Banner of Praises Ministries
Rev. Dr. Levi Howard Wright, Pastor & Founder
"I DON’T BELIEVE HE BROUGHT ME THIS FAR TO LEAVE ME."
Psalms 37:23-28
[23] The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. [24] Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. [25] I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. [26] He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. [27] Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. [28] For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
INTRODUCTION
The late Rev. James Cleveland the God Father of Gospel Music wrote a song entitled,... "I’M Not Tired Yet...I DON’T BELIEVE HE BROUGHT ME THIS FAR TO LEAVE ME."
When Rev. Cleveland started his song, he said he was in church and a little old lady about 82 years old got up to testify.
She said, "I’ve been running for Jesus for some fifty some-odd years." She continued to say, "I don’t feel no ways tired. I’ve come too far from where I started from.
Nobody told me that the road would be easy. BUT I DON’T BELIEVE HE BROUGHT ME THIS FAR TO LEAVE ME."
I think we all could learn a lesson from what that little old woman said.
Being an older Black or Afro-American woman ..... I am sure she had seen a lot of hard times along the way... but she knew that whatever happened in her life, the Lord would not leave her.
Psalm 37:25 says... "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."
Verses 23-24 says.... "[23] The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. [24] Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
Verse 26 says..... " He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed."
Verse 28 says.... "For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off."
I am preaching this message to you this morning..... because you may be feeling like God have turn His face against you and have forsaken and abandoned you.
If you don’t feel that way right now.... wait a while and you probably will somewhere down the road of life.
But always remember what Hebrews 13:5 says, "...for the Lord He hath said..... I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
Some of you here this morning have been running for the Lord for a long time.
You have come a long ways from where you started from and the road hasn’t been easy.
You’ve been through some..... Difficult Situations.
You’ve been through some..... Pretty Life Threatening Storms along you life’s journey.
But most of you can identify with this 82 year old woman who said.... "I’ve come too far from where I started from."
Nobody told me that..... the road would be easy.
Banner of Praise.... look where we tarted from.... and look where you are today!
First Lady Janet Wright..... there was a time that you could not walk and someone had to feed you...... But look where you are today!
Walking on your our strength..... Feeding yourself and your whole family....
Operating your our Alterations & Drapery Shoppe.....
Driving yourself to work every day.....
Look Where the Lord Has Brought You From!
Evangelist Mazie Brown..... there was a time when you didn’t know what the Cancer was gonna do..... But.... Look Where The Lord Has Brought You From!
No Radiation Treatments....... No Kemotherapy...
My Brothers and Sisters..... no matter what you are going through today........ I don’t believe the Lord brought you this far.... just to leave you!
In the Book of Exodus.... "We saw the children of Israel being led out of Egyptian Bondage into the Land of Milk and Honey... the Promised Land.
Pharaoh had placed such grievous bondage upon them that they cried out to the Lord for deliverance.
God sent Moses to be their Deliverer..... to led them out of all their Slavery and Servitude!
But when they came to the Red Sea!.... There was no way across.
Pharaoh had changed his mind about allowing them to go free.... and he was pursuing after them with his army.
Just like sitting ducks on an open pond with no defense... it looked like the Children of Israel doom was sealed.
Surely..... If Pharaoh would caught up with them.... they knew he would surely make life miserable for them.
But I can image in my mind. Yes, I can just visualize Moses.... standing up to assure the people of God that He was still with them.
You see he had just heard from the Lord God Almighty...
I know the Bible doesn’t record this, but I believe Moses may have said, ......"Just calm down Now! Don’t get all Upset... Frightened... Feeble-minded and Funny on me Now!
I don’t believe the Lord.... brought us this far.... just to leave us."
Moses might have even said...... "Look here now.... We’ve already come too far..... from where we started from."
My Brothers and Sisters... May I also remind you today... that you too may face some Red Sea Experiences....
There will come times in your life.....when it seem like you have no place to go.... and the Principalities and Spiritual Wickness in High Place will try to overcome you.
But.. I don’t believe the Lord brought you this far... just to leave you!
There will come times in your life..... When.... Mountains of Difficulty may have you hemmed in on every sides.
