Geography plays a huge part in the panorama of Bible history and experiences of God’s people. We know about cities, countries, provinces, borders, kingdoms and specific points like wells, rocks and woods that all had names to signify important events in Bible history. There is another phase of geography that we call topography. Architects and builders know about this. Before a large building project gets underway, a set of drawings are usually called for that survey the tracts of land where the building is going to take place. Surveyors measure the rise and fall of the land, and take note of the features that will enter into the building placement or even the kind of building that can be built.

This topography feature is duly noted in the Bible. We read of seas, rivers, brooks, mountains, hills, valleys, plains, caves and deserts. Many familiar names and stories happened in connection with a particular topographical feature. Jacob went over the Brook Jabbok where he had his dream. Moses went up to Mt. Sinai to receive the ten commandments. Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses on a hill in Rephidim so Israel could prevail against the enemy Amalek. Lot chose the well-watered plains of Jordan . Elijah sought refuge in a cave where God fed him by sending ravens with food. Moses fled to the backside of the desert to keep the sheep of his father-in-law Jethro.

It can be argued that the place where these events occurred had a definite effect on whatever happened there. Life does not happen as a series of random occurrences that make no sense. The reason God leads us to certain places is because we will learn something there…we will learn something because of the very circumstances surrounding the event.

Pathway Dynamics

I am always surprised that people are so surprised about the things that happen to them in life. Surprise happens when what you think is going to happen doesn’t. God (it would seem) aggravates people on a daily basis with a pathway filled with dips and turns, rockslides and icy patches, potholes and one-lane bridges, all of it simultaneously tantalizing and frustrating. The pathway plays no favorites. Motor vehicles come equipped with shock absorbers because any attempt to force the pathway to conform to the driver’s expectations meets with bone-jarring jolts. It’s up to you to adapt to the pathway, not the other way around.

The pathway to a growing life is a dynamic, not a static experience. Yes, truth remains the same and principles stay constant, but changing circumstances and too many variables along the way insure that you will never really figure it all out.

It doesn’t matter how old you are or how far you’ve come, you have not been this way before. Your experience has only qualified you to understand yourself to some degree; it has not licensed you to manage your pathway. As you negotiate the turns, curves and obstacles that constitute your pathway, you will change. Whether you move on enlightened or angered, helped or hurt, wiser or more puzzled, dead or alive depends upon how you react. Any reaction that suspends the learning experience, like anger or despair, brings your journey to a halt. You will not progress until you get these reactions in hand, overcome them and go on. And, when the road that unfolds before you meets the distant horizon, you cannot be sure which way it goes from there. You can be sure of only one thing: another learning opportunity awaits you.

M. Scott Peck begins his The Road Less Traveled with these profound words, “Life is difficult.” It will never get easy. Your guiding light must remain your faith in God and your commitment to lead your people into their best future.

The Valley

Most of us have a built-in bias for mountains and hills. We like to get up high where we can see what’s happening. We like the feeling of superiority, the sense of being in charge, the security of looking down on life and knowing what’s going on. We get that when we are on the mountain top.

The fact is, however, we seldom learn much on the mountain top. That’s why the bible carefully describes the promised land as land of hills and valleys. There is a hill for every valley, but there is a valley for every hill. The valleys are as much a part of the topography of the promised land as the hills.

Achan was judged in the valley. “ And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. ²⁵ And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. ²⁶ And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor ^f, unto this day.

^[2]

After the victory at Jericho , Israel was defeated by the men of Ai in the valley.

Hell, or in the Hebrew language, Sheol, was symbolized by the Valley of Hinnom . All the refuse and carcasses of Jerusalem were burned in the Valley of Hinnom .

David spoke of the valley as a place of deep trial and testing.

¹ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He maketh me to lie down in green^a pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. ³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. ⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest^b my head with oil; my cup runneth over. ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever^c.

^[3]

God leads us into the valleys for a purpose.

What is a valley?

It is a low place. It is surrounded by hills or mountains on either side. An army is very vulnerable in the valley because the enemy occupies the high ground and can ride down on those in the valley. A valley keeps you from seeing the big picture. A valley can be treacherous because of landslides, avalanches or flash floods.

When we look at this from a spiritual perspective, many of us chafe against the valley circumstances. We often operate under the illusion that we ought to be exempt from the spiritual topography of life. We can’t figure out why God wants us to be in a valley. We were doing fine…now this!

The problem is that we develop something that I call the valley syndrome.

Symptoms of “Valley Syndrome”

1.    Sensation that you are trapped or locked in to defeat.

God has not predestined you to defeat. You need to avoid a self-fulfilling prophecy. (You can believe something so strongly that you unwittingly set yourself up for a defeat.)

2.    Suffering from and inability to consider anything above eye-level.

Are you becoming so paranoid, so negative that you have stopped believing in miracles, in prayer, in worship, in bible reading? Are you becoming convinced that God has something against you, that you are never going to get out of your adversity?

3.    Hallucinations that anyone rising above you has an unfair advantage.

This is where you begin to experience bitterness, jealousy and hatred against others around you. You deny the success or victory to anyone who seems to have gotten out of their valley. It is the victim mentality, the feeling that you have been denied something to which you were entitled.

4.    Cold sweats when anyone suggests you might do better.

You resent it when someone comes up to you and encourages you to hang in there or to pray a little harder. They are just making a superficial judgment that you are like everyone else. They even might think you deserve to be in your valley.

4.    Marked irritibility toward any tools or helps that may improve your state.

You want to be left alone. You don’t want to improve yourself. Why. Deep down, you believe that God must despise you and that you have no blessings coming your way. Resign yourself to defeat.

6.    Immediate recognition that anyone higher than you doesn’t understand.

People who have blessings that you want for yourself are suspect. They don’t understand what it’s like to be you.

7.    Feverish excuse manufacturing.

The easiest thing to do when you are in the valley is to excuse yourself for your circumstances. It is easier to complain than to pray. It is easier to lay down and pity yourself than to get up and keep moving.

Two Solutions to the Valley

1. Look for God’s blessings in the valley.

Psalm 84:4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah. ⁵ Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them . ⁶ Who passing through the valley of Baca  make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. ⁷ They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

The valley has some secrets. You are always closer to the water supply when you are in the valley.

In the valley, you can dig a well. In the valley, you will discover strength that doesn’t come from the hills and the mountains. You will find out that God doesn’t need the conventional ways of blessing to bring healing, help and victory to your life.

Look for miracles of God in the valley of despair.

Ezekiel 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, ² And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley^a; and, lo, they were very dry. ³ And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. ⁴ Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. ⁵ Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: ⁶ And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. ⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. ⁸ And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind^b, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. ^[4]

The experience of Sis. Becky Buckland. Bitten by a rabid dog, she was told that she was not going to live.  The doctors said bluntly that she would get progressively worse and die in ninety days.  She had passed beyond the stage where medicine could help her.   In the midst of the trial, the only thing left to do was go to church. She went to campmeeting in Indiana in 1993 and they gathered around her and prayed. God healed her and the Bucklands became missionaries in the Czech Republic where they are raising up a work for the name of Jesus!

^[1] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Dt 11:8). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^f Achor: that is, Trouble

^[2] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Jos 7:24). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^a green…: Heb. pastures of tender grass

^b anointest: Heb. makest fat

^c for ever: Heb. to length of days

^[3] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Ps 23:1). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^a valley: or, champaign

^b wind: or, breath

^[4] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Eze 37:1). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

The God of the Bible is a God of abundance.
Whatever the scriptures portray him to be, he is that to perfection.
Whatever we know to be good, he is that in its ultimate state.
Whatever is rich, he is richer.
Whatever is beautiful, he is more beautiful.
Whatever is righteous, he is more righteous.
Whatever is holy, he is more holy.
There is nothing in God that can ever be classified as impoverished, pitiful or small.

