Affliction Brings Us Closer to God 2-11 1996 Sun PM

2-11 1996 Sun PM

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Look at uh 2 Samuel chapter 15. Thank you, ladies. 2 Samuel 15 and 1 Chronicles chapter 27. Now here we are at 640 starting, and you're gonna get out early tonight, uh, earlier than what we normally are. We want to make sure that as we go through some of these transitions, we give you opportunities to uh make sure that you get fed, but also get some time with your families. Also, 2 Samuel 15 and 1 Chronicles chapter 27. I thanks ushers for doing a good job, and let's encourage everybody in now from the uh four-year and everything. It's time for preaching, and I hope that uh in our church, you know, singing's good and testimony and and everything like that, but we ought to flock to the preaching of God's word. Uh we appreciate you being here. On Wednesday night, I'm looking forward. I got something for you that I think will be great, uh, that'll help you a little bit as a Christian. So if you'll be here on Wednesday night, I appreciate that a great deal. Towards the end of the month, the last Wednesday night of the month, we have another missionary coming in. Uh, this was our fourth, uh, fifth missionary that I had planned for the start of the year. And uh, brethren, every once in a while, if you look and you got a little financial log jam, give, give. It shall be given unto you. And even as a church, we thought, let's give something to missions and get that thing rolling, and God will bless for what we're trying to do towards his work. 2 Samuel 15 and 1 Chronicles 27. I want to give you one scripture in 1 Chronicles 27. I want to give it to you now somewhat parathenically, and that idea is this. Just file it away for future reference in the message. It'll make sense in just a moment. In 1 Chronicles chapter 27, I just want you to see one person and what he was to King David. In verse 33, please. Verse 33. There's a man's name there whose name is Hushai. H-U-S-H-A-I. Hushai, or Hushe, however you. I've always called him Hushai, the Archite. And I just want you to see that he was the King's companion. I just want you to see that Hushai the Architect was the king's companion. Remember that. Look back at 2 Samuel 15 if you would. You don't mind studying your Bible with me tonight, do you? 2 Samuel chapter 15. If there's ever going to be anything that someone would say that the lighthouse has some strength on, we know how to turn to scriptures. Amen. We may not understand them all, but we'll find them sooner or later. 2 Samuel chapter 15, and look if you would at a verse of scripture, and we're going to go through this just a little bit tonight, and I have something that will relate to some current events maybe in your life. 2 Samuel chapter 15. And notice, if you would, uh verse 13. Verse 13. And there came a messenger to David saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. Now remember, Absalom was David's, one of David's sons, and he had conspired and now was getting ready to temporarily take over the kingdom. And David said unto all his servants, verse 14, that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, let us flee, for we shall not else escape from Absalom. Make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring evil upon us and smite the city with the edge of the sword. You know what David thought of? He said, when he said, let's just get on out of here. He didn't want a battle to be taking place in Jerusalem. He didn't want there to be a big fight in there. So he took, if you would, the road and he said, let's just go on. Let's just get out of here. Arise, let us flee. He said, Let's do it speedily, because he's going to bring evil upon us, and the city's going to be smote with the edge of the sword. And I think David did wisely here because you say, well, he ran. No, he just didn't want there to be a battle in the city, and uh innocent bystanders get killed. It was the the fight was between him and David, if you would, and Absalom, and Absalom was taken over. So David took, you say, well, wait a minute, that was the low road. I think David took the right road. And the right road was to flee, if you would, from his adversary at this point in time. And the Bible says, and the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my Lord the king shall appoint. The Bible says, and the king went forth and all his household after him. Look at the attitude was when they left. Look at verse 23. And all the country did what? They wept. With a what? With a loud voice, and all the people passed over. Brethren, please look up here. This was not a happy time in David's kingdom. David had decided the best things for us to do, lest there be a war and great fighting and people killed innocently. He decided to flee, and all the country wept with a loud voice as the people, and they passed on over. And if you would uh look at verse 30, notice David's attitude here. Here's the king. Verse 30. I've never forgot this ever since the first time I read it. I highlighted it always seemed to just stick out on the page every time I read it. And David went up by the accent of Mount Olivet. And look what he did. And he wept as he went up and had his head covered. And he went what? Barefoot. Here was the king, brethren. Here was that mighty soldier that had fought so many battles, and as the general and as the king had led this army out many, many times, and here he was leaving, and his head was covered, and he was barefoot, and all the people that was with him covered every man his head. And they went up how? Weeping as they went up. Please look up here. Have you ever had one of those periods of time? I don't know. Maybe it wasn't an Absalom, but maybe something just hit you. And it and it and it hit you in such a way that it just maybe knocked the strength out of you. And here is David walking up this mountain barefoot, his head covered, weeping, and all the people are weeping. This isn't quite the same, but even this last week, and I guess maybe it just confirmed that it was time to preach this message. I've been thinking about this for oh probably uh three or four weeks now. We had been working hard uh to try to uh rectify our bus situation and everything and try to work everything out. And we had meetings and met with uh uh uh the bus ministry and met with different ministries and met as a staff and met with the trustees and tried to work it all out, and we we had a solution we felt it was going to work out, and the manager at Laidlaw locally here was willing to work with us and everything. And and finally we we got it all together on Wednesday afternoon. We called the manager of Laidlaw and and told him what we would be willing to do and how we'd work it all out to matter to to satisfy their needs and to meet what we needed to do here, and I felt really good about it. And then uh I believe it was Thursday by this time, and Thursday night, just before soul winning, about 6 45, a call came from the Laidlaw manager of our buses, and he said, uh, listen, uh, I called Texas, and the manager back there in Texas, uh he's got some problems with our agreement. And uh so the word we heard was that what they wanted from us, the difference in insurance and everything, was where we were having to carry uh one million for liability, they wanted five million. That's a lot of million. And when they wanted where we had five and twenty-five thousand for personal uh injuries, if you would, they wanted uh a million. And when we had no collision, but we agreed to pay for whatever, they wanted a hundred thousand. And then they said, and you can't rent our buses this week. I tell you what, you ever feel like you've been kicked in the gut spiritually? I don't know if you know what I'm talking about, but you ever have something happen to you that you just feel like somebody just walked up and said, Hi, how are you doing today, and just beat you from head to toe? Do you ever have those days? Maybe you haven't yet, but you will probably sooner or later. I mean, it just seems like, you know, and you try and you work and you pray and you do everything you can, and it just seems like, and it just kind of knocks the wind out of you. And then I had to uh do something I felt was very difficult. I I had to call Chris Sturger, and Chris has been working hard. Chris is not here tonight, he's home with one of his children that's sick, and uh I had to call Chris Sturger and I said, I want you to know something, Chris. Uh and we were, we thought everything was going to be fine, and we had been kind of told that and everything, and nothing against the manager here. He had been working with us, and you can't, when corporate makes a decision, nothing you can do. Amen. If you've ever been in corporate, you know what I'm talking about. And anyway, so they made a decision, and I called Chris, and I said, Chris, uh, looks like we're not gonna be able to use the buses this week. I called Dave Schindel that night and I said, Looks like we're not gonna be able to use the buses, and we try to work out another bus situation for the Spanish, which doesn't work out yet, but we'll still work on it, may work out. And I just uh it was just one of those nights where, you know, look at Ecclesiastes. Hold your place right there in 2 Samuel 15, and maybe even through this. Look at Ecclesiastes chapter 1. And you're thinking, oh, let's just be strong and go on. Hey, hey, look at some scriptures here now. Look at these things. Look at Ecclesiastes chapter 7 first, Ecclesiastes chapter 7. Look at verse