Psalm 107 : 1 – 13
(107:1) “ O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
(107:2) “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”
(107:3) “ And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north and from the south.”
(107:4) “ They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
(107:5) “ Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.”
(107:6) “ Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and they delivered them out of their distresses.”
(107:7) “And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.”
(107:8) “ Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.”
(107:9) “For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.”
Today I want to talk about how to go from Rags To Redemption…
PT I. WHAT IS YOUR NEXT STEP?
Now, as we begin to explore the scripture the Lord has given us today I want you to walk with me with your Bibles open and your mind centered on God…
And as you have your bible open and your mind set on God I want you to think about something today and when you leave this house of prayer and get into your car and get home to prepare your Sunday dinner…
And even as you start your week today and prepare for the week ahead… The spirit has told me that it is time for someone to focus on this one this today…
Today I want you to think about your next step…
Your next step…
What is your next step?
What is your next step?
What is your next step with God?
What is your next step in your Job?
What is your next step in your life?
What is your next step in your career or your business or ministry?
What is your next step?
You see, because if we are ever going to go from a situation that is nothing but ragged…
Nothing but worn out…
Nothing but tattered, scared and wounded….
We are one day going to have to identify, confront and then act upon our next step….
Tell Somebody: It’s time for the next step.
See when you look at this scripture, you can see that God is clearly demonstrating to you in His word that there are benefits attached to taking the next step…
He is telling us that to move from a maintenance mentality, to move from an attitude of procrastination, top move from away from a spirit of slothfulness and sluggishness regarding positive change in our lives has earthly as well as eternal benefits…
In other words God is telling us today that with Him on your side…
What ever your situation may be…
You can move from the rags of your situation to the redemption of God can you say amen?
See if you open your bibles again you will read that God said:
(107:1) “ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
(107:2) “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so….
To be redeemed means to be delivered, to be set free or released…
How many people here today know they are redeemed of the Lord?
How many people here today know they are redeemed of the Lord?
How many people of God know you shouldn’t even be here today?
How many people can look back on there life when you knew you were doing wrong? Do I have any witnesses today?
When you knew you where moving in the wrong direction…
Let the redeemed say so…
When you knew that you weren’t doing right by God?
Let the redeemed say so…
And now you have a testimony…
Now you are a witness…
Now you know something you didn’t know then… Come on somebody…
See the bible says:
(107:2) “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath (say it with me) redeemed from the hand of the (Who?) enemy.”
See anyone here today that raised their hand up high… Shouted…Said Hallelujah or just thought to themselves knows something that all of us have in common…
All the redeemed of the Lord have this in common…
We all have it…
See what we all have in common is that somewhere along the line… Somewhere in our lives, somewhere in that crooked road of life…
We suffered… We fought for something… We have been through some things…
And through all the suffering and the battles and the hurts and the wounds and the scars and the problems and the valleys and the mountains and the infirmities and the lies and attacks we have seen God salvation of God and we know have reason to praise Him…
We have reason to praise him…
We have reason to give him the glory.
We have reason to give him the honor….
Because when we were hungry with nothing to eat we know we couldn’t have made it on our own…
When we were on the verge of homelessness we couldn’t have done it with out him…
When we were dealing with the physical afflictions…
When the diabetes, the arthritis, the cancer, the high blood pressure was attacking our personal health….
He made a way out of no way…
He came in right on time…
He supernaturally changed the natural…
Just like He told the children of Israel…
Just Like He told Moses…
He told us fear not, be still and see the salvation of the Lord your God…
And when God did his work…
We started doing work…
When God took a step toward us…
We took a step toward him…
When God spoke to us…
We started praying back to him…
And as the prayers went up. The blessing started coming down…
As the prayers kept going up…
Your faith started growing…
Because the bible says that your faith will come by hearing and hearing by the word of God…
And as our faith grew began to realize that
(Isa 54:17) No weapon formed against me shall prosper…
Every Tongue that shall rise against thee (in judgment) shall be condemned.
The enemy will be cast away in Jesus name…
Lack will be cast away in Jesus name…
Worry shall be cast away in Jesus name…
Every burden shall be lifted off in Jesus name…
Demons tremble at the sound of His name…
It’s time to take my next step out of bondage…
It’s time to take my next step out of prison
It’s time to take my step out of the streets…
It’s time to take my step out of this bad relationship…
And that that I trust in Him…
That he’ll have mercy on me…
That He’ll protect me….
