"Doing What You Can" Chaplain Barry Black

Lord send your healing for this we know there is a balm in Gilead hallelujah to heal the soul I want to speak this morning or this afternoon on the subject doing what you can doing what you can I want you to turn to a neighbor and say to him or her do what you can turn to another neighbor say to him or her do what you can one of the challenges of raising a child particularly a male child without an adult male role model in the home is that when the young men stand at the golden threshold of puberty and they are now taller than mama and their sisters it can be a very challenging season my mother was doing her best to rear my siblings and me but when I reach the ninth grade I said to my mother I'm a man now and I don't want to go to church school anymore my mother pleaded with me son please you know the sacrifices I make to ensure that you receive a Christian education and I said if you force me to continue in Christian schools I guarantee you I will flunk out I will deliberate bring home D's and F's and under that pressure my mother relented and I went the only year 9th grade that I went to Booker T junior high McCullough Street in Baltimore Maryland now you know when the prodigal leaves home he is up to no good and I went out with the wrong Pope even the worldly folk got worried about me you know well you know cuz you don't know what you're doing you know yeah you get in the club you're dancing you don't know how to talk you know they tell me you know this is a wonderful fellowship it's a fellowship what is your problem you know they started calling me church boy you know all right like Peter warming himself by the fire your speech betrays you I came home one evening and I'd come home one morning I'm 2 in the morning mother would asked when are you coming home I said I'm a man come on when I want to come home this is a man who had matriculated to church school eight more veggie-burger than anybody in here okay I'm a man it was anger about my absentee father really simmering rage about that and that's a part of the pathology of this separation individuation stage of development and came home after in in the club and I passed my mother's room we had three-story tenement and she was on her knees praying and she said lord I don't know where he is I don't know what he's doing Lord you know I'm doing the best I can save my child and I had so much anger and rage at my father I proud it as faster started but I stood there and listened to my mother's passionate prayer and felt nothing I went up to my bedroom I said that poor woman actually thinks that those prayers are going to do something I'm a man I do what I want to do come when I want to come I go when I want to go not too long after that gang fight I was literally lying in my own blood and I felt I can't say it was an audible voice but somebody said to me you want to live or do you want to die because your mother won't stop praying for you the choice is up to you as a song Mack the Knife that talks about a body losing life when you're bleeding that's what it feels like you can feel life leaving you and I told God I wanted to live I didn't just go back to church and go back to church school I ran back and I got the answer to the question that I asked in that hallway this woman really thinks her prayers are gonna do something those prayers on the candles prayers do anything God sent somebody here today who's going through a dark night of the soul somebody here who's facing insurmountable challenges to hear this simple word do what you can Matt fifteen the mother of a demon-possessed daughter comes to Jesus this woman is of a different race she's a syrophoenician woman and she comes to Jesus and she says Jesus thou son of David had pity on me they had some church folk there that said send her away she's too loud Jesus jumpin up and down and all you know we don't worship like that Jesus we just met we want dignified than that let everything be done decently and in order but before you begin to critique the way I worship you need to know a little something something about the burdens that I left that home because for some of us praise is the only thing that enables us to keep our sanity send her away Jesus she's not worshiping like a good seventh-day Adventist University dad that doesn't sound like a him to me Jesus send her away astonishingly Jesus doesn't even speak to the woman the Bible says in Matthew 15 and he answered her not alert Oh beloved it is one thing when God says yes it is one thing when God says no but what do you do when God says nothing have you learned how to deal with the silence of God Robert Ingersoll the noted agnostic at his brothers funeral his brother a former congressman and Ingersoll ended that cue REW eulogy with this peroration life is a narrow veil between the cold and barren peaks of to eternity z' we strive in vain to peer beyond its height we cry aloud and the only answer is the echo of our wailing cry what do you do when you cry out to God and the only answer is the echo of your wailing cry he answered her not a word but the Bible says in Matthew 15 she cried all the louder Jesus thou son of David have pity on me and then jesus said to his disciples you know he didn't go for it he's asking we decide what you all know I am only sent to the lost sheep of the household of Israel in other words is she an Adventist does she know about Ellen why isn't that make up I see on what wait a minute isn't that Blake already there you know he you know I'm sent to our people in other words there will be time for the Gentile there will be time for people of a different race Apostle Paul is going to be an apostle to the Gentiles we begin in Jerusalem we start at home we take care of our own the girlfriend said Jesus I was hoping you wouldn't force me to do this but since you ignoring me and since you're not even talking to me but I know you can speak because I can hear you speaking to your disciple you have forced me to praise you you have tossed me to worship