When God Takes You Off of Your High Horse
Hebrews 10:31
There was a Time when the Preached Word of God brought Fear and Trembling in the Hearts of Every Man.
On July 8th, 1741 Jonathan Edwards stood and Read Aloud his Sermon “SINNERS IN THE HANDS OF AN ANGRY GOD”
Men Screamed, Wept and even Moaned under Conviction.
It was Reported that at one point in the Sermon Edwards actually hushed the Crowd in Order to be Heard.
At the End of the Service many were heard to be Crying Out “WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?”
I want you to know that the reaction that Johnathan Edwards got is not the Reaction that Preachers get today
Even though when compared to Jonathan Edwards’ sermon I know Preachers today that Preach it just as straight and just as hard.
The Problem is that today Men are Full of Pride and Unbelief.
They have allowed their Hearts to Become Hardened by The Very Gospel That Should cause them to Scream under the Conviction as did in Edwards’ Day
Conviction Today has been traded for Comfort.
Nolonger do Men Strive for the Holiness of GOD, But Rather Strive for the Happiness that is brought about by Worldly Pleasures.
If I Can Make a Statement this Morning Concerning this Generation and Possibly Someone in this Church Today,
It Would be According to an Old saying that Many of Us Use from Time to Time when Speaking of Someone that has Gotten maybe a little to Big for His Britches.
Have you ever said what that Guy needs is to Get Off of His High Horse?
If You Have then You’ll Understand My Title Today.
If God Will Help Me I Want to Preach from this thought
When God Takes You Off Of Your High Horse
.
Look with Me At
Acts 9:1-6
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
I. Saul Was Riding On The High Horse Of Religion
I went to the Dictionary for the Definition of Religious.
It Is A Series of Beliefs in and reverence for God or some supernatural Being. It is based on select Rituals and Repetitions.
Not only was Saul Religious, but so are Many that Fill the Church Houses today.
Need I Remind You that the Devil would fall into the Category of Religious
He Both Believes in and Reverences God.
But that My Friend will not get You Eternal Life in Heaven.
The Bible Says in:Acts 4
10 that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Religion wants Do it
But A Relationship Will.
We See Saul as He Stands Holding the Coats of the Men that Stoned Steven
The Bible says that He Consented to His Death. That was In Acts Chapter 8
Now in Chapter 9 He has a Hand Full of Warrants. His Plan is to Imprison and to kill any and all Christians.
Why is his Ridding on a Horse on His Way to Dammascus?
The Reason is because He was Religious.
He Knew the Law of God But Not the Son Of God.
He Knew the Men Of God but not the God Of Men.
Listen to me Today
Religion will send you to Hell with a Suit of Clothes on.
To many People today are in Charge of the House Of God
But God has no say so in the Homes
It’s because Religion is not Personal it’s Prestigious
Where a Relationship is only a Relationship if it is Personal.
What a difference it made when God took Saul off of His High Horse
That’s where we find him in Acts 9
He’s Blinded from the things of this World
His Focus is on Jesus and
His Concern is on His Will. For he says Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
I Wonder Today Who Claims Salvation Yet doesn’t know Jesus as Lord of There Life.
II. Look at Absolom, He was Riding The High Horse Of Rebellion
2 Sam 18:9-15
9 And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.
10 And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.
11 And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle.
12 And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king’s son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.
13 Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me.
14 Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.
15 And ten young men that bare Joab’s armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.
I Know What Your thinking already
Absolom wasn’t riding on a Horse He Was On A Mule.
That’s A Sign of His Rebellion
He was The Kings Son.
He Was Heir To The Throne
What was He Doing On a Mule?
He was Just Following the Path of Rebellion.
Notice What The Bible Says about Rebellion
In 1 Sam 15:23
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft”
We all know the Story How that Absolom Wickedly Stole the Hearts of all of Isreal
From His Father David.
The Heart of the People Should Have Been With David.
Their Thought’s
Their Actions
Their Allegiance Should Have been With David, But Like So Many Today Absolom made things About Him.
Hey I’m Telling you this Morning that My Ministry.
