Kezazah, The Story Of A Dysfunctional Family's Grace

KEZAZAH, THE STORY OF A DYSFUNTIONAL FAMILY'S GRACE

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

I. SEEMS WE FALL INTO A MINDSET THAT WE ARE FOREVER DOOMED

AND TRAPPED RIGHT WHERE WE ARE...

A. I was listening to an old Preacher. He had been sick for some time and he had left the ministry,

he was tired and his dreams were dashed. He had been crushed and hurt. He felt like his leaders had

never seen the sacrifices he and his family had made through the many years he had served..

He had been successful, but now as he entered the end of his journey he felt the doom of stress.

B. In his hurt his mouth quoated the Bible verse:

Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do

good, that are accustomed to do evil.

He said: A LEOPARD CANNOT CHANGE, HE IS FOREVER TRAPPED.

C.I have been studying change... Is real change possible? Are we forever stuck?...

D. Do we understand the power of words? There may be a direct correlation between our words and the

lack of real change?

Words REVEAL and create moods and attitudes.

Words define our mind sets and behavior patterns.

Words dominate.

E. In our daily walk we are under the power of words, we cannot change that...

But we can change the words we think and speak... BY CHANGING OUR WORDS WE CAN

MAKE CHANGE POSSIBLE.

Do I understand that change comes by the power of words?

Probably not... Can words trap us to not change?

II. GOD CAN CHANGE THE VERY NATURE OF LEOPARDS---

A. I pondered his heart and his words for a long time... I accidentally stumbled on another verse,

that speaks of a CHANGED LEOPARD...

Isaiah 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and

the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat

straw like the ox. 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child

shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for

the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 10 And in that day

there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek:

and his rest shall be glorious.

B. Been pondering and praying this morning. I pondered about skunks? Seems we all know skunks are

skunks? We probably also know a skunk will raise a stink when they get a chance? Why am I surprised

when a skunk raises a stink? A stink is what skunks are known to do? I ponder why would a person turn

on a revolving fan when skunks are around skunks? Discuss what we may, but a skunk is a skunk and

skunks will raise a stink?

C. We had a friend that had a very dear, PET SKUNK. He had the "STINK SACK" removed and the skunk

was a special friend to the family for many years. I GUESS YOU CAN IF YOU WANT TOO ...

III. HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED THE BEHAVIOR OF THE FATHER?

WHY IS THE FATHER NOT AT HOME SITTING ON HIS FRONT PORCH

WAITING FOR HIS SON'S RETURN?

WHY DID THE OLD MAN RUN OUT TO GREET HIS SON?

Luke 15:11 (NLT) 11. To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons.

12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father

agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. 13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his

belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.

14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.

15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs.

16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him.

But no one gave him anything. 17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home

even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!

18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you,