Introduction:
In living in a world that has been transformed from one of perfection to imperfection, the Christian is going to suffer. I know that people have lied on you, tried their best to tear you down, they set traps for you, planned a private attack on you, tried to get you fired on the job, tried to lead one of your family members astray, and even tried to get your spouse to turn against you.
But there is a reason for this. This world that we live in was perfected starting at the beginning when God created everything and moving to the Garden of Eden. All of this was simultaneously transformed into imperfection. This world was perfect when God and His mighty hand created it, but it slipped into imperfection when the poison of Satan contaminated the two perfect beings which were Adam and Eve with his lies.
You know the story of the fall of man. Every since the fall of man, man must toil the earth for a living, a woman must bear pain in conceiving a child, a man’s life is only for a short season and then he will eventually die. Genesis 3:19 says, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
All of this is because of sin entering into a perfect world. I know this may sound a bit harsh, but through it all I still have some Good News. Stopping here I just want to spend a little bit of time on two points if I may.
Development:
Point #1: Things May Look Bad, But We Still Have a Guarantee
Well the Apostle Paul was in prison. He was writing a letter to all of the believers. He missed the fellowship that he had with them, but he was reminding them that no matter what happens, they need to hold on to their confidence. They need not to forget who they belong to.
Now according to Webster’s dictionary, the word confidence means to have full of trust; belief in the powers, reliability of a person or thing.
I know life will at times take you down a road that seems that this just might be the end. Your job may fold up, you could loose a loved one unto death, or sickness may have your body.
Sometimes life and the pressures of this world can have you so low that getting up isn’t on your mind. You may be in a storm of life and all you see is darkness and you are calling out to God, and your cry is, “God where are you? Lord, have you forgotten me? God, do you hear my prayer?”
There was an opera several years ago called “Emperor Jones” and a famous black baritone singer by the name of Paul Roberson sung a solo in that opera called “It’s Me It’s Me It’s Me Oh Lord, Standing in the Need of Prayer.” I don’t know about you but I’m always standing in the need of prayer.
If you haven’t seen those dark sides of life yet, or have wondered if God is still near, or if God is hearing your prayer, just keep on living because your day is right around the corner. But my brothers and my sisters no matter how grim things may seem, no matter how dark the road may get, no matter how high the hills are that you have to climb, no matter what the judge says in a court room, no matter what the doctor may say, you still have a guarantee. These words are only for believers, those that have an intimate and defined relationship with Jesus the Christ.
Jesus Himself made a promise to all of His people that they would never be alone. He said that He would never leave you nor forsake you. He said that He would send you a comforter, and that comforter is the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost. The Greek word for comforter is paracletos (pa – rak – la –tos).
My brothers and my sisters knowing that the Holy Spirit is here within us is some good news. We have been Signed, Sealed and Delivered by God Himself. That is our Guarantee. That is our Life-time Warrantee.
God will be with us no matter what the situation. We have the paracletos (pa – rak – la –toss) Comforter. The Comforter or the paracletos (pa – rak – la –toss) is the one that is with us. Just let me park here with the Comforter.
§ The Comforter is our shield, it protects us.
§ The Comforter has sealed us. God "seals" all of His. When God seals us it means that He puts His mark on us, He puts His stamp on us, He marks all of His believers. That’s why we are different. That’s why when we walk into a room, the conversation changes.
§ The Comforter is our bridge over troubled waters.
§ The Comforter is our Prince of Peace.
§ The Comforter is the one who is able to keep us from falling.
§ The Comforter is the one who we can call friend, that why we sing the song What A Friend We Have In Jesus.
§ The Comforter is the one who comes when we are in trouble and distress.
§ The Comforter is the one who is our lawyer in a court room to plead our case.
§ The Comforter is the one that tells us not to worry because everything is going to be alright.