you oh don't make me worship and she fell on her knees Isaiah chapter 22 verse 3 says our God inhabits the praises of his people I dare you to praise him when you lose your job I dare you to praise him when the doctor says we've done all we can I dare you to praise him when you don't have written I dare you to praise Him when you get a foreclosure notice the woman said you gonna make me praise him dawna demon-possessed as I probably was that was demonic but there is a power of the streets James 5:16 the effectual fervent prayers of the righteous avail much my mother's cries seem so feeble o Lord leave it there was an impotence to the price but I've lived long enough and prayed diligently enough to agree with Alfred Lord Tennyson more things are wrought by brass than this world dreams of was prayer in the home of Mary when Peter was in jail and these people were praying with limited faith we know that because when Peter knocked on the door and the servant wrote a went and and didn't him open the door ran back and said Peters out the door period they said girl you tripping and piano Peter at the door well that's what they were playing for we often pray with a commingling of belief and unbelief lord I believe help my unbelief what you got to do what you can because I have discovered that faith the size of a mustard seed that's all you need just a little mustard seed faith can move mountains when you do what you can this worse this woman started worshiping Jesus and then Jesus turned to her and he said something that would have ended it for me that jesus said it is not right for me to take the children's food and give it to the doll I got to be honest that would have ended the gamba say thank you gee I had a serious misapprehension see you don't want to be here I don't need to be talking to you anymore but something about the way he said something about the gleam in his eyes and the woman smiled in response to this ostensible insult the greek word for dog was puppy family pet and she said yes Lord I'm a dog but I'm your dog hallelujah to the lamb of God and even the puppies are permitted to eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's table she said in a sense Jesus I don't want to bother you I don't want to be in your way I know you had a messianic mission that's why I gave a messianic designation Bausch unabated that's a messianic designation I know you're only sent to your own people but I know what kind of power you have and I just want crumbs not me my daughter needs what you got find a way to bless me I'm not gonna stop praising you until you find a way to bless me you can be silent all you want to you can insult me all you want to but find a way to bless me with a smile on his face very seldom in the Bible cuz you don't surprise Jesus you know any time you can predict to Peter before the rooster crows twice you know you're not gonna surprise jesus said a woman great is your faith we got people with Treach a burger breast that don't have faith like that be it unto you even as you desire and the Bible says that woman daughter was healed from that very hour because her mother knew she had to do what she could Oh bless the name of Jesus and so in Mark's Gospel chapter 14 let's pick up at verse 3 while he was in Bethany speaking of Jesus reclining at the table in the home of Simon the leper actually the former leper because Simon had been healed a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume made of pure nard she broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head now number one a woman was not even supposed to be there uninvited unless she was doing some type of culinary thing they didn't want her around but here is this woman touching Jesus pouring perfume and it was very very valuable perfume it costs a year's wages this was an extravagant gesture some of those present Simon is the actual one one of the other Gospels let lets us know that we're saying indignantly to one another why this waste of perfume passage it doesn't take all that this is this is valuable money we don't need to be spending money like that yeah you know that yeah yeah more people that we need to be helping and you and you know getting a new sound system you getting all that we don't need all of that one of the primary persons who were saying that was the treasurer of the group help us Jesus Judas Iscariot and the Bible says he was a thief watch out when focus sounded off about what we ought not to be doing with the church's money I guarantee you if you check the tithes and offerings with and that's all I'm gonna say about that Russell they go on to say it could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money I can see that the sanctimony focuses oh this is so tough praise God hallelujah oh this is terrible and they rebuked her harshly next verse hallelujah leave her alone said Jesus you don't want to get Jesus upset but when you bother one of his children you get him upset when you dis one of his children you get him upset you see he looks at the heart he knows the motive he knows that a widows two mites is more than all of the big spenders who are given to impress leave her alone says Jesus why are you bothering her she has done a beautiful thing to me hallelujah the poor you will always have with you and you can help them anytime you want but you will not always have me and one of the Gospel says that Simon Says I thought Jesus was a prophet he's not a prophet if he was he would know what kind of woman is touching him my question to you Simon is how do you know what kind of woman is touching him desire they just said it was Simon who first led her into sin this was Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus and Mary had a history of molestation and sexual pathology and yet girlfriend with this checkered pass could sit at the feet remember when Martha was making the mac and cheese and the collard greens and the ackee okay I had to get that one in okay none of you get okay alright good get the breadfruit okay cheep-cheep Mary was that is