number 2. Ecclesiastes 7, verse 2. It is better to go to the house of what? Mourning. You know what David was doing as he walked up that that hill, Mount Olivet? Brethren, look up here. He was mourning. You look up the definition of mourning, and you'll see two words that are associated with mourning. Sorrow and grief. And I'll guarantee you, and we equate that sometimes with death, and there's nothing wrong with that, but there's things that can happen in our life that bring about sorrow and grief, and there's nothing wrong with these periods from time to time. And David was going up that hillside, brother, and the whole people were weeping, and he was weeping and barefoot, had his head covered, and there was sorrow and there was grief. It's better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men. The living will lay it to his heart. Verse 3 sorrow is better than what? Laughter. For why? For by the sadness of the countenance, the heart is made what? Better. I believe God brings things into our lives from time to time to make our heart better. And it doesn't look positive at the time. Are you listening to me? But God has a plan and a way. He says, but the heart of, the verse 4, the heart of the who? Wise is in the house of mourning. Why? In the house of mourning, there's sorrow and there's there's grief, there's introspection, there's looking at oneself, there's analyzation, but the heart of the fool is in the house of mirth. Look at Ecclesiastes chapter 1, it goes right along with this statement. Look at verse 18. David, as he walked up that mount, was in mourning with sorrow and grieving for what had happened. Look at Ecclesiastes chapter 1, look at verse 18. For in much wisdom is much what? Grief. Brother, some of the times when we've learned the most is in mourning. And he that increaseth in knowledge increaseth what? Sorrow. Look, if you would, a little bit further and stay with me. Look at Psalms 119. Psalms 119, and here's where we really want to get to. Psalms 119, I want to introduce you to a word tonight. And I don't know how you view this word, but I want to make sure you view it in the right way. Look at Psalms 119. Look at verse 75. Verse 75. I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are what? His judgments are always right. Whether we agree with them or not, it's always right. Whether we understand them or not, it's always right. Let me say that again. Whether we understand them or not, they're always right. And that thou in what? Faithfulness has afflicted me. You ever been afflicted? If you haven't yet, you will. I mean, if you go at this thing five years in the Lord, you're going to be afflicted sooner or later. Something will afflict you, and I don't know how else to say it, it'll just be like your strength will be drained, and you'll maybe you'll work hard at something and then you'll be disappointed or you'll be discouraged or you just something happens, and you know what I'm talking about if you've been around. And God says here in the book of Psalms in 119, it's inspired by God. He says that in the faithfulness he afflicted us. Look at verse 71. Verse 71, here's a good attitude. It is good for me that I have been what? Afflicted. Why? That I might learn thy statutes. Sometimes the best times of learning, brethren, when is when we're afflicted. I don't know if you're feeling afflicted today with the results of some of this bust things or some of the things going on personally in your life. I'll guarantee you Thursday night was a kind of a sobering night for me. I said, Oh Lord. We've tried our best. Now we've got to accept what's happened. And I pray that our church and our ministry and our workers will accept what's happening. And if you're afflicting us, it must be for us to learn something. Let me say it again. If you're afflicting us, it must be something that you want to teach us. You know what affliction does sometimes, brethren? It jointly compacts. Or it tears apart. It depends on how people view it. Your marriage will be afflicted sooner or later. But the purpose, I believe, of God is not to tear it apart, it's to jointly compact it. You won't see a place in there where God says, I'm going to try to tear your marriage up because I'm going to afflict you. But I think you will see in there where in his faithfulness he afflicts us to try to bring us closer together. I want you to see this, and we're coming back to Psalms 119 in a minute. Look at 2 Samuel 15 again, and here we go. Look at 2 Samuel 15. So here's David. He's walking up the mount there. Afflicted, would you agree? Yes or no? Come on. Mourning and grief and sorrow. It's like, oh, I haven't had any of that yet. It's just been a bed of roses and just been a great trail so far. Affliction's coming. Maybe God hasn't brought it on you yet because you're not ready yet, but it's coming. Part of growth as a Christian, part of loving him more, is to be afflicted and be able to look up and do what David did. Look what he did in 2 Samuel there in verse 15. Again, verse 30. And David went up by the extent of Mount Olivet and wept as he went up, and he had his head covered as he went barefoot. And all the people that was with him covered every man's head. You've got to see it, brethren, in your mind's eye. And they went up how? Weeping as they had gone up. He's just told then that Ahithophel in verse 31 is one of them that's among the conspirators. And Ahithophel was his counselor and spoke to David as the oracles of God. And he's told Ahithophels against him now in verse 32. And it came to pass that when David was come to the what? The top of the mount where he did what? Worship God. You know what he was going up there for? Must have been a place where he went to worship from time to time. I don't know. But he was going up there barefoot and he was just going up. Hey, did you ever have a place where you can get close to God? I mean a place. I mean a place where you go to pray. Maybe in your home somewhere. It may be in your car somewhere. Maybe a mountain somewhere. You might have a place you can go when it's time to go and get close to God because you're being afflicted. I got three or four places. If I'm in town and something comes on us, if I can, I get away and I drive out there and I just spend time out there. And David walks up on this mount. He's barefooted, walking up those rocks and everything. And he walks up there to the mount where he's going to worship God. Behold, verse 32, who was there? Hushai, the Arkite, came to meet him. And his coat rent and earth upon his head. Brother, when one of the members suffered, we're all supposed to suffer with it. And there was Hushai, the king's companion. Hey, there's nothing like having a friend in affliction. There's nothing like being able to go to somebody in affliction, or somebody comes to you and they don't even know you're being afflicted and says a kind word to you or gives an encouraging note to you or says I'm praying for you or says I'm behind you or just does something as a friend. There's nothing like that. I'm telling you in the bus ministry tonight, if you're going through and feel a little afflicted, you ought to be friends to each other. I'm telling you in the Spanish ministry tonight, we didn't get to run them, and I appreciate your patience. We didn't get to run both rounds. I'm telling you in the Spanish ministry, it's time to be friends. They're already friendly, and not all the Spanish is here, but we as a church need to be friendly to the Spanish ministry. I tell you what, they didn't get a chance to run a bus today, but they still got the job done. There was a class that graduated from soul winning day, and Brother Shindell told me they were out soul winning this afternoon and went a few people to Christ. Even in our afflictions, we go on. And I appreciate the character of this church that when we go through things, we don't stab each other, we help each other. And that's the way it should be. I know there was a lot of people affected by this so far. May I say to you? I didn't plan it. I can't tell you I wanted it. You tell me when you want affliction. Oh God, give me affliction! Oh God, here's what I say. Let it pass quickly. I appreciate the patience and the leadership of these ministries going on through. Hey, I tell you what, some churches start breaking apart when these things begin to happen. We'll either start to break apart or we will come closer together. One or two. God will have his plans, but in his uh faithfulness, sometimes he allows some affliction. And Hushai was there at a meeting. And notice Hushai's attitude there. He had his coat wrapped. And he had earth upon his head. Now, would you do me a little thing in this message right now? Would you allow me to just be myself? And I'm going to anyways, whether you allow me to or not. And just different times and different things, things come to me. And I I hope you don't mind. I guess it's unorthodox. If you listen to homiletics classes, don't ever do what I do. Give me this, Mike, if you would, guys. And uh I want uh Brother Pierce just to come real quick. Give me the little testimony you gave to me last Sunday night after we talked a little bit about some of the things going on. Brother Pierce came up to me and just a little amen from heaven, I thought it was, anyways. You don't mind me doing this, do you? This is me, and we do we do different things. And uh if you're saying, well, boy, he didn't follow homiletics. I just want you to know I don't even know what the word means. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 19:40