But.... I don’t believe the Lord brought you this far.... just to leave you!
There will come times in your life....... When..... The Sea of Tribulation may be pulling you under for the last time.
But...... I don’t believe the Lord brought you this far.... just to leave you!
There will come times in your life.....When.... The Enemies of Despair might try to destroy you.
But...... I don’t believe the Lord brought you this far.... just to leave you!
There may come a time in your life.... When you might be Hungry and Thristy for Righteousness... But it seem like the Wells of Living Waters has gone dry and the Bread from Heaven has ceased to Fall.
But...... I don’t believe the Lord brought you this far.... just to leave you!
There will come times in your life..... When.... you must Walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
But...... I don’t believe the Lord brought you this far.... just to leave you!
There will come a time in your life .... When Temptation will have you Hemmed In on every side.
But...... I don’t believe the Lord brought you this far.... just to leave you!
I Corinthians 10:13 tells us, ..…"God is faithful and will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with every temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
The word "temptation" was taken from a Greek word, which means, "deep or open sea".
"Temptation" is a word which emphasizes, "a depth that is as deep as the open sea", highlighting an overwhelming situation.
In other words when we find ourselves in a situation that is deeper than we can handle..... God will make a way of escape!
The Lord.... He didn’t leave the Israelites to be targets of the Egyptian army..... and God won’t leave you either!
Every time we face a Red Sea Experiences when we don’t have a clue what we’re going to do..... or which way we are going to turn.
Satan will whispers in your ear and says,.... You’re all washed up! You’re done for!...... You’re through!"
But...... I don’t believe the Lord brought you this far.... just to leave you.......God will make a way of escape!
In 2 Timothy 1:12 the Apostle Paul says,.... "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
Saints of God....I have committed my body, mind and soul to the Lord God Almighty....
I have committed my heart to Him......
I have committed my safekeeping to Him......
I have committed my future to Him......
I have committed my going out and coming in to the Lord.
I have put my entire trust and confidence in the Lord.
I don’t believe He brought me this far..... just to leave me!
When I face impossible situations in my life the Lord.... He will help me through them...... He will not leave me......! He will not forsake me.
When it seem like life has ended and you have hit the Bed Rock of Rock Bottom...... And the Tides of Destruction are tossing you from side to side.
I don’t believe the Lord...... brought me this far just to leave me!
The Lord... He will make a way for you through the Storms of Life.
The Lord... He will help you climb the Mountains of Difficulty.
The Lord... He will not allow the enemy to destroy you in the Valley of Despair!
The Lord.... He will help you cross over the Bridge over Troubled Waters.
I don’t believe He brought me this far just to leave me!
The Bible says.... For greater is He that is within me than he that is within the world.
In the Spirit of my Redeemed and Sancified Mind..... I can see...... the three Hebrew boys Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Yes... I can see them standing for God when it wasn’t popular for them to make a stand.
They stood for God in a land of Idolatry and Paganism.
They stood for God and refused to bow to the King’s orders to worship a god made of stone and gold.
When they were told that they would be thrown into a firey furnace if they would not bow down to the King’s image.....
They stood Steadfast with backbones of Holy Granite and refused to bow... they refused to bend... they refused to budge! Yes,.... because of their steadfast Holy Boldness they refused to Burn.
To everyone else who were looking on .... it look like.... Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were on a suicide mission to become Baked Chicken.
But these three Hebrew Boys knew what kind of God they served.
For they said, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods..... nor worship the golden image which you have set up."
My Brothers and Sisters..... I can just imagine Brother Shadrach looking over at Brother Meshach ... just before they were thrown into the fiery furnace and saying.......
Brother Meshach.... I just don’t believe the Lord .....has brought us this far.... Just to leave us."
And Brother Meshach looked at Brother Abednego and said.... But we’ve come too far to turn back now!
We all know the story of how God delivered these faithful boys from the furnace of fire without even a smell of smoke upon their hair or clothes.
Some of you may be facing a Fiery Furnace Experience.. right now.
To face the FIRE means you are going through some sort of Terrible Tribulation or Affliction.
It could mean you..... are going through a Severe Trial in your Life.