he here is Mary with a checkered past of molestation and sexual pathology sitting for hours at the feet of absolute purity the personification of goodness without any feeling of intimidation any feeling of anxiety at all that's what the church ought to be church is not a museum of finished Christians it's a hospital for crippled and an empty we need the church Jesus then said she did what she could she poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial what are you talking about Lord James and John are trying to get cheap seats in a kingdom that is never going to happen because you are not the Lion of the tribe of Judah you are the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 the disciples are jockeying for positions in a temporal Kingdom only now Rey who repeatedly listen to your discourses that at your feet has the theological sophistication to know that you were born to die girlfriend said this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show him how much I love him so it's got to be extravagant have you ever wanted that show Jesus how much you loved him had you ever wanted to give him a once-in-a-lifetime demonstration of how much you loved him how extravagant is your love for him you can always tell love because love gives sacrificially there's some pain in love I read two days ago that a chasm between mediocrity and excellence is pain one of the reasons why many of us never Excel is because we stay with mediocrity and we will not bridge that chasm of pain our Blessed Lord gave until it hurt how much do you love me Jesus he stretched himself wide on Calvary he drove nails and his hands and feet she stuttered Kennedy speaking of how our indifference our pedestrian passion affects Jesus cried out in his poem when Jesus came to Birmingham he was referring to Birmingham England said when Jesus came to Golgotha they hang them on a tree they drove great nails through hands and feet and made a Calvary they pierced him with a crown of thorns red were his wounds and deep for those work rude and cruel days and human flesh was cheap when Jesus came to Birmingham they simply passed him by they would not harm a hair on him they merely watched him die four people had grown more tender and would never cause him pain they merely passed him on the street and left him in the rain still Jesus beside Father forgive them for they know not what they do and still it rained a wintry rain that drenched him through and through the crowd went home and left the streets without a soul to see while Jesus crouched against a wall and side for Calvary the indifference the pedestrian Christianity of contemporary humanity brings greater pain to the Son of the Living God than the nails driven through his hands on Golgotha Hebrews 6 6 says we crucified the Son of God afresh and bring him to open shame why is Mary the only one anointing his body for burial truly I tell you Jesus says wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world what she has done and Jesus never said this about anybody else no one else on the planet had Jesus ever said that what wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world what she has done she just did what she could what she has done will also be told in memory of her even at the Church of the oranges in 2016 they're going to be talking about this precociously it's a woman because she did what she could how did you do what you can God told me to tell you at church of the oranges first of all you need to cultivate a sensitivity to a heart of Jesus Christ you need to be interested in what Jesus is interested in you need to have a passion for what Jesus has a passion for and what is that Chaplin I'm glad you asked Matthew chapter 25 there are six questions that you should be able to give an affirmative response to six questions that should help you write your personal mission station six questions that should reside within the strategic plan of every Christian Church jesus said your questions did you feed the hungry did you give water to the thirsty Flint could use a little water right now mm-hmm huh did you clothe the naked did you did you tell people about the role of the righteousness of Jesus Christ that can cover their wretchedness did you remind them of Ephesians 2:8 and 9 it is by grace they are saved through faith and that not of themselves it is a gift from God not by works lest anyone should boast or did you make sad Venice people who think that if I can just eat enough vegetarian me I've got to make it in are you covering beneath it all of our righteousness is as filthy rags talk to me about your prison program Church of the oranges I was in prison did you visit me talk to me about your sick and shut-in program Church of the oranges how often do those who long to have communion how often do they have an opportunity to get that Church of the orange talk to me about how you reach out to the immigrants I was a stranger and you took me in talk to me about the Hispanic program that you are planning and that you're even practicing your Spanish to connect with our Latino brothers and sisters Padre nuestro que estas en los cielos santificado sea tu nombre are you ready touch of the oranges to give an affirmative response are you sensitive to the things that touch the heart of our Blessed Lord the second thing that God told me to tell you if you're going to do what you can is try the to serve she was bathing his feet that was the Greek says doulos the work of a slave that was the very thing the disciples didn't want to do in the upper room they were too proud to do it in John chapter 13 Jesus had to bathe their feet George Marshall the general of the army former Secretary of the state said it is amazing what you can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit you got some saints who won't do anything unless you put their name on a plaque the parrot Esther pastor didn't mention your he mentioned them he forgot my name at the last time I'll do anything good you know just unappreciated and that kind of thing on the devil