Uh last week I was in one of the buildings on the reception center. I'm a missionary down at R. J. Donovan.

unknown 19:47

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

And uh we preach uh about five different preaching services a week down there to the men that are coming through. And uh had a real good service, and uh I had an invitation. I don't always have one, but felt like the Lord wanted me to have an invitation, and we had about six men come forward, and uh I got all their names and cell numbers, and then later on in the afternoon I was visiting and I was talking to a young black man, he's 25 years old now. Uh his name is uh Exodus Bolton. And uh I was talking to him, and he he was really, I believe, touched with the message and the service, and the Lord spoke to his heart, and he said, You know, uh I've been saved for 10 years. And he said, uh He said, I just got with the wrong crowd. I got out of church, and he said, I just want to get back right with the Lord. And I said, Well, uh, let me give you a church tract, and he he's not gonna be in for a long time, I don't think. And I said, uh, let me give you a church a tract. And I gave him a I gave him a lighthouse track. And when I gave him that, his his eyes just brightened up and he said, Lighthouse. He said, that's where I got to say. He said, the lighthouse baptist church. And he opened up the track and had Brother Fisher's picture. And he said, That's Brother Fisher. And he said, uh I said, well, maybe uh maybe Exodus is time for you to come back home. And he said, that's what I'm gonna do. So uh these this bus ministry was responsible. He rode the bus. That's how he got to church. And he got baptized at the church, and then, like so many in his situation, they got off with the wrong with the wrong crowd, and he's in prison now. Uh, I don't think for a very serious thing, maybe probably drug possession or something like that. Don't y'all pray for uh Exodus. I hope he'll come back to church.