Everything about my God: the way he was born, the way he lived the way he died, the way he rose again, the way he ascended, the way he was glorified, the way he exists today and the way he will exist throughout all eternity is an unprecedented display of glory and power.
Nothing he ever did, now does or will do could be done any better.
He is the God of abundance.
If you want a proof of how God operates, look how he responded to the very first offense committed against him in the earth.

Rom 5:14-21

14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

The sin that Satan introduced into the world was intended to destroy two people, Adam and Eve.

Gen 3:1-5

3 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Notice that Satan only saw these two human beings, God’s creation, as his targets of evil. Maybe he thought that God would destroy both of them when he found out about their disobedience and that would be the end of the human race.

God, however, saw the implications of both sin and salvation in the act of disobedience.
First, he saw that the sin of the first generation would contaminate the second, third, forth and so on generation.
Second, he had already designed a plan that would take care of Adam and Eve. Third, he extended salvation to every succeeding generation.
God’ vision always blows Satan’s vision out of the water.

Gen 3:12-15

12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

God never limits what he does to a meager portion, an adequate supply or a plan to just get by.
He told Abraham that “I am thy exceeding great reward.”
He is exceeding.
If that’s not enough, he is abundant.
If that’s not enough, he can do “above all that we are able to ask…”
If that’s not enough, he can do “above all we are able to think.”
That’s my God!

The next thing to consider about the fall of man was the death it caused. One man sinned and in him the human race was condemned to death.

Death. The cessation of life. The absence of life. The loss of breath. The opposite of everything about God because “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Here was God’s response to death by sin.

17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

When Satan says, Death, God says Life.
When God says Life, he means life on a scale that cannot be comprehended.
Whatever we lost in Adam was restored in Jesus…AND MUCH MORE!
We lost the quality of life in Adam, but we gained abundant life in Jesus.
We lost the essence of life in Adam, but we gained eternal life in Jesus.
We lost the tree of life in Adam, but we gained it back in heaven,

Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

We lost the Garden of Eden in Adam, but we gained the New Jerusalem in Jesus.

Jesus will never allow the power of Satan to overshadow the power of the Cross.

The evil, the wreckage and the chaos brought about by Adam’s disobedience does not represent the final answer to man’s destiny.

20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Pile sin high and wide. Grace is always bigger and better.
Think about it. This world cannot get much lower. Iniquity cannot get much worse.
But as bad as it gets, the grace of God will always…always…ALWAYS be more!
Satan would like for you to be intimidated by the world you see around you.
He wants you to throw in the towel.
He intends for you to say “If you can’t beat’em, join’em.”
He wants the church to cave into the tidal wave of sin that abounds today.
And, sometimes, it is tempting to say, “It’s no use.”

But the abundance of sin only proves the greater abundance of grace.
If you think the world is winning, you need a refresher course in the theology of much.
It’s time for you to take a prayer journey and let God show you his storehouses of grace.

This past Friday, I stood at Ground Zero. The once proud twin towers of the World Trade Center rose 110 stories into the sky from lower Manhattan Island. It’s 13.4 million square feet of office space represented a full 4 percent of all offices in New York. On September 11, 2001, two planes flown by Islamic terrorists decimate crashed into the towers and decimated them, bringing them to the ground and killing 2973 innocent people. It was the single, most deadly terrorist attack in history, certainly on American soil.

But Friday, I saw something I didn’t expect to see. The construction has already begun on the rebuilding of the WTC. It has already been built to the ground level. It is the response of the American spirit to the evil intentions of terrorists world wide.

“Rising from its square base — which will be constructed of impermeable concrete and steel — the redesigned Freedom Tower will taper into eight tall isosceles triangles, forming a perfect octagon at its center. An observation deck will be located 1,362 feet above ground and there will be a square glass parapet at 1,368 feet, the heights of the original Twin Towers. From these, an illuminated spire containing a television antenna will rise to a final height of 1,776 feet.

We are sending a message:
Burn it down and we will rebuild it, bigger and better than ever.
God sent that message to Satan millenniums ago.
Tear it down and I will remake it…much more than it was in the first place.

But the theology of much applies to areas beyond the grace of God.

There is a matter of forgiveness.

Luke 7:37-38 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

Here is a woman who was undoubtedly a prostitute before she was saved.
When God touches the life of someone in the depths of sin, he takes away their shame as well as their sin.
But there were some who did not appreciate this.

Luke 7:39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

But Jesus had an answer.
Jesus always has an answer to the charges of Satan.

Luke 7:44-47

44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

If you have been forgiven much, you love much.
If you don’t love much, you don’t know what you have been forgiven.
When you get an idea of how bad your sin is, you get an idea of how much you need to worship Jesus!
I like worshippers.
They have an attitude.
They know how much their salvation is worth.
They know they didn’t have a chance without Jesus.
They dance, sing, shout, run, leap…whatever…because they have been forgiven much.
It’s called the love-forgiveness principle.

Then there is the matter of blessing.

Luke 12:48 For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

I don’t think anyone is more implicated in this scripture than those who have received this Apostolic truth.
We have been given much.
The oneness of God.
The message of full salvation.
The importance of holiness.
The rapture of the Church.

There are some today who are preaching a “relevance” Gospel.
They disregard the doctrines of the Apostolic in order to be relevant to this world.
None of us want to be irrelevant.
What we have here is not relevance as much as false doctrine.
Galatians makes it plain. If anyone preaches any other gospel…let him be accursed.

Are you living up to your requirements?

Finally, there is the matter of desire.

Luke 18:35-43 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, 41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. 42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

How much you seek after God will depend on how much you desire him!
God looks on the heart.
The syrophoenician woman.
The army captain.
Nicodemus.

The theology of much governs everything about your relationship with God.
The much lacking in me reaches out to the much supply in God.
My poverty reaches out to his wealth.
My smallness reaches out to his greatness.
My weakness reaches out to his power.
Whatever I have lost, I will find it in Christ.

Israel had been in bondage in Egypt for four hundred years.

They didn’t start out as captives, but refugees.
Another king arose who knew not Joseph and made slaves of Israelites.
Pharaoh was the only king they knew.
Egyptian culture dominated their lives.
They ate Egyptian food, wore Egyptian clothes, shopped Egyptian stores, saw Egyptian cities.
Egypt defined Israel ’s life, livelihood and thinking.

Israel hated their captors.

The Egyptians were hard taskmasters.
They were cruel and unreasonable.
Exodus 1:23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. ²⁴ And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ And God looked upon the children of Israel , and God had respect unto them .

After a series of miracles, Israel found themselves on the way out of Egypt .

Israel left Egypt by faith, not by sight.

They had not seen miracles of provision, only miracles of judgment.
The Egyptian army was at full strength when Israel marched out.
Pharaoh was still in power when they marched out.
The blood was still wet on the doorposts and lintels when they marched out.

Why did they leave?

They left because they didn’t want to be slaves any longer.
They left because they now had a leader who would lead them out.
They left because it was the right thing to do.
Egypt is a type of sin.
If you are in sin’s bondage, you were made for better things.
If you are in sin’s bondage, you have a leader who will lead you out.

After they left for the right reasons, God began to do marvelous things for them.

The Red Sea opened up for them.
Egypt ’s army was defeated.
The pillar of fire and the cloud lead them.
The rock that gave them water to drink followed them.
The manna fell in the wilderness.
The clothes wore like iron.
None of these things happened until they forsook Egypt .

You cannot wait until you see your way clear before you leave your Egypt of sin.

There comes a time when you need to defy your Pharaoh.
There comes a time when you need to walk out on the devil.
You need to do the right thing, trusting that God will do the right thing.

But, the moment you leave Egypt , the mind games begin.

Fear.

^{Exodus 14:10} And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. ¹¹ And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt , hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt ? ¹² Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt , saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

Loss.

^{Exodus 16:2} And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: ³ And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

Anger.

^{Exodus 17:3} And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? ⁴ And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

Doubt.

¹ And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

The problem was that although the people were out of Egypt , Egypt was not out of the people.
God will set you free through the new birth experience.
Repentance
Baptism in Jesus’ name.
Holy Ghost infilling.

But, to be set free from your Egypt of sin, you need more than just a feeling of remorse, a physical baptism and an experience with God.

^{Hebrews 11:24} By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; ²⁵ Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; ²⁶ Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. ²⁷ By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. ²⁸ Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. ²⁹ By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land : which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

Look what Moses did:
Chose.
Esteemed.
Forsook.
Endured.
Kept.
Passed.

As long as you think like the world, you will rebel against the Spirit of God in your life. You need a mental emancipation from the thinking of this world.

I don’t need the habits of the world.
I don’t need the security of the world.
I don’t need the affirmation of the world.
I don’t need the fellowship of the world.
When God declares you free, you need to declare that you are free!

^{John 8:36} If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

You need for God to put a new mind in you.

⁵  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸ And being found in fashion^a as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Brother Pugh’s message to the General Board. “We have too much “con” and not enough “tran?”

This world is not my home, I’m just passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

O Lord you know I have no friend like you
If Heaven’s not my home, then Lord what will I do?
The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

They’re all expecting me and that’s one thing I know.
My Savior pardoned me and now I onward go.
I know He’ll take me through, though I am weak and poor.

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

Just up in Glory Land we’ll live eternally.
The Saints on every hand are shouting victory.
Their song of sweetest praise drifts back from Heaven’s shore
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

When you declare your freedom from Egypt , you will discover the providence of God.
You want miracles in your life? Get Egypt ’s thinking out of your mind.
You want joy? Be set free from Egypt .

God had a question for Adam. “Where art thou?”
Saul of Tarsus had a question for God. “Who art thou?”
The answers to both questions made the respondent vulnerable and open.
When Adam revealed where he was, he gave God access to his existence.
When Jesus revealed who he was, he gave Saul access to the essence of his life.

Steve Pavlina, Personal Development guru, says:
“Weak questions are disempowering. They keep your focused on your own ego, your problems, and your shortcomings. Weak questions keep you focused on what’s wrong… on what isn’t working. That might seem like a good idea, but all it does is further reinforce the situation you’d like to change. Weak questions will lead your brain to come up with answers that are useless, circular, or even destructive. Mediocre results largely come about from asking mediocre questions. Great results come from asking great questions. If you don’t like the results you’re getting, try asking completely different questions from the ones you’re used to asking.”

There are three New Testament questions you need to ask for yourself.

• “Who art thou, Lord?” Asked by Saul of Tarsus .
• “What shall we do?” Asked by the crowd on the Day of Pentecost.
• “What wilt thou have me to do?” Asked by Saul of Tarsus .

Who art thou, Lord?

Jesus boldly declared the He was God.

He said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30 ). He was of the same essence as the Father (deity).
The Jews’ took up stones to stone Him ( 10:31 ). They believed that Jesus, who was a man, had made Himself God ( 10:33 ).
This was blasphemy to the Jews and was deserving of the death penalty.
They understood perfectly that Jesus was claiming to be the Father Himself. If Jesus was not declaring equality with the Father, it would have been the perfect opportunity to explain what He really meant. Instead He continued to back up His claim ( 10:34 -38).

Jesus told the Jews, “He that seeth me seeth him that sent me.” (John 12:45).
Jesus declared to Thomas, “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him and have seen him.” John 14:5-9. (v. 7).
Philip could not understand this statement, so he asked Jesus to show the Father to all the disciples, and then they would be satisfied. Jesus responded, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (v. 9). According to Jesus’ own testimony, to see Him was to see the Father (God). One can not get a much clearer statement than this as to who Jesus claimed to be.

In addition to what he said, Jesus acted like he was God.

If Jesus was not God, indeed his statements would have been blasphemous.
For example, Jesus forgave sins.
He said to the paralytic who was lowered through the roof, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” (Mark 2:15 ). The scribes present in the room thought Jesus’ statement blasphemous saying “who can forgive sin but God alone?” (v. 7).

If Jesus truly did not have the power to forgive, He had the perfect opportunity to clear up the matter when the Jews inquired of His words.
Instead of pointing out the scribes misunderstanding of His words, Jesus said, “Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.” (vs. 9-11).

Jesus claimed authority with respect to the Law of God.

One such example is the law of the Sabbath.
God established the Sabbath for Israel as one of the 613 commandments of the Law of Moses they had to obey.
Because God had made the Law, He alone had the power to alter it. We see Jesus, however, claiming the authority to alter the Sabbath when His disciples were questioned by the Pharisees for picking grain heads on the Sabbath.
Jesus’ response was to remind them of the time that David ate of the shewbread (vs. 25-26). The shewbread was strictly for the priests. For anyone else to eat it was a violation of the Law of Moses, but God never punished David. In conclusion Jesus said, “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” (vs. 27-28)..
Jesus clearly claimed the right to redefine the Sabbath.

Jesus claimed to have the power of life.

He said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25).
The Old Testament declares that only God has this power: “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.” Deuteronomy 32:39

What did the Jewish leaders think of Jesus?

After Jesus told the Jews, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” (John 5:17 ), the Jews sought to kill Him.
Why did they want to kill him? “Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his father, making himself equal with God.” (v. 18).
The Jews understood that Jesus was claiming to be God Himself. The Greek word isos is translated here as “equal.” It means to be “the same as” something. Jesus put Himself on the same plane, or grounds of deity as the Father.
When Jesus claimed that He and His Father were one (John 10:30 ), again the Jews took up stones to stone Him (v. 31).
When Jesus asked them for what good work they desired to kill Him, they responded, “For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” (v. 33).
The Jews did not understand Jesus’ reference to God as His “Father” to mean that Jesus was less than God, or some sort of a second-rate god. Rather they understood His claim to be that of Yahweh God Himself.

What did the apostles think of Jesus?

Thomas said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28).
The Greek word kurios, translated “Lord,” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew adonai; and the Greek theos translated “God” is the Greek counterpart to the Hebrew elohim.
So, for Thomas to call Jesus his Lord and God, knowing that the only Lord God was Yahweh (Deuteronomy 6:4), would have been blasphemy if Thomas had not believed that Jesus was Yahweh Himself in flesh.
Peter’s bold declaration to Jesus, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16 ), showed Peter’s belief in His deity.
Jesus told Peter that flesh and blood had not revealed this truth to him, but the Father which was in heaven (v. 17).
If “Son of God” here only refers to Jesus’ humanity, no revelation from the Father would have been necessary.
Paul, who wrote the most concerning Christ’s person, said that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15; See also II Corinthians 4:4).
What did Paul mean when He declared Jesus to be God’s image?
We know it was not physical likeness because God is a Spirit and cannot have a physical body.1
The Greek word translated “image” in the King James Version is eikon. Its root is eiko, meaning likeness, resemblance, or representation.
Eikon denotes both the representation and manifestation of a substance.
Notice that Paul contrasted Jesus’ image to that of the invisible God. The point Paul was trying to get across to his readers was that Jesus is the visible representation of God to man. That is why Jesus could say, “he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” (John 14:9; also 12:45).