is if you know what I put in it no you're not working for human beings hallelujah to the lamb of God you do what you can for Jesus Christ strive to serve I was selected as the first african-american professor at the Navy chaplain School in Newport Rhode Island my wife was very proud I was very proud children very proud we moved to Newport and when I got there the job had mysteriously gone away people were blushing and you know how people when they study anything well he well you know it's a complicated yeah yeah it really is it's a pigmentation thing when I'm at the barre Connolly at Compton I'm there I'm upset I'm tired I'd been it at C 75% of the time over the last three years all over Asia and Africa in different places and here I was getting this recognition and suddenly they're telling me it's gone away and the director of the school said but that chief of chaplains said anything anything else you want we'll give it to you but but he said this job has gone away and the Holy Spirit said to me ask to be a student in the program I said wait a minute Lord I said I got it I have two doctorates I mean I'm qualified this is unfair God said ask to be a student in the program you see life is three things a test a trust and a temporary assignment okay this was the testing phase okay many times before God elevates you he will give you a test to see if you're ready for elevation shows up after he interprets the dreams of the butler and the Baker he has to stay in jail 24 more months without murmuring or complaining before he becomes prime minister of Egypt I said okay Lord I said well I said there's only one way mr. director that they can rectify this injustice he said what is that anything you want there he took the Admiral said give you anything and when I said let me be a student in the program he said well we can't do that he says everybody knows you know it's all over the core that you were selected to be a professor if we let you be a student they gonna call cry racism they're gonna cry discrimination they go you know no no no no I said really what you think you think I said if I'm not qualified to do the job I like to expose myself to the drink you know once the Holy Ghost get you going you don't bad you just let me troll myself still the girl I ended up a student in the program modesty will not permit me to tell you who graduated number one in the class but I ended up you mentioned salvage inna university i ended up getting a master's in management from South a Regina University a Catholic University and when I interviewed for the job of the chaplain of the United States Senate more than a decade later ninety percent of the questions were about management and leadership I was God with loading my quiver with arrow so that I would be able to quote from he trained me to get me ready for something higher but you got to do what you can and you can't be afraid to serve even if I have to be a student if I can just help one somebody as I pass along then my living shall not be in vain and then three God told me to tell you if you're gonna do what you can expect it is opposition here's a woman giving something worth a year's wages I love and the hypocrites I don't mean I mean any harm Lord but this is this is not right no too many poor people in New Jersey for us to beat no no we need to minister to the poverty-stricken Norman but I know it makes you feel good lured by the waste expect our position David when he wanted to take on Goliath he had his brother for Samuel 17 I know the naughtiness of your heart who's gonna take care of those few sheep David said is there not a cause what have I done now expect opposition when you do what you can and don't just do what Saul wants you don't put on Saul's on us all around 6:11 David probably six six or six seven you you you and remember we talked about little David but David killed a lion and a bear with his van this is no lilliputian that you're talking to you look it up when you go all right hallelujah expect opposition our Blessed Lord headed for the cross I've learned that if you want perfume to lingos in a shop behind cologne that I want to what what the Lunt they said well they said you need with this base it's going to be they're expensive you know I'm talking $150 bottles and that kind of thing I said the devil is the lawyer but error one imagine imagine the lingering effect of that perfume hallelujah to the lamb Oh God standing before Pilate he's got his garment on but he can smell Mary's perfume all of his disciples have forsaken him and fled but he remembers that Mary knew Mary knows what I'm about he did what she could they said they'd put his clothes back on and even as he's on his way to Gaga before these soldiers will will wrestle for that garment of it is it the smell of that expensive nard from the alabaster bars encourages our Lord because she did what she could all my sisters and brothers when I face the challenges of my work they're people who want to know why don't you get discouraged Kaplan how come you always smiling it's because God does not expect me to do what I can't he expects me to do what I can to some II gave five talents to some he gave two talents to some he gave one talent and he's not going to expect from you more than he's given four to whom much is given much will be expected but I'm gonna do what I can let the winds blow let the storms rise I'm gonna keep on keepin on let there be pushback let folk say you might as well give up let Polk say your child is in the Pigpen but I'm still gonna do what I can and if when you give the best of your service telling the world that a savior has come don't be dismayed if people don't believe you he'll understand and he'll say well done if when you tried and you failed in your trying your hands saw and God from the look you've begun just take up your cross and run swiftly to meet him he'll understand and he'll say well done let me say one more thing pastor can I say just one more thing uh oh and I come to the end of my journey we're in a life and the battle