Some People Feel The Rain While Others Just Get Wet

Dr. Wayne A. Lawson

Preached at Antioch Institutional Baptist Church, OKC, Oklahoma

Sunday, January 4, 2009

11:00 a.m.

RevWLawson@aol.com

TITLE: SOME PEOPLE FEEL THE RAIN WHILE OTHERS JUST GET WET

SCRIPTURE: DEUTERONOMY 11:14

I am honored this morning to bring the first Sunday Message of this New Year of 2009. I believe that the message Delivered the first few weeks of a New Year help to set the Tone and the Pace for how the Church will move for the duration of the year. My prayer is that the message will strengthen us this Morning as well as help us learn how to deal with the Challenge of Growing in God’s Grace. There is a great concern that I have as it relates to Christendom -- that it appears that so many are in the Church and yet continuously struggle with their Christian Walk. There are many that appear as though they are not able to Grow in the Faith. We read in I PETER 2:2 “AS NEWBORN BABES DESIRE THE SINCERE MILK OF THE WORD, THAT YE MAY GROW THEREBY.” As we study the Word, we will Mature in the Word. Yet so many remain as newborn babes and never seem to Grow spiritually, thus, they always struggle in the Faith.

• They Seem to struggle along year after year

• Struggle with the same battles year after year

• Don’t seem to Grow in God’s Grace

• Always sing that Familiar Baptist Hymn – “I’m Not There Yet”

Today my prayer is, “Lord, Rain on Us!” We need the Shower of the Holy Ghost in our lives like never before. During a good rain, vegetation is nourished -- animals are nourished -- the grass gets greener; rain refreshes the land. Rain causes things to grow and be fruitful. We as well need to be nourished and refreshed. We need God to send us the Latter rain to make us fruitful for His kingdom. Without Rain falling on the Land, we would call it a drought.

• There comes a time in every person’s life they experience a drought of some type

• It may be the drought of health when it seems like there is no end in sight to your physical problems

• It may be the drought of finances when it seems like the bills are coming in faster than the money to pay them

• It may be the drought of your occupation because you have lost the enjoyment of doing what you do for a living

• There may be a drought in your marriage because you are staying together not because you love each other but just for the sake of the children.

But of all the droughts I can think of, the worst is a Spiritual Drought. We have all experienced them at one point or another. You pray but you feel like the prayers don’t leave the roof of your house -- You read your Bible but it is like reading Greek and Hebrew and worse yet, it puts you to sleep; and you go to church and get absolute nothing out of it and you find yourself experiencing a Spiritual Drought.

I read that there are close to 100 million church members in America and yet, we are not making the Moral and Spiritual impact that we should? Why is it, that on Sunday morning, thousands of churches have empty pews? Why are so many churches closing their doors on Wednesday night and Sunday night? I believe that it is because of a lack of passion that exit’s within the Body of Christ.

The problem is there are those who are only able to see a snapshot as to what Christianity is. They are not able to view beyond their Current Circumstance. This eventually causes a Drought and hinders our Spiritual Growth - Causing only a Narrow Glimpse of Christianity. For many the Grace of Cavalry’s Cross is only in Distant View. The Challenge I present you with this morning is the importance of taking into view the whole picture and not just a small portion of the life and message of Christ. To fully understand this, we must take into account the importance of the Cradle to the Cross. Not able to be Passionate about our walk with the Lord until we fully embrace the life and message of Christ. This reminds me of a story.

---REMINDED OF A STORY ABOUT SHERLOCK HOLMES AND HIS SIDEKICK MR. WATSON. WE FIND THEM ON A CAMPING TRIP AND THEY HAVE JUST PITCHED THEIR TENT AND THEN DECIDED TO TAKE A HIKE. FINALLY RETURNED LATER IN THE EVENING AND THEY ARE IN AN OPEN FIELD LAYING ON THE GROUND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. LOOKING UP AT THE BRIGHT STARS THAT DECORATE THE MIDNIGHT SKY, SHERLOCK HOLMES LOOKS OVER AT WATSON AND SAID – WATSON – LOOK UP AT THE STARS AND TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE.