Tag: The Rock

Posted in Evangelism, Leadership, Life Inspiration

Only God Knows When Enough is Enough

Written by talk2shari Published Discussion Leave a Comment on Only God Knows When Enough is Enough

Somewhat less than a one hundred years ago, when I was new to the faith I heard a sermon from a preacher, who I believe was Dr. Larry Brown, and the title of the sermon was “Then Came Amalek.” It obviously struck a nerve, because here I am still talking about it. That’s when you know it’s been a good sermon, when it strikes a chord that continues to sing a melody in your heart years later. Well, this sermon was one, and this morning it’s on my heart again. “Then Came Amalek.” 

Amalek was a people who were descendants of Esau, and they were a very strong people. Amalek was the first of the nations, but their latter end would be that they perished forever because they messed with the wrong people.  So Amalek is an illustration of those who are sources of conflict for the people of God. And do we, or do we not, have many, many sources of conflict? It’s why we need a sermon like “Then Came Amalek” to remind us that there will come a day that God will wipe the face of the earth with this arrogant lot of people who continually berate the children of the Living God! Amen…. that thought makes me happy. Not that souls will go to Hell, but that God is just in His decisions. And He will not be mocked. For now He gives this tribe of naysayers grace and the opportunity to be saved, but there will come a day when God will say, enough is enough. 

Even the children of Amalek continued for a while to be an issue for Israel. There are stories of the battles from Exodus to Samuel, where Saul and David continued to fight them. But there did come a day when God said… that’s it. You’re done. And glory to God there’s going to come a day when God says that to this nation of heathens that are mocking Christ today. 

As I go into the Easter weekend, I can see the writing on the wall. Just as it was in the book of Daniel 5:25-26

And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE ; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

Only God knows when “enough is enough.” Now back to Amalek.

Prior to this battle, the children of Israel had murmured and complained to Moses that they were thirsty. And I would assume it was complaining to the extreme. Because God gave Moses and extreme measure of getting them that drink.

Exodus 17:2-7

Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord ? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. [5] And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.  And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?

That scripture is important to our story because the Rock is representative of Christ. And it is when one receives Christ that the troubles usually begin. Satan doesn’t strive with the unsaved. He has them in his grips already. He strives with the children of God to try and stay their hands and prevent them from winning more souls to the Kingdom. That what his battle on earth is about. Stopping them work of the cross.  

I don’t believe in happenstance and I certainly don’t think the Coronavirus has us house bound on Easter Sunday without reason. Would Satan not love to get the mind of the world off of Jesus this weekend? But what it should do, is draw the minds of God’s people closer to the cross, because it is there that we have hope. 

A few lessons from the battle with the Amalekites that we could learn is the Moses got a little help from his friends.

Exodus 17:13-16

And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.  And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi:  For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

THE DISCOMFITING

As the battle pursued, Moses, Aaron and Hur went upon the mountain. Moses held his hands high in the air and as long as he did, Israel won, but as they lowered, the battled would go in the Amalekites favor. When Moses’ arms tired, Aaron and Hur would get beneath him and hold him up. And Joshua discomfited Amalek.  (Exodus 17:10-12)

That’s what we need to be doing to our leaders who are defending Christ. I don’t know if those who are making the professions of belief are saved or not, but I know this, God knows. And God has been glorified when Christ’s name is mentioned in our nations capitol and our State. And I will continue to uphold these men and women who choose to make that stand, whether or not their life has always been backed up by faith. It’s not up to me to judge, but I would gladly take a stick and smack a few things if God would ask me too. (Kidding) maybe. 

But the only way we are going to discomfit the leaders who are taking a stand against Christ is by lifting up those who defend our Lord. 

THE DISCUSSION

God told Moses to rehearse this in the ears of Joshua. We too need to talk about what’s going on in our nation and world in a way that encourages people to believe. We need to talk about the battles that God has won, again and again in the face of all adversity and odds. But He has taken care of His own. We need to tell our troops that we are praying for them and lifting them up, and those troops right now are not just our soldiers, but our medical and emergency personnel as well. Talk about Jesus! Tell them “He wins!”