Jesus is the “express image of his [God’s] person” (Hebrews 1:3).

“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
The English phrase translated “express image” is from the Greek word charakter. It is this word from which we get our English word “character.”
This is the only occurrence of the word in the New Testament. It means “to impress upon, or stamp.” It denotes an engravement from a tool, which impresses an image into that which is being engraved.4
This impression, then, is a characteristic of the instrument used to produce it. The end result corresponds precisely with the instrument.

Jesus does not just represent God. He is the very visible impression of God’s invisible substance and essence.

He is God’s very nature expressed in humanity as the Son of God.
He is the corresponding engravement of God in human form. He is the adequate imprint of God. 6
At Bethlehem , God unrolled a blank sheet of humanity over the invisible essence of divinity and mapped a visible image that we could see. When Mary held up the baby, we could trace all the divine attributes of God through the transference of his image into the flesh of Jesus.

Jesus is everything about God permanently settled in the body of Jesus.

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:9) The NIV says “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”7
In the Greek, Paul said that the fullness of the divine essence has permanently settled in Jesus’ body.
Jesus did not merely possess some divine attributes, but rather He possessed every aspect of deity.

What Shall We Do?

³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? ³⁸ Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. ³⁹ For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. ^[1]

Every person has two clear-cut choices before him or her. You can refuse to ask the question, thinking that if you don’t ask, then you will not be held responsible for what happens. Not asking the question leaves the answer to chance, and you’ll take your chances.

You can ask the question and get the answer. Getting the answer then makes you responsible for acting out the instructions. Some people are so paranoid of the answer that they won’t ask the question. But, do you want to know whether or not the house is on fire? Do you want to know whether or not the car has enough gas in the tank to get you to your destination? Do you want to know whether you need an operation to repair your heart or remove a tumor?

This crowd heard a stirring message on the Day of Pentecost.
They asked what they should do.
Here is the answer:

Repent.

• Admit that you are a sinner.
• Turn away from your sins.
• Repentance is a major Bible doctrine.

Baptism.

• A command.
• In water.
• Immersion.
• In Jesus name.
• Acts 8:16 ; 10:44 -48; 19:1-7; 22:16 ; Romans 6:3

Holy Ghost.

• A promise.
• A necessity to identify with Jesus. “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by^d his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11.

What Wilt Thou Have Me To Do?

The answers to your questions hold important implications for your life.
You are called to life a life separated unto Christ.
¹⁴ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? ¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, ¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

You are called to give praise and glory to God.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar^b people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

One final question: What could possibly be more important than making sure your heart is right with God? Each of us will stand before God in judgment. What will be the most important thing in your life then ?

Bro. Orlin Ray Fauss was given his son’s bible. Daryl Fauss had been killed one year prior.

Three questions.

• Who art thou?
• What shall we do?
• What wilt thou have me to do?

How will you answer?

^[1] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Ac 2:37). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^d by: or, because of

^b peculiar: or, purchased

It was not a good day in paradise. Slithering snakes, half-eaten apples and disobedient inhabitants reached their profane hands into perfection and turned it inside out and upside down. The rebellion that occurred in heaven among the angels had invaded God’s creation, poisoning the pristine garden and corrupting the man that God had formed from the dust of the earth and the woman that He had created from Adam’s side.

As nearly as I can describe the situation would be the deranged geologist, Laslo Toth, who, on May 21, 1972 , walked into the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, with a sledgehammer in his hand and rocked Michelangelo’s famous sculpture, The Pieta, that was on display, while shouting “I am Jesus Christ.” In one fell swoop, he damaged a priceless marble sculpture that was nearly four hundred years old.

It wasn’t with a sledgehammer, but Satan stole into the Garden of Eden with lies, deception and doubt, and caused our first human parents to fall. Paul wrote in Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

Through this offence, many are dead.
By the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation.
By one man’s disobedience many were made sinners.
Sin has reigned unto death.
The cost to this earth, to mankind, to God’s creation was incalculable.

Those of you who like to read know that the setting of any story determines the mood and atmosphere of the characters. Most of us believe that Adam and Eve were in trouble with God because of their disobedience. Therefore, we picture an enraged God, furious with the fickle human beings he had just created, stomping through Paradise looking for the culprits. We see beads of sweat formed on his furrowed brow, and the man and his wife as quaking with fear, hiding behind a bush somewhere.

I remember wrecking my Dad’s car driving to a school debate practice. When I drove on to the church where he was, I was in tears as I handed the keys to him, fully expecting the wrath of God and my father to come crashing down on me. His reaction was totally different that I anticipated.

You can have this impression if you want to.

Some of you see God as so disgusted with you, so insulted by you on a daily basis that you can hardly come into the sanctuary. You can’t clap your hands, you can’t raise your hands, you can’t sing the praises of God, and you surely can’t pray. Why? Because you see God through the eyes of Adam and Eve, ready to dispense judgment on you as soon as he can find you.

Sister Vesta Mangun spoke on Wednesday morning at “Because of the Times” conference. She spoke about the intense love that God has for lost souls. She briefly came across this incident in the Garden, but she put it in a totally different light than the way I have just described it. God did not say “Where art thou?” in a harsh, demanding, accusatory tone. She said that it was a sob, an anguished cry, a loving and concerned expression that escaped the lips of God that day. “Where art thou?”

You see, knowing the attitude of God makes all the difference in the world in the way you feel about the story.

News stories break all the time about lost people. There was the man and his children lost on a mountainside before Christmas; there was the little boy lost on a camping trip; there was most recently the story of a twenty year old woman who was lost, then later found murdered. Do you think the searchers went out to look for the lost with a feeling of anger and disgust? No. They had anguish in their hearts, hoping to find the slightest evidence that their love ones were still alive.

And so, whoever you are, wherever you are, you need to know that God has been asking about you. You need to know that he has a sob in his voice as he asks, “Where art thou?” He doesn’t have a whip, or a hammer or an instrument of judgment in his hands. He has a cross and some nails that he will use on himself for your salvation.

Romans 5:15-19 “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

So, the question is, “Where Art Thou?”

Adam was in the woods of guilt.

Genesis 3:8-10 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

It is time for you to realize that you have been released from sin and guilt by the blood of Christ.

1 John 1:7-9 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Did you hear that? We have fellowship one with another. But we also have a restored fellowship with God. 1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. That which was lost in Adam was restored in Jesus Christ.

Adam, where art thou?

Elijah was in the cave of despair.

1 Kings 19:9-10 “And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

Do these statements sound familiar?: “Life’s not fair. God’s not fair. I never get any of the blessings. I’ve tried and tried to live for God, to work for God, to point others to God and nothing ever comes back my way. I am afraid for my life.”

God isn’t trying to bring judgment down on you. He knows how you feel. He is our high priest, touched by the feelings of our own infirmities. He knows about your bouts with depression. He knows your moodswings. He knows that sometimes you can be temperamental and cranky. After all, God puts up with you every day!

Do you know what God’s answer was to Elijah? 1 Kings 19:15 “And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus : and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria .” You may not get an answer to you dilemma today. You may not get any insight into your problem at all. Sometimes you just have to get up and move on, without closure or resolution. Just get up and go. The answer will not come to you while you are languishing in your cave of despair. The answer will be in getting up and getting back to work.

