never fully know Him.  But you can count on this – He knows us, and more in particular, He knows me!  He knows my successes and He knows my failures.  He knows me at my best and He knows me at my worst.  And realizing that makes the next point amazing:

Not only does the Lord know me – He uses me!  Folks, it brings tears to my eyes to think that the Lord of all Glory, the King of kings and Lord of lords, could use someone like me!  WOW.  Just think about that in light of your life – your failures and your successes. Think about that in light of the things you know about you that nobody else knows about you!  Yet God wants to use you!

So, we can either be a disposal vessel that no one remembers and fades away, or a common vessel, just doing enough to get by, or we can determine to be a priceless vessel.  “Father, I pray that our desire to be used will for Your glory and not ours.  Let our lives be driven by Your purpose for each of us.  In Jesus name – Amen”

I leave you with this thought:  People will forget what you said; people will forget what you did; but people will never forget how you made them feel!

³² And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:  ³³ Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.  ³⁴ Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.  ³⁵ Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:  ³⁶ And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:  ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;  ³⁸ (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.  ³⁹ And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:  ⁴⁰ God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”

Thomas Jefferson said, “The cement of this union is the heart-blood of every American.”

On March 23^rd, 1775, Patrick Henry, in his speech to the colonial congress said, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

Louis D. Brandeis said, “Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail?”

Adlai Stevenson said, “[P]atriotism… is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”

Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettysburg address, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

John F. Kennedy said, “We dare not forget that we are the heirs of that first revolution.”

With Bullhorn in hand, and speaking to the world after the attacks on the Twin Towers on 9/11, George W. Bush said, “I can hear you!” he declared. “The rest of the world hears you! And the people – and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.”

Elmer Davis said, “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”

The words of a power song by Lee Greenwood say, “And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free.   And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.”

Hebrews chapter 11, the author is telling us that before his mind fails him, he wants to remind us of great men of faith and courage, “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.  34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.  35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.”  In his final thoughts of these valiant warriors, the author says, “Of whom the world is not worthy.”

On this Veterans Day, and as I thought about that statement, I couldn’t help but to thank God, first of all, that I was born in a country of free men, made free by every generation of American that fought for my freedom.  Secondly, I thanked God that during each generation of American history, we have not been devoid of our share of heroes.  Men and women “who out of weakness were made strong” and “waxed valiant in fight.”  Ordinary people, that when called on did extraordinary things.  And I thanked God that I had the privilege to serve alongside many great Warriors of our day.

From the battle fields of Valley Forge to Charleston; from Gettysburg to Cowpens; from France, Belgium, and Germany; from places like Bastogne, Battle of the Bulge, Normandy, Arnheim, Point Du Hoc, Sicily, Africa, Iowa Jima, Japan and the Philippines.  From the battle fields of Korea in places like the “Frozen Chosen,” Chongju, Chonan, Gloster Hill, Porkchop Hill,  Heatbreak Ridge and Hill 282.  From the Cuban Missle crisis and the “Bay of Pigs.”  From Gaudala Canal to Vietnam.  In places like the Ho Chi Mein Trail, Dak, Tan Son Knut, Da Nang, Kashon, and Saigon.  In battles like Hamburger Hill, Dak Tu, Long Dinh, An Lao and An Loc, Battle of the Iron Triangle. In operations like Arc Light, Pony Express, Popeye and Tailwind, Operation Coronado and the Raid on San Tay.   Operation Eagle Claw in the desert of Iran, where American Special Operation forces gave their lives in an attempt to rescue 52 American hostages being held in Iran.  From the Island of Grenada during Operation Urgent Fury to Panama’s Operation Just Cause.  The deserts of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq during the 1^st Gulf War (Operations Desert Shield and Storm), to Operation Gothic Serpent in Somalia, which has come to be known as the Battle of Mogidishu.  From the war torn countries of Serbia and Kosovo to the Mountains of Afghanistan, in places like Ghaznee and Gardez, Kandahar, Lask Kar Gar, Helmand, Herat, Kabul, Kunduz and Jalabad.  From Bagram to Mazar-I-Sharif.  From Iraqi cities like Baghdad, Mosul, Kirkuk and Fallujah.  From the An Bar Province to the Sunni Triangle.

