Bro Samuell Pounds - 74th Annual Churches of Christ National Lectureship 2018

go quick in Hebrews chapter 11 verse number 32 the Bible says and what shall I say more for the time would fail me to tell of gideon and Barak and Samson and jephta of David also in Samuel of the prophets who through faith subdued kingdoms talk about Joshua conquering Palestine and David wrought righteousness that mean they had ministered justice like Samuel David and Solomon they obtained the promises like the Hebrews did when they were able to be go to go into the Promised Land they stopped the mouths of lions like Samson David and Daniel they quenched the violence of fire like Shadrach Meshach and Abednego they escaped the edge of the sword like David Elijah and Elijah out of weakness they were made strong like Samson after his hair was cut in Hezekiah as he was given 15 more years to live they waxed valiant in fight and turned to flight the armies of the aliens like David in defeating Goliath and Jehoshaphat in defeat in Eden and Hezekiah whose faith led him to slaughter hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians that would led by Sennacherib women received their dead raised to life again like the widow of Zarephath and the shooter might woman and then the Bible says and there's a seismic shift because before they were Victor's because of their faith but now we're gonna see sometimes faith will make you a victim the Bible says others were tortured Eliezer in the Maccabees period between the Testament and second Maccabees chapter 6 and verse 30 not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection and others had trial of crew markings and skirting a more bonds and imprisonment like Makia the prophet in Jeremiah they were stoned like Zechariah they were sawn asunder like Isaiah they were tempted like Joseph and Daniel when he was a teenager they were slain with the sword like your riah the prophet they wondered about his sheep skin and goat skin being destitute afflicted in torment like Elijah in 2nd Kings of whom the world was not worried that they wandered in deserts and in mountains and in advance and caves of the earth and these all having obtained a good report through faith received not the promise God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect I would quickly I want to talk about running the race in sheepskin and go scan in Hebrews chapter 11 what we commonly called the Hall of faith many of the believers in God in the old and the New Testament they willingly died for their faith some were killed some were stones they were cut in half they were put to death by the sword they went around wearing skins of sheep and goat they were poor they were attacked they were treated badly in fact it's not our church because of the fact they didn't have a strong faith but their strong faith helped them not to deny God they suffered not from a lack of faith but they suffered because of their great faith one thing about life all of us are gonna have to suffer something the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 11 define the Bible says in verse number 1 now faith is faith is the substance it is the substance some I'm the undergirding which allows us to stand free it's the foundation of things hope for the very thing we hope for in Titus chapter 1 and verse number 2 we hope to go to heaven one day faith is the undergirding of what we hope for faith is the evidence of the proof what my eyes what my eyes can't see faith is confident we are confident in some things I'm confident that the Sun is going to rise tomorrow I'm confident of the fact that if I dropped something now that gravity would take it to the ground I'm I'm confident in the fact that I have a hope in Jesus Christ my confidence is that Jesus is gonna save me I'm confident that the Church of Christ is right I'm confident that baptism put me in the one Church I'm confident not with a not-so hope but I'm confident with a hope so hope I'm thankful I judge that it's not the idea of wishful thinking but it's a confidence in the and call Jesus Christ the Hebrew writer says our faith not only thy confidence but it's our assurance we are assured of something that everything that God promised that God is able to perform Bible said in Hebrews chapter six and verse number eighteen the Bible tells us that by two immutable things that it is impossible for God to lie I'm glad numbers 23 in verse number 19 reminds me that God is not a man that he should lie or the son of man that he should repent Bible help us understand your faith is your assurance faith is your confidence but not only that but faith is that thing that it helps us Church it makes sense of what my senses cannot sense in other words we got five senses steering taste smell touch but there is a sixth sense that we have Church why because I can't I detect God with my eyes I can't detect God with my ears but my church I got another sense in that sense it's called faith and faith makes real what my eyes cannot see I'm glad the Bible said but without faith it's impossible to please God he that cometh to God must believe that God is and that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him if you have fates at night I just need you to understand that your faith is going to be associated with suffering in John chapter 16 and verse number 20 the Bible said remember the word that I said unto you the servant jesus said is not great on that is Lord if they have persecuted me they will also persecute you if they you kept my saying they Bible said they will keep yours also then jesus said in John 16:33 these things I read spoken unto you that in me he said you might have peace in the world you're gonna have tribulation but be of good cheer for I have I have overcome the world in our text quickly tonight we've seen where the Bible said there was individuals who had to run their race in sheepskin and in goatskin this helped me to understand that faith is not primarily receiving from God what you want but is accepting