God still had some anointing for Elijah to do. He didn’t fix his problems and then use him. He just used him and he overrode his problems.

Elijah, where art thou?

Jonah was running to Tarshish.

Jonah 1:1-4 “Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.”

Every day, people who are under the call of God are trying to find passage to Tarshish. They think they will escape the call, or they try to disqualify themselves from the call. What if they would do something that angers God? Then, maybe, God would go off and forget about them.

“Maybe if I drink a little, God will let me alone. Maybe if I smoke a little, God will stop bothering me. Maybe if I go out a live a wild life, I can get God off my back. Maybe if I get involved in a relationship, or give myself to a job or career, or obligate myself somehow that I can mute the incessant voice of God that keeps echoing in my head.

Go ahead and pay your fare and board the ship.
You cannot escape the presence of God.
Tarshish will not hide you from God.
He will meet you in a storm. He will call you up from the hold of the ship. He will prepare a circumstance to swallow you up in the bottom of the sea. He wants you for his own cause and his own purposes.

That’s why he put you in this church. That’s why he gave you the parents he did. That’s why he placed his Spirit within you. That’s why you know the truth of the oneness of God, of baptism in Jesus’ name and the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues. That’s why you know about holiness, and worship, and the anointing of God on ministry.

Jonah, where art thou?

Simon Peter warmed himself by a distant fire.

He had so disappointed his Master that he had no confidence at all in himself or in his relationship with Jesus.

Luke 22:54-62 Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him. 57 And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not. 58 And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. 59 And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean. 60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. 61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

The bitter tears that Peter wept were not from the harsh words of Jesus, but from his own troubled soul. He knew he had made a terrible mistake. What he wasn’t sure about was whether or not the mistake was fatal. Finally, Simon Peter came to his senses and found his way back into the arms of Christ. He discovered that the persistent questioning of God, the inner voice that would not keep silent, was not a voice of condemnation but of reconciliation.

Peter, where art thou?

And, so, what is your answer tonight? Where are you?

I am…
In fear.
In rebellion.
In full flight from God.
In chaos.
In trouble.
In denial.
In pain.
In loneliness.
In an entanglement with the world.
In alcohol and drugs.
In anger.
In bitterness.
Away from the peace and assurance of God.

I am in wilderness of guilt, I am in the cave of despair, I am in a ship to Tarshish, I am trying to get warm by a distant fire.

Wherever you are, the voice of God calls after you. It is a pleading voice, reasoning with you to restore you to a right relationship with God.

Finally, let’s answer the question with a question. If God asks “Where art thou,” let’s ask him “Why? Why do you want to know where I am?”
God wants to know where you are so he can come to you. He has come to seek and save that which is lost.  When he finds you, he wants to take you where he is. “If I come, I will receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also.”

Tell him where you are.
You’ll be glad you did.

Alternate endings - What’s Hot - alternate endings are favorite of DVD fans.

If you didn’t like the ending of a movie you just saw, just wait a few months to find the closure you’re looking for on DVD. Alternate endings have become a favorite of DVD fans, and the studios are making them a standard part of bonus footage.

As of 2002, companies like Paramount Home Entertainment are altering the original ending of films that were dumped after a poor screening. “When they tested the film with the ending that was originally in the script, the audience just hated it, so they shot a new one,” said Paramount spokesman Martin Blythe.

“So the DVD will include the ending that films were supposed to have.” Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment pushed the envelope in March when it released a thriller on DVD with four alternate endings. Not satisfied to tack on a new closing scene to wrap things up, Fox included a new ending that’s 29 minutes long.

Alternate endings usually are reserved for thrillers with surprise twists, but now they’re showing up in just about every genre. A recent poll conducted by Blockbuster Entertainment showed even classic films could use a new closing scene. When asked which film they’d like to see with a new ending, 59% of respondents chose “Casablanca.” COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group

Alternate or alternative endings have fascinated people for centuries.

What if…the hero would have died? Or, lived?
What if the guy and the girl at the end of the story had gotten married? Or, not?
Or married the other person?

Endless scenarios have been spun to speculate on the outcome if one or two events had been changed. Any change in the plot would affect the entire outcome of the story.

• In the “Tale of Two Cities,” what if Sydney Carton would have escaped his executioner at the end of the story and married Lucie Manette?
• In “Gone with the Wind,” what if Scarlett O’Hara would have married Rhett Butler?
• What if Sam-I-Am would have eaten green eggs and ham the very first time he was asked? Either there wouldn’t have been much of a story or else he might have gotten sick and died over eating green eggs!

But all these are fictional characters. All of us wish for alternate endings for real life characters.

People from my generation remember a star baseball player named Denny McClain. McClain was the last major league pitcher to win over thirty games. He went 31-5 for the Detroit Tigers in 1968, the year that the Tigers won the American League pennant and the World Series. He was twenty-four years old.

Sometime during his wildly successful career, he started gambling and got mixed up with the world of crime. His pro career spun out of control. At twenty-eight, he pitched his last professional game. In the years since then, he has been in and out of prison, and ended up losing almost everything he had.

Anybody remember an Ohio State football star named Maurice Clarett?

“Clarett starred at Ohio State for one season, rushing for 1,237 yards (a school record for a freshman) and scoring 18 touchdowns, which helped the Buckeyes to a 14-0 record and the 2002 BCS National Championship. He scored the winning touchdown against the University of Miami with a five-yard run in the second overtime in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl (played January 3, 2003). Clarett was the first freshman to be the leading rusher on a national championship team since Herschel Walker of the University of Georgia in 1980.”

Today, this same Maurice Clarett who sat atop the world of college and professional football, and could be an NFL sensation in the current season, is incarcerated for a host of minor offenses like concealed carrying, resisting arrest and so on. Rumor has it that he is serving his time at CCNO.

In the Bible, we can engage in similar guesswork about people and happenings.

• What if Abraham had actually slain Isaac on the altar?
• What if Esau had not sold his birthrite?
• What if Isaac had refused to be fooled by Jacob’s deceit?
• What if Joseph’s brothers had not sold him into slavery?
• What if Samson had not told Delilah the secret of his strength?
• What if Goliath would have killed David?
• What if…? What if? It intrigues us all, even though it seems to be a pointless exercise.

In fact, the Bible itself engages in some alternate endings.

Queen Esther: During the time when Israel was held in captivity by the Medo-Persian empire, a man named Haman plotted to massacre all the Jews. Mordecai, a servant to the king, heard about Haman’s plans. He went to his niece, Esther, the Queen, to put a stop to it. Esther was a Jewish woman, but she had hidden her race from the king.

Mordecai told Esther what she had to do. She had to go in before the king, without an official invitation, and plead the cause of her people. But her bold move might very well end in her death. She had to make a life or death decision.

Esther had an opportunity to take a completely different route than the one she chose. She could have refused to intervene on the part of the Jews and saved her life.

Esther 4:13-14 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. 14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this.

The fact is that if Esther had not stepped forward to go to the king, God would have found another way to deliver Israel.

We might speculate on who God would use or how he would bring it about, but the bedrock truth is that God would have delivered Israel by some means, regardless of the strategy.

Solomon wrote, “To everything there is a season; and a time to every purpose under heaven. Therefore withhold not good from them to whom it is due when it is in the power of thy hand to do it.”

“There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows, and in miseries.

SHAKESPEARE (from Adam Clarke’s Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

There are some things that we cannot speculate upon.

