Keep On Keeping On

“Keep On Keeping On”

by Joe Mack Cherry

I. Intro

A. You can’t always get what you want

1. There are times in our lives that things don’t go as we want.

2. Sometimes it truly is someone else’s fault.

a. Some set out to assassinate the character of others.

b. Cancel culture

c. Others are jealous and will plant false truths in attempts to stop someone from advancing.

3. Sometimes it’s our fault.

a. We can do things to sabotage our own advancement.

b. How often have we all prayed, “God get me out of this one, and I’ll do better.”

c. God may not allow a thing to happen because He knows it could deter us from remaining in His grace. It

could cause us to turn away completely.

4. Sometimes we receive a delayed yes that is a part of the process of a faith building process.

5. We are called to persevere. Jas. 1:1-4

B. The scenarios above.

1. In life, it is not if these situations arise it is when they arise.

2. God has His reason for things playing out the way they do. This is not easy at all!

3. Some time we have to trust Him.

a. I look back at my early days and remember when I just knew I was going to be a successful artist and

songwriter.

b. I remember the feeling of being crushed when I realized it wasn’t going to happen.

c. We all have had to deal with “No”, in our lives in a scenario such as I laid out concerning me.

II. Three Biblical Examples

A. Tonight, I want to talk about three of my biblical heroes.

1. Moses, David, and Justus

2. Right off you might say, “Well, duh, Moses and David were everybody’s hero.

3. Then you might say Justus, who’s Justus. We’ll get to that in a few minutes.

4. Personal heroes become heroes for different reasons.

a. You and I both could consider Superman a hero.

b. You may think he’s a hero because of his superpowers.

c. I may think he is a hero because he always saves Lois and Jimmy.

B. I struggle

1. Don’t we all.

2. It’s not, if we struggle, it’s when we struggle.

3. So many times, I’ve wanted to give up on myself.

4. People would say, “You have two options, get up or stay where you are.”

a. Staying where I was wasn’t much of a choice in my eyes.

b. Some might argue semantics in re to the statement.

c. Getting up was the only option.

5. The same goes with God.

a. We hold on to God with all our being.

b. We give up and waste away.

c. Again, two options, but only one real choice.

6. These three had encounters with God that could have caused them to give up on Him but they didn’t. This is

why they are heroes to me!

C. Moses endured many trials while leading the Children of Israel through the desert.

1 First encounter – the Red Sea – Ex. 14 “Moses, did you bring us out here to die?”

2 A little later in chapter 16, “Moses, did you bring us out here to starve to death?”

3 Chapter 17, “Moses, did you bring us out here to thirst to death?”

4 From the time he came back to Egypt with Aaron and Miriam until the day he died, Moses lived his life doing

God’s will. It wasn’t easy.

a. Many times, his own people turned against him.

b. Num. 16 tells us that Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and 250 opposed Moses. That did not work out well for them

either.

5 According to Jewish history, it was in the 39th year of the Wilderness Wandering that again the Children of

Israel complained of no water.

a. Num. 20:1-12 – God told Moses to speak to the rock but he became angry and struck it.

b. God tells him and Aaron that they will not lead the Israelites into the Promise Land.

6 One mistake and everything he worked to achieve went out the door.

7 He continued to lead for another year as he always had.

8 He shows up again Mt. 17 with Elijah at the Transfiguration of Christ.

D. David

1. I would say King David would be one of the most recognizable characters in the bible.

2. Acts 13:22 – God calls David a man after His own heart.

3. David definitely had his ups and downs with God.

a. Often wondered if David wondered why he was actually king but Saul still held the title for eight years and, on

several occasions, tried to kill him.

b. Killing of Uriah, Bathsheba and the death of their first son.