You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down
Thank you for having me speak here again tonight. Our pastor and his wife are on vacation so they don’t have to hear what I have to say. I guess they are the lucky ones. No, I think they needed a break. They work very hard in this church and everybody needs to get away once in awhile.
It’s nice to get away, isn’t it? But isn’t it funny that whatever you’re getting away from seems to always be there when you get back.
We had septic tank trouble a few years ago and it happened the night before we were going to go to Florida. We called the septic tank guy and he said he’d have it fixed before we got back. We spent a relaxing week in Florida, went to Disney World and saw a lot of nice things and really had a great time. Then we drove home – something like 15-20 hours and when we pulled in the driveway everybody had to go to the bathroom. Guess what? The septic tank wasn’t fixed. He hadn’t even started on it. So even though we can go away on vacation, there’s always something to return to.
Someday, Praise God, we’ll all take a vacation to Heaven.
I’ve been listening to Southern Gospel music lately and really liking the Hee Haw Gospel Quartet – much to the horror of my children. When I pull up to pick them up from tennis or track practice with “WHEN THEY RING THOSE GOLDEN BELLS” blasting from the truck, they want to run and hide. When I was little, my grandparents used to watch Hee Haw every Saturday night. I remember wishing there was something else on TV to watch. So I guess I can relate to how my children feel. Now, I wish I could have another Saturday night on the couch watching that with them, with a bowl of Jiffy Pop Popcorn and a glass of mamaw’s iced tea.
I’ll take my vacation in Heaven,
What a wonderful time that will be
Hearing concerts by the heavenly chorus,
And the face of my savior I’ll see
Sitting down by the banks of the river,
Neath the shade of the evergreen tree
I will take my vacation forever,
Won’t you take your vacation with me?
Isn’t that great. We’ll all get away from this world and it’s strife and relax in Heaven. But first we have to get there. Just like on vacation, you need a road map and God left some teachers, including His son, to give us a map – we call it The Bible.
Ever been on vacation and took a map? Sure you did because you didn’t want to get lost. Well, if we don’t want to get lost going to DisneyWorld, then why should we take a chance on getting lost on a daily basis going to the store, working in the yard, going to work or raising a family? This map is pretty handy and I think God doesn’t mind when we stop and ask for directions once in awhile. I know my wife wishes I’d stop and ask for directions when we’re traveling.
God has his own unique way about things. He doesn’t drive us to our destination – He gives us a map and shows us the way. However, if we stop off on the way and get distracted by the World’s Largest Ball of String or something, then we delay our arrival or sometimes we don’t get there at all.
Last Sunday morning Brother David spoke about all the great women in the Bible. That’s great to include those women in the Bible on Mother’s Day – a time to reflect back on the importance of women and their role in all of our lives. Where would we be without women?
Tonight I wanted to speak a bit about some of the fellows in the Bible – some of the men. But it’s really a talk about Faith and Trust in God. They all followed a road map and came out successful. Not rich or famous, just blessed by God’s grace.
This message really started the Sunday afternoon David asked if I’d speak tonight. I went home after church and prayed for God to give me words for a message. Instead He gave me a song. I love music and used to listen to music all the time. With a family, about the only chance we have to listen to music is when we’re outside working or in our vehicles going somewhere. Sometimes music is on in the house, but who could here it?
I used to listen to and collect all kinds of music, but after giving my life to the Lord I try to listen to only Gospel and Christian music. There’s a great Christian station, other than WSLM, out of California – KLOVE on 91.5 here in Southern Indiana. The song this message is based on is called, “CAN’T KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN.” It’s about Jesus and the fact that He suffered all these trials and troubles that would have killed a normal human being. Even death didn’t stop Him from living. And He continues to live today, more than 2000 years after He walked this Earth. When I heard the song, I knew just what I wanted to talk about.
I’d like to mention Moses, Joseph, Jonah, Job and Jesus. And a few others.
It’s about coming out on top, even when you’ve got all the odds against you. It’s about keeping faith that the outcome, even though it looks hopeless, will be positive. With Jesus and God that outcome will always be positive. I mean, no matter how rotten your life is messed up here on Earth, if you repent of your sins and ask God forgiveness and accept Jesus into your heart, God is going to give you a pretty good reward in Heaven. Better than winning the lottery.
During his 10 years with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson helped them reach the World Series six times. He had a career batting average of .311 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962. He was also the first black man to wear a major league baseball uniform. But for all his successes, did you know he was court-martialed from the Army and dropped out of college?
Did you know that Abraham Lincoln, our 13th president, whom many feel was our greatest leader was defeated for the state legislature in Illinois in 1832? He was also defeated for a run for Congress in 1833 and again in 1848. Seven years later he ran for a seat in the Senate and lost. He ran for vice-president in 1856 and lost, then ran for Senate again in 1858 and lost. Two years later, he ran for president and won.
Failure doesn’t have to be fatal or final -- With God failures never stay failures forever.
In Genesis, we learn about Joseph, the 17-year-old son of Israel. Joseph was Israel’s favorite and the other children became jealous. Thank God Becky and I have not had to face this dilemma yet. The brothers wanted to kill Joseph but instead they threw him in a deep pit and finally sold him to a group of travelers. Joseph was finally sold into the hands of the Pharoah.
