MESSAGES
In 1977 while working on the Rescue Squad for the Riverside Fire Department, we were dispatched during a heavy storm to a water rescue in an underground storm canal where 3 young boys had fallen in. During the course of the rescue, I was the one who ended up having to be rescued as I experienced a near drowning. When my rescuers pulled me from the water I was semi-unconscious, water-logged, and then transported to RCH.
The newspaper article the next day had a picture of me, limp, and being pulled up the side of the canal, as a fellow firefighter's hand had grabbed a hold of my arm.
I was unable to grab hold of his, not because I was too afraid, proud or stupid, but because I was too weak. I was not strong enough to give him my hand. But my rescuer was strong enough to reach down and take my arm in his hand. Had he not given me a hand, I would not be here to tell you this story. I am very thankful that he and my fellow firefighters were willing to give me a hand.
In the early 1980's while on a mutual aid structure fire, 2 firefighters were about to enter the upstairs apartment complex that was very well involved in fire. Feeling uneasy about this fire, and the fact they were about to step through the front door, I grabbed them by the collar with my hand and told them not to enter. There was actually a look of relief on their faces. It was a few minutes later that the large air conditioning unit on the roof fell through the ceiling and into the apartment they would have been in. Had I not given them a hand by keeping them from entering the structure, there's no telling what might have happened.
I'm certain that many of you have been in situations, had it not been for someone giving you a hand; or you giving someone else a hand, you or they might not be here. My point in these stories is this: we need to always be willing to help one another by giving one another a hand.
One thing that we can be certain of is that we will have trials and tribulations in life; we will have storms of adversity break upon us often times without warning, and without time to prepare for it. It's at these times in our life that we are in need of a helping hand from others. Perhaps lately things have been very nerve racking and difficult in your life. Perhaps you feel like a Job—as if you've lost everything; or like a Joseph—sold down the river by those closest to you; or like a Daniel—thrown innocently into the lions den by a bunch of jealous co-workers. Perhaps right now you could use a helping hand.
It's good to receive a helping hand from others, but it's also good to give a helping hand to others. We need to help one another; we must help one another; we are to give a hand to one another. At times you must give me a hand in order that I might make it through the day, while at other times I must give you a hand in order that you might make it through the day.
Perhaps you're thinking to yourself, "I've been through a lot lately and I just don't have any vitality or freshness left in me. I feel speechless and incapable of any action whatsoever. I feel spiritually dried up and withered. There just doesn't seem to be any joy of the Lord in my life. I know my attitude is wrong, and I want to have that excitement for serving the Lord once again.
If that's been your thinking of late, I want you to know that you can get that excitement back again, but it's going to take an active participation on your part. Here's what must you do? You must—Give God a hand.
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "How can I give God a hand? He certainly doesn't need my help." That's true! God doesn't need our help. But then, I never said that we're to "help God." I said that we're to—Give God a hand. In fact, if any of us are to survive in this life, or the next, then we must give God a hand. Not that we can help Him, but rather that we would receive help from Him. Otherwise, we will not experience the life that God desires for us, and wants to give us.
In Matthew's gospel we read the following story. "Now when He [Jesus] had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?", that they might accuse Him.
Then Jesus said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out (he gave God a hand), and it was restored as whole as the other (Matthew 12:9-13).
Just as this man had a physical disability, a withered hand, and was unable to move it because it was basically paralyzed, there are times when we feel as if we're paralyzed and can't move our lives. His disability wasn't necessarily a congenital disease, but rather the result of an accident of some kind. But no matter what caused it, the fact remains this man has a hand that is useless and withered.
In the same respect, there are many things in our life that can paralyze us and make us useless for the kingdom of God. For instance, fear and tragedy; the death of a loved one; marriage problems; family problems; difficulties at work; financial complications, and the list goes on. Perhaps lately you've been experiencing one, if not more, of these circumstances. Perhaps you're feeling paralyzed as a police officer, a firefighter, a spouse, a parent, or as a child of God.
Even as Christians, our circumstances, whatever they might be, can begin to overwhelm us to the point of feeling trapped. We begin wondering if there's—no way out! We might even begin thinking, "I've had it! Nothing I do seems to be working! This Christianity stuff just isn't what I thought it would be." If that describes you, I have some good news to give you. There is hope, there is a way out.
Notice where Jesus finds this disabled man. He finds him in the synagogue, the place of worship. Even though he was disabled, it didn't stop him from worshiping God. We don't see this man going around playing the "blame-shift" game; blaming others or God for his disability. Instead we see him in church worshipping the Lord in spite of his disability. What about us? When things are difficult in our lives where are we found? And what are we doing? Do we seek the Lord? Do we still worship God? Or do we attempt to stay away from the Lord? When we feel physically, emotionally, or spiritually disabled, do we stop worshipping God?
We should be worshipping, and not whining; we should be bowing, and not blaming. Our difficulties might be many, but no matter what kind they are they should never stop us from going to church, reading our Bible, or from praying. They should never stop us from worshipping God. Paul tells us we're to, "Set our mind on the things above, not on the things of the earth" (Colossians 3:2). We're not to dwell on our circumstances, but on the One who is able to get us beyond our circumstances.
Notice how Jesus deals with this man. He didn't hold a tent meeting. He didn't charge a fee. He didn't open His hand wide as if to claw the man's face and then shout, "Beeeee healed!" None of these things! He simply spoke. Why? Because the Word of God is powerful. If creation came into existence by His spoken word, then healing His creation is a cakewalk for Him.
