GOD WALKS THE DARK HILLS
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I have before the church a burning candle.
I love the thought, I AM A CANDLE FOR THE LORD.
I GIVE MYSELF FOR THE LIGHT.
I. WILL WE WAIT ON GOD IN TIMES OF TROUBLE?
WILL WE SUBMIT TO THE PLAN AND PURPOSE OF THE
MOST HIGH?
A. BROKEN LEGS MEND? WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO SHOOT A HORSE WHEN IT BREAKS A LEG?
Psalm 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
B. I am told that a horses leg would mend, just like a human’s or a dog’s?
A dog has sense to be patient and hold it’s leg up when it is broken.
C. But a horse refuses to be immobilized and will constantly bang a cast, or fight a sling. The horse refuses to be clam enough to allow the break to heal.
D. A horse will put all it’s weight on the broken bone, and there is no choice but to put the animal down, for he refuses successful treatment.
II. GOD SAW LIGHT IS GOOD
Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
A. Where there is light, there is hope.
B. Where there is darkness there is confusion and distortion of the truth.
C. Many crimes and sin are hidden beneath the guise of darkness.
D. What is said in darkness is spoken in light.
What is done in darkness will be shouted from house tops.
E. Light exposes dirt! The lady lost her coin, the light exposed the dirt, she cleaned up the mess, and
she found her coin.
III. THERE IS AN ALL OUT ATTACK, NO HOLDS BARRED, ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR, ATTACK BY OUR ENEMY.
A. Our enemy hates the Light and is trying to exterminate and snuff the light.
Rev. 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
B.THE ENEMY WORKS OVER TIME KNOWING HE FACES A DEADLINE.
IV. THERE IS AN ALL OUT ATTACK OF OUR ENEMY TO DESTROY
THE POWER OF THE LIGHT AND THE POWER OF TRUTH.
HAVE YOU EVER FACED A DARKNESS THAT YOU COULD
FEEL?
A. WE WALK IN A DAY THAT PEOPLE FEEL LONELY AND FEAR
TRIES TO GRIP THE VERY SOUL AND SPIRIT OF BELIEVERS.
B. WE ARE TIRED, WORN, AND WEARY AND OUR REASONING AND
FAITH BECOMES HINDERED.
C. THE ENEMY THROWS DISCOURAGEMENT, DEPRESSION, AND
DESPAIR ON TO GOD’S CHILDREN’S HEARTS AND OUR HANDS
HANG DOWN.
Exodus 10:21 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.
22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:
23 They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
V. SOMETIMES THOSE THAT CARRY GREAT LIGHT,
CAN FEEL THE GREAT DARKNESS.
A. One missionary said, I WILL GO DOWN IN THE PIT, AS LONG AS I KNOW THERE ARE THOSE THAT ARE HOLDING MY ROPES.
B. One great preacher was so embattled by darkness, that he sat hours in his office mourning.
One day his wife served the preacher a meal, and he looked up and she was dressed in black with a veil over her face.
He enquired Why?
She said, The way you have been acting, I thought your God must be dead?
C. Mark Twain once said,
O kind missionary, O compassionate missionary, leave China! Come home and convert these Christians.
D. IN 1872 A LITTLE LADY NAMED LOTTIE MOON FELT GOD’S
CALL PULL HER TO CHINA.
THERE SHE BECAME A FAMOUS BAPTIST MISSIONARY THAT
SERVED IN LONELY, DARK CHINA 40 YEARS.
It was the Christmas season of 1912 when hope shines so bright, that Lottie fought her worse battle as a missionary.
Lottie had served God and the Baptist church for more than 40 years in China.
She seldom came home. A letter from home took months and months to arrive.
Her support structure often failed her.
In her 40 years serving the Cross, Lottie had sacrificed all, she was tired, flat out exhausted, and very discouraged. Lottie had not seen the great
success and it seemed she was facing great darkness and even greater loneliness.
Lottie penned these words,
"I HOPE NO MISSIONARY WILL BE AS TERRIBLY LONELY AS
I HAVE BEEN."
E. MANY HAVE MADE SACRIFICES FOR THE CROSS AND NOBODY
APPLAUDED THEM.
Once Missionary Dr. Mason, of Burma needed a teacher to go and live among a war tribe and teach them about Jesus.
Dr. Mason had reached a boatman named Shapon.
