Fighting for My Pea Patch

“And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?  ² And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.  ³ And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.  ⁴ And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.  ⁵ Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.  ⁶ Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!  ⁷ And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.  ⁸ And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am? (That is a picture of all of us.  Look, we were all dead in our trespasses and sins.  So why would God waste His time to even look upon us?  But this story is one of the most beautiful pictures of God’s Grace in all the Bible.  We provided the sin and God provided the Grace!) ⁹ Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.  ¹⁰ Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.  ¹¹ Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons. 

What a picture of God’s Grace.  My problem in dealing with this passage of Scripture is how in the world does my finite mind describe the infinite Grace of God?  That’s like taking my arms and trying to hug a mountain – there’s no way to get it done.  It’s like trying to describe a sunset to a blind man.  So please understand with me that I am attempting to do through this message what I am incapable of doing, and that is try and describe to you the Grace of God, the unmerited favor of God.  As the song Reckless Love says, “I couldn’t earn it and I don’t deserve it. Still You give Yourself away.  Oh the overwhelming, never-ending Reckless love of God.”  

As best as I can, I’d like to share four things with about God’s Grace from a simple man’s perspective. 

GRACE LOVING

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and gave His Son to be the propitiation of our sin.”

“But God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

This is a picture of Grace Loving – God loving the unlovable. 

I have no problem at all understanding how God can love children.  I love children, so I have no problem understanding how God does. 

I have no problem understanding how God can love those old saints that have given their lives to serve Him and worship Him.  There are some old saints of God that have had a huge impact on my life.  So, I have no problem understanding how God can love those old saints. 

But what I have a problem understanding, is how God could love a wretched sinner like me.  That is the Gospel message in a nutshell, isn’t it?  God loving the unlovable.

• But brother Joe, you don’t even know me!  I don’t care – God loves you.
• Brother Joe, you don’t know what I’ve done!  I don’t care what you’ve done, God loves you.
• Brother Joe, you don’t know where I’ve been!  I don’t care where you’ve been – God loves you.

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’ve been, or even what you’ve done, GOD LOVES YOU.  That is Grace Loving.

GRACE GIVING

God gave the very best that He had.  John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only Begotten Son . . .”  Grace is God giving.

I have no problem understanding how someone would donate their kidney to a loved one or donate their bone marrow to a loved one.

As a parent, I have no problem understanding how a parent would give their life for their children.  I have no problem understanding that at all.

As a former soldier, I don’t even have a problem understanding how a soldier would give his own life to save his fellow soldiers.

But what I do have a problem comprehending, is how a perfect, sinless Savior would leave His throne in Glory, come to earth and die a death on Calvary’s Cross that you and I should have died.

I have a problem understanding how He who knew no sin, would take on my sin so that I could have a right standing before God the Father. 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten son . . .”

• For the righteous and for the unrighteous.
• For the saint and for the sinner.
• For the good and for the bad.
• He gave his son for the alcoholic, for the drug addicts, for the prostitutes, for the murders.

“For God SO loved the world that He GAVE His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Folks, that is Grace Giving. 

GRACE LIFTING

When I was paralyzed in my sin.  When I couldn’t lift myself out of the miry clay that had entrapped my life, God’s Grace lifted me our of the miry clay and He set my feet on a solid rock.  He established my goings.  He did for me what I could not do for myself.

Folks, that is Grace Lifting.

GRACE ILLUSTRATED

Now let’s look at this story in II Samuel 9 that illustrated God’s Grace.  This passage was written around 1000 A.D.  So, in this passage, we find that King David is sitting on his throne in his palace that he had built in Jerusalem.  He is remembering, he is recalling his old friend Jonathan.  Now Jonathan was the son of King Saul.  King Saul had sought to kill David.  Yet David and Jonathan were best friends.  Before Jonathan died, he asked David to remember his family and to show mercy on his family. 

And so David, remembering the promise he made, is seeking all the servants that were of the House of Saul, so that he could show mercy to them, so that he could show kindness to them – not because of what King Saul had done – but for Jonathan’s sake. 

So, David calls In Ziba, who was a servant to the House of Saul.  And David asked him if there were any of the House of Saul that were living so that he could show kindness to them. 

Ziba says to King David (and I’m paraphrasing here), “King, Jonathan has a son who’s paralyzed and been in hiding down in Lodebar, named Mephibosheth.”

Lodebar means “A Land of no bread.”  So David says to Ziba, “Well go down there and fetch him out of that dreaded place of Lodebar and bring him to me.” 

Now let me give you a picture of how I see this playing out.

David, the King sends Ziba with the King’s chariot, and the Kings horses and the Kings escort to go down to Lodebar to fetch this broken little boy who was the son of his best friend Jonathan. 

Lodebar was a desolate place, where I imagine this little crippled boy, whose daddy had been killed, whose momma had been killed, was sent to die alone.

So I can see this entourage arrive in Lodebar, all the folks to come out to see and they say to themselves, “Isn’t that the chariot of King David?  Isn’t that the King’s escort?” 

I see Ziba as he enters the house of Macchar, the son of Ammiel, and he sees that little broken boy, laying there is that unkept bed.  And Ziba says to him, “I’ve been sent by the king to bring you to the Palace.”

Can you image the fear that little boy felt?  Probably thinking that he was being brought there to be put to death.  I can imagine him saying to Ziba, “Why would the King want me?  I am broken, I have nothing to offer the king?

I can see the servants of the King as they reach down and pick that little crippled boy up in the arms of mercy and carry him to the King’s chariot and they turn that chariot around and head back to the King’s Palace.

I can see that entourage as they arrive back at the Palace and they carry that boy in front of the King’s table.  I imagine that it was silent in that room as everyone waited to see what the King would say.  And David said one word.  He said “Mephibosheth.”

He responded, “Here I am LORD, your servant.”

David, sensing the fear in his heart said, “Son, don’t be afraid.  I didn’t bring you here to harm you.  I brought you here because of your father.  From now on, you will eat at my table forever.  From now on, you’ll be treated like one of the King’s kids.”

I am grateful for the day the LORD saw me broken in my trespasses and sin, He picked me up in the arms of Mercy and gave me a place at the King’s table.  And now I’m one of the King’s Kids.

THAT is Grace Illustrated!

In Psalm 119:89, the Psalmist says, “For ever, O Lord, (that word Forever  means everlasting, it means eternal, it’s here to stay)  thy word (that means the spoken word of God) is settled in heaven. (Settled – that means established)

This past Over 3 ½ years ago, I wouldn’t say we celebrated, but we shared in the Anniversary of an event that has forever changed our world, and has forever changed our country.  January 2020 was the official declaration by the US that there was a COVID Pandemic.  It is an anniversary that none of us want to celebrate, or even remember for that matter.  And though we are sick of, we have to acknowledge that it happened.

The last 3 ½ years has been unprecedented for our nation and for our world.  And even today, people are still anxious and afraid.  And I think it’s going to take a long time to really see all the affects this has had on our world.  Honestly, I don’t think we’ll ever be able to exhaust or get over the damage this virus has done.

• It has been over 3 years of division
• It has been over 3 years of what’s the truth and what’s a lie;
• It’s been over 3 years of unanswered questions

And I’m not bashing anyone, I’m not taking any side here, I’m just giving you facts.

• It’s been over 3 years of death
• It’s been over 3 years of great difficulty

The one common thing throughout the world these past few years is the fact that there has been no consistency.  It has been over 3 years of constant change – and that change seems to come almost daily.

Think about this:

• In these past few years, we’ve gone from no mask, to mask, to two masks, back to one mask, and again no mask – but with the recommendation that we wear a mask;
• We went from lock-downs to no lock-downs;
• We went from 6 feet to 3 feet to two feet and now no feet;
• We went from attending school to online school – to limited school and now back to school.

And folks again, I’m not bashing anyone, or taking any political side, I’m just giving you facts.  And the fact is, NOTHING has been consistent or constant in our world since Covid.

Folks we have had to adjust to changes in our lives over the past few years like I have never seen in my lifetime.  And I believe that people are still looking for something constant, something consistent, something that they can put their faith and trust in.

And I’ll tell you, we don’t trust anybody. 

• We don’t trust the news,
• We don’t trust the government,
• We don’t trust politicians,
• We don’t trust the school system. 
• We don’t trust the medical system
• We don’t trust the banks

WE DON”T TRUST ANYONE! And the world is looking for something to put their faith and trust in.  And I am glad this morning that I have something that I can put my faith and my trust in.

“Forever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven.”

The thing that has carried me through the past 3 plus years is the fact that I have put my faith and trust in God’s Word that is forever settled!

• And it doesn’t matter if Covid comes;
• It doesn’t matter if Cancer comes;
• It doesn’t matter if Calamities comes;
• It doesn’t matter if Catastrophes comes.
• It doesn’t matter if a crash of the markets come.

I have put my faith and my trust in the fact that “His faithfulness is unto all generations . . .”  GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!

• He has been my help in the past;
• He’s my Hightower in the present;
• And He’s my Hope for the future.

Thank God He was faithful yesterday, He’s faithful today and He will be faithful tomorrow.  WHY?  Because the writer of Hebrews says “He’s the same yesterday, today and FOREVER.”

He is the one constant in our world.  If you go to our home, you will find a bunch of Bibles in our book case.  They are different colors, different sizes, different prints.  Some of them will say Joe Moore on them.  Some will say Kim Moore on them.  Though they may look different, they are consistent – because they all say THE SAME THING.  “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my Word shall never pass away.”

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!

In the Book of Lamentations, there is a revolving theme:  Solitude, goes into sorrow, goes into suffering, which goes into a loss of strength, then it goes into sin. 

If you went home and read the Book of Lamentations, you would see our world right now.  Jerusalem at the time was experiencing loneliness.  No one was going to church.  They stopped worshipping God.  They lost their children.  They lost their jobs, many lost their homes.  And I’m sure that at some point they felt that God was no where to be found.  You ever been there?

Six chapters was about nothing but despair, loneliness, sorrow, sickness and sin. 

