It has come to my attention in life that every time that we seem to get out of one situation it seems like another pops up. Often times it feels like we have just jumped out of the skillet into the fire. So, many times, when we are on the right track. It seems like the devil and his little imps are on that same track trying to turn us that back. [Let me ask somebody this question] have you every seem like the more that I say I’m not going to do this thing anymore, or act this way any more, or say this anymore, it seems like the more harder it becomes, or the more that you pray the more that harder things seems. Does it ever seem like when you quit doing one thing something else tried to keeps me occupied.
Even in our churches on today it seems like the more we try keep down mess and confusion in the church it seems like the more scandals and publicizing that the devil tried to deliver to the world about the Saints. PAUSE
Well if you all don’t know why there is so much turbulence, and trials, and tribulations, and trouble in the world, then let me inform you, that in this present time, in this dispensation, there are some illegal demons that has been loosed from hell and have attached themselves to us. And you need to know that the devil don’t care about us, because his objective is to kill, steal, and destroy. And this is the reason that satan brings attacks upon all of God’s people, even when we are in the center of God’s will is because he doesn’t care about how he treat’s the people of God.
This is one of the reason that we must learn to over look some things, that people have say to you, we have to learn how look past how people roll their eyes at you, or stab you in the back, in other words, as Saints of God we got to learn how to shake it off.
We sing a song every so often that says shake, shake, shake, shake the [repeat] in the name of Jesus shake the devil off, but I believe that some of us are not shaking him we are holding on to him, some of us just won’t let go.
So, as we look at the life style of Paul. Paul the one who was known first of all as a persecutor; he was known as a serial killer, he was one who was known for killing Christians.
But as he is on his way near the Damascus road, some of us know the story of how God knock him down off of his high horse, and when he got up he was blind, and at this point he asked the Lord, what would you have me to do.
And the Lord told him to go. That’s a word for somebody this morning. You have been dealing with turmoil in your life; the devil has been running rampage in your life, but now that the Lord has gotten your attention he telling you to go. And I’m here to tell somebody this morning that we have to get in a hurry because time is continually winding up.
Paul, Paul we know the story of this man. Paul, Paul this is the same man wrote 2/3 of the New Testament. This Paul, (this same Paul) is teaching us a lesson that when men don’t believe you, that the Lord has changed your life that you have to keep pressing your way.
When men don’t believe that you have been changed, even when people think that you are the same but you’re not, you have to keep on pressing your way.
You have to do as the songwriter was expressing when he said; I’m pressing on the upward way, new heights I’m gaining every day, still praying on, I’m onward bound Lord plant my feet on higher ground.
I really loved the way Lucie E. Campbell put it, she said “if when you give the best of your service, telling the world that the savior is come, be not dismayed when men they don’t believe you, he’ll understand and say well done”. Can I just finish the rest of it? She said “oh when I come to the end of my journey, weary of life and battle been fought and the victory is won. Carrying the staff and cross of redemption he’ll understand and say well done”.
Paul, Paul he had been through some things. We talked about Paul, how Paul was treated like Christ when they march him from courtroom to courtroom and how they finally got him before Festus, and they tried to get Festus to sentence him to death for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but Festus said nall, since he appealed to the Roman court let’s get him to Caesar.
And after the trial Paul tried to warn them of the danger of the sea but they won’t listen and when they got in trouble the soldiers wanted to kill all of the prisoners so that they would not escape, but the centurion wanted to save Paul. And that what we need in this Christian walk, we need more centurions, and a lot less soldiers. We need to stop trying to kill people and tried to save them.
After the trial, Paul tried to give them instruction that we should not sail, because there was a storm brewing out on the ocean but they would not listen, and they sent them sailing.
You should have seen the ship as the ship was being toss to and fro by the billows and the winds, and the waves and finally the ship was destroyed into pieces, but yet he
survived on broken pieces. That’s my second point this morning. When you are going through the storms of live, no matter how bad the storm is, you can survive on broken pieces.
So, after the shipwreck, when they got to land it was said that the native or the Barbarous people of the land showed unusual favor to them.
Now isn’t it a shame that the same people that you see Sunday in and Sunday out, it seems like these are the ones that are talking behind your back, these are the ones who are scandalizing your name. In fact these are the ones that want to kill you, it’s got to be heart breaking to know that the same people that you has first Sunday, and second Sunday communion with is the same one that will cut your throat in a New York second.
But look at this, the bible says that these barbarous people, these brutal, vicious, and cruel people showed loving kindness to all of the people that made it to safety. As a matter of fact, they started a fire for them to keep warm. And Paul decided that he would help them out by gathering some sticks to go on the fire.
He wasn’t like some of us he didn’t start complaining about how the had just swim to shore, nor did he start complaining about how many people were on payroll and it there job to keep us warm, he just pitch in a started helping.
So, as he was laying the wood on the fire the bible says a viper jumped out and latch on to hand. Most people would have passed out, some would have taken off running, and others like me would have started screaming.
But the bible says that Paul just shook it off. Even though there were people that were standing around talking about I knew he was a criminal, yeah he escaped the winds and the waves but look at him now.
Since some of you act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, let me put how some of you all would have put.
You can run but you can’t hide. God will always get you,
Unnn huhhhh if God don’t get you in the wash, he’ll get you in the rinse. I knew as long as the sun kept rising and fallen that something was going to happen to that boy.
As sure as my name is what it is, I knew that it was going to happen.
But, what I love about Paul, is that Paul wasn’t listening to them, as a matter of fact while they were waiting for him to swell up, and while they were waiting on him to fall over he just shook. And this is my third point.
Believe it or not there are some people that have seen the vipers of life that has latched on to you. They have seen you at your lowest point, they have seen you at the end of your rope, they have seen you going to misfortune, they have seen the calamities of life wear you down, and are there are some people that are waiting on you to swell up fall over and die, but I dare you to tell the person that next to you that I’m going to shake it off.
I don’t care how you treat me, Shake it off (SIO)
I don’t care how you tear me down, I’m going to (S.I.O.)
I really don’t care how you talk about me because I’m going to shake it off. I’m going to (S.I.O.)
Tell somebody shake it off [repeat 4x]
Because one of these days I’m going to tell God how you treated me down here.
I’m going to tell him how I was mistreated, and I want to hear him say well done, well done thy good and faithful servant. It alright now you are safe in my arms.
And that reminds me of a story;
There was a mountain family who had a big mule.
The mule had been like part of the family for a long time. The mule pulled the plow.
The mule pulled the wagon into town, and the mule pulled the wagon up to the church.
But one day the mule got old and his vision was limited and mule got near the well and fell in.
The old farmer told his sons, get the shovels and bury the mule in the well.
The mule could not believe that his friends and his so call family were throwing dirt in on him.
The mule cried and was angry after all he had done for this family?
I can hear him saying so you all are going to bury me alive. The dirt came in and was covering the mule’s back.
But every time the dirt hit the mule’s back, the mule shook the dirt off and stomped it under his feet.
No matter much dirt they threw on him he just shook it off and packed it under his feet.
Over and over the mule would shake off the dirt and step up, until finally the mule was back on top of the ground again. It was a joy to plow for the family now, he had learned that if you are in trouble, if the ditches of live tries to wear you down, and if they try to cover you with dirt you’ve got to shake it off, and step up out of the well.
God knew Paul.
God saw the snake there.
God could have killed the snake, but he didn’t.
Paul had to learn to shake it off and step up!