THE DESTRUCTION

It’s going to happen. The destruction, not only of the COVID-19 but the destruction of the enemies of God. I have no idea when, but I know, as Moses knew, God’s word will be fulfilled. When Christ hung from the cross and said “It is Finished,” He meant the sacrifice, not the battle. But when He returns in those clouds of glory and says it again, there won’t be another chance for the those who deny and mock Christ. Just as God utterly destroyed the Amalekites, He’ll do the same with this heathen world, Satan and all his minions. But for us, the victory is sure! 

But for now, we’re in the battle. This word encourages me to be more faithful at lifting our leaders, pastors and people of God up in prayer. We need to lift the arms of those who are weakening because of this battle. 

I pray today finds you well and encouraged to do the same. 

Posted in Christian Service, Life Inspiration, Praise

I don’t want to sit in the Pharisees Pew

Written by talk2shari Published Discussion Leave a Comment on I don’t want to sit in the Pharisees Pew

Luke 19:37-40

And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.  And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

Have you ever been at the foot of a mountain top experience? You feel in your soul that God is about to doing something amazing! You can see in the distance a plan that God has unfolding and something inside your soul begins to stir and the excitement builds until you just can’t keep quiet. You’ve got to tell someone; you’ve got to share the good news!

That’s a place that I feel that many Christians are at, but there’s just one problem: Religion. It always has a way of working its way into the ministry, because it looks like it belongs there. It’s pretty, and dignified and never makes anyone uncomfortable. People sit in their seats with their hands firmly clutching the bible or a hymnal or a child, anything that will keep emotion from taking over, else they’ll have their hands in the air like they just don’t care, and we can’t have that!

That is far too close to the Pharisee’s pew for me.

In Luke 19 Jesus is making His entry into Jerusalem, not only the main disciples are excited, but there’s a crowd of other believers who are making noise and glorifying God for the great and mighty things He has done. They’re acknowledging His deity, His control of situations in their life, and they don’t care if He’s on a lowly donkey; as a matter of fact that probably made Him more relatable to them. He didn’t arrive in a chariot, because He was the God of the common man. He put Himself in a position of relativity. They were excited that God was with them.

Although not everyone was happy. There was a religious crowd that didn’t like the noise. So they complained… to God.

Oh. My. Stars. That cracked me up. They went to God and ask Him to shush the crowd. Essentially asking God to shut up the gratitude.

It made me laugh and then it made me sick. Because I see people who are sitting at the foot of that mountain top experience of a service that leaves you excited and ready to go into all the world and share the good news but religion comes in. But, since it’s already had God’s answer, religion goes to the people and tells them to shush. They’re noise will disrupt the service and somebody might look at them. And they’re more than happy to oblige.

So… what’s the worst that could happen? Somebody else might get excited?

Jesus told the religious crowd that if the people would hold their peace, the stones would cry out. What might that sound like I wonder?

There’s a lot of things that happen around stones in the Bible and the Pharisees knew it. Jesus may have been reminding them of some of those events. What if the stones on location began to cry out about the things they’d seen? Like the delivery of Israel out of Egypt and the twelve stones that were laid in remembrance of that event. What would those stones say… would they tell of the rejoicing and the weeping as the children were lead toward the Promised Land? What would the stone say that Jacob used for a pillow the night that God changed his name to Israel. When that stone watched Jacob wrestle and get his thigh knocked out of kilter. What about the stones that were about to be hurled at the woman caught in adultery and Jesus stepped in and saved her life, just like He saved ours. What would those stones say?

Can you see why I don’t want to sit on the Pharisee’s pew? I don’t want those stones to weep because I fail to praise God Who is worthy of a loud house.

There was one more stone that the Pharisees knew nothing about. But Jesus did. It was one that would shortly to come to pass, and would be rolled away to find an empty grave and risen Lord so that I, and you, could have eternal life and a relationship with the Lord. He would forever be “God with us.” What would that stone say? The stone that witnessed it all!

We don’t have a stone to tell us, but we have the Word of God and it stirs my souls this morning and I can assure you that my hands may be on the key board but they will be praising God in the air here shortly. He is the Rock! And there will come a day when every person of creation will hear the Rock cry out. Be ready, and be loud!