And then right in the middle of all that solitude, right in the middle of all their suffering, right in the middle of all the sorrow and sin – Jeremiah the Prophet says in Lamentation 3:

²² It is of the Lord‘s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  ²³ They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

Jeremiah was saying:

• Yes we have an enemy;
• Yes everythings been taken away from us;
• Yes we have suffered;
• Yes we have experienced sorrow;
• Yes we stopped worshipping God;
• Yes we have fallen into sin.

But, in spite of us, God has shown compassion and they are new every morning – GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!

GOD IS FAITHFUL IN HIS PROMISES

Deut. 7:9, “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;”

Folks, if God said it, you can take it to the bank!  He is faithful in His promises to us.

HE IS FAITHFUL IN HIS PROTECTION

I Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

This doesn’t say that God want allow stuff to come on us, but what it does say is that there is nothing going come down your path that He hasn’t already made a way out of.

God is faithful in His Promises, He is faithful in His Protection, but:

HE IS FAITHFUL IN HIS PARDON

I Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Through God’s Faithfulness, I’ve been set free.  I’ve been liberated – exempt from the liability of my sin ridden life.  Through the faithfulness of God, He sent His only begotten Son to pay debt that I couldn’t pay.

John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Great Is Thy Faithfulness!

Just imagine, a baby born in an obscure village. A child born of a peasant woman. He had nowhere to lay His head. He had no house to be born in a no cradle to be rocked in. He had to work in a carpenter’s shop until He was 30. He spent 3 years as an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book or held public office. He never married and had a family of His own. He never owned his own home. He never went to college or even visited a big city. He never travelled more than 200 miles from His hometown. As far as what the world would consider greatness – He didn’t fit the mold. His only credential was Himself. At the age of 33, public opinion changed on Him and He was condemned to be crucified. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His enemies were playing games at His feet to see who would win His clothes. He had to be buried in a borrowed tomb.

Yet, here we are – 20 centuries later. During these 20 centuries, man has gone from the lowest depths of despair to landing on the moon. Kings and Queens have come and gone. There have been literally thousands of political leaders over these 20 centuries, yet no one has had the impact on mankind that this baby, born in a manager has had.

All the armies that have ever marched, all the navies that have ever sailed, all the rulers that have ever ruled, all the religions that have ever existed have not impacted humanity or HIStory like this baby born in obscurity. Yet He said of us, “. . . The works that I do, you will do , and greater works than these shall you do . . .” (John 14:12). Can you only imagine?

A little over three years ago, I wrote a blog with the above title. Over the past few years, I have chewed on this message from time to time. Over time, God has opened my eyes to fresh thoughts on the subject that I’d like to share with you. At the heart of it, it is the same, but with some expanded thought.

When you’re reading Hebrews Chapter 12, you have to realize it’s connection to chapter 11.  Chapter 11 is known as the “Hall of Fame of Faith” of the Bible.  It tells us of those great men and women of faith, and how, in spite of facing insurmountable odds; Despite facing incredible trials; Despite facing personal persecution in many cases, they persevered, they stood “the test of time’ in their faith and are now forever recorded in Hebrews 11.

So the writer to the Hebrews is writing to encourage the readers to persevere in their own personal faith walk as he begins to transition to chapter 12.  And he begins this transition by using the word “Therefore.”  Now whenever you see the word “therefore or wherefore” you are supposed to stop and ask “what it’s there for.” 

Realizing that, helps us to understand that the writer is beginning this transition in Hebrews 12:1-2 with a full view of chapter 11 in mind.  This helps us to really put in perspective the thought the writer is trying to convey.  And he begins by relating this walk of faith to a race:

Hebrews 12 verse 1, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience (With perseverance) the race that is set before us . . .”

And in verse 2, he tells us how to win that race, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

For just a moment of your time, I just want to pull out that statement, “Looking unto Jesus the Author . . .” 

1.  WHAT IS AN AUTHOR?

Well, He is the Author of our faith.  The Greek word for Author is archaegos which means “chief, prince, writer, leader, one who takes the lead in anything and thus becomes an example.”  Another definition is “pioneer, a trail blazer – someone who paves the way.”  So the writer of Hebrews is talking about Jesus being the chief leader, the trail blazer of our faith.

I am thankful today for Hebrews chapter 11, and for all of those Heroes of the Faith “who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. 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 . . .”

I am also thankful for the Heroes of faith in my own personal life who have played a significant part in helping me become who I am. 

But folks, if it wasn’t for Jesus Christ being the trail blazer of our faith, the leader of our faith, the captain of our faith, we would all be “most miserable.”

1. WHAT IS HE WRITING?

In Jeremiah 1:5, God began writing the story of our lives even before we were born.  “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee . . .”

Of course, He is speaking specifically here to the prophet Jeremiah, as He tells him he would be a prophet to the nations.  But I believe whenever you read the Bible, there are 3 essential questions you have to ask:

1. What did it mean then?  (The actual context of the story)
2. What does it mean now? (How the context of the story fits in our world now)
3. What does it mean to me?  (Making a life application)

When I was attending Bible College years ago, my Homiletic’s professor made a statement that has stuck with me for years.  He said, “Y’all, I’m afraid that If we’re not careful, we will tend to take ourselves out of the Bible stories.”  What that means to me is this – sometimes, because we’ve become so familiar with some of the stories of the Bible, they have simply become “just stories in the Bible” and we tend to forget that they were just people, like you and I are people today.