Your Service
Your Position in this Church
The Singing
The Teaching
The Fellowship
Anything and Everything Should Be About Jesus.
But How Often do We Get Offended or Hurt so to Speak and all of a Sudden the Focus is Off of Jesus and it’s on You.
Hey The Truest Thing you can Live By is that When Jesus Shines You Don’t Have to.
Give God the Glory even When Your Hurt.
Where did this Take Absolom?
It Took Him to His Death.
He Hung by His Hair in a Tree Until Joab Killed Him.
1. Joab is a Picture of God’s Judgement
2. David’s Command is a Picture of God’s Mercy
3. Just as In Absoloms case Judgement Catches up
to all sin
How You Say?
Well Notice He Was King David’s Right Hand Man
When David said something Joab Made Sure that it was Done.
I’m trying to Warn You Today God’s Work is about God’s Son
It wasn’t about Absolom and it’s not About You
Tell me this Morning Who Get’s The Glory For Things when Your Around?
Last of All, Notice
III. Pharaoh Was Riding On the Horse Of Revisions
Between Exodus Chapter 8 and Chapter 10 Pharaoh offers Moses four compromises to keep Him from Leading the Children of Isreal Out Of Egypt Permanantly
Notice
1. His First compromise—
He said Don’t leave, but do your Worshipping Here in Egypt (8:25).
Hey Need I Remind You that Egypt Is A Picture of the World and That Pharaoh is a Picture of the Devil.
The Devil Want to Keep You In The World
He’s said to many of you already
“You Don’t Have To Turn Away From The World in Order To Be A Christian”
But the Bible Says Unless You repent You Shall Likewise Perish
You Cannot Serve God And Mamon
But the Devil Will Try To Convince You That You Can
2. His Second Compromise—
Pharaoh Said leave, but don’t go too far (8:28).
The Devil Want’s You to Think that if You Stop Some things that You’ll Be OK
My Granddad Has Been Smoking For 70 Years
He Has Enphizima and Possibly Lung Cancer.
For A Month He stopped Smoking
But He’s Already Started Back
My Mom said to Him Daddy You Need to Quit those Cigarettes
He Said I Can’t
My Mom Said Sure You Can You Quit for A Month.
I’ve thought About That A lot
You Know Why He can’t Quit?
It’s Because All He Wants to do is Stop
When You Quit Something You Can’t Start it Back Up.
To many times the Devil talks You Out Of Quitting
He Says Just Stop it For A while.
He Sounds Familiar Doesn’t it?
There’s a lot of things that You Stopped Doing When You Got Saved That As You Look Back You’ve Pick Back Up and Now it’s Like You’ve Never Change at All.
Listen to Me If You’ll Give Sin to Him He’ll Take it Away
But to many of us want To just Lay Sin Down For A while only to Pick it Back Up in Due Time
3. His Third Compromise—
He Said You Leave, but Allow Your Children to Remain Here (10:10).
I Don’t Have to tell You About How Many of Our Young People know the Names of Britney Speers
Garth Brooks
The Back Street Boys and Such
I Was In Wal-Mart Wed. I Heard A Little Girl Tell Her Mom that She Wanted an Aaron Carter CD.
I Saw Aaron Carter.
Her Child Didn’t have any Buisness Listening to that Trash and Neither Does Yours
Hey today it’s the Children that Rule the Home.
My Sister thought That She was Going to Listen to Some UnGodly Music One Time.
Dad Beat the Radio on the Floor Problem Solved…….
Don’t Leave Your Children To The World.
Bring Them To Church.
4. His Fourth Compromise—
He Said Leave, but without your Flocks and Herds (10:24).
That’s Possessions To Many Have Their Treasures on Earth when The Bible Says Lay Them Up In Heaven.
SO What Was The End OF Pharaoh?
The Bible Says That God Over Threw Him
The Word .Overthrew in the Hebrew means that “ The Lord shook them off, hurled them from their chariots into the sea.”
Hey You Had Better Quit Those Sins instead of Just Stopping Them.
The Bible Says That God Will Not be Mocked.
Whatso Ever You Reap You’ll Sow
The Soul that Sinneth Shall Surely Die..
