Who’s Got Your Back?
3-13-11 New Liberty Christian Church, Veedersburg, IN Rich McQuinn, Minister
TEXT: MATTHEW 28:16-20
INTRODUCTION: A little boy was waiting for his mother to come out of the grocery store. As he waited, he was approached by a man who asked, "Son, Can you tell me where the Post Office is?” Sure," the boy said, "Just go straight down this street 2 blocks and turn to your right.” The man thanked the boy, and then said, "By the way, I’m the new pastor of Agape Christian Church. If you’ll come to church this Sunday, I’ll show you how to get to heaven.” The way to heaven?" the boy said, "You don’t even know how to get to the post office."
A little girl asked her mother, "How did the human race start?" The mother answered, "God made Adam and Eve and they had children, and so all mankind was made.” Two days later, the girl asked her father the same question. The father answered, "Many years ago, there were monkeys from which the human race evolved." The confused girl returned to her mother and said, "Mom, how is it possible that you told me the human race was created by God, and Dad said they developed from monkeys?" The mother answered, "Well, dear, it is very simple. I told you about my side of the family and your father told you about his."
Do you have your Bibles today? Please raise them up so I can see them. Open them to our text this morning from Matthew 28. I want to give you something to remember today. Something that you can hang your hat on. Something that will cause you to stop dead in your tracks and know assuredly that God loves and cares for you. I want you to fully listen to this message and pray that God will fill your heart as you listen. The reading of the text begins with verse 16:
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshipped Him: but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have command you. And surely I will be with you ALWAYS to the very end of the age.
Please remember that last verse. How many times did He say He would be with us? How much will He be with you. The word I am looking for is simply ALWAYS. He has your back. Amen!
When you have an emotional collapse what goes through your mind. When you are completely drained of all of your inward energy, what do you do? What happens to your life when you are totally depressed and you can not get out of it? Others know about your state of being, but you do not yet realize it. What happens when you die to society yet you go on living in your cave without loved ones, friends or even strangers?
What happens when you can not get over the death of a loved one and go on with your life as they would want you to do? What happens when you can no longer sing with the same joy you use to sing with? Your tune is gone? You are walking around like an empty whistle with no strength or desire to blow the air and make a tune.
When you are spiritually attacked by depression, death, bankruptcy, despair, divorce, where do you run to for assistance? Do you run to the gutters of life to seek relieve one moment at a time? Places like the drug halls, booze halls, sex stadiums, and even marriage? You are on the run, trying to find a way to get out of the state you are in. You are on the loser trail and how can you get out of it.
Who has your back when that happens? Can you ever get back to NORMAL?
The Bible still has all the answers. Prayer is still the most powerful thing on Earth.
The Holy Spirit still moves in your life. God still honors the praises of His people.
There is still God-anointed preaching. There is still singing of praises to God.
God is still pouring out blessings upon His people. There is still be room at the Cross, Jesus still loves you. Jesus still saves the lost when they come to Him.
Isn’t It Great To Remember Who Is Really In Control, and who’s got your back ?
"The Word of the Lord endures forever." (1 Peter 1:25)
I am here to give you hope from despair, some medicine for the broken hearted and a light in your life of darkness. The popular song out today is simply telling us to Come to Jesus, Come to Jesus. A simple solution, but oh so true.
Lets look at a few examples of people who might have been where you are today.
I. MOSES. Exodus chapter two. Who had his back when he was knee deep in trouble? If anyone had the opportunity to gripe about his position then it was him. There are some people who are chosen for ministry or leadership and they do not want to be there. It took Moses a long time to put his mind and back into the situation he found himself.
You know that story well. Learn from it! Your mother puts you in a wicker basket and puts pitch on the outside of the basket so it would float. She puts you in the water. Are you going to live or die? Will the gators get ya? Who has your back then?
You are caught by chance----right? By the daughter of Pharos and raised in the palace to wine and dine like the real son of Pharos? Who has your back when you see an Egyptian master beating on a Hebrew slave and you take control and murder the Egyptian?
Where do you hide the body? Where do you hide? How do you live with yourself? Now you are banished in the wilderness. I know you do not like the situation you are in. From the palace to the desert. From the fine wine to drinking sand. Where is your God?
When you have fallen down and down and down and can not go any further, who is standing with you? Who has your back? You don’t know YET! You are about to learn a forty year lesson. The God who made you in His image is still in control and still has a place for you. There are times when we are so stubborn that it takes us a life time to know what we should be doing.
He wandered---right? He wandered to the mountain of God. He could have been in the dumps, drunk with bewilderment, but somehow he managed to see a burning bush. Don’t you think it was all planned out for him? The junk he had been through was just a training session for what he really had to do in the last third of his life? All he was given to do was to lead one million Hebrew children out of the camp of: Pharos. What a story!
So you do what God has directed you to do. You are on the march and you have a following. Now you are dead stopped in your tracks against the Red Sea. The enemy is coming to kill you and your people or bring you all back to slavery. Your back is against all the emotions you have. People are yelling about your leadership ability.
Cast your bread upon the waters and it will return to you again. A sower goes out to sow and he reaps more that he sows.
Who has Moses’ back now? Who has your back when you are caught in the same situation—criticism, doubt, feelings of running away? God Almighty keeps standing next to you and helps you to stand. You are made strong because God has your back. It took you a long time to realize this, but now you have a great faithful strong relationship with HIM.
As you cross the Red Sea to safety you know right away in the deep fright of emotions that God was with you all the time. He has had your back every since you were born!
II DANIEL Chapter 1-6
You remember this story in chapter six of his book. First you must realize that he was minding his own business when in chapter one we learned that Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon---same capital city as our modern day Iraq—captured Jerusalem and tore it down. He then took fine looking men and brought them back to the Babylon kingdom to teach them the ways of his culture.
Daniel was already a follower of God. He had a strong constitution. When faced with having to eat food, to him that was unclean, or drink that would dull his senses, he backed off and said he would not defile himself. Who had his back in all of this design for his life?
Here you are carried out of your home land as a slave. You are told what duties you are to perform if you want to keep living. You rebuke the teachings and the food and you know what punishment you will receive. You ask those in charge if you can eat your own food and test your ability afterwards, lets say, a month. You match your skills with those who have eaten the kings’ food. Of course you do well and you get even greater recognition.
You feel good about yourself and what you have accomplished. But because of your talents you are suddenly called in to a great audience to help the king decipher writings on the wall. You do not back down. You tell him in no certain ways that he is going to die because of his sin against the holy emblems stolen out of the temple in Jerusalem. What Daniel said was the truth and the truth became a reality in just a few hours.
Are you faced with jealousy from others? Ever been there? You are the best at what you do? You are polished, blessed, and you can deliver. You are not cocky, you know what you are made of and you have confidence in yourself and your relationship with God.
You are told not to pray to your God, but you do it anyway because you know it is the right thing to do. Have you ever suffered for things you have done right? You know it is right and you do it and you get condemn for doing right? The news has many people who suffer at their jobs because of them doing the right thing at the right time. They are called whistle blowers and too many have suffered. Who has their backs?
Now you are in a pickle. The king likes you, but he made a decree that if anyone is praying to other gods, than the gods of Babylon, they are to be put to death. Who has your back now? When they lower you inside the lion’s cave, who has your back? Are your emotions getting the best of you? Are you afraid? Are you praying? Even the king tells you to find peace with your God. You know already that Daniel spent the night in the cave with the lions. I guess you could say that the lions had Daniels back, but they must not have been hungry for a tough Hebrew citizen.
Daniel was raised from the pit without a scratch on him. Those that were jealous of him and plotted against them were then thrown in to the pit of lions along with their wives and children. They were crushed before they hit the ground. No one had their backs. The spiritual leader of the family had sinned against God and against Daniel falsely.
When you find yourself with impossible odds. You are about to be eaten up financially, or lost relationships or a dying mate, or one of a million emotional drains. Where do you go to find the strength that you need? It is always there. God is always there. Always! He never leaves you even when you think He is miles away.
Daniel knew all along who had his back.
III JOSEPH Genesis 35-40
There are so many others we can dwell on to answer that same question—Who has your back? People like Joseph who was right smack in the middle of a situation. Here he was the servant of a great man. The man left the house for Joseph to take care of while he was gone. The great man had a wife who was hungry sexually and wanted this good looking servant to have a party with her. Just the two of them.
Do I need to draw you a picture here? How many men in this room could withstand the temptation as Joseph was given. She was the boss while her husband was away. She is standing there perhaps naked. She was lustrous to look at. It would not have been a temptation for him if she were not desirous. Who has your back when that great temptation comes around? I am sure he was aroused just looking at her. Joseph ran and suffered because he did right. He paid a big price for doing right. God had his back and yours when you are deep into temptation. Even in your sin He makes a way for you to get back to where you need to be.
IV PETER Matthew 26
You are a disciple. You are looked up to. In fact you are the leader of the disciples. You can cause miracles to happen. You walk with Jesus the Christ. It is a long way from being a common fisherman isn’t it? You have attached yourself to a man they call Teacher. You even walk on water. You are a successful follower.
When Jesus is in the garden praying, you fall asleep. You are too tired to stay with your friend and pray with and for Him. Now you are awakened and just when you get through rubbing your eyes you find yourself in a mess that you did not want or signed up for.
The police have come to arrest THE MAN. You step right up. Just like you stepped out of the boat to walk on water, you quickly grab a sword and whack off the ear of one of the servants. Right away in front of all of them Jesus rebukes you. Of course you were doing the right thing you think. You were defending the King of Kings. You showed leadership ability and you stepped up. But ……..in front of your friends, your close buddies, you were stripped down and told to put away the sword. You are deflated. Maybe even angered.
After all you gave three years of your life for the lessons this man was teaching. How could he dress you down like that? You are in the ministry. How could you possibly fail or do the wrong thing since you are 24x7x365 serving God and His Kingdom.
Matthew records the statement that you begin to follow Jesus from AFAR! You quit the ministry. You lost all hope. You gave up! Do you even believe anything you have been preaching the last three years? You even begin to curse and worse yet you deign even knowing about Jesus? Who has your back now? When the person whom you think always has your back and now you KNOW He doesn’t, where do you go for help?
You are in a world of dumps Ville. It only goes down and it goes down quickly. How many people have been on the highways of life? They are successful, looked up to, have potential out their ears who only throw away their abilities’ in a second. Who is going to be there to pick up the pieces of your life and help you put them back together again so that you can finish well?
Jesus loves you and looks after you even when you are following Him from AFAR.
It is Jesus who has your back. It is Jesus that walks with you every step. It is Jesus that feels your pain. It is He that knows your emotional wreckers’, your cave style living, you’re never ending bottles or broken relationships after another. He knows that you are running through life like a speeding train ready to hit the mountain. Why do we do those things over and over again?
I am going to invite you now to bow your heads in silent. If you are hearing this in the building, or in your home. If you are reading this by manuscript, then stop and start praying. Thank God for making you as you are. Thank Him for never leaving you even when you left Him. Repent of the stupid things you have done in your life and get rid of them. The past is just that---past. Beg for forgiveness and restoration and thank Him for always being there for you.
You now know that He has had your back all along. He has been waiting for you to just look at Him for the answers. You are a very wise person if you have learned anything today about a man who died on the cross and all He could say was I love you, I love you, I love you, I love…………………….
AMEN and AMEN