• They had emotions and feelings back then, just like you and I have emotions and feelings today;
• They had trials of their faith back then, just like we have trials of our faith today;
• They battled their sin nature back then, just like you and I battle our sin nature today;
• They had times of failure, just like you and I have failures;
• They had moments of anger, just like you and I have moments of anger;
• They had moments of great joy, just like you and I have moments of great joy;
• They had some mountaintop experiences, just like you and I have had some mountaintop experiences;
• They spent time in the valley, just like and I have spent time in the valley.

 I say all of that to say this, when we read the stories in the Bible, whether they are about Old Testament folks or New Testament folks, whether they are stories about David, or Peter, or Paul, or John, our tendency is to say, “Well they’re just different than us.”  And the truth is, they’re not.  So, when you are reading the Bible, don’t just read the “stories” of the people back then, but own those Scriptures in your personal life. 

CONCLUSION: 

For us collectively as the Church, The Author and Finisher of our Faith is writing a story.  It is a story with ups and downs, with good days and bad days; a story with mountain top experiences and times in the valley.  But, I want to assure you, since this is a story that He is writing, we can rest in the fact that He is building His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

When it comes to us individually, every one of our lives tells a different story.  We have all taken different paths on our faith journey.  Some journeys have been on the straight and narrow, while many, if not most (just like the Children of Israel) did not take the most direct route in our lives to get here.  Regardless of how we got on our faith journey, I want you to understand that Jesus is the Author of the story being written in your life.  Since He is the Author of our faith, you can rest assured that no matter how many obstacles you have on your journey – you will never have a roadblock. 

He is writing a story in your life: it’s a story with ups and downs, a story with highs and lows, yet, it is a story that He will finish in your life.  And with the same confidence the Apostle had over 2000 years ago, you and I can be “. . . confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

God is writing a story in your life.  Let me ask, are you satisfied with the way the story is going in your life right now?  Maybe, you need to write a letter to God on your heart!

This past year has been a very challenging year in every aspect of my life. However, having travelled a little longer in life, having been down the road a little further, I’ve been able to see the hand of God at work in new, fresh, and exciting ways.

For several years now, a good friend of mine has been offering us the opportunity to plant a church to the biker community where we live. After hearing his “Macedonian Call (and lot’s of prayers),” we have decided that on May 21st, we will be launching the start of Rally Point Biker Church.

We all have our messes in life. We all say things at times we wish we could take back. We do things we wish we could undo. Too often, we also miss opportunities. And the truth is, this happens in almost every facet of our lives – whether at work or home, with our friends, our co-workers and even our families. We hurt the people that are closest to us, and at times, we disappoint God (not that we catch Him off guard). I think it is through these hard times in our lives that we really learn to appreciate a fresh start, a new beginning – an opportunity to turn our backs on the past and focus on the future, with the hope that “this time around, things are going be better!”

There’s something exciting about starting over—new challenges, new experiences, new opportunities. So, my prayer for my family (and for yours) is that we make this fresh start, a new and fresh dedication – to God, to our families, and to each other. We have goals, big plans, things we want to accomplish – and we know it is not going to be easy, but with the Bible as our roadmap and Christ as our Road Captain, we are excited about starting a fresh new journey on this roadway called life!

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

Recently, I had the awesome privilege to be considered as pastor to an awesome group of people.  After the first meeting (which lasted over 4 hours), my wife and I left there feeling that God was opening the door for a tremendous ministry opportunity. For nearly six weeks, we (both the church and us) got to know each other.  They were able to examine us and, likewise, we were able to examine them.  During this time, they were able to really share their hearts about what they felt they needed as the body of Christ.  After much prayer, I really felt that I had a great deal to offer and was very excited about what God was doing. 

To ensure that I was in the perfect will of God, I threw out my fleece and told the church that I felt that if this truly was God’s will, I would need at least a ninety percent vote outcome.  Sure enough, the day of the “trial sermon” came and the church voted.  While they were voting, my wife and I went to the prayer room where we prayed and waited.  They came and got us, brought us to the sanctuary and informed us that we had received ninety-nine percent of the vote.  That definitely had to be God’s will – right?

My wife and I left the service that morning and went to our vehicle to leave.  I sat there for a minute and then looked at my wife and said, “I know this is going to sound crazy, especially after we have been through so much to get here, but I feel like God just shut the door.”  Shockingly, Kim looked at me and said, “You’re not going to believe this, but I felt God tell me the same thing when we were in the prayer room.”

Not wanting to be hasty, I decided to really pray about this before sharing with the church.  As my pastor has been fully supportive of us through this process, I called my pastor the next evening and told him I was not sure why, but I felt that God has shut the door and I was going to decline the pastor position.  We meet for dinner that night and my pastor brought this beautiful poem to us:

The next day, I meet with the leadership and pastor search committee to inform them that I could not accept the position.  That was extremely difficult and emotional.  We had grown to love these people in a very short amount of time, yet God said NO.

For the past two weeks, I’ve been asking God to help me understand this.  I don’t know if it is just me, but sometimes, I sure wish He would just give me an audible answer.  Since that hasn’t happened yet, all I can do is trust His Word.  So, what do you do when God says no?

Proverbs 3:5 and 6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not on thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”

I’ve heard it said that “faith is trusting in God enough to do what He says no matter how we feel or how certain we are of how things will turn out.” With that thought in mind, God has given me peace in these two simple thoughts:

I.  He is working “all things” (all the good things, all the bad things, all the things I can understand, all the things I don’t understand, all the things I can explain, and all the things I cannot explain), for our good and for His glory(Romans 8:28). We don’t have to understand God’s answers to know that they were motivated by His love for us.

II.  He will give me the grace to handle His answer.  Paul said in II Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Father, if I am being honest with You, I have to say I don’t understand this. But, I do trust in You. I trust Father that You have a place espied for me, a place where you can best use my talents and abilities for the Kingdom work. And Father I pray and trust that you send the right pastor to the friends that we have grown to love. Help us to trust You with all our hearts and to not lean on our own understanding. As we put you first, Father direct our next steps, in Jesus name. Amen.

Mark 7:31-37, “³¹ And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. ³² And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. ³³ And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; ³⁴ And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. ³⁵ And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. ³⁶ And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; ³⁷ And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.“

Sounds like Him doesn’t it? I think we can all agree with this statement I’m about ready to make, “Things can go wrong, even with what God gives us.”

MATERIALLY, everything that we have, God has given it to us. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from the Father above. It all belongs to Him. But even with the material things that He has given us, things can go wrong with them. Take my house for instance. God has blessed us to be able to purchase a home, and we give Him all the glory for us. But I can tell you, over the past 16 years in our home, we’ve had to do a lot of home repairs. We’ve had to work on the heating and AC; we’ve had to paint (both inside and out); we’ve had to replace water heaters and put in new flooring; and we’ve had to do work on the roof. Even with my vehicles, after so many miles, it takes work and effort to keep them running. You have to change the tires, change the breaks and the oil. Sometimes, you even have to have major repairs done to them. Most things that we own have a depreciation value. The truth is, the longer you have something the less value it to you than when you first got it. Even though God blessed us with it, at times, things go wrong and they need to be repaired.

Physically, we can pretty much say the same thing. The older I get the more things seem to be breaking down, or need repairs. I’m just not what I was 30 years ago. I don’t look the same, I don’t feel the same, and I can’t get around the same. You might say that we are depreciating physically. God created me in His image, I am His and He is mine, yet, there are times when I am physically broken and need repairs.

Spiritually, the same is true. I am blessed to be called a child of God – I’m one of the King’s kids, yet, over and over in my personal life, I’ve been spiritually broken. If you have been a Christian any length of time, then you know there have been times in your own life when you’ve been broken and in need of repairs.

I’m glad that just like this person in Mark chapter 7, we have the Great Physician that we can come to for repairs. One of my favorite shows was Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines. I love how they could look at something that was broken and seemingly beyond repair, and they could make it better than it ever was. That’s how our God is. He sees our brokenness, He sees our failures and disappointments, yet behind all of our brokenness – He sees what we can be, and often that is better than we ever were to begin with.

Maybe you are reading this and have brokenness in your life and desperately need repairs. I would encourage you today to come to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, and allow Him to repair what is broken in your life!

Mark 9:24, “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

John 20:26, “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus (Don’t you love it when Jesus Comes?), the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.”

I want to ask you a question this morning, and I suppose this will be the title of the message, “CAN FAITH AND DOUBT CO-EXIST?” 

I love the story in Mark chapter 9 where a father has an issue with his son, and he brings him to the disciples, but the disciples can’t do anything for him, so Jesus says, “Bring him to me.”

And Jesus says, “All things are possible to him that believe,” and the Father says, “LORD, I believe – help thou my unbelief.”

So, if the father believed in something, what is it that he didn’t believe in?  You see, I don’t believe that father doubted God – I believe he doubted himself. 

Now when it comes to my own life, I have no doubt in my mind that God is real – and there is nothing you can do to change that.

When it comes to God being a healer, I have no doubt that God can heal who He wants, when He wants and however He wants.

When it comes to God being my provider, I have no doubt about that. “He said He would supply all our needs according to His riches in glory.”

But where that doubt comes in is when I ask the question, “Can that same Healer do it for me?”

It’s not a matter of CAN HE DO IT, but WILL HE DO IT?  So the doubt is not in God, the doubt is in us!

So, we all have to ask ourselves Can faith and doubt co-exist, and it’s something we all have to ask ourselves as a child of God. 

And listen, I’m going to say this upfront, please understand that just because you have some doubts in your life, and just because you have doubts about God doing something for you, doesn’t mean that you are not saved.  It doesn’t mean that you are sinning, it doesn’t even mean that you lack faith.  What it does mean is that you are a human being. 

I think if we are all honest with ourselves, we’d have to say that there have been times in our lives when we’ve seen God do mighty things in peoples’ lives and then we say to ourselves, “Well I know God did that in so and so’s life, but I don’t know if God will do that for me.” 

