Turn The Volume Up? Precedent? God Demands Effort!

PRECEDENT… TURN THE VOLUME UP? GOD DEMANDS EFFORT…

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

HAVE YOU EVER TALKED TO YOURSELF? THERE IS A PRECEDENT SET BY A LADY THAT FOR 12 YEARS HAD BEEN VERY SICK AND WEAK. SHE WAS AT THE END OF HER ROPE.

12 YEARS THIS LADY WAS UN-CLEAN. 12 years she was defiled. 12 years she had limited contact with people. 12 years she could not assemble with others. This lady established a precedence that still stands today.

Mark 5:25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, n 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

*SETTING A PRECEDENT, PRECEDENCE… AN EARLIER ACTION THAT IS CONSIDERED IN SUBSEQUENT CIRCUMSTANCES.

An example to guide, setting a priority, to consider important, to establish a justification for a later one, CONSISTENT..

*DRED SCOTT vs SANDFORD was a 1857 landmark decision by the Supreme Court. The Court upheld the decision that BLACK PEOPLE WERE NOT MEANT TO BE CONSIDERED AMERICAN CITIZENS… they were considered like a dog or a horse. In 1868, 11 years later the precedent of the Dred Scott case was turned over. All people born in the USA are considered CITIZENS.

*ROE vs WADE set a precedent about abortion.

THE PRECEDENT OF EXCUSES…

Eve made the precedent of OFFERING EXCUSES. Offering excuses is an addictive behavior. SO WHAT IS SO BAD ABOUT OFFERING EXCUSES? Excuses are CONTAGIOUS? Excuses means there will be NO CHANGE. THERE WILL BE NO REPENTANCE AND LITTLE CHANGE. The trouble with excuses are your excuses ACCUSE YOU. Eve blamed the Devil. Adam blamed EVE… ADAM BLAMES GOD… THAT WOMAN YOU GAVE ME… The terrible gift of EXCUSES CAN CAUSE one to never acknowledge your problem and THUS REFUSE CORRECTION!

Luke 14:18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

THREE BROAD CATEGORIES OF EXCUSES:

• MATERIALISM

• BUSINESS/PLEASURE

• RELATIONSHIPS

THE CHURCH IS IN GREAT NEED TO HAVE LEADERS THAT COME TO JESUS’S FEET AND STAY THERE.

We need something in the church. We need more MOVERS, SHAKERS AND IGNITERS. When I graduated from college my wife bought me a big ANT FARM. We ordered the ants from Uncle Milton’s Ant Farm. I did not read the directions. Have you ever tried to get ants to move from the tube they are in to climb into their new home? Very difficult? Read the directions? Put the tube of ants in the refrigerator for 15 minutes then pour them in.

How we loved the ANT FARM. For months they dug tunnels. They make a room to store their food. They make a room to bury their dead. They are hard workers. They had many tunnels and they moved the sand from here to there. One night we came home from church and my wife Linda flicked the side of the ant farm and all the tunnels caved in. Linda said she wanted to see what the ants would do?

The ants moved in unison to the top of the ant farm. I think they were saying earthquake. They all crawled into a ball for safety. They were holding on for dear life. Linda started to go to bed. I said you wanted to see what they would do? Now we are going to watch them. They stayed in the group probably 15 minutes. They were shaking in fear. Finally one ant started walking around. He was all by himself. He walked here and there. The other ants were just shaking in fear. After a long period of time the one ant walked over and picked up one grain of sand and carried it to the top. He looked around, nothing? He was the only one working. So he returned and picked up another grain of sand and he would walk pass the other ants carrying his burden alone.