SPEAKER_00 22:04

Let me tell you why that's important. Bill told me that on Sunday night. I thought after the Sunday night message, I thought, man, I wish you would have told me that earlier. We would have used that last Sunday night. But you know what God did for me? He used that for me Thursday night. After I'd talked to Chris. I tell you what, it it's hard to talk to a guy that's invested his whole life. Really, in a ministry. And tell him that we we can't run those Cadillacs anymore. Have you ever talked to somebody and there's just long pauses? Didn't know what to say. About five minutes into the conversation, and there were just a few words, Chris said to me. And I thank God for that. And I said, I thank God for that too. Later that night, after I talked to Brother Shindel, and you know, I don't take this wrong, but I was grieving a little bit. Oh, you say you're always supposed to be up. I was up, but I was grieving up. A little affliction. I thought about what Bill had told me. I said, well, God's not done with this thing yet. But that was an encouragement to me on Thursday night. I'm telling you, when you go through affliction, you've got to have some friends. When you go through some affliction, I mean it's good when Hushai shows up or someone else shows up and gives a little word of encouragement. It's not a time to turn on each other. Hey, there's a controversy. And let us do this just for a moment in this message. Let's set this thing of affliction and God's faithfulness to teach it. Would you let me just set that over here as one thought? Leave that there just for a moment and dealing with our situation and seven things. Leave that over there just for a moment. And let me show you something else real quick. And now we're on a different tangent. Look at 2 Chronicles 33. Still dealing with affliction. Look at 2 Chronicles 33 and Psalms 119. 2 Chronicles 33. Brother, now our Bible is our guide and our comfort and our attitude maker. And we got to stay in our book. And it's not a matter of trying to make something up to fit, but when you've been studying for a while, and three or four weeks I've been thinking about this thing and not knowing what was going to come up. But God had this thing, and he's working now. I believe he's still working. But look if you would at 2 Chronicles 33. Here's another way sometimes that God uses affliction, but set the bus ministry and everything aside just for a moment. Manasseh. If you know anything about Manasseh in chapter 33, he was not a good king. As far as he took the things that his daddy, Hezekiah, had done. And in verse 3, he begins to rear up those altars to Balaam and the groves and worship to all the hosts of heaven. He builds altars in the house of God in verse 4. Verse 5, he builds altars in all the hosts of heaven. And I mean he causes verse 6 the children to pass through the fire. Verse 7, he sets the carved images up against God, if you would, and they begin to worship false idols. And look at verse 9. So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err and to do worse than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel. And look at verse 11. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns and bound him with feathers and carried him to Babylon. Verse 12. And when he was in what? Say it. Affliction. You know what God was doing here to Manasseh? He was chastising him with affliction. And when he was in his affliction, he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself how? Come on, talk to me. Humbles himself how? Greatly. And again, set off what I've already said. This is another thing God uses affliction for. Hey, that prodigal son we read about was afflicted. He was being chastened to bring him back to the Father. Is that right? Manasseh is being afflicted and he's going to bring him back to God. He besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers and prayed unto him and he was entreated of him. Hey, you know, we got a wonderful God. Here he was setting up all these false idols and all these images and causing the children to pass through the fire and worshiping Baal, which isn't a God in the first place, and all the rest of that stuff, and in his affliction, God listens to his prayers and forgives him. What a wonderful God. If God afflicts us from time to time because of something he's trying to bring us back in or something, or maybe it is chastisement, and I'm not talking about the bus ministry now or anything like that, but maybe chastisement is because he loves us. Well, I tell you, sometimes Christians think they've got so far away from God and they're doing things they never would have thought they were supposed to ever do, and they're doing things they've never done before and in gross sin and everything, and God allows some afflictions to come, and they're afraid to look up at heaven and say, Forgive me. If you read your Bible, he'll take you back. He prayed unto him and he treated him and heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord He was God. Amen. Sometimes that affliction is that way. Look at Psalms 119. Stay with me. Psalms 119. We're not done tonight. Psalms 119. I hope you're studying with me. Because there's a very important part of this I want to get to. Psalms 119. Look if you would, brethren. In verse 67. Before I was what? Say it. Afflicted? I did what? I went astray. But now have I kept thy words. You know what affliction does sometimes? It brings us back. Look at Hosea chapter 5. Hosea, that's a book in your Bible. Come on. We read it once a year as we go through our daily Bible reading. Amen. Hosea chapter 5. If you've never been there, you know, open up your Bible to the middle, or better yet, go to the front of the Bible and look up the chapter and the page and go there. Hosea chapter 5. And look at verse 15. Verse 15, I will go and return to my place. Till they acknowledge their what? Offense. And seek my face. In their affliction, they will seek me early. Sometimes when he's chastening us a little bit, and brethren, to whom the Lord loveth, he what? Chasteneth. And we're all going to get it once in a while. Come on now. We shouldn't look and say, you know, hey, chastisement is part of him being a father and we being children. Unless you're a perfect child, you've avoided it. But I read where he says, all of his sons have been chastised. Hebrews. And he says this: he says, when they acknowledge their offense. And again, look up here. You say, well, wait a minute. Are we supposed to acknowledge something? I already asked you to set that aside for a moment, but I'm showing you here that affliction sometimes comes and God brings things upon us when we have some offenses that we know are in our life, but we're unwilling to give them up. He works on us and works on us and works on us till we're willing to admit it and we seek his face and he says, in their affliction they will seek me. When? Early. They'll come back to me. About four months ago, God showed me an area in my life that I believe was an offense. I don't think He would remove me from being pastor because of it if you knew what it was. And by the way, I'm not going to tell you what it was. I don't believe there would be any grounds for my removal of me of being pastor. But God showed me a, I'll just use the word a blind spot. I didn't see it that clearly before. About four months ago, he showed me. Or you say there, you just got it cleaned up right away and just took care of it. No, I didn't get it cleaned up right away. Didn't take care of it right away. Didn't see it as that big a deal. Oh, I was convicted by a message that I heard, but I, you know, I convicted, confessed it, and went on and probably did it again. And again, and again, and again. If I told you what it was, you'd go, is that all? You don't understand. I'm a pastor. I don't get this wide path anymore. The path narrows. As you come into leadership and influence some people. If he's going to give you the influence, don't be surprised if he narrows your path and say, you don't get away from that anymore. You don't get by on that anymore, you get convicted on that. In about December, I finally got to the place where I said, Lord, um, this thing is wrong. And God just started chastening me a bit. Through some afflictions. And by the way, I'm not gonna be the type of pastor that stands up here and brings my trouble to the pulpit. That's right, Pete. You've been there, haven't you, Pete? Wanna stand up and tell everybody? No, I'm just kidding. He would if I give him a chance. He'll we'll get later, don't worry. He'll yeah, he will. And he's got a testimony. And God began to deal with me about it. Oh, by the way, uh, nobody else knows. My wife may know, but it wasn't because I told her. Women have a way of knowing things. Especially your wife. They say, oh, out in the parking lot tonight. What do you think his offense was? If I thought it was that big a deal, you think I'd be telling you about this whole thing? It's a big deal, maybe not with you, but between me and God, it's a huge deal. Because it hindered my fellowship. To me, that's a big deal. When I get down and pray and something's not right, I know it. And God afflicted me a little bit. I believe it was chastisement. And it wasn't one day and two day and three day and four day. He. I'll just use the word warm me down in a good way. Preacher, I can't believe you're expressing weakness. I'm expressing reality. I don't see it as weakness, I see it as reality. Are