America has produced its’ share of heroes in every single generation!  People like:

• Jacob Parrot in the Civil War for his role in the Great Locomotive Chase;
• William Harvey Carney, the first African American, who in spite of being shot in the face, arm and shoulder, refused to let the American flag hit the ground;
• Mary Edwards Walker, a surgeon during the Civil War and only female recipient;
• Staff Sergeant Lucian Adams, for single handedly destroying a machine gun bunker in France;
• 2^nd Lieutenant Vernon Baker, Demonstrated outstanding courage and leadership in destroying enemy installations, personnel and equipment during his company’s attack against a strongly entrenched enemy in mountainous terrain;
• Sergeant John Basilone, who fought 48 hours straight to push off the enemy – later killed on Iowa Jima;
• Audie Murphy, who’s indominable spirit kept his men safe in the face of great adversity.
• Marine Corporal Charles Abrell, in Hangayong Korea, for sacrificing his life to destroy an enemy bunker.
• Army Private Charles Barker, who sacrificed his life in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy in Korea.
• Navy Corpman Edward Benfold, for giving his life to save other marines wounded on the battle field in Korea;
• Special Forces Capt. Roger Donlon, for his actions rescuing and administering first aid to several wounded soldiers and led a group against an enemy force.
• SFC Bennie Adkins, who fought for 38 hours straight in close quarter combat during the Battle of A Shau Valley.
• John Caviani, Risked his life by attacking a wave of enemy forces alone to allow the rest of his platoon to escape in South Vietnam;
• During the Battle of Mogidishu, SFC Randal Shughart and MSG Gary Gordon, 2 Delta Force Snipers assigned to watch over the operation, engaging targets from their position in the Blackhawk. As they monitored the downing of the second Blackhawk, it became evident that ground forces would not be available to secure the crash site and protect the critically injured crew of four, all of whom survived the crash. Gordon, the sniper team leader, requested that they be inserted at the 2nd crash site. His request was denied twice before finally being approved on the third request. The snipers were armed only with their sniper rifles and pistols. Upon reaching the downed Blackhawk, which was under intense enemy fire, Gordon and Shughart pulled the crew from the wreckage and proceeded to set up a defensive perimeter. The snipers, assisted by the severely injured Durant, began to engage the attacking Somalis from the opposite side of the wreckage using assault rifles stored on the Blackhawk. Shughart and Gordon were eventually mortally wounded after nearly exhausting all available ammunition;
• SSG Salvitore Giunta, Afghansitan , an Army Paratrooper, For risking his life to save a wounded soldier from being captured. Was the first living recipient since the Vietnam War.
• Marine Sergeant Dakota Meyer, Defied order from superiors and rescued 23 Afghan Allies and 13 Americans in the Battle of Ganjgal.
• Michael Murphy, Navy SEALS, Led a four-man reconnaissance team in a fight against superior numbers, exposed himself to hostile fire in order to call for help in Kunar Province.
• Marine Corporal Jason Dunham, in fighting near the Syrian border with Iraq, Fought hand-to-hand with the enemy and hurled himself on a grenade to protect fellow Marines.

You see ladies and gentlemen, America has not been devoid of its heroes.  I am proud to report to you, that after working many years both Afghanistan and Iraq, America is still producing it’s share of heroes.  I have watched these young soldiers put on their gear, put on their war face, and everyday head into harms-way, from FOB Frontenac and Wilson, Sengeray and Mizan, from Bagram Airbase to Kandahar Airfield, to ensure that you and I can “sleep peacefully at night.”  I have watched them after being ambushed by those the government says “were dressed in an Afghan uniform,” in fear of offending them out of political expediency.  NO – they were the enemies of America!  I have watched these young men (and women) enter our bases after being hit by IED’s.  I have watched them mourn the loss of their friends, their Brothers-in-arms – yet pick themselves up and drive on with their mission.

There are some in our country who label these brave men and women as “domestic Terrorist,” but we would just assume they called us Veterans, sworn to “Protect and defend the Constitution of the United States or America against ALL enemies foreign AND domestic.”

As I sit back and watch our government, and their liberal media work day and night to try and erase our history – to change the parts they do not like or agree with, I am afraid that because we have refused to take a stand, the memories of these warriors will be lost on the next generation.  Before my mind fails me, I want to say to you, to my children, to my grandchildren – every generation of Americans have produced their  share of true heroes.  Don’t forget them – don’t forget what they’ve done and why they did it.

It is to these true Americans and Warriors that I “pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of American and to the Republic for which it stands.  One Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Where are the heroes?  They are all around us – in every generation – in every church.  And to you I say, first to our veterans, Thank you for your selfless sacrifice! And to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ – thank you for your love of God and Country.