In Gen. 39, we learn about Joseph’s faith. He didn’t give up and feel sorry for himself. In 39:2 and 3:
“And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.”
So Joseph served the Pharoah and translated his dreams and finally was made a ruler, himself. One day his brothers came through Egypt looking for food. The same brothers who had tried to kill him. Now if you had power like Joseph had and someone came into your kingdom that had once tried to kill you and separated you from your family, wouldn’t you put it to them?
Joseph didn’t. He overcame his anger and helped them. Here’s a guy who was down and out and came back and was on top of the world as a ruler and still he kept his faith in God and did the right thing. He couldn’t be kept down.
Moses was another man who had lots of trials. But God had a plan.
At birth, Moses was cast into a river and later found by the Pharoah’s wife and nursed and raised alongside the Pharoah’s son. In fact, Pharoah treated Moses better than his own son. He was favored. Later, he rebelled after finding his true identity and left the Egyptian life and devoted his life to God. God charged him with freeing the slaves. When they were free, Moses led them to Canaan – a trip that took about 40 years and they did nothing but gripe and complain the whole way.
Every had a vacation like that? Do you think Moses felt discouraged and wanted to quit? Do you think he wanted to tell them to get their own food and find their own way or just to go back to Egypt? He probably thought that but he had a road map. God was giving him direction and he followed it – probably against his better judgement.
Then Jonah. How many times have we been like Jonah. God has wanted us to do something and we either ignored God’s calling or found some justification to not do it – whether it’s that we’re too busy or didn’t feel like doing it. Well, God wanted Jonah to go to Ninevah and Jonah didn’t want to go. In fact, Jonah tried to outrun God. He got on a ship and tried to outrow Him, too. Neither worked and finally God sent a storm so bad that the shipmates figured Jonah had something to do with it and they threw him overboard.
At this point he was probably wishing he should’ve listened to God and went to Ninevah. He probably thought his life was a total failure. But when Jonah was having trouble reading the roadmap, God turned it around. He sent a large fish, most of us think of a Blue Whale, but a big fish came and swallowed him up. He was in there for three days and three nights. He gave up and realized that he couldn’t get out of there without God and started praying. Once again, you can probably relate to that. You’ve tried everything in life and then someone says, “Well, we’ve tried everything else, we might as well pray.”
Jonah apologized to God and God commanded the fish to spit Jonah out.
Even though Jonah had turned his back on God and tried to run from him, God still cared. Jonah was still in God’s hands – even in the fish’s stomach.
I remember being little and seeing the stars in the skies and being amazed that there could be so many. So many that you can’t count them. In an astronomy class, my professor said there is an estimated 100 billion stars just in our galaxy. In Isaiah 45:12, it says that all the stars were made by God’s hand and Psalm 147:4 says that God knows exactly how many of them are and that he calls them by name. He also knows the hairs on each of our heads. Amazing.
All the things that God has at his command, and he can still have mercy and care for each of us – even when we’ve neglected Him and disobeyed Him.
Joseph, Moses and Noah got down in their lives, but not permanently. They had God on their side. They realized their mistakes and God lifted them back up.
Sometimes our faith gets tested, and we have to go through the fire. After the fire, we get stronger. Job lost all he had – wealth, health and his family -- and was near death. Yet Job didn’t curse God as his wife had instructed him to. In fact, he regained all he had lost and more.
Jesus came from humble beginnings and lived a simple life. He was sent with a purpose and he knew he was born to die. In Matthew 12:40, Jesus said “for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
He suffered great pains in his last days. He saw the church was a sham, was betrayed by his friends and put through some of the most crooked trials ever held and then beaten, spit on and killed in a horrible death. He cried in the garden because he knew what was ahead and asked God to spare him. He was down, but God lifted Him up and gave him strength to face the next few hours.
We all may feel like we’re drowning in problems – debt, crisis at home, health problems, school, work. You may be down, but not out.
God cares for us even in the bad times and through Faith and Hope, God will not let a good man (or woman) get down – and stay down forever.
His love will lift us up and restore us. We just have to stay strong and have faith.
King Jehosaphat was outmatched in battle. He had no hope of winning but he still trusted in God. He said don’t worry because of the great multitude that has risen up against us, “FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GOD’S”
God will fight the battle. God will lead us with his road map. If only we have faith and trust in HIM who holds the map.
Let’s have prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to you in prayer tonight and ask forgiveness for my shortcomings and the shortcomings of us all here tonight. Give us strength to overcome our weaknesses. We are so thankful for your love and caring and grace that none of us deserve, but you continue to give us daily. Lord, you test us in trials that are meant to make us stronger. We never understand that at the time, but then you deliver us like you did Job and Jonah and Jesus. You bring us through the fire because you have a plan – a road map. You give us this map and it’s up to us to read it, understand it and live by it. Sometimes in our lives we get lost and we need to realize that we are lost and ask for directions. Through prayer, you will lift us up, like you did to Jonah. You will show us that you still care and you won’t let us get down and stay down. As long as we love you and ask you for forgiveness, you will still show us that we stay in the palm of your hands.
God we pray that you will look after us this week – give us blessings in health, work and play and at home. Protect over those of us who are traveling. May your will be done for those who are sick and dying, those who are lonely and sad.
We pray for all these things in the name of Jesus, Amen.
