A Basket Case

2 Corinthians 11:32-33, 32 In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.

TODAY’S SERMON TITLE: “A BASKET CASE”

(SHOW OF HANDS REAL QUICK…) HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE EVER REACHED A POINT IN YOUR LIFE – WHERE YOU FELT LIKE YOU WERE ABOUT TO LOSE IT? (YEAH, SOME OF YAW BOUT TO LOSE IT RIGHT NOW!)

WE’VE ALL HAD SEASONS IN OUR LIVES – WHERE WE’VE BEEN PUSHED TO THAT BREAKING POINT! THE POINT WHEN WE’VE TRIED EVERYTHING – BUT NOTHING SEEMS TO WORK!

I’M TALKING ABOUT A DAY WHERE EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE GOING WRONG! WHEN YOU’RE SCARED TO ASK, “WHAT ELSE COULD GO WRONG?” (BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT SOMETHING ELSE MIGHT VERY WELL GO WRONG…)

THE CAR BREAKS DOWN – THE FOOD BURNS UP – THE CHILDREN GET SICK – A FUSE BLOWS OUT – THE TELEPHONE KEEPS ON RINGING – THE NEWSPAPER GETS WET – THE ROOF LEAKS – YOUR CHECKS BOUNCE – YOUR PRESCRIPTION RUNS OUT – YOU LOSE YOUR CELL PHONE – YOUR COMPUTER CRASHES – YOUR PURSE GETS STOLEN – YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW IS INTERRUPTED – YOUR BATH WATER IS COLD – THE VACUUM CLEANER WON’T WORK – THE BABY WON’T STOP CRYING – YOUR SPOUSE WON’T STOP WHINING…

THESE ARE THE DAYS – WHEN YOU ARE AT YOUR WITS END! THESE ARE THE DAYS WHEN YOUR HEAD IS POUNDING – YOUR PATIENCE IS SHORT – AND YOU FEEL LIKE RUNNING OUTSIDE TO SCREAM – BUT YOU CAN’T EVEN FIND YOUR SHOES!

ANYONE WHO SEES YOU (WHEN YOU’RE HAVING ONE OF THESE DAYS…) MIGHT THINK THAT YOU ARE, “A BASKET CASE!”

A BASKET CASE IS A TERM THAT HISTORIAN’S SAY – BEGAN BACK IN WORLD WAR I – TO DESCRIBE QUADRUPLE AMPUTEES. THE SOLDIERS WHO HAD BEEN SHOT UP SO BADLY (WOULD HAVE THEIR ARMS AND LEGS AMPUTATED…) AND THEN THEY WOULD CARRY THEM AWAY IN BASKETS! (OF COURSE THE MILITARY DENIES THIS…)

BUT TODAY IN OUR SOCIETY – WE USE THE TERM, “BASKET CASE” TO DESCRIBE A PERSON – WHOSE ACTIONS BORDERS MENTAL INSTABILITY! PEOPLE WHO DO STRANGE OR ODD THINGS – FOR NO APPARENT REASON!

(NOW CAN WE KEEP IT REAL…) WHEN WE’VE HAD A DAY LIKE I DESCRIBED JUST A MOMENT AGO – A DAY WHEN WE’RE FEELING PRESSURED – A DAY WHEN WE’RE REALLY DOWN AND OUT – A DAY THAT WE’RE HAVING OUR “PITTY PARTY”… (TRUTH BE TOLD) WE’VE CALLED OURSELVES, “A BASKET CASE!”

BUT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY BE FEELING LIKE A BASKET CASE TODAY – THE LORD WOULD HAVE ME TO TELL HIS PEOPLE: TO HANG IN THERE – AND BE OF GOOD CHEER! BECAUSE HE IS STILL IN CONTROL!

(HOW MANY OF YOU WILL TESTIFY TODAY…) THAT THE GOD WHOM WE SERVE – SPECIALIZES IN ALL KINDS OF CASES…YES, EVEN IN BASKET CASES!

(AND SO…) AS CHRISTIANS, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND – THAT NOBODY TOLD US, “THAT THE ROAD WOULD BE EASY!” IN FACT…TEMPTATIONS, TROUBLES, HEARTACHES AND PAIN – IS WAITING FOR US JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

BUT WE CANNOT LOSE HOPE (WE CANNOT LIVE IN FEAR…) BECAUSE WHEN IT APPEARS AS IF THE DEVIL – IS ABOUT TO PUT OUR HEAD IN A BASKET – GOD WILL SHOW UP EVERY TIME – AND HE’LL MAKE EVERYTHING ALRIGHT! (HOW MANY BELIEVE THAT TODAY…)

(AS WE LOOK AT OUR TEXT THIS MORNING…) IT FOCUSES ON PAUL – AS HE LISTED ALL OF THE TROUBLES THAT HE EXPERIENCED.

PAUL TOLD HIS STORY – FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE WHO WERE FRUSTRATED! BECAUSE IF ANYONE HAD A REASON TO BE BURNT OUT, FRUSTRATED OR READY TO THROW IN THE TOWL…IT WOULD HAVE BEEN PAUL!

LET’S SEE WHAT PAUL HAD TO GO THROUGH (STARTING IN VERSE 24…)

• HE WAS GIVEN 39 LASHES – 5 TIMES BY THE JEWS! (NOW, THAT IN ITSELF WOULD BE ENOUGH TO BREAK THE SPIRIT OF ANY ORDINARY PERSON!)

• 3 TIMES HE WAS BEATEN WITH RODS! ONCE HE WAS STONED! 3 TIMES HE WAS SHIPWRECKED! (HE SPENT A WHOLE NIGHT AND A DAY ADRIFT AT SEA…)

• HE FACED DANGER IN THE CITIES – DANGER IN THE DESERTS – AND DANGER OUT ON THE STORMY SEAS!

• HE FACED DANGER (FROM MEN WHO “CLAIMED” TO BE CHRISTIANS…) AND HE LIVED WITH WEARINESS, PAIN AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS!

• HE WAS OFTEN HUNGRY AND THIRSTY – HE OFTEN SHIVERED WITH COLD, WITHOUT ENOUGH CLOTHING TO KEEP HIM WARM!

(AND THEN ON TOP OF ALL OF THAT…) HE CARRIED THE DAILY BURDEN OF ALL THE CHURCHES! (AND YAW KNOW HOW IT IS DEALING WITH YOU CHURCH FOLK)

PAUL SAID, “YAW THINK YAW WEAK – BUT I’M NOT?” HE SAID, “ALL THESE THINGS THAT I’M TELLING YOU – GOD KNOWS I AIN’T LYING!”