We cannot speculate on the vast redemption story of the Lamb which taketh away the sins of the world. The force of Bible prophecy held Jesus in its foreordained grip to bring about the only plan of salvation possible for mankind.

We cannot say, What if Jesus had refused to drink the cup?
We cannot say, What if Pilate would have refused to turn Jesus over to the Jews?
We cannot say, What if Judas had not sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver?
We cannot say, What if Jesus had died before he went to the cross?

All of these details of the passion and crucifixion of Jesus Christ were set in Bible prophecy before there was ever a Mary or Joseph or a Bethlehem or a star.

The moment Adam and Eve sinned against God, the power of the Logos came into force.
Understand that the heart of God was utterly devoid of mercy for the fallen angels.

2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

But God loved man. There was always a plan for man’s redemption. Nothing stopped it. Nothing can stop it. Nothing will stop it.

Paul considers an alternate ending when writing about the resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:13 “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

But Paul assures the Corinthians that there is no alternate ending.

1 Corinthians 15:20-23 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

There is no alternate ending to the existence and the ultimate triumph of the church.

God will have a church.

Matthew 16:18 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Eph 5:25-27 Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

The church is foreordained to succeed. The clincher is found in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 5:9-12 “ And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”

There are alternate endings, however, that you and I need to consider in our lives.

Why? Because each of us needs to know that the decisions an individual makes concerning his or her soul and relationship to God are not set in stone.

The church may be predestined to succeed, but you are not. Your salvation, and mine, are predicated upon our relationship to the church!

The rich, young ruler.

Matthew 19:16-22 “And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” KJV

This rich, young ruler could have had an alternate ending.
Let’s freeze frame the moment when this young man heard the saying of Jesus.
We could remove that ending and leave it on the cutting room floor.
Let’s have him say something entirely different. Something like…

“Rabbi, you are right. I have become obsessed with my riches and vast holdings. My possessions possess me instead of the other way around. I don’t want to be a prisoner to things any longer. I want to be set free.”

But, he walked away sorrowful. He walked away from peace, joy and fulfillment. He walked away from an eternity with God.

The man given one talent. He could have had an alternate ending.

The man called Judas. He could have had an alternate ending.

Acts 1:16-20 “ Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. 17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. 18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. 20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.”

There are those of you here today who were looking at a very different ending than the one you wanted.

Jack Leazier. The doctors had his story all written out.  He was going to die.  But God rewrote the ending.
Clarence Condon. The doctors were in disarray and had written a depressing ending.  But God said, “I don’t like the way your story ends. I’ve got a better idea!”
Tom Whitmore. Headed for a tragic ending of drug addiction, crime, prison, death. But God said, “I’m tearing up that ending and writing one that will bring glory to me!”

What about you?

How is your story line progressing?
Do you think it is set in stone? Does the ending seem inevitable?
You don’t have to end up in jail, the divorce courts, a wilderness of rejection and fear. You don’t have to die lonely, racked with emotional pain and shattered dreams.
God has an alternate ending written for every person, according to his will.

1 Cor 6:9-12

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

But God will do nothing against your will. You are not a fictional character that he can cross out and forget about. You have to be a willing participant in the story change.

Acts 2:38

Repentance: “I don’t like the way my story is going to end. I want to change.”
Baptism: “I need to have my past re-written to take away all my sins.”
Holy Ghost: “I need God’s power in my life to keep me going the right way.”

Have you ever driven away from the drive-thru window and reached into your sack of fast food and found out that they gave you the wrong sandwich? Or left out the fries? Or gave you a regular coke instead of a diet? (Ross and the Baconator.)

Have you ever found out that the city or township adjusted your neighbor’s taxes down when at the same time yours went up two hundred dollars a half?

Have you ever wondered how someone who ate all the right things…no transfats, no fried food, no red meat…exercised right, got plenty of sleep, etc., and still was diagnosed with a malignancy or had a heart attack?  Especially, when you know people…Jeff Arnold would call them slobs…who ate all the wrong foods, hardly moved off their lazyboy, and had no clue about keeping their bodies healthy… and yet never had a serious illness and lived to a ripe old age?

It seems to be the unfairness of it all. That’s what makes us so frustrated. Why do some people get away with everything, and others…meaning you…can’t make a single move without getting zapped?

David had the same problem, as he relates in Psalm 73:1-14:

Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. 2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. 3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. 5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. 6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. 7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. 8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. 9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. 10 Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. 11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? 12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. 13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. 14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

None of this makes any sense to the human mind.

The thing that makes this even harder to understand is that the Word of God has so much to say about God’s justice system.

Galatians 6:7-9 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Romans 2:2-6 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. 3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

And, despite all these harsh words and dire warnings against doing evil, here we find Jesus saying that the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike.
If that is true, why do we bother being righteous?
If nothing happens to people who sin, why do we take such a hard position against it?

Why does it rain on the unjust?

First, we need to understand that God is not rewarding the unjust with his rain, nor is he trying to frustrate the just by raining on the unjust.

The fact is that God is replenishing his earth with water. When he put the ecosystem into motion, he designed evaporation, condensation, wind currents and the entire weather pattern so that the earth would be fertile and life-sustaining.

When the rain falls on an unjust man’s field, it has nothing to do with the man. He just happens to be there. God sends his rain without regard to anything else or anyone else.

But, this passage of scripture is about more than just rain. It is a testimony to God’s impartiality. If God based his decisions on man’s ideas, there would never be any mercy, there would never be any grace, there would never be any offer of repentance.

God does not strike people dead if they make one wrong move. He has the power to do so…as in the case of Ananias and Saphira…but God allows people to live out their lives and make their choices.

Herein lies the answer. Man will not be able to say to God:

• Look what you did to me.
• You didn’t give me a chance.
• I would have served you if you would have treated me differently.
• If you would have blessed me, I would not have cursed you.
• If you would have healed me, I would have loved you.
• If you would have worked out my problems, I would have served you.
• It’s all your fault, God.

Whatever circumstance you blame for not serving God, judgment day will hold a surprise for you.

• God has someone who went through the exact same problem… the same circumstances, the same disease, the same injury, the same abuse, the same pay scale, the same temptations, the same everything…And yet they served God!
• God has a Daniel who was thrown into a lion’s den.
• God has a Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego who were cast into a fiery furnace.
• God has a Job who lost his houses and lands, his children, his cattle, his wealth, was afflicted with boils from head to toe…and yet refused to curse his God.

What you do in life will never be God’s fault. He rains on the just and the unjust. His sun shines on the evil and on the good. Even the evil person can look out on a beautiful sunset, or drink in the beauty of a Grand Canyon, or enjoy the taste of a watermelon, or breathe in a full breath of God’s air.

You can choose! You can choose to do the right thing. You have the power of choice in your own hand.

Joshua 24:15  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

How does the rain fall?

That will never be the question.
Your response to the rain…That’s God’s purpose.
My concern will never be who is getting blessed and who isn’t.
Who is ahead and who is behind?
Who is enjoying life and who is miserable?
I am not God’s scorekeeper. He keeps his own score.
I am not the clearing house for all of God’s blessings and curses.

Sometime, the rain that falls into our lives represents a huge, undeserved blessing.

Solomon had the world handed to him on the proverbial silver platter. His wealth was so great that people came from far and wide just to see if it was true. The Queen of Sheba was one of these persons.

And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built, 5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. 6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. 7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. 8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. 9 Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. 10 And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.1 Kings 10:4-10.

You would think that rainfall of blessing into Solomon’s life would have sealed his relationship with God forever, but, surprise…it was not the case.

