Down But Never Out
Sunday a.m., January 31, 2010
By Pastor James May
This has been a week that I will long remember. There are some things that come along in life that will tend to stretch, bend, twist and break your faith. For the Reed Family in particular, this has been one of those weeks. Our church has been dealt a heart- breaking blow this morning and we mourn the loss of our dear brother and friend, Mike Reed. We don’t mourn for him; for he is with the Lord today, but we mourn for ourselves, for we are left here on this earthly plane for a time, to continue on in our work and service to God until that day shall come when each of us; and all of us, will one day be where Mike is today along with many of our other brothers, sisters and loved ones.
As I was thinking about the events of this past week, and all of the grief, pain and heartache that so many have faced, I began to think of how much God had been with all of us every step of the way. In my time of study I was led by the Spirit to read again the account of Jesus’ final day on this earth before he was crucified. One part of the story seemed to impress me in a manner that it had not done so before. As I read it, the Lord began to speak to my heart and say that this was His message for His people for this day and so I will attempt to bring that message to you if God will give me the words to speak.
When Jesus walked the shores of Galilee at the beginning of his earthly ministry, he was searching among the sea of humanity to find 12 very specific men. He knew who he was looking for and he knew exactly where to find each one of them. In his choices he wanted to have men who were hard workers; men who would sell out to a cause if they saw the value in that cause; and men who were not afraid to risk everything to accomplish a task that was laid before them.
Thus it was, as Jesus walked along the seashore that he came upon two brothers who were working in the hot sun, cleaning their fishing nets. They were strong, boisterous young men who worked in a family operated commercial fishing business. Jesus found Simon Peter and his brother, Andrew. He called them by name; speaking to them as though he had known them all of their lives.
This was an unfamiliar voice that Peter and Andrew heard. And yet, though they knew not the man, there was something very familiar at the same time. Something in the voice of this stranger that stood before them affected them like no other had done before. In this voice there was authority; there was love; there was compassion; there was a drawing and pulling on the hearts of these fishermen that they had never felt before. It was as though the call to follow Jesus was irresistible; and yet they could resist if they chose to. They could just keep on fishing; ignoring the call of the Lord to follow him; and they would have spent the rest of their days wondering what could have been.
Thank God they did not resist that call, but stepped out; dropping their nets at their feet. I’ve often wondered what their father, Zebedee, thought about his two sons running off without warning and leaving him to run the fishing business alone, but then I’m sure that there were always people around looking for work who could keep up the fishing business. But there was only one Peter, and one Andrew, who could answer the call of God to become Disciples of Christ.
As I was writing this early this morning I could not help but think of Brother Mike. He was a man who loved to fish and loved the water. Like Peter, Mike was big and tough and didn’t back down from anything or anybody. He was a fighter and a hard worker. But one day Jesus came by and called Mike by name; and like Peter, he laid down his plans; laid aside the weights of this world that would hold him back, and then stepped out to follow the Lord as his disciple.
Looking out over this congregation this morning, I see a lot of disciples that Jesus has called out by name. Most of you were like Peter and Andrew, hard working and honest, and you had your life pretty well planned out. Maybe it was a family business that you were just going to carry on. Wherever Jesus found you, and whatever you were doing with your life; you heard his voice call you by name.
You might sit here this morning and say, “I didn’t hear a voice. No one called me by name.” I want to tell you that you did hear that call. Jesus does not speak to most of us audibly, like I would call to you right now if I wanted to get your attention. He calls you through a still, small voice; a voice that speaks directly to your heart and mind; not necessarily through your ears.
God knows how to speak to your heart in such an manner that you cannot help but hear his call. In time, as you serve him, you begin to learn that voice and to realize that God is always speaking to us if we will only listen.
Now, as time went on, Peter began to stand out among the disciples as the biggest, strongest, most hard-headed, and sometimes the most slow learner of them all. (Can any of us identify with Peter this morning? I’m pretty sure that I see a few hard-headed, slow learners out there. If the shoe fits, put it on. Don’t deny it. If you deny it, then you will only prove that I’m right.) There are a number of times in the life of Jesus where he had to rebuke Peter; one time even calling him a devil; not that Peter was actually a devil, but that Peter had allowed the devil to influence his thinking and make him act like the devil.