from God what God allows and what God gives everybody has to suffer in the text you notice it says some had to go about his sheep skin some went about in goat skin sheep skin they were white go skin they were black it doesn't matter whether you black a white you're gonna go through something in this life I said suffering is at the heart of the Christian experience Church suffering is woven into the fabric of our being we have to go through many perplexities and pain about friend right stop by to tell you you don't have to trouble trouble for trouble to trouble you everybody gonna go through something that's why job said man that is born of a woman is of a few days and full of troubles that's why don't you ever wish to be somebody else you just thank God for who you are that's why I can't sing the song I wish I was a little bit taller wish I was a ball I wish I had a girl who looked good I would call her wish I had a rabbit in the Hat with a bat wish I had a six-foot Impala I can't sing that because everybody gotta go through something Paul said it like this Paul says either you have you are or you will suffer he said in Acts chapter 14 Paul said having gone through Lystra and Iconium and Antioch he said confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith that we through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God at the end Paul told Timothy 2nd Timothy 3 and verse number 12 he say ye all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution I say you gotta go through something in this life one person got a promotion and you were passed over your friend that you helped out when nobody else would now they're your foe and your secrets that you told them are not secret anymore find your child that you're raised and spent all that time with now the child is trying to tell you now they turn on you your feels are high your paycheck is low your friends are slow your family says no and that sorry man he got to go your spiritual growth comes to a grind others are moving forward but you seem stagnant you don't bother nobody you try to treat everybody the same but every time you turn your back somebody criticizing your name I said you don't have to trouble trouble but trouble to trouble you search just because we experience suffering as we await the redemption of our body it doesn't mean that our suffering is without purpose and neither does it mean that the Scriptures that not tell us in regards to some things about our suffering you see Church there are five biblical truths about suffering that you and I need to understand in the Church of Christ we need a theology of suffering what happens when God's purpose brings your pain what happens Church when you're doing right I checked but still you got to go through pain I want you to understand if you got God on your side you can get through what you're going through you can't get through a church it doesn't matter what it is I need to tell you quickly let me just drop off my points first of all suffering is multifaceted the Bible first of all tells us that you're going to suffer in many ways suffering has many faces the Bible does not minimize our experience of suffering by saying that is the same what how did you understand church you got to understand that suffering is multifaceted the Apostle Paul did say in 2nd Corinthians 4 and verse number 8 that we were troubled on every side he said yet not distressed we are perplexed but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken we're cast down but not destroyed he's saying we are flicked in in every way but I'm not crushed I'm perplexed but I'm not driven to despair I'm persecuted but I'm not forsaken I'm cast down but I'm not destroyed Paul is saying you're gonna suffer in many ways mentally physically emotionally and spiritually each of us there are different ways that we got to suffer we gotta go to all type the thing you see suffering is a problem and a problem church thank God is nothing but a platform on which God desires to show how wonderful and he can't perform our Lord you know church I would Lord he never performed a miracle that did not begin at a platform of a problem if you never had a problem you will never see the power of God in your life you remember at the Canaan of Galilee there was a problem they had ran out of wine and therefore Jesus was able to do a miracle come with me now on the backside of a desert cheese has been teaching about 5000 y'all remember now they were hungry and they wanted to send him away on the backside of a desert out of a mountain can you imagine Church Jesus looking at the crowd the disciples they got worried said Lord how we gonna feed all these people we're out here all by ourselves a there is no Arby's be there is no Boston Market see there's no Cracker Barrel tea there's no Dennis II know Einstein bagel if there's no five guys gee there's no Golden Corral H there is no Hardee's I know I hop J no Joe Crab Shack a no KFC L there is no Lenny's M there is no McDonald's in no noodles and company oh no I love God and y'all ain't gonna help me here P no Papa dozle Popeye's Chicken cute no Quiznos are no Red Lobster yes no snake is sexy no TGI Friday you know uno Chicago style pizza V no village in W no Waffle House X no Panda Express Y no York steak house Z and no Zaxby's but Jesus took a little boy luncheon and church who loved fish and and about five hunters said everybody took up twelve baskets of leftovers I tell you your problem is nothing but a plaque but Jesus to perform and that I need to tell you quickly i suffering bring I said suffering will bring people people together suffering happens in community Christians still suffer I want you to know Church we suffer and therefore we got to learn to be there for one another you're gonna suffer witness suffering does what suffering does Church it either corrects us i when you're wrong I said God I will allow problems to correct you my god will allow problems to come when you're right I to help you to keep doing right