you listening up in the balcony? I just want to make sure you're listening because I can't see because of those lights. I'm looking up there, but all I see is these big spots, so I hope you listen. You could be asleep up there and I wouldn't know it. But God knows. There is uh, I believe, some chastisement. One of the things I've learned is when you're being chastened, you believe you're being chastened, don't go tell everybody. Lest your friends turn into Eliphaz and Bildad and Zophar. You know who they are? Those were Job's friends. And Job was being afflicted, would you agree? And there may be some uh judgment, or was he being uh afflicted like we talked about first to teach him something, or was he being chastised? And I'm sure there's a lot of opinions on that. All as I know is his friends. Didn't help the matter a whole lot. Look back at 2 Samuel 16 with that thought and look at something, brother. Stay with me. You're doing well. 2 Samuel chapter 16. And look what happened in David's affliction. It seems like it's just right there. Principalities and powers have a way. Look at 2 Samuel 16, David's mourning. He's walking up that hill barefoot. He's going to worship God, and Hushai, his friend, meets him up there. And David in verse chapter 16, look at it. He goes past the top of the hill, and some other people meet him, encourage him along, and then chapter 16, look at verse 5. And when King David came to Behurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei. Seems like there's always one, the son of Girah. He came forth and cursed still as he came. And he cast stones at David and at all the servants of King David and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And thus said Shimei when he cursed. Look at it. He was talking to David, he said, Come out. Come out, thou what? Say it, bloody man, and thou man of Belial. The Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul. He's accusing him. In whose stead thou hast reigned. And the Lord hath delivered the kingdom in the hand of Absalom, thy son. He had it all figured out, didn't he? And behold, that art taken in thy, what? Say it, mischief. Because thou art a bloody man. Shimei had him judged and sentenced. In his own mind. He knew what was going on here. He knew why this was going on. He said, Don't you understand, you bloody man? It's because what you did to the house of Saul. That's why Absalom has the kingdom now. We know you're a mischief. You're a bloody, bloody man. Isn't it always that way? Somebody has your affliction all figured out. And they don't mind telling you about it. Sometimes when they're not even asked. Hey, brethren, may I say something to you? If you're going out and broadcasting your affliction, you're opening yourself up to sooner or later Shemiah is going to judge you. One of the things I've learned as a Christian, you know it says, let thy words be few? There are sometimes our words need to be few. We're going through something. You know what? You've got to be careful who you say to what, because people judge the situation. Yes or no? Amen. And Shemai judged the whole thing here, and he looked at David and he cursed him. And he said, It's your fault. You're taken, you're a bloody, muddy man. And he said, God, verse 8, judged you. He's returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul. Now hold your place right there and go back to 2 Samuel chapter 1. We're studying our book, amen? 2 Samuel chapter 1. Things go bad, and sometimes people just automatically think chastisement, or they don't see God's hand in the whole thing. So look at 2 Samuel chapter 1. Stay with me. David hears about the death of Saul and Jonathan in chapter 1. And look what he does in verse 11. Then David took hold of his clothes. He just found out that Saul and Jonathan had died and rent them. Like wise, all the men that were with him, and they what? They mourned and wept and fasted until evening. For who? Saul, for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel. Because they were fallen by the sword. That doesn't sound like a man who was after Saul. A stranger comes in Amalachite. And David asks him the question. Verse 14, David says this, and David said unto them, Hast thou, how was how wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? And David called one of his young men and said, Go near and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. And David said unto him, The blood, thy blood be upon thy head, for thy mouth has testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord's Lord. That guy said he was involved with the death of Saul, and David said, Go kill that guy. Eye for an eye, tooth for tooth. Old Testament law, he's dead. Doesn't sound like David was after the house of Saul. Verse 17. And David what? He lamented with his lamentation over who? Saul. And over Jonathan, his son. You know what, brethren? Shimei was wrong. He judged the situation very wrongly. Look at chapter 2 of 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel chapter 2. Or better yet, for the sake of time, look at 2 Samuel 3. 2 Samuel 3. And notice verse 27. Verse 27. We're going quickly. We're three-quarters of the way through the message. Verse 27 of 2 Samuel 3. And when Abner was returned to Hebron, hey, if you don't know who Abner was, Abner was the captain of David's host, but he was also the what relationship to Saul? Was he part of the family? You study it out. Abner was his general, but he was also a family member. Study out in five- not now. Study it out though. I want you to study your Bible. Abner's taken by the hand of Joab. Joab takes him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly and smote him there under the fifth rib, and he dies. Look at verse 28. And afterward, when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord forever, for the blood of Abner, the son of Noah. He said, Let it rest on the head of Joab and on his father's house. And look what David does, verse 31. And David said to Joab, that's who murdered him, and to all the people that were with him, rend your clothes and gurge with sackcloth and mourn before Abner. And King David himself followed the buyer. That was the casket, if you would. And they buried Abner in Hebrew. And look what David does, verse 32, follow it. And the king did what? He lifted up his voice and wept. Doesn't it sound like a man who was after the house of Saul? He wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. In verse 37, it says, All the people understood that day that it was not the king's, uh not of the king to slay Abner. Look at chapter 4. One more thing. Look at it. Look at verse 8. Chapter 4, verse 8. We okay tonight? You're studying it? And I realize this is why I wish there were more lighting in here, whise you can study your Bible a little bit better. I hope you can see. Verse 8. Look what they did here. And they brought the head of Ishbusheth unto David to Hebron and said to the king, Behold, the head of Ishbusheth, the son of Saul. There was part of his household, thine enemy, which sought thy life. They say, The Lord hath avenged my Lord the king this day. They brought the head of one of his sons, and they say, Here's the head, and I think they're going to be rewarded by David. And David answered, and he says, On, verse 10, when one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him and slew him in Ziglag, who thought I would have given him a reward for his tidings. How much more when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed, shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand and take you away from the earth? And David commanded his young men, and they slew him. Cut off his hands and their feet and hang them over the pool of heaven. Does that sound like a man who was after the house of Saul? I'm telling you, if you study his life out, David, after he had had the opportunity to kill Saul and he cut off his skirt, and God smote him for doing it, he never touched Saul again. But Shimei comes out and says, Cursed, you bloody man. It's because of what you did with the house of Saul. I can see it. It's because of your mischief. I can see it. God's judging you and gave that kingdom to Absalom. And brothers, sometimes if we're not careful, we are Shimeiis. And sometimes if we're not careful, we judge somebody else's life, and we've got it all figured out. And we think it's the chastening hand of the Lord when God's doing something, maybe in a way of affliction to make that person better, and we mean that we need to be careful who we judge. Amen. We hear things sometimes, and first thing we think about maybe it's chastisement, maybe it's affliction, and God's teaching them something in the running God's will. You say, now wait a minute, David was a bloody man. Oh, I know he killed Uriah the Hittite, but he got punished for that. This was something totally different. You've got to study the book and see it. You know, when people are going through affliction, please look up here. Whether it's for chastisement or for God's teaching, we need to be careful. I don't ever remember many times where God has told me to walk into somebody and say, Thou art the man. That must be the major exception than the rule. Oh, I know why this is happening. Oh, do you? Oh, I know why that person is going through it. Oh, do you? We need to be careful, brother. And say, who are you talking about? I'm not talking about anybody that I know of tonight, but I'm saved. We've done it before, haven't we?