It could mean you ..... are facing a Raging Fire of Lustful Passion in your life.
It could mean you ..... are facing a Terminal Illness.
It could mean you ..... are facing a Financial Burden.
It could mean you.... are facing an Urgent Need to Repent of a Shortcoming or a Fault in your Life.
Listen Brothers and Sisters..... the devil will tempt you to bow down to the gods of this world.... rather than hold on to the God of Shachrach, Meshach and Abednego.
He’ll make you believe it would be a lot easier if you would just quit trying to serve God..... and go back to the things of this world.
He’ll try to make you believe that God has left you and ...... that He has forsaken you.
He’ll tell you that....... the reason you are going through the fire is.... because God doesn’t care about you.
Brothers and Sisters we must be like the Three Hebrew Boys.....
We must tell the Devil.... For God We Live... And For God We Will Die!
My God is able to deliver me from ALL TRIAL.... from ALL AFFLICTION.... from ALL FIRE..... even from the Valley of the Shadow of Death.....
But even if He does not.... I refuse to serve you..... and things of this world."
God has brought us to far to turn back...... I don’t believe He brought us this far just to leave me!
He will not leave you in the fire!
Even if you have to go through the fire.... you will not be burned.... for He will be right there with you!
Isaiah 43:2 says..... "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon you."
Lady Wright..... hold on in the Midst of the Fire!... The Lord will be right in the Flames with you.
Mother White..... hold on in the Midst of the Storm! The Lord will be right there in the midst of the Troubled Waters with you.
Evangelist Brown ..... hold on in the Midst of the Sickness!......... The Lord will be right there with you..... as your Healer.
Young Brothers Lee and Levi III... hold on to the Lord during the days of your YOUTH.... and remember the words of King David when he said....
"I was young... but NOW I’m OLD... but NEVER have I seen the RIGHTEOUS FORSAKEN.... NOR HIS SEEDS BEGGING FOR BREAD...
I don’t believe He brought us this far..... just to leave me!
Saints of God...... hold on in the Midst of the Spiritual Assaults!.......The Lord will be right there to Deliver you to Victory.
I don’t believe He brought us this far..... just to leave me!
Who did the King see when he looked into the firey furnace?
Not only did he see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walking around in the fire, but he said........ "I see four men walking in the midst of the fire, and the form of the fourth one is like the Son of God!"
CONCLUSION
Saints of God.... when you are in the fire.... look around..... for God will be there!
Don’t panic!..... Don’t be dismayed!..... Don’t give up!..... Don’t quit! ..... Just keep on holding on!
Beause..... I don’t believe He has brought you this far to leave you!
I Samuel 12:22 says, "For the Lord will not forsake His people…"
Joshua 1:5 says, "I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."
In 2 Corinthians. 4:8-9 Paul realized that God would not leave nor forsake him when he said.....
"We are Troubled on every side..... yet not Distressed
"We are Perplexed.... but not in Despair
"We are Persecuted.... but not Forsaken
"We are Cast Down...... but not Destroyed.
Look how far God has brought you!
Look what He has brought you through!
Has he ever...... forsaken you?
Has He ever...... failed you?
Has He ever.... left you all alone?
Jesus said, "I will not leave you comfortless. For I will pray to the Father and He shall send you another comforter which shall abide with you forever."
I can’t believe He’s brought me this far, to leave me!
The Lord... He loves me too much to leave me!
Nothing shall be able to separate me from the love of my God.
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What a blessed assurance!....
What a blessed confidence! .....
What a blessed certainty!.....
What a blessed security!....
That means I can go on with life knowing that God is with me..... no matter what may come my way.
That means that even though I walk through the very Shadow of Death...... He is with me.....
His rod and His staff will comfort me!......
No, the Lord ...... He will never left you aone!
It may feel like He has, but rest assured..... He is right there beside you..... walking every step of the way.
There may be times..... when you see just one set of footprints in the Sands of Life.....
But rest assured those are the times when the Lord... He has picked you up and is carrying you through those hard times.
Everybody say this with me, "I DON’T BELIEVE HE’S BROUGHT ME THIS FAR, TO LEAVE ME."
Amen......Amen......Amen......