like job I'll to perfect us neither correct us or perfect us and then sometimes I you know you surround yourself with folk but sometimes you need problems aren't to protect you because you don't know who your friends are until you go through something I mean everybody's on your side as long as you got money every thing is alright as long as you set them up Joe and you can pay everybody's tab but as soon as you get to the point where where you are down the same folk that you thought would be with you folk you thought were your Road those folk you thought would be I with you till the end those individuals you thought really had your back you got to go through something to know who's really on your side I want you to know problems problem will come to correct us perfect us protect us but then also problems come to connect us I said problems I will bring it will bring us together I had experience very similar on to dr. Washington at one time I was flying from Chicago Illinois over the Chevie I chased Maryland and I was running a late and the city at the time it was that faith-based initiative and they asked me if I would as a representative Rockford I'm gonna go over to Chevy Chase where they had a workshop fun for the cities I'm involved how we can get monies and they want me to bring the ideas from the workshop and the meeting back until the officials there in Rockford is very interesting I appreciate the provision with but they made the reservation and one thing I don't like church I don't like to sit in the in the middle seat I like to sit on the aisle I know I like to get on a plane and said I only out I just make me feel comfortable that if something happened I just feel like I can just jump aside odo it's just something I just like to sit I like to sit on the aisle well he made the reservation and and he put me right out in the in the middle seat in out between these two white ladies and and church it was interesting I was nice I you know I say excuse me when I sat down I said my prayers like I usually do buckled up and and church I've noticed Walter they were leaning away from me it didn't make me no never mind I had both of the armrests so I just said you know I just I just appreciate I have the fact didn't bother me he said I don't let other folk problem become my problem you know I rested good I mean I was real relaxed and it was interesting we got up and on our way I'm flying from Chicago over to Cherry Chase Maryland on that plane hit some turbulence it's very interesting a very similar story doctor Washington tells I would do the same thing I'm telling you Church I'm telling you the truth and that plane that plane just dropped ain't nothing like we or the plane and that plane just drops by all of a sudden and it was interesting both of those white women grabbed my arm as we were flying you know it's amazing I said before the trouble they didn't want nothing to do with me but in the trouble both of them grabbed and I said troubles will bring us together at church I want you to notice at night not that we need each other I said the church are we need each other we ought not to be a loose band of a Church of lone strangers I said we need each other Paul said it like this in Galatians 6:2 we're out of bear one another's burdens Bible help us understand the church there's meant to be a refuge for those who are suffering where the members hurt by the church or to apply the bandages when a member is down the church ought to provide the encouragement when a member is in need is a church or to come alongside and help out that's why in the Hebrew that beautiful letter of Hebrews how beautiful is written out the Hebrew writer keeps telling us we need one another he said it Hebrews for one let us fear lest the promise and the coming comes short Hebrews chapter 4 verse 11 let us give diligence to enter into the veil before verse 14 let us hold fast our conviction chapter 4 verse number 16 let us draw near with boldness to the throne of God hebrews chapter 6 in verse number 1 let us go on to perfection hebrews chapter 10 and verse number 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance hebrews chapter 10 and verse number 23 let us hold fast the profession of our faith Hebrews chapter 10 and verse number 24 let us consider one another to provoke to love and the good works hebrews chapter 12 in verse number one let us run with patience the race that is set before us hebrews chapter 12 in verse number six let us lay aside every weight and the sin with those so easily beset us hebrews chapter 12 in verse number 26 let us have grace whereby we can offer serve as well please in the guard Hebrews 13 13 let us go forth unto him without the gate bearing the reproach hebrews chapter 13 verse number 15 let us offer the sacrifice of praise i stop by tonight to tell you we need one another and church you got to understand and as we seek peace tonight peace is not the absence of problems peace is not the absence of troubles but peace is the presence of god i say when you got God even in the midst of your storm God can give you a peace that passes all understanding and then church I don't have time but suffering equips us for ministry don't have time some good points to there but I don't have time tonight but church you gotta go through something either those in the Old Testament they wandered about his sheep skin and goat skin you know church every now and then we gotta go through something if Jobe had never gone through he would never have known that God as a restorer if Lazarus had not been dead he wouldn't have known the Lord as a resurrection and the live if Mary and Martha had not gone through something they would have never known that Jesus can't put a family back together I stopped by to tell you he doesn't shield us from life's hurt and pain but Church I'm glad he won't leave us I'm glad he won't fail us I'm glad he won't forsake us if you never felt pain you will never know that he's a healer if you never had a trial you will never know