unknown 45:16

Right.

SPEAKER_00 45:17

We got it all figured out. I make this statement and you get the message this way. When David walked up the hill, he didn't need Shemiah, he needed Hushai. Ladies, listen to me. When your husband goes through it, he doesn't need Mrs. Shemiah. He needs Mrs. Hushai. You know what we do sometimes? A guy gets down and he's being afflicted maybe by God, maybe for his good or maybe some chastisement. And if we're not careful, we walk by and kick him. That's what Eliphab, Biladad, and Zophor did. Job was right in the middle of a man. He had just lost everything. His children, his widow, his wife had turned on him and kicked him. Come on, yes or no? Talk to me. Why don't you just curse God and die, baby? Thanks, honey, for your encouragement. Really appreciate that tonight. Just what I needed to hear.

unknown 46:26

Come on.

SPEAKER_00 46:29

God sometimes tests our character a little bit. I've been guilty before. Sometimes, I guess, probably knowingly, and sometimes probably in the last few years, ignorantly. And sometimes we're just ignorant about what we do and how we do it, aren't we? Come on, talk to me tonight. I'm not, hey, I'm not trying to scold anybody here. I'm just saying, you know what? When we are going through some affliction or when people are going through affliction, we need to be careful. Not to come up and have this great judgment and great insight. Hey, man. Your wives are going through it. Well, God's teaching you, honey. Can't you see that God's chasing you? This is the chastening hand of God on you, honey. Thank you, dear. Hey, brethren, most of the time don't we already know it? Or at least are wondering. I make it a statement again. I want you to listen to me, brethren. If there's an attitude that prevails in this church, and I have any influence on this church, it ought to be the attitude of Hushai and not the attitude of Shemiah. And by the way, I don't say that to try to protect anybody. I say that to say, when God afflicts us, we ought to say, glory be to God. And we ought to not be judging each other because you know what? It's coming to you and me sooner or later. It's just a matter of time until God gets around to us. May I just say that we are not Pentecostal in our beliefs in this area?

unknown 48:33

Amen!

