HEAVY? PUSHED? SHOVED? DRIVEN TO OUR KNEES...
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Introduction: Expect the seasons of testing, TRUST THE PROMISES, thrive in the
season... knowing this too shall pass...
Text:
Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers,
they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
I. HEAVY? SURE, WE KNOW HEAVY...
EVER HAD A TOUGH DAY? TRIALS PRESS?
A. THE PREACHER IS SO VERY TIRED...
He is discouraged. The King and Queen are refusing the message...
If the leaders do not like the message they will hate the messenger...
Life will be heavy...
1 Kings 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and
more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth
to Judah, and left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper
tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take
away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
B. GOD KNOWS SEVERAL THINGS TO BREAK THE HEAVINESS...
II. CONSIDER THE ISSUES:
A. Come apart or come apart... Leave the crowds
B. Rest, sleep... tiredness makes cowards out of heros...
C. Come into the presence of God...
D. Proper diet, eat ....
E. ARISE, GET UP...
F. We all have tough days? Tough seasons? Trials --- test, storms...
Some weeks are good, some are worse...
G. A CONSTRUCTION MAN FILLED OUT HIS ACCIDENT REPORT:
A terrible storm had passed through during the night, it was a hurricane. The extreme winds
had knocked some bricks off the top of the building. So I climbed up the building and rigged up
some beams with a pulley and I filled up some barrels full of bricks to hoist up to repair the
storm damage, when I finished there were several bricks left, so I loaded them into the barrels.
Then I climbed down to the bottom and wrapped the rope around my hands and began to release
the barrel of bricks. I forgot that the barrel of bricks was much heavier than I am. Before I knew what
was happening the heaviness of the barrel of bricks started coming down and the next thing
I knew was I was jerked off the ground.
H. I decided to hang on since I was so high in the air, I was to high to jump and my hands were wrapped
in the rope.Half way up I met the barrel of bricks coming down real fast. The barrel of bricks
hit my shoulder and hurt me real bad. I continued flying up until my head hit the steel
beams and banged my head. My fingers were pulled into the pulley and several of my fingers
were cut and broken. When the barrel hit the ground so hard the bottom came out and dumped
all the bricks...
I. Now, I was much heavier than the empty barrel, so at a high rate of speed I was headed
toward the ground. About half way down I met the empty barrel and I received severe injuries to my
legs and shins. Then when I hit the ground I landed on the pile of bricks that fell out
of the barrel, this left deep cuts and bruise all over me.
J. At this point my hands came loose from the rope, and I lost consciousness for a few
seconds. The next thing I knew was I heard something falling so fast. I looked up and the empty
metal barrel hit me in the head and further injured me and gave me a brain conclusion.
The next thing I knew I was being loaded into an ambulance, and now I am in the
hospital.
K. I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST SOME SICK LEAVE UNTIL I AM ABLE TO WALK AND
USE MY ARMS AGAIN.
III. SEEMS THE WHOLE WORLD WAS HEAVY, BUT THERE WAS A VALLEY
WHERE GOD WAS...
A. The old preacher has a vision... the visions are about the condition of Israel and the
condition of the church...
The church is likened unto a MYRTLE TREE... FLOURISHING IN A VALLEY...
B. Few people seem to see the MYRTLE TREE down in the valley...
C. Jesus is the head of the church, CARNAL EYES CAN NEVER SEE, there is a
NEW DAY APPROACHING THE CHURCH...
Zechariah 1:8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among
the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white.
D. THIS VISION OF ZECHARIAH PICTURES CALMNESS, PEACE AND STILLNESS
AS THE STORMS SWEEP OVER THE MOUNTAINS... There is a peace in the valley...
E. The myrtle tree in the secret place is flourishing in the valley, by the still waters...
F. In the midst of the storms, oppression, persecution there is a SWEET PEACE...
Trusting that God is keeping good records...
G. God can keep the minds and hearts of HIS PEOPLE.
During very dark days and dark hopeless seasons God bless His trees with GROWTH...
THE TEXT SUGGEST THAT VICTORY IS AHEAD...
H. History records that VICTORORS WERE CROWNED WITH:
MYTYLE AND LAUREL...
I. ARISE, BELOVED CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST AND REST FOREVER IN HIS ARMS...
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
III. HOPE AND FAITH ARE MUCH LIKE STARS...
WHEN EVERY THING IS BRIGHT, YOU CAN'T SEE THE STARTS...
