#2 BECKONED TO THE OTHER SIDE?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
This is lesson #2 of a two part lesson...
Fodder for this sermons was adapted from a lesson by:
Zollie L. Smith, Jr., Executive Director of Assemblies of God US Missions
TEXT:
Mark 4:35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them,
Let us pass over unto the other side.
INTRODUCTION:
This lesson is not about SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW!
Nor is this lesson about THE GREENER GRASS SYNDROME...
If you are not HAPPY HERE, YOU WILL NOT BE HAPPY THERE...
THIS LESSON IS ABOUT KNOWING GOD HAS THE OTHER SIDE ...
A PLACE WHERE THERE IS MORE ...
A GREATER PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT...
A GREATER MOVE OF A HOLY GOD IN OUR DAILY LIFE...
THERE IS "THE OTHER SIDE" --- MAY JESUS HELP US GET THERE...
I. LOOK OVER THERE... THAT IS WHERE I WANT TO BE... ON THE OTHER SIDE!
I AM AT POINT A. I HAVE TRAVELED TO POINT B. YET I KNOW THERE IS MUCH
MORE THAN WHERE I AM... THERE IS POINT C? D? E? --- Z? THE Nth degree?
HOW CAN I GET OVER THERE?
2 Cor. 11:26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.
A. BECKON:
An urgent call to attend...
Summon by a gesture.
To make a SIGNAL TO GAIN ONE’S ATTENTION...
To communicate, visit,
To make an announcement
To invite, or make an appeal ...
B. JOURNEY:
How will I get from here to there?
To make one’s way...
The act of going from here to there.
Distance traveled in a specified time frame.
Pilgrimage
C. DESTINATION:
The place or goal to which a person or thing is going.
D. GOAL:
The object of a person’s ambition or effort.
In sports the area where one directs the effort to attain a score.
The thing intended.
Determination.
II. WHAT IS GOD TRYING TO TEACH ME?
WE ARE ON ON A JOURNEY!
A. One of the greatest dangers in the church is to focus on "ME."
What is in this church "FOR ME?"
B. We can not worship seeking what is in this for me...
RATHER WORSHIP IS SEEKING A WAY TO PRAISE AND LEARN MORE OF
OUR MIGHTY GOD.
C. WHAT ARE YOUR SHORT TERM GOALS?
WHAT ARE YOUR LONG TERM GOALS?
BY WHAT ROUTE, STYLE, METHOD, OR TOOL SHALL WE MAKE PROGRESS?
D. CAN WE SEE OUR MENIAL DAILY CHOICES CAN PLAY A GREAT ROLE IN
HOW MUCH WE CAN ACCOMPLISH AND ATTAIN DURING OUR JOURNEY?
III. WHAT ARE YOU TEACHING OTHERS?
AT TIMES BEHAVIOR CAN SEEM COUNTER PRODUCTIVE TO OUR GOALS?
A. When I was teaching school there was a beautiful little girl in Kindergarten.
How she loved attention from her teacher or anyone that would notice her?
Our Principal at school hated "CHEWING GUM."
The gum would always end up under the desk tops, under the lunch room tables, or on the floor.
So our Principal had a strict rule against "CHEWING GUM."
Not only did he enforce this rule for the students, each teacher would be held accountable for their student that was caught "CHEWING GUM."
B. Everyday this beautiful little girl would sneak "CHEWING GUM" to school and at some point in the morning the girl would PLACE HER GUM IN HER MOUTH AND PROUDLY CHEW HER GUM.
At some point the teacher would notice the little girl and call her up front and talk to her and make her spit the gum in the garbage can.
The girl loved "THIS GAME SHE PLAYED!"
C. One day coming to school the girl had no "CHEWING GUM" so she asked her Mom to stop at the little country store and buy her some "GUM."
The Mom stopped and purchased a pack of gum and they came on to school.
Later that morning the girl with GREAT EXCITEMENT PLACED HER "CHEWING
GUM" in her mouth and started chewing like a cow.
D. This became a ritual --- the teacher called her up to the desk and the girl spit out her gum.
The girl said: TEACHER, I LOVE YOU AND CHEWING THIS GUM IS
SO MUCH FUN... ???
E. The lesson the little girl learned was not what the teacher had INTENDED TO TEACH.
F. Do you realize that someone is watching you?
Sure at times you are the student, but there are times you are the TEACHER...
What are you teaching? Is this the lesson you planned on teaching?
IV. AT TIMES OUR JOURNEY SEEMS TO HAVE NO PURPOSE OR DIRECTION?
MOSES HAD A STRANGE AND TWISTED JOURNEY... TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE...
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
A. MOSES HAD --- AN OVER THERE CALL ON HIS LIFE...
B. Wow, was Moses borne at the wrong time...
Mean Pharaoh just passed a LAW to KILL ALL THE MALES...
Had God made a terrible mistake to put HIS MAN WITH HIS PLAN in such an ADVERSE TIME?
C. MOSES ATTENDED SEVERAL DIFFERENT SCHOOLS TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE IN
HIS MINISTRY...
1. There is the OTHER SIDE MOSES HAS TO LEARN:
The SCHOOL OF MOTHER’S KNEE...
Moses learned of God, his fellowman, humility, prayer, and overcoming obstacles while sitting at his Mother’s feet...
2. There is an OTHER SIDE to learn: THE SCHOOL OF THE PALACE...
The man that ordered Moses’ death was the man that paid for his formal education.
The lessons were language skills, communication, Math, Reading, writing, etc.
3. Moses is not done, there is THE OTHER SIDE: the BACKSIDE OF THE DESERT. Shall we call this GRADUATE SCHOOL?
Some act like Moses chose the Back side of the desert, GOD MADE THIS CHOICE...
Moses’ hot temper brought on A CRIME OF PASSION --- and Moses killed a man...
There was an APB (All Points Bulletin) on Moses.
He ran to the desert as an ACT OF SELF-PRESERVATION.
4. THERE COMES A DEFINING MOMENT IN THE MAN OF GOD THAT HIS LIFE WILL
NEVER BE THE SAME ... THE OTHER SIDE WILL DEFINE THE DELIVERANCE OF
MILLIONS.
V. MOSES KNEW THERE WAS MORE THAN GETTING UP IN THE MORNING AND EATING
WHEATIES AND AND STEPPING IN SHEEP STUFF...
A. I THINK 10 MILLION TIMES: MOSES LOOKED OUT THE SCREEN DOOR OF HIS TENT
AND YEARNED IN HIS HEART ... THERE IS MORE THAN THIS...
GOD, I KNOW THERE IS MORE THAN FLEAS AND TICKS AND SHEEP AND DESERT...
MOSES--- HEAR THE CALL TO THE OTHER SIDE...
B. ONE MORNING MOSES PUTS ON HIS SANDALS AND LEAVES TO TEND THE SHEEP,
AND HE WILL NEVER EVER BE THE SAME... THE OTHER SIDE BECKENS HIM...
Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
C. God called Moses, God knew Moses’ number even on the back side of the desert.
Moses, Moses --- when God calls your name twice get ready for the OTHER SIDE...
Exodus 3:4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
D. EVERY BUSH IS AFLAME WITH GOD’S HOLY PRESENCE,
THE OTHER SIDE BECKENS ...
ONLY HE WHO SEES THE OTHER SIDE WILL HEARKEN TO THE CALL ...
TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES...
Exodus 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
E. THIS IS NOT ABOUT SHOES, THIS IS ABOUT SEEING THE OTHER SIDE...
F. Moses will never be the same...
THE PURPOSE OF GOD... THE CALL OF GOD...