That He will take me from Rags to redemption…
And that all things will come together for the good of them that Love the Lord…
He is worthy to be praised…
Yes He is worthy…
See because many of us in here today already know His goodness…
Many of us have seen things and heard of things that can only be explained by the presence of God….
When a bullet with your name on it is shot at near point blank range at you but somehow you survive…
When you get approval for something that you know you have no business getting approved for….
Come on somebody, your money is funny and your change is strange…
Your situation is suffering and your revenue is raggedy
Your bills are multiplying and know you it ain’t supposed to go that way somehow…
Somehow,
Somehow…
Tell somebody… Somehow…
Somehow God made a way for you…
We have seen his great works, we have experienced His mercy upon us, and as the redeemed of the Lord we know that He has rescued us from the hands of the enemy and we give him thanks…
PT II. GOD WILL TELL YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP.
Because the reality of this is that God has rescued us from some very Hostile clutches.
Now if you look at verse 3 of our text this may be a word for somebody today if you want to know more about God and what God has for your life I ask you to look at these scripture with me and think about were you are in regard to your next step and were you want to go in life…
In regard to the ragged situation that you are currently trying to understand and deal with and the redemption that waits for you as you take a step toward God today…
In relation to the position that is rightfully yours on earth and in heaven and what God will give you to fulfill His will for you in your life…
Look at this closely and personalize it for a moment…
Think about that situation of yours that you are just simply tired of dealing with and you need change in right now…
Close your mind to everything but that thing you need to change…
That thing you need to take the step toward…
It is important to think on these things because God wants you to know that not only does He know those whom He has redeemed…
But He also knows what you have done to stay where you currently are…
And God will tell you what you need to take your next step.
The Bible says that God gathered His redeemed saints from out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north and from the south…
Whether you are from Kinloch, St. Peters, Hazelwood, or East St. Louis God can gather and change you.
God will push and pull you toward him when He is speaking to you…
He will nudge and whisper to you when He wants you to come to him…
He will urge and encourage you when He wants you to take the next step in your life…
(107:4) He said in verse 4 that I saw you wandering in solitary way…
(I saw you when you felt like you were all alone and didn’t believe I existed in your life.)
That as you wandered aimlessly in your journey…
As you roved through the wilderness….
As you sought the things of the world…
As you looked at the next woman and looked at the next man…
As you wandered in these places…I saw when you found no city to dwell in…
I saw that that did not fill the void that is in your life…
That didn’t heal the wounds of your losses…
That didn’t remove the scars and pain of the past…
That you did not come to any conclusions from your journey and now you are here…
The Bible says Hungry and Thirsty their soul fainted in them…
The American Bible translation said that Hungry and thirsty there courage collapsed upon them…
The New American Bible translation says Hungry and Thirsty their life was wasting away within them…
I heard a preacher recently talk about death of black people…
And what he said was simply articulated yet profound…
And he wasn’t talking about the murder or high blood pressure or diabetes or cancer… No he wasn’t talking about that stuff…
But He was talking about the death of black folks…
“He said that there are a lot of our people who died… Died at 25 or younger. They were just buried when they were 75…”
He said that you died because of one thing that you used to do that you don’t do any more…
He said you died…
When you stopped dreaming…
When you stopped dreaming, when you stopped believing in your own personal vision for your life…
When you stopped giving and trusting in God for the provision…
When you stopped directing and navigating and began Waning and wandering…We stopped pushing ourselves to the top and got pulled to the bottom…
We stopped speaking positives in our lives and the lives of the people around us and started believing on the negatives…
When we stopped taking the next step… When you settled for the rags of life and stopped pursuing the redemption….
But the bible says: who shall separate us from the Love of God…
That Jesus Christ came to give us life and life more abundantly…
That He is our present help in our time of Trouble…
And when they cried to the Lord in there trouble…
When they sought the Lord in there time of need…
The Bible says that He will deliver you in your out of your distresses…
That He will lead you toward the right way…
That He will give you city of habitation…
That he will satisfy your longing soul…
He’ll make what is weak… Strong…
He’ll turn your problems into promises….
He’ll turn your turmoil into triumph…
Your valleys into victory’s…
(Psalm 23:4)Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
Thy Rod and thy Staff they comfort me… Come on somebody.
Thou preparest a table before me….
In the presence of mine enemies…
You anoint my head with Oil… My cup runneth over…
Surely…
Surely…
Tell somebody Surely…
Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…
PT. III. GOD’S NEXT STEPS WILL REMOVE YOUR OLD GARMENTS AND PUTTING ON NEW.