Now I want to show you three people in the Book of John where both Faith and Doubt Co-existed.  But, each one of them overcame their doubt.  And the way that they overcame their doubt is the same way that you and I will overcome our doubt.

I.          THOMAS DOUBTED BECAUSE OF HE DIDN’T SEE THE SIGNS (John 20:24)

“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.”

And Thomas even said in verse 25, “You told me He showed up, but I haven’t seen Him with my own eyes.  “. . . Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 

In the Bible, he is referred to as Thomas, but most of us refer to him as “Doubting Thomas.”  That’s odd, because the Bible NEVER refers to him as “Doubting Thomas.’

You know why he is referred to as Doubting Thomas?  Because church people gave him that name – because we are quick to point out other people’s failures and mistakes. 

Now, it is obvious that he did have doubt.  He had doubt because he didn’t see the signs.  He was looking for something, and because he didn’t see it, he doubted that it could be true.

And this is a common theme when it comes to doubt in our own lives.  Just because we haven’t seen God do it yet, then we begin to doubt that He can, or even that He will. 

Sometimes we can wait on God for so long, that we begin to wonder if He is ever going to show up again.

As I was researching the history of a Church recently, I came across a news article about the 250^th Anniversary.  I read of a certain lady (93 at the time), whose forefathers where members of this church, whose sons and husband were baptized at this church and whose husband is buried in this church cemetery, said, “I remember when the church was filled and had revival meetings with no air conditioning,” She said. “We raised the windows and people were sitting outside on their cars looking inside listening to the message. We really had revival then.”

I got to thinking about my home church, 4^th Street Baptist Church in Hartsville, and I thought about some of the services we had back then, and I said to myself, “I sure do miss the services we had back then and I pray God will let me see services like that again before He calls me home.”

And I find myself saying “Lord, it’s not that I don’t believe You can, but will You?”  We wait months, sometimes years and even decades and we ask ourselves “Will He do it again?”  And because we haven’t seen Him do it, Doubt sets in.

Thomas said, “Until I see it with my own eyes . . . I will not believe it!”

But notice what the Bible says in verse 26, “THEN CAME JESUS.”  Now the reason that Thomas didn’t believe is because he wasn’t in the right place the first time. 

Now folks, this is a beautiful picture of GRACE, and I’m going to show you why.

You see, Jesus didn’t have to come a SECOND TIME.  He already showed up once, just a few verses earlier.  And for whatever reason, Thomas missed Jesus when He came the first time.  And when Thomas said in verse 25, “Unless I see I will not believe,” verse 26 says, “Then came Jesus!”

And it left Thomas saying, “My LORD and my God.”  What a beautiful picture of Grace. 

• Jesus didn’t have to walk through those walls;
• Jesus didn’t have to show up again.
• But He did – and it dispelled Thomas’ doubt.

And in verse 27, Jesus tells Thomas, “Thomas, don’t worry about the things that you haven’t seen – focus on the things that you have seen!”

Folks listen, God has done so much for me in my life, that if He never does another thing, He has already done more than I deserved.

Thomas Doubted because he didn’t see the Signs

II.         MARY MAGEDELLIN DOUBTED BECAUSE SHE DIDN”T SENSE THE SAVIOUR

             (John 20:11-13)

“But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, ¹² And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.¹³ And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.”

She had doubt because she didn’t know where the LORD was.  Maybe you never been in the place where you had to wonder where GOD is at – But some of you have been through some things and you’ve questioned “LORD, WHERE ARE YA?”

You see, I believe we’ve all had those John 11 moments, “LORD, IF YOU’D OF BEEN HERE . . .”

When Lazarus died, Mary and Martha:

• They are going through the biggest valley they have ever crossed;
• They are facing the greatest trial they will ever face;
• They are facing the greatest tragedy they’ve ever faced;
• And they are carrying the heaviest burden they will ever carry.

And so they were left asking “LORD, IF YOU’D OF BEEN HERE . . .”

• “LORD, IF YOU’D OF BEEN HERE . . . my daughter wouldn’t have cancer.”
• “LORD, IF YOU’D OF BEEN HERE . . . I wouldn’t have lost my job.”
• “LORD, IF YOU’D OF BEEN HERE . . . my marriage would have lasted.”
• “LORD, IF YOU’D OF BEEN HERE . . . this wouldn’t have happened.”

And listen, when we have those John 11 moments, Satan will come and jump all over that doubt and he will cause it to swell.  But folks, just because you can’t see Jesus doesn’t mean that He’s not there!

In verse 15, Mary was talking to who she thought was the Gardner, pleading with him to find the body of Jesus, when in fact, it actually was Jesus, and He said, “Mary . . .”  And when Jesus spoke her name, the lens of doubt was removed and she realized He was there all along.

Folks, just because you can’t see Jesus, doesn’t mean that He’s not there!  He’s been there every step of the way.  The Bible says “He never leaves us nor forsakes us.”

Mary almost missed it because her perception of what Jesus looked like was different than what she got. 