ALL THE SEEMINGLY AIMLESS DRIFTING AND ALL THE PERSONAL FAILURES
FADE AS THE OTHER SIDE BECKONS...
G. There were at least 600,000 men waiting for MOSES’ TIME OF DEVELOPMENT AND PREPARATION AND DIVINE TIMING ... TO SET GOD’S PEOPLE FREE...
VI. THERE WAS A MIGHTY MAN OF GOD NAMED SAMUEL THAT WAS CALLED TO
VISIT JESSIE’S HOUSE---
GOD HAS PREPARED AND DEVELOPED A BOY TO STEP UP TO THE OTHER SIDE.
SOME SAW A SHEPHERD BOY --- GOD SAW A KING...
1 Samuel 16:6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.
1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
A. I KNOW WHAT IS ON THE OTHER SIDE? DON’T I?
1. This is a sure thing... Eliab ---
2. Then Abinadab ...
3. Then Shammah ...
4. ???
5. ???
6. ???
7. ???
B. AGAIN THE 7 SONS PASS BY...
BRING ON THE 8TH SON.
1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
VII. FOR A BOY TO FACE A CHAMPION NAMED GOLIATH SEEMS CRUEL, BUT A NEW
SONG WAS BEING DEVELOPED... THE TRIP TO THE OTHER SIDE IS NEVER EASY...
A. God had been preparing a boy to STEP TO THE OTHER SIDE...
1 Samuel 17:37 David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul
said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.
B. SOMETIMES WE MUST GO INTO THE ENEMIES CAMP...
We must run in faith toward the enemy...
C. Will we be willing to leave the SAFETY OF THE LORD’S CAMP AND RUN TO THE OTHER SIDE AND LET GOD SHOW HIMSELF STRONG IN OUR BEHALF?
1 Samuel 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.
[48] And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
D. Now BOY --- IT IS TIME TO STEP TO THE OTHER SIDE BY FAITH...
E. The trip to the other side sometimes may seem like we lack what we need... DAVID HAD NO SWORD...
GOD WILL PROVIDE THE LAMB... THE SWORD...
1 Samuel 17:50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
F. Many think they have killed their giant THEN the giant SEEMS TO ARISE AND HAUNT THE BELIEVER... There can be no doubt Goliath was dead... his own sword was used to remove his head.
I Samuel 18:7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
VIII. SAUL--- LATER CALLED PAUL WAS ON A JOURNEY TO THE OTHER SIDE...
A. Saul carried papers to persecute and kill Christians.
Saul --- God has a plan for you... carry the gospel to the Gentiles!
B. HAVE WE COME UNTO THE LIGHT?
Acts 26:13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
C. THE PROMISE IS NOT FOR AN EASY ROAD, BUT THE BEST ROAD...
Acts 9:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
D. Paul was an IGNITOR FOR THE CROSS...
Paul came boldly to the other side... WILL YOU?
CONCLUSION:
GOD HAS A PLACE FOR YOU. WE MUST BE WILLING TO STEP FROM OUR
COMFORT ZONE AND INVEST OUR BEST EFFORT...
1. Abraham came to the OTHER SIDE when he laid his son on the ALTAR.
2. That little woman that had an issue of blood got up and came to the OTHER SIDE.
SHE MADE A CHOICE... I AM GOING TO TOUCH JESUS TODAY...
3. Naaman had to leave his home country. He prepared himself to give a huge offering,
but Naaman’s TRIP TO THE OTHER SIDE WAS A REAL LESSON IN HEARING
WHAT THE PREACHER SAID AND DO IT.
I BELIEVE TODAY GOD IS CALLING MANY TO A DEEPER OTHER SIDE
EXPERIENCE --- WILL YOU COME AND GO WITH ME TO THE OTHER SIDE?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
This is lesson #2 of a two part lesson...
Fodder for this sermons was adapted from a lesson by:
Zollie L. Smith, Jr., Executive Director of Assemblies of God US Missions