Tell somebody it’s time to lose the rags…. I’m ready for redemption….
Tell somebody else: I think I’m ready… To take the next step
Ok, well I have just one more step I want you to take with me this morning…
I want you to come with me to the book of Mark Chapter 10 verse 46
Mark 10:46 – 52
(10:46) “And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his diciples and a great number of people, blind Bar-ti-mae’-us, the son of Ti-mae-us sat by the highway side begging.”
(10:47) “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”
(10:48) “And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried trhe more a great deal. Thou son of David, have mercy on me.”
(10:49) “ And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they called on the blind man”
Verse 50, “And he(Bartimaeus), casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.”
(10:51) “ And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto to thee. (What do you want from me?)
And the blind man said unto him, Lord, that I may receive my sight…
(10:52) “And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made the whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way…
Bartemius was a man that was honest with himself about a couple of things. And these are thoughts and principles that you may want to jot down and refer as you enter into your next steps…
Bartemius recognized at least these three things
1. He recognized that he did not like his current situation and desired change.
2. He understood that the change the he so badly desires will take action. And lastly
3. He knew that the change he could not see without the help of God…
He had lost his physical sight … But knew that if he could just come to Jesus…That he would receive his sight… That he would be healed…
And this is the principle or thought I want to leave you with today.
You may not be physically blind…But because you haven’t taken your next step with God…
You still can’t see…
You may not like your current situation…
But because you haven’t taken a step forward with the Lord by your side…
Nothings changed…
You may want your change to occur so badly you can taste it…
But if you haven’t taken any action toward it…
You are standing still…
Bartemius recognized that he did not like his current situation…
He was ready to take action…. And most importantly he knew that the change he really wanted he could not receive on his own. He understood that he needed to reach and speak to God.
But there was something he did which often times when reading this very familiar scripture we miss…
Look at verse 50…
The bible says that as he was called by Jesus, He casted away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus…
And this is the last point I want to make to you today:
That if you want to take your next step you have to cast away your old garments and come to Jesus…
You have got to put on a new garment…
You’ve got to take off those old rags of bitterness…
Take off those old rags of anger…
That means putting on a new smile….
A new attitude….
A new mind…
A new heart…
The Bible says: Because He is … The God of covenant…
He is ….the Most high God…
He is… The Eternal God…
He is… An All-powerful God…
When I fall…. H e lifts me up…
When I fail… He forgives me…
When I’m Afraid… He is my courage…
When I’m Hungry… He feeds me…
When I’m Lost … He finds me
Thank you Jesus ….
Jesus… The Heart fixer…
Jesus … The Mind regulator…
Jesus… The bond breaker…
Jesus… Alpha and Omega…
Jesus… The Living Water…
Jesus… Who gives seed to the sower…
Jesus… who gives bread to the eater…
Jesus … Who breaks the mountains…
Jesus… Who fills the valley…
Jesus… Who crushes the devil…
Jesus… He was wounded for our transgressions…
Bruised for our iniquities…
The Chastisement of our peace was upon Him…
But with His stripes we are healed…
The only one that can help you as you take your first step from the rags of this world to the redemption of God…
Are you ready to receive peace? Are you ready to receive the Joy that you desire and deserve? Not empty joy… but complete, unconditional, uncompromising joy…
The bible says that: (James 1:17) Every good gift and perfect gift is from above…
Times may be tough… Things my hurt right now… And even though you may have fallen…
God says you can get back up and get back in line…
I heard the songwriter say: We fall down… But we get back up… A saint is just a sinner who fell down…
But just remember… Jesus said that I have come to give you life and life more abundantly…
If you believe in His word… The bible said that It will not come back void…
And your joy is right around the corner…
I have spoken approxiamately 3,342 words to you this morning in this message…And they say that you will forget approxiamately 95% of what has been said to you from any speaker in less than a few hours.
3,342 word that I have spoken under inspiration of God…
But God only needs 3 words for you to respond to.
God just says: Come to me
As the Pastor comes today I pray that you have done an examination today and that you desire to learn more about God and what God has for your life…
Take the next step of your life…
Don’t be afraid…
Don’t wait…
Don’t delay…
When we started today I asked you. What is your next step?
What are you going to differently today and tomorrow than what was done yesterday…
When are you going to try it God’s way…
God is waiting to show you His glorious plan. And its right around the corner… Come to him…
God Bless you.