Mary didn’t Sense the Saviour,

Thomas didn’t See the Signs,

III.        SIMON PETER DIDN’T STUDY THE SCRIPTURES (John 20:9)

“For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.”

I have heard many messages regarding the folded napkin  that Peter and John found in that tomb, and even heard some beautiful songs in regards to that napkin, and the symbolic meaning it had to Jesus custom – but folks, there is something very significant that I see about this folder napkin that we can dismiss, or miss altogether by just subscribing to the theories or customs.

So let’s just play CSI of the tomb for one second and exam it’s contents. 

1. There was linen clothes just waded up lying there;
2. Then there was the folder napkin place properly on the bench where Jesus’ body lay.

Can I submit to you that the evidence that I see does not point to a Robbery – but to a Resurrection. 

Because who is their right mind, if they’re going to steal a body, would stop to take the time to fold the napkin?

No folks, I believe Jesus took the time to fold that napkin Himself.  And I think He was leaving a message for Simon Peter.  “Simon Peter, I know you have some problems.  I know you’ve denied me, and I know you are hurting.  But Simon Peter, if you know the Scriptures, then you’ll know the evidence I’ve left fulfills Scriptures that “No man can take my life . . . I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up again.”

The most sure fired way that you and I have to combat the doubt in our lives, is to know the Scriptures. 

I heard a story about a drama teacher that was taking her class to see an Opera play.  But before going, she gave all of them the script to the play to read.  The students were upset with the teacher for assigning the homework and said that she was spoiling the play for them.  But what they didn’t understand was that the play was in Italian.  And the teacher said,  the reason I am giving you this is because when you see it, you won’t understand it, unless you’ve read it.”

And sometimes we miss what God is doing, because we haven’t read what He can do.  But when you’ve read what He can do and has done, and He shows up – you will have no problem recognizing when He does it again!

So what happened?  Well, Jesus Showed Up!  Look at verse 19, “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.”

 Let me read that again.  Can somebody tell me what the first day of the week is?  SUNDAY.

So, the first day of the week, Jesus shows up and rids them all of their doubt.

Now listen, I know that God can show up anywhere that He wants to, any time that He wants to. 

• He has shown up with me in my truck;
• He has shown up with me while riding my motorcycle;
• He has shown up to me in a hospital room;
• He has shown up to me in the grocery store.

But it doesn’t happen every day.  If doesn’t happen every time I get in my truck, it doesn’t happen every time I ride my motorcycle, it doesn’t happen every time I visit the hospital or walk through the grocery store.  BUT IT DOESN’T HAPPEN EVERYTIME.

But, there is one place I can guarantee you that He shows up EVERY SINGLE TIME – whether we see Him or not.  And that place is “On the first day of the week,” where the Bible says, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

They were assembling on the first day of the week – then came Jesus!  Sounds a lot like church to me. 

So, why do we need Church on Sunday and why do we need church on Wednesday?  Because we don’t know it all. 

But it’s not enough for just us to show up, we need Him to show up!

• Aren’t you grateful for the when Jesus showed up and you got saved?
• Aren’t you grateful for the day when Jesus showed up and your children got saved?

I pray today that you and I can get past enduring our salvation, to enjoying our salvation!

Back in 2018. I wrote a post concerning the little no-name boy mentioned in John chapter 6 who brought to Jesus 5 barley loaves and two small fishes. The title of the post was “Is Your Bread Good Enough?” Today, I would like to use that same text and ask you a much simpler question, “Is What You Have Enough?”

John 6:9, says, “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” Now, from a worldly perspective, there is no possible way that you could have fed that great multitude with just 5 barley loaves and two small fishes. In fact, it wouldn’t even come close.

So picture this with me now, here is that Little Boy – he’s heard Jesus Preach, he’s seen Jesus perform miracles – and now here he stands before Jesus with 5 Barley Loaves and 2 small fishes, and he is probably saying to himself, “There’s no way He can feed all these people with the little I have to bring Him.”

So let me ask you again, is what he brought to Jesus enough? Well, as long as he held it in his hands – if would never come close to being enough!

Let’s consider here what he had.  The Bible says he had 5 Barley Loaves of Bread.  Now Barley loaves are not like a loaf of bread in our day, this was more like a biscuit.  So, in my simple way of thinking, I can picture here 5 buttermilk biscuits.

But he also had what the Bible says are “two small fishes.”  So, when I think of two small fishes, I am not picturing in my mind two big ole Carolina Catfish here – I am picturing more like two sardines.

It’s a little Boys Lunch.  He’s got 5 barley loaves and two small fishes.  Now is that enough to feed this multitude? NOT as long as he held it in his hand. In fact, not only would it not meet the needs of that multitude, it wouldn’t even meet his own needs for very long.

My son Josh is in his 30’s now, but I’m telling you, when he was a boy – he could swallow 5 biscuits and 2 sardines in one breath – and that would’ve just been an appetizer!

WAS IT ENOUGH???  Not while it was in his hands! It wouldn’t even come close. But I’m so glad the Bible says he gave it to Jesus.  He put it in Jesus Hands and he took his hands off. 