is one bearing are said bearing up carrying the cross and the staff of redemption he'll understand and he'll say well Donna I want to hear my master say yeah well done well done good and faithful servant come on up a little higher you've been faithful over a few things I will make you ruler over many things inter now into the joys of your Lord because you did what you could put your hands together give him praise and glory in this place is he all right is he all right Oh bless His Holy Name I want everyone standing everyone standing worthy is the lamb worthy is the lamb I want to make an appeal to two groups of people I want to make an appeal to someone who must admit that like the disciples in our story you have played the hypocrite your backslider you've done things that have brought out what reproach upon the name of Christ and the accuser of the brothers and the sisters the devil like he did with me when I was in the far country reminding you of your transgression but today you want to come back to God you want to be restored to fellowship like the prodigal son you want to run back like I ran back you want to do what you can this is your day and your opportunity to do exactly that the second group I want to appeal to in some manner woman boy or girl who may already be a Christian or the light of God's Sabbath truth has come to you and you want to walk in that light you find it interesting that the one commandment that God says remember is the one that so many people are trying to forget you said after I've studied a little more I want to embrace the Sabbath truth I appeal to you to make that decision as the praise team sayings I invite you to back flattered needing to return a person who wants to walk in the additional light of God's Sabbath truth to step out of the aisle to come down give me your hand and give God your heart right now praise God hallelujah god bless you dear come to Jesus bless the name of Jesus of the sweet sweet period alleluia alleluia alleluia Wow oh do not pass me pass by the spring of all my comfort Wow a wonderful wonderful God I've lived long enough I can say he's more more than life to me he's hauling you today you know you need to be down here come to Jesus whom have I on earth beside these circular pipe yellow in heaven or a harpy every now and then you oughta just call him you ought to say I may need my tea to say drop what they're falling Oh bless His Holy Name Oh bless His Holy Name ha ha why on a hood you call me oh please no please don't please don't pass me by if you save you again he's mighty to save he saved from the gullible to the animal ah we're going to end this appeal we're going to end this appeal so Holy Spirit is said to me there at least three more people who should be down this aisle and you're not here someone said to me once chaplain why do you appeal like this I feel like this because when I was a young preacher in my 20s the last young man walked down the aisle to accept Jesus was murdered the following Tuesday I delivered the eulogy at his funeral it was not a sad generally with a glad funeral because he walked the aisle and died covered with the role of the righteousness of Jesus Christ is a young man coming down here right now praise God we're going to sing one more thing bless you brother you know you need to be down here I I appeal to you as a dying man to dine people Jesus is mighty to save or to come where the other two of you Wow you know who you are the day if you hear his voice harden not your heart or to ask me he saved you say to just softly and then it's over calling you where are you come to Jesus leave here free free from the shackles hallelujah hallelujah but that is that is the head in pray God I need you with it bless you where's that last one it is come on come on come on let's give God a hand prayed let's give God a hand praise let's give God a hand pray hey Bo hey yo hey yo oh we pass your holy name why don't you hear God praise God praise God come on praise the Lord heads about I want those who come forward to join hands with someone as a point of contact we called it touching and agreeing sweet Holy Spirit what a wonder you are you continue to convict the hearts of people and get them ready for your kingdom Lord even as we're praying if there's somebody else who wants to just slip out incognito and come in under the radar while there's still time and hope let them come thank you for this harvest of dear ones who decided today to do what they could they come just as they are without one plea for that your blood was shed for each and that you bid them not bury black you bid them come to me and they said today old Lamb of God I come I come now Lord I'm going to ask you to do something special for these dear ones I'm asking you dear God for a special anointing of your Holy Spirit on each person who has come forth today Oh Lord I know you give your Holy Spirit to each person who accepts you as Lord but you said in Luke 11:13 if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more is your whole is your heavenly father eager to give his Holy Spirit to those last and so we are asking for a special unction a special anointing on these dear world may this transformative day be so amazing that they will never be the same mated a be the beginning of a walk with you let will not in and may these dear ones walk with you one day in white and a land beyond Sun Moon and stars where the days no neither dawn nor darkness let it be dear Lord let it be in the matchless name of Jesus Christ our risen Lord and every blood bought soul said Amen every blood bought soul said praise the Lord every blood bought soul said hallelujah every blood bought soul said thank you Jesus Oh bless His Holy Name give God praise and glory in this way

Channel: Michael

Views: 2,655

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Keywords: United States Senate, #United States Senate Chaplain, #Chaplain Barry Black

Id: GDjNIeprfzU

Length: 52min 6sec (3126 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 13 2017