Do we ever act like the devil? I see and hear Christians acting like the devil all the time. When we grumble and complain, those are not words of faith; but of doubt and unbelief – things that come only from a heart and mind that is more in tune with the devil than with God. When we fuss, fight and fume; those are not character traits of Jesus. They are character traits of the devil. When we fall into temptation and do things that we know we shouldn’t; the sin that we commit through disobedience to the holy, righteous ways of God are not the things that Jesus would do. They are the ways of the devil. When we don’t speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; telling only half truths, little white lies; or only the part of the truth that works to our own good; those are not words of faith; but words that tend to deceive, and we all know who the father of deceit is right – and if you need a hint; it’s not Jesus. As much as we all love the Lord, there are times when it is undeniable that we act more like the devil than like Jesus.
Now I want to draw your attention to the Last Supper and Jesus’ final hours before his arrest as found in the Book of Luke, chapter 22. In this chapter beginning at verse 31, there is a passage that I think will be a great blessing and give hope to all of us when we act like the devil every once in a while.
The first verse that I want to read is Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Isn’t it good to know that nothing that happens to us comes as a surprise to the Lord? Jesus already knew that temptations that Peter would face. He already knew how Peter would react to them. And He already knew what the end result would be.
None of us will go though life without troubles, trials, tests, temptations and times of grief and stress. It’s all part of the human condition. While we live on this earth life will always have a way of putting our faith to the test. Sometimes we will pass the test and our faith will grow; and other times we will fail miserably and our faith will seem weaker. What we must never forget is that when our faith seems weakest, is the very time when our faith is forced to grow stronger. God uses the weakness of our faith to prove that He is God and when the trial has passed, the troubles are over, or the grief is replaced with joy – our faith grows to a greater measure than ever before.
Some of you need no warning for you are in the midst of the sifting process right now. The devil is doing all he can to wreck your faith; destroy your mind and tempt your soul. I know the Reed family is facing the devil in a manner such as they have never known before, but they are not the only ones. Every one of us is facing his or her sifting process. The devil is an equal opportunity tempter. He is no respecter of persons. His job is to steal, kill and destroy each and every one of us in any way that he can. But praise God; he can only go so far. He does not have the power of life or death over a Christian; and though we may fall; we shall rise again. That is the promise of our God’s Word.
The Apostle Paul, in speaking to the church at Corinth said this in 1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
What ever you face today, you are not alone. Every man that has ever lived; and every one that will yet be born, will face those same things at some point in their lives. Nothing that happens will happen to you and no one else. But the good thing is that, as a Christian who loves the Lord, you have the power to overcome it all through Jesus Christ. The Lord will not allow you to go too far without calling you back. He will never allow too much to come against you and destroy your faith. It may seem so at times, but it will never ever happen. Your faith in the power of Jesus Christ and your love for God will always bring you through. That is a promise of God’s own Word that cannot fail! The key is that God makes a way of escape through faith in His ability to bring you through and give you victory and deliverance. That is how we overcome – through the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our Testimony. Jesus purchased us with His own blood and we are his. The Word of our Testimony is that Jesus Christ is Lord; Lord over our troubles; Lord over our trials; Lord over every test – LORD OF ALL! Confess victory! Confess deliverance! Confess your faith in Christ and your trust in Him and you will overcome! Thus saith the Word of Almighty God that cannot fail!
How can we be assured of the victory? Look at the next verse and you will know why.
Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
We have an Intercessor, praying our behalf through every part of life. Jesus is our Intercessor before the Father in Heaven. He is there, ever praying for us that we will overcome. Do you think that the intercessory prayers of men are ignored by God? Aboslutely not! How much more then will the prayers of the Very Son of God on our behalf be heard and how willing is our Father in Heaven to answer the prayers of his only begotten Son? I tell you that the intercessory prayer of Our Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf will never cease and they will ever be answered by the Father.
That’s why Jesus told Peter, that even though he would be sifted, and Jesus already knew that Peter would fail, yet Jesus also knew that his own prayers for Peter would be answered and Peter would repent and turn again to serve the Lord. That’s why Jesus told him that when he was converted; when he turned again; to strengthen the rest of the disciples.