SPEAKER_00 48:35

If someone is suffering physically, we don't believe that's God's chastisement. Some of those Pentecostal groups got that thing that if you're sick, you're out of the will of God. That's bogus. I believe Lazarus was dead in the will of God. Mark it down. Amen. Yes or no? So if something happens as an affliction, it's not time to point your finger at someone. We don't need that. It's time to be a hushai and meet him at the top of the mountain. He was the king's companion, and he was also called the king's friend. I beg God to make our marriages in this church friends. People who are married, husband and wife, make them friends. I've already determined my heart I've got seven children that are going to grow up, and if God terries, probably a couple of them are going to get periods of time where they go through a Christian slump, for lack of a better term. I want to make sure that dad's not thought of somebody that kicks them when they're down. Justify their actions? No. Give them money all the time. Sometimes no man gave to him. It's a judgment call. But one of the things I want to be is their companion and their friend even through their adulthood. If they were preaching, okay, I'm not supposed to be a shimmy, I'll watch that. But what do you do when you're going through something and somebody's got this thing all figured out the way they think, and they got a misperception on that thing, and they've got your own judge, and you can't change their mind. What do you do? Look at 2 Samuel 16, look what David did. Come on. Almost finished. Are you getting this tonight? Are we doing okay? So help us, brethren. You say, what did David do? He says in verse 8, Come out, come out, thou bloody man. You're full of mischief, and don't you know God's now judging you and returning upon your head? Old Abishai goes over and said, Let me take off his head. Why should this dead dog curse my Lord the king? Verse 9. David says back, what do I have to do with you? And look what he says. I'm sorry, verse 10, the king said, What have I had to do with you, you sons of Zurih? Look what he says. Look at it, look at it, look at it. This takes some character. So let him curse. Because the Lord has said unto him, curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so? David said to Abishai and all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth out of my bows, or of my boughs, seeketh my life. Look at it. How much more now may this Benjamite do it? Let him what? Say it. Let him alone. And let him curse. For the Lord hath bidden him. It may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction. And that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day. You know what David says? Let him alone. You know what David does? He walks on by. He doesn't stir him up. He doesn't antagonize him. He doesn't attack him. Come on. I know what we want to do and how we in our own mind. He lets it go. And he walks on. Sometimes, brethren, it's best to just agree with your adversary in the way. Just agree and walk on by and let God handle it. It takes some strength. Didn't argue with him. Look at verse 13 and David. And as David and his men went by the way, went along the hillside. He didn't just throw a couple rocks. He's walking along the hillside with them. Over against him and cursed as he went. And look what he did. Then he threw stones at him. And he cast dust. Look it up in different dictionaries or different wherever you want to. And in those days they would cast dust. It was almost like a way of saying bury him. It was one of the worst insults you could do pick up rocks at somebody and then throw dust at him. It was like bury him. Whatever the worst thing somebody could do to you culturally to offend you and to make you ashamed, that's about what it was. And look up here, brother. And David walked on. Please look up here. He was mourning. He was grieved. He was in sorrow. But he was learning. He was growing. And God wasn't done yet. I just want to say this publicly. I appreciate people in our church, male and female, able to look at things that happened that we have no controls over and keep a good spirit, a good attitude. I mean that. I don't know what happened in the bus ministry today and how it went or anything like that. I don't know the specifics. May I say this? We don't need a bunch of shimmies. We need a bunch of hooshaies. The Spanish ministers today couldn't run a bus. Man, I grieved, not knowing if we got all the people in and all that. We're still working on another. And by the way, we're not laying over and giving up. We're still working. Man, I grieved a little bit. Because our Spanish brethren, and some of them that I haven't even met and don't even know. That maybe they couldn't get to church today. But I appreciate the good attitude of the Spanish ministry and Brother Chanel. Nobody, nobody, absolutely nobody has attacked me as we've talked and discussed and what we're trying to do. They've all had a good spirit and a good attitude. Well, you see, I don't know how you're doing with each other. If God's testing us and proving us, let's not fail the test. Are we okay tonight? If you spoke an unkind word about this situation to somebody and jumped on somebody, you need to go back and you need to say, I'm sorry, I was a shimmy eye, I need to be a hooshy. Swallow it. Get it right. Husband, you've been down on your wife a little bit. Wife, if you've been at your husband a little bit, you need to change. I've seen men and families and ministries go through affliction and God was strengthening them. And God was fitting them together, jointly compacting them, and getting ready to use them in a greater way. I want you to know this publicly. I'm not scolding you. I said if. Because nobody's come to me and said, we got this, you know. If. Then let's grow and learn from it and keep our attitudes right. Smile at me or something. I'm feeling very insecure right now as you're looking at me. You say, well, this doesn't even apply to me. It will sooner or later. Either you will be afflicted and a shemy will show up. Or without thinking about it, unknowingly, maybe. Or like a shemi. When you need to be like a hushai. Or you say, who's going to tell them? Maybe the Mohammed they need to hear them preaching. Maybe God will deal with them personally. Now, if God shows you that you're supposed to go and put your bony finger out there and say, Thou art the man, just make sure it's God. I'm not saying that can't happen from time to time, but make sure it's God. I wouldn't do it if just one thought passes through. I'd let it saturate your brain and say, God, is this you or not? And try the spirits, and I'd do all that before I would go that route. If necessary, I'd go that route. But I'd try it hard. Why? I've had my shimmy eyes. I know what it's like to be on the receiving end. And after you've been on the receiving end and people have a perception and you get it, and they let you have it. You know what you do? You first of all say, All right, you're probably right. I need to learn from it. And secondly, you know what you do? You say, I need to be careful not to be that to other people. I know what it feels like now. So either way, you learn from it. And David, please look up here, walked on by. Who was the stronger? David. Who was the weaker? Shemiah. Abishai would have been, but David didn't let him. Okay, I'm not going to kill him, Abishai. Go ahead. Get him. I'm not going to let him have it, but Abishai, okay, you got it, babe. Go get him. I know you're good with that sword. Take his head off. They won't know it's me. I'll just walk off. I need to show you one last scripture and we're finished. 2 Samuel 19. We're finished. 