Sermon Central
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Shake The Dust Off
Contributed by Riaan De Villiers on Jul 21, 2006 (message contributor)
Summary: According to Solomon something is wrong: slaves are riding on horses and the kings are walking in the dust as slaves. We are suppose to be the kings on the horses but we are walking in the dust as slaves. It is time for the church to take it’s rightful pl
Shake the dust off
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer¹s well. The farmer heard the mule "braying", or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathised with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well were worth the trouble of saving. Instead he called his neighbours together and told them what had happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery. Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbours continued shovelling and the dirt hit his back...a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back.....HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP! It was not long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL. What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him.....all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
Want to start by making the next statement namely it is time for the church of God to shake off the dust and take their rightful place.
Ecclesiastics 10:5 – 7
BBE: There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, like an error which comes by chance from a ruler: The foolish are placed in high positions, but men of wealth are kept low. I have seen servants on horses, and rulers walking on the earth as servants.
GW: There is a tragedy that I’ve seen under the sun, an error often made by rulers. Foolish people are often given high positions, and rich people are left to fill lower positions. I have seen slaves sitting on horses and influential people going on foot like slaves.
A few things to take note of:
1) There is an evil which is under the sun.
So he is saying something is wrong. In fact it is called a tragedy. Something is not right and that something is called an evil. So it is not just a little mistake.
2) This evil, error, wrong comes from whomever is in charge or rules.
That means to rectify this evil means that the real rulers must start to rule again.
3) This evil = slaves are riding on horses and princes are walking in the dust of the earth as slaves.
This evil = the wrong people are ruling while the real rulers are the slaves.
In the Bible it was always the rulers who were riding on the horses while the slaves were walking but in the spiritual realm this is not happening. In the spirit world this man has seen an evil. Those who are suppose to be the rulers became the slaves.
From the beginning of time it was God’s purpose for us, His children, to be the rulers, to be the kings and princes.
AMP: God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.
BBE: And God said, Let us make man in our image, like us: and let him have rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every living thing which goes flat on the earth.
We are supposed to be the rulers that are riding on the horses but instead we are the princes that are walking like slaves.
KJV: And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
The day we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, He changed our name and also said that as a prince we have power with God.
AMP: And the Lord shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day and are watchful to do them.
BBE: The Lord will make you the head and not the tail; and you will ever have the highest place, if you give ear to the orders of the Lord your God which I give you today, to keep and to do them;