All of the trials that you overcome make you stronger. And every trial you complete gives you a better testimony to help someone else who will face the same thing. One of the greatest methods of witnessing to people is something that I learned in the business world. It’s called, “Feel, Felt, Found”. It goes like this. When you are talking to a friend, no matter what they are facing; no matter what their excuses for not serving the Lord; no matter what objections they may have; you can always overcome them using “Feel, Felt, Found”. Here’s what you say, “I know how you feel. I’ve felt that same way too. But let me tell you what I’ve found to be the truth; and then give them your testimony of what God has done for you. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.
Now, like Peter, we don’t want to admit that we are going to fail God. In our own will, we want to be pleasing to the Lord. We want to obey him and serve him. If we had the ability within ourselves surely we would never sin. But any man who says that he cannot, or does not sin, after becoming a Christian is a liar. If that were so, then why would the Word of God say that we have an Advocate with the Father who is making intercession for us? And why would the Word of God say that we can boldly enter into the Throne room of God and ask forgiveness, confessing Christ anew and receive forgiveness for our sin? A sinner that has never been washed in the blood cannot enter into the Throne room of God. The only way that we have access to God is through the blood of the Lamb and that means that we have been covered by the blood; saved already; and now seeking forgiveness for sin that has entered our hearts. The blood of Jesus is sufficient for all sin, but we must confess it and repent of it before the blood will cleanse it and that’s what entering into the Throne Room to seek forgiveness is all about. It’s that act of seeking God for forgiveness, confessing Christ anew; laying aside everything that has hindered us and then walking on refreshed in the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood.
Luke 22:33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
In Peter’s heart, he knew that he loved Jesus. He never wanted to fail the Lord. In his own mind and heart he was determined to serve Jesus all the way to the end. But Peter did not understand the power of temptation; the power of Satan to try his heart; or the inability of human will alone to overcome. He had to learn to depend only on God and not on his own understanding. Will alone is never enough. Will can only bring you to the point of desiring to be obedient, but it is the power of the Holy Ghost that will give you the strength to be obedient.
Jesus answered Peter’s show of self-will in Luke 22:34, And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.
Now we joke about the rooster crowing, and preachers getting even by eating all the chicken they can ever since, but none of it was the rooster’s fault. He was just doing what comes naturally. It just happened that when Peter denied Christ, it was the time of day for the rooster to crow. No one else but those who heard Jesus say this to Peter even paid that rooster any attention. But Peter sure knew the sound and what it meant.
At the moment that rooster crowed Peter realized that he had sinned against God. He cried bitter tears; ran off into the night and found a place to hide. But he couldn’t hide from God. I’m sure he went through a time of deep sorrow; perhaps even a time of great depression. I know he did a lot of soul-searching, trying to figure out why he had denied the Lord after all he had said. He didn’t feel so big and tough now. He felt weak, beaten and filled with sorrow. “How could I do such a thing? I do love you Jesus! Why did I deny you? How could I be so weak? How could I curse you? God, can you ever forgive me for failing so miserably?” The heart and spirit of Peter was broken. He was in the hands of the Great Sifter. Satan was doing his worst. But don’t forget that Jesus had already prayed, and the way of Peter’s escape was already there.
Peter repented of his sin. He was converted again; turned again, to come back and serve the Lord. He was not destroyed. And though he never forgot that night of great sin, and it was ever a thorn in his flesh to let him know that he could fail so easily, he went on to become one of the greatest Apostles of the Church whose name is forever recorded in the Word of God and whose testimony still gives hope to Christians around the world every day.
Now what about you? Do you know the Lord and love him today? If not, then you can know him today. Jesus is ever near, waiting to hear the prayer of anyone who will come to him in repentance. He died that you might live. He paid the price for your sin with his own blood. And Jesus rose from dead, as the first one, to give you the hope of eternal life. A Christian never dies. He is only transported from one body to another; and from one world to another to live forever in joy and peace with the Lord. But I want you to know that a sinner does die; and not only once; but twice, and the second death is also eternal; ever dying but never dead. You don’t want to be in that position. It is too horrible to imagine.
And so this day, if you are in the hands of the Great Sifter, and while being tested and tried you should happen to fail; Don’t give Up! Jesus is praying for you. He has already made a way for you to escape the clutches of the devil and to overcome him. Your faith will not fail. Just trust in the Lord and you will be converted; you will turn back to Christ in fullness again; and you will be victorious.
God loves each of you this morning. Jesus want all of us to enter into Heaven to live there forever with him and with all who have gone before. Hold on to the Lord and trust in his unfailing Word. God will see you through.