2 Samuel 19. Absalom has been overthrown and killed. David has bowed the heart of the people back to himself. And verse 18, brethren. Verse 18 of 2 Samuel 19. And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king's household and to do what he thought good. They're bringing David back. Look who shows up. And Shimei, the son of Girah, fell down before the king as he was come over Jordan and said to the king, Let not my Lord impute iniquity unto me. Neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely. The day that my Lord the king went out of Jerusalem. That the king should take it to his heart. For thy servant doth know that I have what? Say it. I sinned. Therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my Lord the King. There's old Abishai again. The son of Zorah answered and said, Shall not Shemiah be put to death? Because he cursed the Lord's anointing. David said, What have I to do with you? And he said it that way. Frustrated. Ye sons of Zorahai. Ye should this day be adversaries unto me. Shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? You know what David was wanting? Look up here. Peace. He just wanted peace. It wasn't a day to kill. Abashai always wanted to kill somebody. He was a pretty good guy. I mean, he was there when Ishbai and Binam came up and he protected David, but he just always wanted to kill. For do I not know? Look at it, he says in verse 22, for do I do not I know that I am this day king over Israel? Therefore the king said unto Shemiah, Thou shalt not die. And the king swear unto him, You know what? You say, did that Shemia mean it? Was he just doing it for his own hide so he wouldn't die? You never can judge a man's motive, but I know this. If it was a true apology, which that's the only way we can see it, David accepted it. And on he went. I got somebody that's been unkind to me. Well, what if they come and say they're sorry? Will you accept it and go on? What if they never say they're sorry? You still gotta go on. You still gotta walk on. We've had a little time of affliction, and we still got some things facing, brethren. And may I say that before we get out of this whole world as a church, please look up here. We're gonna look back on a day when the straw was taken away and say, that was nothing compared to what we just went through. As a family, you say, man, we've gone through so, so much. We don't know what we're gonna go through in the future. We have no idea. Please look up here now. I'm about finished. 745. But we need to have the right attitude and learn in the smaller things before we get to the larger things. And don't go out of here all discouraged and say, oh man, you know what? If you need to get right, get right. Either with God or with somebody else. I'm not going to that person. Why? Why not? Shimei did. Oh, he just did it to save his own height. At least he did it. And he was the first one there. And I read those words, he said, I have sinned. I did perversely. I sinned. And he came to get it right, and David said, Leave him alone, Shemiah. Or leave me alone, Abishai. Shemiah, you're not going to die. You know why? Please look up here, brother. As David was walking by, he said, Maybe the Lord looked good upon this. Leave him alone. Maybe the Lord said for him to curse David. Leave him alone. You see, I think David had a heart that was always willing to be trained and taught. Hey, it wasn't too many years, about 12 years before, that he'd gone through the thing with Bathsheba. Chastening, afflicted, or just afflicted to learn. Sometimes it's hard to discern. Regardless, we walk on. Regardless, we walk on. Look up here. Regardless, we go up to the mount and worship God. Regardless, he deserves our worship. And we learn. Man, I've been at this thing 17 years. When am I ever going to learn this lesson? At least when we get to heaven, we'll be perfect. And when we get up there, brethren, I'm glad he put that little scripture in Isaiah where he said, I'm going to wipe away the former. Man, I don't know about you, but somebody says, I don't want to remember my past life before I was saved. I don't want to remember that either, but I don't even remember when I remember some of the mistakes I made as a Christian. When I get to heaven, I don't want this stuff following me around. You know you do your best you can, you find out and hit you like a ton of bricks. Man, look what you did. Man, I don't want to get to heaven 10,000 years from now when time isn't even measured anymore and remember when I Had an argument with someone? I'm glad he's going to wipe it all away. That's a blessing. If you and me ever had it out in heaven, we won't remember it. Praise God. But while we're down here, brother, we're supposed to walk and live as much as lieth in us with peaceably with all men. Let's all stand. You've been good to listen tonight. Don't leave, please, just a moment. Let's all stand. With your heads bowed now, please, just for a moment. I told the auditorium this morning that tonight a message where probably an unsaved person would have a hard time understanding. But as Christians, brethren, we should understand. And once in a while, we're quick to judge. Every once in a while, someone's quick to judge us. Sometimes the affliction is to learn, and sometimes the affliction is to maybe correct through chastisement. I don't know all the time. But I know this God is faithful, and his judgments are never wrong. They're never wrong, they're always right. And whatever his judgments are for us as a church or as a family or as marriage or as an individual, his judgments are never wrong. And he loves us. And he wouldn't let us go through it unless there was a great purpose for it. I appreciate the good spirit and the good attitude that's been displayed towards me as we go through things in this church. I mean that. I mean it with all my heart. And I hope it's that way with you as each other, you as members of the church. I hope we'll look and say, maybe I need to be a Hushai and not a Shimei. If you've ever been on the receive again, it'll do wonders for our attitude. Maybe you're going through it now something totally different. In the bus ministry or any ministry I mentioned tonight, I only mentioned that because many are affected. But tonight, I believe that maybe you're going through something, or will go through something, or have gone through something. And we need to have the right attitude and walk on by and keep on walking on. You never can tell when that one who cast stones at us and threw dust at us, God will work with them and they'll come back and say, I'm sorry. But even if they don't, we can still walk on and walk on up the hill and worship God. With your heads bowed and your eyes closed. I believe some tonight it would be good for us to spend some time before the Lord. The altar's open if you'd like to come. Maybe you just need to say, I need to be more what I need to be to my spouse. Maybe you need to say, God, if I've been an Hushai, I'm sorry, if I've been a Shimei, would you show me? I want to get it right. God, make me more like the Hushai that was there, the king's companion. And God, as you afflict me, let me not get mad at you. If you do it so I can learn thy statutes, or if you do it because I've gone astray, then let me receive it as such. I pray tonight, brethren, you'll listen. And I'll listen, and we'll learn together. It's always not going to be perfect because it's a walk of faith, and sometimes we can't see it and don't understand. We ought to learn by what we go through. Sometimes in a good way, and sometimes when God just speaks to our heart and we go, oh, look what I've done. Don't go home and get so discouraged that you want to quit and give up. Just go home and say, I need to learn and go on. Sooner or later you might have your shimmi. Don't let Shimia have the pleasure of seeing you leave the ministry. Let me say that again. Don't let Shemia have the seeming pleasure of you leaving your service to God because they keep at you and keep at you and keep at you. You walk on. Focus on God. And God will take care of those along our way that misjudge or misinterpret. Please take your time.