THE STAR IS BRIGHTER THE DARKER THE NIGHT...
Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light
unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven.
A. Have you ever seen the light of a lightning bug in the day?
No, you have to wait until the darkness settles, and the light seems to be gone...
B. FOR YOU SEE THE DARKER THE NIGHT,
THE GREATER THE LIGHT...
IV. THERE ARE SEASONS IN LIFE WHEN EVERYTHING TENDS TO PROVOKE US SORE...
WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE ARE FRUSTRATED, DISAPPOINTED AND CRUSHED?
A. Do we understand what ADVERSITY means? DIFFICULT CONDITIONS, bad luck, unhappy situations,
SUFFERING, AFFLICTION, disastrous experience, CONTINUED ADVERSITY, distressing...
B. Hannah would have never know WHAT GOD CAN DO IF SHE HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN
TO HER KNEES...
C. HANNAH KNEW SOMETHING: GO TO CHURCH AND PRAY...
1 Samuel 1:6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD
had shut up her womb.
7 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her;
therefore she wept, and did not eat.
D. BAD? REAL BAD? What ever drives us to our knees and closer to God in the long run is not bad...
A YEAR LATER HANNAH COMES WITH A BABY BOY NAMED SAMUEL...
SAMUEL ANOINTS THE FIRST 2 KINGS OF ISRAEL...
OUT OF THE HEAVINESS COMES A MIRACLE...
1 Samuel 1:26 And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood
by thee here, praying unto the LORD.
27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:
28 Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And
he worshipped the LORD there.
V. GOD HAS A PLAN... WE FORGET WHAT WE KNOW?
THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THE WORSE POSSIBLE SITUATION MAY BRING THE WILL
OF GOD? THIS MAY BE THE BEST THING, THIS MAY ANSWER MY PRAYERS...
1 Corinthians 7:26 I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that
it is good for a man so to be.
2 Corinthians 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2 Corinthians 6:4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience,
in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses
A. HEAVY? HOT? GOD HAS A DESIGN...
B. HAVE YOU EVER READ THE TREES THAT GROW IN THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL
PARK?
There is a tree called the LODGE-POLE PINE...
The pine cones hang high above the forest floor. They hang there for many years.
When the pine cones finally fall they remain tightly closed and do not open.
IT TAKES INTENSE HEAT TO OPEN THESE PINE CONES...
C. GOD HAS DESIGNED THE LODGE-POLE PINE TREE TO ARISE OUT OF
ADVERSITY... This part of the Yellowstone Park is subject to forest fires from time
to time... The fires sweep through and kill the lodge-pines...all the trees are destroyed...
WHILE THE FIRE SEEMS TO DESTROY, THE FIRE OPENS THE CONES OF
THE LODGE-PINES, AND THE LODGE-PINE IS ONE OF THE FIRST SIGNS
OF NEW LIFE IN THE AREA THAT HAS BEEN DESTROYED...
HEAVY?
Romans 8:28 (KJV) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 (MSG) That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is
worked into something good.
VI. CAN I REALLY TRUST THE LORD?
DO I REALLY TRUST THE LORD?
A. 3 QUESTIONS OF CREDIBILITY FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN...
1. CAN GOD DO THIS?
2. CAN GOD DO THIS FOR ME?
3. WHEN WILL GOD DO THIS FOR ME?
Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength,
in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Psalm 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all
those that trust in him.
Psalm 115:10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
11 Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
B. ONLY YOU CAN LIMIT GOD...
Matthew 9:29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
VIII. BE READY... HAVING DONE ALL... STAND... WAIT...
Ephesians 6:13 (KJV) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6:13 (MSG) Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own.
Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the
shouting you'll still be on your feet.
Ephesians 6:13 (NIV) Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Ephesians 6:13 (NLT) Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist
the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
Ephesian 6:13 (AMPLFIED) Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to
resist and stand your ground on the evil day (of danger) and having done all (the crisis demands)
to stand (firmly in your place.)
Conclusion: NOW FAITH, FAITH ARISE...
GOD HONORS HIS WORD TEAMED WITH FAITH ACTION...
ABOVE ANY ISSUE OF HEAVINESS, GOD MAY ATTACK YOUR COMFORT ZONE...
TRIALS LEARN TO SEE AND FOCUS BEYOND THE PROBLEMS...
TRIALS MAY BRING US TO OUR KNEES...
YET THE SAME TRIALS BY FAITH MAY BRING JESUS TO HIS FEET...
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
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