Shapon loved Jesus, and he made 15 rupees a month as a boatman.
The missionary job only paid 4 rubees a month, and Dr. Mason asked Shapon to consider the teaching position to the "wild people."
Dr. Mason asked Shapon, Will you go for 4 rupees a month?
Shapon said, No, Teacher, I will not go for four rupees a month, but I will go for Jesus Christ.
F. HENRY M. STANLEY THE GREAT EXPLORER AND DAVID LIVINGSTON THE GREAT MISSIONARY FROM ENGLAND DID A VAST WORK IN AFRICA.
Henry Stanley was the explorer and he was telling an African Chief about Jesus, when the African chief started crying and desired to know more.
That night Stanley was pacing the floor, and decided to write a letter for missionaries to come to Africa.
There was no telegraph, no mail, no trains, and Stanley did not know what to do? Stanley had a Frenchman that was home sick, so Stanley gave the
letter to him to take back to England.
The young man took the dangerous trip down the Nile River.
The natives caught him and killed him, they robbed him, and left his body not buried.
The corpse rotted on the hot dry sand.
Months passed and the message for missionaries was doomed.
One day English soldiers just happened upon the body and his boots were near his bones. They found the letter written by Stanley, and sent it to the Governor
of Egypt. The Governor forwarded the letter to England.
7 months from the day it was written in was printed in THE DAILY TELEGRAM IN LONDON.
HERE WAS PART OF THE MESSAGE PRINTED:
KING MUTESA OF UGANDA HAS BEEN ASKING ME ABOUT THE
WHITE MAN’S GOD. ALTHOUGH I HAD NOT EXPECTED TURNING
MISSIONARY, FOR DAYS I HAVE BEEN TELLING THIS BLACK KING ALL THE BIBLE STORIES I KNOW ---HE HAS FURTHER CAUSED THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AS WELL AS THE LORD’S PRAYER AND THE GOLDEN COMMANDMENT OF OUR SAVIOR,
’THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF,’
TO BE WRITTEN ON BOARDS FOR HIS DAILY READING.
OH, THAT SOME PIOUS, PRACTICAL MISSIONARY WOULD COME HERE!
THAT DAY THAT THE ARTICLE WAS RAN IN THE DAILY TELEGRAM
SEVEN YOUNG CHRISTIAN MEN RESPONDED AND WENT TO
URGANDA AS MISSIONARIES.
ONE OF THESE YOUNG MEN WAS ALEXENDER MCKAY, THE FAMOUS
AFRICAN MISSIONARY THAT WON THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS
TO JESUS CHRIST.
VI. WE MUST KEEP IN CHECK OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD THE LIGHT
AS WELL AS OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD DARKNESS.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
A. WHERE THERE IS LIGHT THERE IS LOVE!
WHERE THERE IS LOVE THERE IS LIGHT!
1 John 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
B. God Walks the Dark Hills
By Iris Dement
God walks the dark hills, The high ways, the by ways;
He walks through the billows Of life’s troubled sea
He walks through the cold dark night
The shadows of midnight, God walks the dark hills
Just to guide you and me
Chorus:
God walks the dark hills, To guide my footsteps
He walks everywhere By night and by day
He walks in the silence, On down the highway
God walks the dark hills, To show me the way.
God walks in the storm, The rain and the sunshine
He walks on the billows, On through glimmering light
Helps us walk up the mountain so high
Cross our rivers through valleys
God walks the dark hills ’Cause he loves you and me
Chorus
VII. YOU ARE A REFLECTION OF THE LIGHT.
JESUS IS DEPENDING UPON YOU AND YOUR LITTLE LIGHT TO SHINE.
A. THE DARKER THE NIGHT, THE GREATER THE LIGHT.
Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
B. Light makes vision possible.
C. Light means understanding.
D. Ignite something good.
VIII. WILL YOU LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE AND PUSH AWAY DARKNESS?
HEAVEN WORKS ON A DIFFERENT SYSTEM THAN WE KNOW!
Rev. 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof.
Rev. 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
AS A MAN THINKS (Unknown)
Today I will think like a dynamic servant of God,
Because I am what I think.
I am not always what I think I am, I am what I think.
I am not what I eat, I am what I think.
Clothes do not make the man, Thinking makes a man.
Therefore I will keep my thought processes active
And listening and open to the voice of God.
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Help my team, and pass this on to another?