Solomon left a legacy of apostasy, indulgence and wastefulness. He married many wives and allowed them to practice their idolatry in the very land God had given to Israel for their inheritance. The kingdom he left fell apart in the very next generation.

Sometimes, however, the rain that falls into our lives is an unwanted downpour.

I look at Doug and Kathy Schnee. They just had a difficult day a couple of weeks ago because on September 7, 2004, I preached Billy Schnee’s funeral here in this sanctuary. I talked about Billy’s life. Here are a few excerpts:

We could continue to talk about Billy. He had such wide and varied interests. I think his dad captured the essence of Billy’s life and personality in his letter. But, we cannot satisfy our quest here this afternoon in this service unless we step back and reflect on the purposes, the whys and wherefores of Billy Schnee. This has been a source of untold agony for Kathy and Doug over the years. How could this be? How could this seeming contradiction of God’s love and perfection even exist? It this divine punishment or disfavor? Is it an attack of Satan himself? Do we attribute it to a woeful lack of faith on our part? Is it just meant to be? Sometimes the questions were obscured behind the day-to-day realities of caring for Billy. At other times they bore down with hurricane strength.

This thought began to form in my mind as I stood beside Billy’s hospital bed in January when we knew that the end was near. I decided to preach his funeral sermon to him then, although I didn’t tell him what I was doing. I told him that he must not think that his life was wasted or in vain. He had a powerful, positive effect on everyone who knew him because he brought out the best in them. God used him to develop grace, love and compassion in his family and friends. The greatest tragedy of this entire episode would be for us to fail to recognize God’s hand in creating divine attributes in creatures clay. As surely as Moses picked up a rod and caused the sea to roll back, as surely as David picked up a sling and felled the giant, so also God picked up Billy Schnee and brought forth marvelous graces and heroic deeds from ordinary human beings like us.

• Billy taught us patience through the laborious task of caring for him.
• Billy taught us peace through his calm reaction to daily challenges.
• Billy taught us thankfulness because he showed such gratitude for his care.
• Billy taught us happiness through his refusal to complain.
• Billy taught us appreciation for so much because he had such appreciation for his limited opportunities.

We cannot measure Billy’s life by what he did, but by what he caused others to do.

You see, in a larger context, Billy’s life was a sermon. He illustrated the very heart of God at the dawn of creation when our human parents fell into sin. Instead of destroying their souls in an act of divine retribution, he devised a means to redeem lost mankind back to a state where they could have a relationship with him. That means took form on a cruel instrument of execution. Calvary was not born out of the murderous hearts of Christ’s tormentors, but out of the flaming sword that prohibited the entrance into Eden by sinners. We are not saved by a stunning display of God’s power, but by his incredible willingness to show us his weakness.

It’s not the rain. It’s how you respond to the rain.

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus said,

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

How does the rain fall in your life?
God’s rain in your life does not mean approval of wrong or punishment of right.
It’s only evidence of his mercy and grace.
His mercy and grace are exactly what you need today.
It is time to let go of the questions that frustrate you and embrace the God who loves you.
Life may not be fair, but God is good!

15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. 17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly,

The words of a writer: “Somehow it just slipped away from me. The weird thing is that even in my busiest time at work, I still found time to update the site. Now, when things finally were settling down… it just wasn’t happening.

And then it got to a point where I almost felt “Why bother”… it’s already so far gone.. would it even make any difference if I didn’t update the page? Couldn’t I just wait until next month?

One word springs to mind: Procrastination .”

All of us have been to this place.

• We know what we should have done, but we didn’t do it.
• We know we should have gotten the oil changed and the car maintained…
• We know we should have stopped for gas…
• We know we should have bought that snow shovel…
• We know we should have studied for that exam…
• We know we should have checked on the kids…
• We know we should have saved up some money for the taxes…

I remember hearing a fable of three little devils trying to impress Satan. The first tells him that he’ll tempt mankind to commit all sorts of sexual sins… The second that he’ll tempt mankind into all sorts of different abuse. But the third one is the shrewdest. “I’ll tell them to do all the good works they can… but I’ll tell them to do it tommorow …”

Let’s look at Jonah’s predicament.

He ran from the call of God straight into a crisis.

• First, how can anyone run from the Omnipresent God?
• Ships to Tarshish sail every day. Jonah 1:3
• If the call of God is on your life, you will never be happy doing anything else.

He attempted to practice religion without making a commitment.

Jonah 1:6-10 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. 7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. 8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? 9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. 10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

Regardless of what else you do that’s right, you will never be right unless and until you do the one thing that you know is right!

His despair became the stage for God’s miraculous power.

Look at the facts of the situation:

• He had denied the call of God.
• He had run from God.
• He had been discovered by God.
• He had been thrown overboard.
• He had been swallowed by a fish.

From all appearances, it looks pretty hopeless.
Choking on seaweed, terrorized by a great fish, in the depths of the sea…you would think that prayin’ time was over for Jonah.
Gone too far? Done too much? Said “no” too often? Made God too angry?
Jonah decided that it was never too late to pray.
As a pastor, if I looked only at the outward facts of the situations I face, I would fold my Bible and go to Bob Evans this morning.

• Bankruptcy appears certain, or already been declared.
• Drug addiction and alcoholism has already run its course.
• The judge’s sentence has already been pronounced.
• The divorce seems inevitable.
• The disease has been declared terminal.
• The job is lost.
• The grades have already been handed out.
• Yet, it was at this late moment that Jonah began to pray.

The cure for hopelessness does not lie in the circumstances that surround you, but in you surrounding the circumstances with hope.
The cure for hopelessness does not come from the problem but from the promise.
Hope stands ever ready for you to grasp its handles

The circumstances said it was too late for Abraham and Sarah to have children.

Rom 4:16-21

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all… 18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

The circumstances said it was too late for Lazarus to be restored.

John 11:37-44

37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? 38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. 39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. 40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

When we procrastinate with spiritual things, we often give into the lie that it’s “too late” when we do eventually want to do right.

No matter how great the distance between God and you seems, it’s just an “I want back in” away from God.

The instance of Bob Shehan in Mishawaka, Indiana.

It’s NEVER too late to do the right thing.

Jesus Christ, in the days when he walked on this earth, was a healer, a deliverer, a miracle worker.

No other reason accounts for his phenomenal success among a people who had resisted prophets, survived revolutions and kept their identity and existence despite being wiped out and carried away by conquerors and Caesars. 

There was something about Jesus that they could not defeat.

• It wasn’t just his teaching.
• It wasn’t just his charisma.
• It wasn’t just his leadership skills.
• It wasn’t just his royal lineage.
• They had no answer for his ability to heal.
• He was no ordinary doctor who healed through medicine and surgical procedures.

He, himself, was the cure. It was his authority over sickness, disease and death that caused the multitudes to flock to him. It was his power to change lives.

35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho , a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, 41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. 42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. Luke 18:35-43

2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:2-3 

32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. 33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel . Matthew 9:32-33

But there are some who tell us that all of this ceased with the early church.
They say that God doesn’t do these things anymore.
They say we ought to get over it, get our feet on the ground, and quit making Jesus into a superhero.
They say these things with so much force that they have cast doubt on whether or not Jesus ever was a miracle worker.
Their God has diminished to the point that their entire Christianity has suffered.

Here’s what I am going to believe:

• Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. Matthew 9:29.
• “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Ephesians 3:20
• Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8
• People are healed today.
• (Sis. Trz., Bro. Condon, etc.)