So, here is Jesus, He is now holding the 5 barley loaves and the two small fishes, so let me ask you this:  Is it NOW enough to feed this multitude? Well, let me answer you: 

NOT ONLY HAS IT BECOME ENOUGH, IT HAS NOW BECOME MORE THAN ENOUGH!

We know the rest of the story, how Jesus took that Little Boys Lunch, He blessed it and broke it and gave it to his disciples and told them to sit the people on the ground in groups and begin passing it out to the multitudes. And the Bible says that as the disciples passed out enough food that they did not just eat – but they ate until they were FULL. And then Jesus tells them, “Now go around and pick up what’s left-over.”

Folks, listen, when their hands were on it, they didn’t even have enough to feed that little boy for long, and NOW, since Jesus touched it – they’ve feed everyone until they were full and have plenty of left-overs as well.  In fact, they had 12 baskets full – one for each of the 12 disciples!

You see, when that Little Boy put his lunch in Jesus hands, the AMOUNT no long mattered.  It wouldn’t have mattered how many there were in that crowd.

As soon as he put it in Jesus’ hands and took his hands off, it IMMEDIATELY became MORE THAN ENOUGH to meet the needs of the multitude.

If we could ever get a hold of this fact, if we could get our hands off of our lives, our talents, our abilities, and even our programs, there would be no limits to the needs that could be met.

So let me finish by asking you this, is what you have enough? Well, as long as you are in control and holding onto it, it will never be enough. But, if you put all that you have in the hands of Jesus, it is not only enough – but it is more than enough!

Job, 37, beginning in verse 14, “Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. ¹⁵ Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine? ¹⁶ Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge? ¹⁷ How thy garments are warm, when he quieteth the earth by the south wind? ¹⁸ Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass? ¹⁹ Teach us what we shall say unto him; for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness. ²⁰ Shall it be told him that I speak? if a man speak, surely he shall be swallowed up. ²¹ And now men see not the bright light which is in the clouds: but the wind passeth, and cleanseth them.”

As I thought about Christmas, one of my favorite things is the lights.  I love riding around looking at the Christmas lights.  As I think about the lights, I can’t help but think how each one should be wrapped around the fact that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World.  I realize though, that 2020 has been a very difficult year for many of us, if not ALL OF US.  It is very easy to allow the dark clouds to overshadow the Bright Light in our lives. 

So, to humble Job, God asked him a series of questions:  Questions about the oceans tides, about the sun rays and snowflakes.  And then He says to Job, “Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.”

Now let’s look at Job’s life for just a minute.  In Chapter one, as the sons of God came to present themselves, Satan got in the mix and God asked him where he was coming from.  Satan replied, “From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” 

So God says, “Well Satan, have you considered my servant Job?”

Satan said, “God, the only reason Job serves you is because you’ve put a hedge of protection around him and blessed him so much.  If you’d remove that hedge, he will curse you to your face.”

And we know how God removed His hedge of protection from Job, but told Satan he couldn’t take his life.  Job lost his health, his wealth, all of his children.  And having a pity party, Job says, “Naked came I out of my mothers womb and naked shall I go thither.  The LORD giveth and the LORD taketh away.  Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

While sitting around in a pile of ashes, Job’s wife came to him and said “Job, why don’t you just curse God and die?”  Job replied, “Should we only accept good from God and not evil?  And in all this, Job sinned not with his lips.”

In Job chapter 19, when Job is at the worst place in his life he’d ever been.  His friends have repeatedly come to rebuke him for sin in his life that surely had to be the cause of all this calamity.  They felt that because Job had trials in his life meant that he was ON Trial.  Folks, don’t miss this – just because you have trials in your life doesn’t mean that you are on trial.  Although Job is very upset, and although he is miserable, and crying out to God, he stops in verse 25 of chapter 19, and out of nowhere makes this statement:  “I know that my redeemer liveth.”

And then, in chapter 37, God comes to Job, and in 14^th verse God says to Job, “Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.”

Job:

• In the midst of all this calamity;
• In the midst of all this chaos;
• In the midst of all this catastrophe.

“Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.”

And then after asking a series of questions, God says in verse 21, “And men see not the bright light which is in the clouds . . .”

It’s almost as if God is saying, “Job, for every one hundred men that are looking at the dark clouds in the sky – there’s one that’s looking for the Light.” 

Did Job have trials in his life?  Did Job have dark periods in his life?  Sure he did, but he never lost sight of the Bright Light which is in the clouds.” 

And why did God say it was a Bright Light and not just a light? 

• I believe because in the midst of our storms, God didn’t won’t us to miss the Light;
• He wanted us to know there was a Bright Light there to lead us out of the storms in our live.

And why did He say it was IN the clouds and not above the clouds?

• I think because God wanted us to know that He is in the storm with us. He’s a friend that stickesth closer than a brother.
• He said He would never leave us nor forsake –
  • no matter where we are on life’s journey.
  • No matter how dark things are in our life.
  • He is in it with us.

Heavenly Father, during this holiday season, in a world of uncertainty and chaos, in a world that seems so dark, may each of us take a moment to “Stand still and consider Your wondrous works.” May we realize that You are there with us as a Bright Light in our darkest places. And Father, to this world we live in, may be lights set on a hill for others to see. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.