Jesus looks at the man and gives him a command. Mark's gospel tells us Jesus said, "Step forward"; Luke's gospel tells us Jesus said, "Arise, and stand here." In other words, "Come out here and stand in front of all these people so they can see what I'm about to do." God doesn't want to hide His miracles from us, and yet many people refuse to believe His miracles because of their hardness of heart. Others refuse to believe because of lack of faith. Yet the Bible says that we're to, "live by faith not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). He simply says, "Stretch out your hand." Literally, "Extend your hand."
This man was helpless, and here's God commanding a helpless man to do something he couldn't do. There was no way this man could move his hand; there was nothing this man could do to heal himself, and that's exactly God's point. That's just the way God wants it. That's just the way God likes it. When man is totally helpless.
On the level of human observation we might think this command that Christ gave to this man is an impossible command, or at the very least an unreasonable one. I'm certain that was the response of many people in the synagogue that day, "Wait a minute! That's not fair what Jesus is asking him to do."
Perhaps that's been our response to God when He's told us to do something we think is impossible, or we feel He's just asking too much—God … You're not being fair.
When God says—Go help your fellow employee even if he isn't following department policy. We say—No way God! He got himself into his mess. Let him get himself out!
When God says—Go apologize to your brother for your poor attitude. We say—Not on Your life! He's the reason for my poor attitude!
When God says—Pray for that drunk driver who just killed that family of four. We say—Ok, God! I pray You'll kill him!
Often times when God asks something of us that seems unfair our thoughts are—No God! I won't do it! What You're asking is not fair! And then we begin to whine. If that had been the attitude of this man, his hand would have forever remained withered.
As one person put it, "He had a 'know better' faith." That's a faith that "knows better" than to disobey God's Word even when it doesn't make much sense to us. Christ simply says to him, "Stretch out your hand", and this man recognized the power that was in God's Word. That's what we need to do with our withered life. We need to remember that—Behind the Words of Jesus is always the person of Jesus. He won't ever ask us to do anything that He hasn't done Himself, and that He hasn't given us the strength and power to do.
It's been said, "God's commandments are God's enablements." In other words, Christ will often times bring us face-to-face with the impossible, and then lay upon us His command; a command that in our own strength we cannot obey. And so it causes us to rely upon Him and His strength, and not our own. He wants us to deny ourselves and rely totally upon Him.
The story goes of a young child who had his hand stuck in his parent's vase. Mom and dad tried everything they could think of to get his hand out, but finally came to the conclusion that the only solution was to break the vase. Just as they were about to break it, the child said, "Would it help if I let go of the penny I have in my hand?"
My point is this: we need to stop holding on to what we think will make us happy, we need to let it go, we need to deny our self and instead grab hold of what God has for us.
That's where the Christian experience begins, by denying ourselves. Christ wants us to face our disabilities through Him, not in ourselves. He wants us to look to Him, not to ourselves. Every time we look to ourselves the commands of Jesus will always seem impossible and unreasonable. But the moment we look to Him is when we discover that His commands are very possible and reasonable. I'm mindful of the words of God to the Apostle, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Next, we see this disabled man come to, "Trust in the Lord with all of his heart, leaning not on his own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5-6) as he hears the words of Jesus, "Stretch out your hand." What did he do? He in faith obeyed. He stretched it out. We can honestly say—He gave God a hand.
Though he may not have understood everything, he does none-the-less believe, and he demonstrates his belief by making an attempt to do the impossible. The Bible says, "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:17). This man has faith in God, and demonstrates it as he attempts to stretch forth his hand. What is the result? His withered hand was, "restored as whole as the other."
This man believed and he obeyed. He showed his obedience by—giving God a hand as he stretched forth his hand toward Jesus. But before he could even obey, he had to realize his need for healing and his source for healing. Friends, that's the secret to a true healing. The disabled one, you and I, have to make contact with the Able One.
Spiritually speaking, the sinner has to make contact with the Savior; the sinner must give God a hand. Then and only then will his spiritual disability cease. Many Christians struggle in their walk today because they fail to believe God's Word, and they fail to act upon God's Word. Only as we believe in God's Word and then act on God's Word will the word—cannot become the word—can. We need to remember that, "With God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26) and that as Christians, "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us" (Philippians 4:13).
What about you? Just as this man's hand was physically withered, perhaps you've been feeling spiritually withered. Has your job been getting you down? Has your home front been getting out of order? Is church getting you down? If so, then it's time that you—gave God your hand by following the example of this man. How's that? By believing in God's Word and being obedient to God's Word.
As this man put his faith and trust in Jesus and the Words that Jesus spoke; and by—giving God a hand, a withered hand, he was healed and able to move again. His hand could now grasp a Bible; he could now write a letter; he could now point the way; he could now lift his hands up in praise to God.
Often times God will allow trials in our lives as His way of causing us to deny ourselves and to depend on Him. We show our dependency on Him by—giving God a hand, and once we do we're on the road to recovery. No matter what trial you've been going through lately; no matter what your circumstances might be, in spite of your difficulties are to daily in obedience to Christ, believe in His word by stretching forth your hands and your lives to Him, and allowing God to use you.
When God says to us, "Stretch out your hand" let us follow the example of this man by trusting in Christ; by believing in Christ, and by always obeying the Words of Christ, even when it might seem impossible. We need to remember that, "All things are possible with God."
God bless you,
Pastor Steve |
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| SHIELD OF FAITH |
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Attention Juanita
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