Who did this, if not God?

Questions…Does God always heal every time? Every case? Whatever God does is his prerogative. Our duty is to…

• Believe
• Pray
• Expect
• Accept

But we are not living in the world of the first century.

The year is 1902 , one hundred years ago … what a difference a century makes. Here are the U.S. statistics for 1902….

• The average life expectancy in the US was forty-seven (47).
• Only 14 Percent of the homes in the US had a bathtub. Only 8 percent had a telephone.
• A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars, at a time when many were lucky to make a dollar per day in wages.
• There were only 8,000 cars in the US and only 144 miles of paved roads.
• The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower .
• The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour. The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
• More than 95 percent of all births in the US took place at home.
• Ninety percent of all US physicians had no college education.
• Sugar cost four cents a pound, eggs fourteen cents a dozen, and coffee fifteen cents a pound.
• Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
• Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.
• The five leading causes of death in the US were:
• 
  
• 1. Pneumonia and influenza
• 2. Tuberculosis
• 3. Diarrhea
• 4. Heart disease
• 5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona , Oklahoma , New Mexico , Hawaii and Alaska hadn’t been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas , Nevada was 30.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn’t been invented.
There were no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
One in ten US adults couldn’t read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and the bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.”
Eighteen percent of households in the US had at least one full-time servant or domestic.
There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire US.

Obviously, we live in a different day.

We aren’t troubled by the same kinds of diseases and afflictions as the people of two thousand years ago.

• Congenital blindness.
• Leprosy.
• Deformities.
• Smallpox.

We face radically different kinds of problems two millenniums removed from the days of Christ.

Many of you here tonight have suffered, at one time or another, from post-modern stress.

We are called the Prozac generation. Blaring anti-theft sirens, clogged traffic, two-career marriages, HMO flip-flops and crisscrosses, fractured families, temporary jobs and racing to beat other supermarket shoppers to the scanners that are guaranteed to foul up on the last item of the person in front of you all contribute heavily to our present turmoil.

We have suspected that the toll all this high-speed, high tech, maximum efficiency lifestyles we run exacted from us a commensurate payback. Medical science now confirms our fears.

“Humans are usually subject to stresses of their own making, the chronic, primarily psychological, pressures of modern life. Yet they also suffer consequences when the body’s biological mechanisms for handling stress go awry.” So says the New York Times in an article entitled “The Heavy Cost of Chronic Stress.” (Erica Goode, 12-7-02 )

“Prolonged or severe stress has been shown to weaken the immune system, strain the heart, damage memory cells in the brain and deposit fat at the waist (a risk factor for heart disease, cancer and other illnesses), said Dr. Bruce S. McEwen, director of the neuroendocrinology laboratory at the Rockefeller University and the author of a new book, “The End of Stress as We Know It.” Stress has been implicated in aging, depression, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes, among other illnesses.

“Researchers have known for many decades that physical stress takes a toll on the body. But only relatively recently have the profound effects of psychological stress on health been widely acknowledged. Two decades ago, many basic scientists scoffed at the notion that mental state could affect illness. The link between mind and body was considered murky territory, best left to psychiatrists. But in the last decade, researchers have convincingly demonstrated that psychological stress can increase vulnerability to disease and have begun to understand how that might occur.”

What causes all this stess?

To the adults:

• Keeping up with the expectations of parents, spouses and neighbors.
• Overextending on indebtedness.
• Juggling the hectic schedules between job, family and responsibilities.
• Resisting the temptations of invasive advertising, irresponsible friends and pleasure.

To our children:

• Understanding what happened in divorced homes.
• Trying to please both mommy and daddy, the other mommy and daddy at the same time.
• Not knowing why they can’t spend more time with the people they love.

To our youth:

• Trying to measure up to the blue-eyed, blond-haired rock star beauties.
• Fighting off the peer pressure to do the drugs, lose the virginity, and rebel against authority.

To all of us:

• Living in a nation on the brink of war.
• Finding safety in a terrorist infiltrated world.
• Stock market crashes, failed marriages, losing your job and no skills to get another one.
• Stress

What could Jesus possibly have to say to us about modern stress?

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

What kind of peace did Jesus have?

• Peace that insulated him from the attacks of his enemies.
• Peace that was not threatened by the betrayal of his friends.
• Peace that lifted him above the pain and suffering of the present.
• Peace that could not be taken by the plots and schemes to take his life.

We know that his peace came from God because Jesus was God manifest in the flesh.
But what made Jesus so confident in his peace?
Because he knew that ultimately he would triumph over everything that was against him.
He knew that there would be a Calvary of crucifixion and a tomb of burial.
But he also knew that there would be a morning of resurrection.
He knew he would leave behind a folded napkin, an stone removed and an empty tomb.

39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:39-40

And, beyond the tomb, beyond Jerusalem, Jesus knew that there would be something far greater than the small assembly gathered on Bethany.
He looked ahead to the Day of Pentecost and saw believers filled with the same spirit that resurrected him from the grave.

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4

There is something highly significant about this Holy Ghost baptism that relates to peace. Immediately before Jesus said, “My peace I give unto you,” he prophesied about the coming of the Holy Spirit.

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26

21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: John 20:21-22

The old cure is not just for old problems.
The old cure is for new problems as well.
In fact, the old cure is not an old cure at all.
The old cure is the newest, latest and best possible answer you could get today!
It is the power of the Holy Ghost, the experience that the Pentecostals keep telling you about!
The power of the Holy Ghost, coming into your life, will do more for your peace and tranquility than all the tranquilizers in the world.

My sister, Jenny Teets lives on Long Island and wrote me this email the day after 9/11.

Dear Friends & Family:

I am sorry I haven’t been able to call out, and our DSL line isn’t working this morning. I am on a dial-up server that I have in case of emergencies. Our phones do not work in Brooklyn , or parts of Queens yet…or spasmodically at best.

I was on the phone most of the day yesterday…calls from people that have been worrying about us. I am fine…. I was in school, and it must have happened about 5 minutes before our class started. Some girl came in late, and was still listening to her radio with ear phones. She just broke out, and said, “teacher, I am sorry, but I think everyone in our class should know what has happened. From then on it was tears, everyone trying to call on cell phones, etc. We just all went home, even though we didn’t even receive official word that school was out. Our teacher even had a son working down there. She couldn’t get in on the phone, as the cell phones were all down. They were all hooked up to the world trade center attenna.

Scotty was on the way to a board meeting in Manhattan , and the train just stopped, and the authorities made them return home. Julie and David were going to move into the city yesterday, as they have been given an apartment with his new job, and have a big U-Haul parked in the driveway. They cannot move in yet, and I am not sure when they will be able to since all roads into the city are closed. Our airports are closed, and many stores out here closed too. There is absolutely no traffic allowed into the city right now.

We have people as live witnesses that are reporting their close calls to us. It has been nothing short of miraculous, how God has protected so many of them.

We are thankful that one man in our church that worked at the trade center, was late for work due to his train being late!…. and this man in particular is almost always early to work, but yesterday he was late to work. The plane hit his building in the very office that he worked in. He came off the subway in time to see the fire, and was so grateful to God he wasn’t in the building. Monday was his last day at work there forever…now.. He also had survived the 1993 bombing attack, so he is definitely out of a job this time.

Another licensed preacher, Desmonde Hamilton, that works there, didn’t go to work yesterday either! He put an message on his answering machine, saying that he didn’t go to work yesterday, Praise God!!!.

Another licensed preacher, Robert Linder, that worked in the Marriott next door to the trade