that he can help you to overcome if you never felt sadness you will never know that he can comfort you if you never made a mistake you will never know that he can't forgive you if you never been in trouble you will never know that he can rescue you if you never been broken you will never know that God can make your whole again if you never had a problem you wouldn't know that he can solve it if you never suffered you didn't know that he's a friend that I walk you through your troubles if you never had a fire you will never know how he purifies if you never had to give up anything you never appreciate him can give you double for your trouble if you never had to be corrected you will never know how much he loved you if you can make it by yourself you will never know how wonderful it is to depend on him Church I stopped by to tell you God is an awesome God even in the midst of our troubles and troubles I got close I got a close thank you five minutes five minutes suffering is a battleground wherever there is suffering there is a battle for the soul the book of Job shows us that there are two ways we can respond to our suffering one either suffer one wing and mr. curse guard because of our suffering and the other is to praise God even in the midst of our trials I'm glad that job got to the point when his wife said curse God and die he said warming you speak as a foolish woman you got to understand the same God that gives here's the same God that takes away he said naked came my mother's womb and naked I shall return the Lord gives and the Lord takes away blessed be the name of the Lord job said though is slavery yet well I trust them all the days of my appointed time I'm gonna wait I'm gonna wait until my change come I know my change is gonna come I just need to wait it doesn't matter what you're going through the night I just wait God is a mighty good God if God can watch over them my church he can watch over us tonight if he could keep Noah through a flood feed Elijah when Ravens put meal in a battle barrel and all in a cruise if he can put life in the boy of a widow keep three Hebrew boys safe in a fiery furnace secure Daniel in a lion's den fit Israel I searched in the wilderness slay Goliath for David commander well to swallow Jonah take care of the disciples on a stormy sea part of Red Sea and with a gust Irwin and Anna shoot and walk across on dry land if God can feat for defeat four hundred prophets of Balaam come on Carmel if God can raise Lazarus from the dead walk on water feed 5000 with a little boy's lunch turn a family funeral into a family reunion I think God can't take care of us Church we need to learn to stick together tonight the Church of Christ must come together tonight we got to be unified on the doctrine and stand together because church all of us are in this thing together we got to learn Church it's not about me and not about you but it's all about him who died on Calvary's cross he is with us he wants to make sure trust that the church his bride remains pure he's coming back for that church not just any church but there's only one church that is coming back for and that trash is the Church of Christ I'm closing I'm closing I'm closing my church I said we're in this together but we got to be mindful of this there's no long strangers no long ranges we're in this together and what affects one affects all the story stolen I'm closing the stories told way out on a distant fall a farmer lived with his wife and one day they had a problem because there was a mouse that got in in the house so therefore other the farmer decided that he was going to buy a mousetrap put the mousetrap out and the mouse came out one day and he looked and he saw the trap and so the mouse was concerned and so the mouse ran out the house and he went to the chicken coop but he told the chicken he said to the chicken he's I need to tell you something we got a problem he said what's the problem he said there's a mousetrap in the house the chicken looked at him and said what do I have to do with me I don't go in the house don't bother me so he just kept on scratching looking for words the mouse couldn't get anywhere with the chickens so he ran out in the field ran till the cow's head cow mr. cow was kind of need to talk to you mr. cow I need to talk to you what's what's the problem there there's a mousetrap in the house the cow looked at him turned his head around stuck his head back through the fence to start eating the grass the pole my house just couldn't get anywhere so he shaking his head the mouse just went back to the house well what happened was that night miss farmer she would get up earlier to make breakfast and then she got up early that particular morning she heard before she turned on the light she heard the mouse trap go off thinking that she caught that mouse that pesky Mouse she turned the light on but she was too close the mousetrap had caught the tail of a poisonous snake and it bit miss farmer she was sick and she couldn't get any better and so the farmer said I know what I'll do it in order for my wife to feel better why because trying to get us a medical help would take too long I'm gonna make us some fresh chicken soup the chicken lost his life like a few days hook condition get worse then eventually miss farmer died the word got out all over the country miss miss farmer has died it's over sir farmer recognized that people will be coming from all over and he began to think how in the world can I feed all these people he said I'm gonna have to go and kill a cow to feed everybody I just stopped by here to tell the Church of Christ that if a problem is going on in one congregation don't you think it won't affect yours if there's a mousetrap in one we all are affected whatever we're going through whether is sheep skin a goat skin one thing please remember we're all in this together [Applause]

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Length: 27min 53sec (1673 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 02 2018