§ The Comforter is the one that when Negros and Negroettes are trying to dig a ditch for us to fall in, and when you are about to step in, the Comforter will become our Jehovah Sel’I (Sell-eye), the Lord your Rock, He will move you in another direction.
§ The Comforter is the one that when we are sick and you need healing, He becomes our Jehovah Rappha, the one that heals.
§ The Comforter is the one that when we are in need, He becomes our Jehovah Jireha, the one that will provide.
§ The Comforter is the one that is with us when we seem to be all alone because we have lost a loved one, he becomes our Jehovah Immeku (Im-me-ku), the Lord is With You. I don’t know about you but sometimes when I’m driving my car, and my spirit is a little low, a quickening comes over me, the Comforter takes control of the car, and I begin having church in my car. And before I know it I’m praising God from behind the steering wheel.
§ The Comforter is the one that when you need strength in your time of trouble, He becomes our Jehovah Uzam, Lord Is Your Strength in Your Time of Trouble.
§ The Comforter is the one that when we need peace in the midst of a storm He becomes our Jehovah Shalom, The God That Gives Peace. This peace, the world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away.
§ The Comforter is the one that when we need deliverance from something, He becomes our Jehovah Mephalti (Mep-hail-tee), He is the one that is our deliverer.
Point #2: You Need To PUSH
The scripture says in Philippians 1:6, “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
God knows the suffering that we as believers go through. He sees all of our struggles each and everyday. God knew about our suffering and our struggles before the foundation of this world.
Romans 8:28-39 says that God "did foreknow" even before the foundation of the world. What I love about this scripture, it motivates me to want to stand strong and PUSH.
Because no matter how great the suffering, no matter how great the opposition, no matter how great the struggle, God is going to complete His purpose in our lives. That should make you want to PUSH.
It does not matter how many lies are told on you, how many traps are set for you, God has already "predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son," and absolutely nothing can change that. That should make you want to PUSH.
Why is that preacher? "That Christ might be the first-born [have the preeminence] among many brethren" (Romans 8:29).
God loves His Son in the most supreme way possible and God has ordained that His Son shall have many brothers and sisters (adopted brothers and sisters) who will love and serve Him as the first-born, that is, as the first Person or the most preeminent Person of the universe.
Colossians 1:15,18 says that God has ordained Jesus the Christ to hold the highest rank and position: that He be the exalted Head of all creation and the One to whom all men look.
What that means is that God is not going to allow anything to permanently defeat us. God is not going to allow any fallen child of His to ever remain down permanently.
God is going to fulfill His purpose in every child of His, and nothing can stop His purpose. Jesus Christ, His Son, will have a multitude of brothers and sisters who worship and serve Him throughout eternity. that should make you want to PUSH.
Conclusion:
Just before I take my seat, I see that some of you are looking at me strange when I keep saying that You Need To PUSH. When we are going through, we need to PUSH. There were some believers that were in a tomb. When they were awaken form their sleep, they began to PUSH.
I know that you think that I am crazy, but if you will turn to Matthew 27:50, it reads, MT 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. They were dead and laid to rest in their tombs. But when Jesus screamed to the top of His lungs, It is finished, the saints of old were wakened. Once they got up they began PUSHING. When the saints of old were pushing in their tombs, they were PRAISING UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENED. They knew something special was about to take place soon. Well, on that Friday…..that day when God had to turn His face away. On that Friday, the angels in heaven were not dancing. On that Friday, the angels in heaven were not singing. On that Friday the angels in heaven were not playing instruments. On that Friday, the angels in heaven were silent.
Jesus died on that old rugged cross for my sins and your sins. But early Sunday morning, the angels in heaven began to dance, they began to sing, they began to play their instruments. But early that Sunday morning, Jesus got up from that old cold grave with all power in His hands. And those same saits that were PRAISING GOD UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPEDED (PUSH)stopped praising God, and wlaked out of the tombs and went into the city and showed themselves to the priests.
You must hold on to your confidence and praise until something happends.
PRAISE GOD
