<p>When the way forward seems impossible.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Hendersonville Seventh-day Adventist Church, NC

David Wright

Following God... to a Dead End

Well, this morning I ask you, have you ever been in a predicament?

I know it's a big word, especially for this southern boy.

My wife says I don't say it right, because I like to say pur-dick-er-ment.

A jam, a rut, in a pickle, in a tight spot between a rock and a hard place, up a tree, up a creek without a paddle, in hot water, in over your head, in the soup, in the red, in the doghouse I can't say these without a southern accent in the hot seat, hard-pressed, have you ever been in a real, I'm sorry Elizabeth, purr-dickerment?

From what I am told, he's my, well, I know this part for sure, he's my dad's mother's dad, great-grandpa Orville.

Born in 1900, so we could always keep track of how old he was.

And back when he was about, I don't know, 17, 18, he'd go out on the range with the cattle for weeks, sometimes months at a time.

And we'd hear all kinds of stories, primarily from my grandmother, his daughter, about how he would be out there alone in the Wild West with these animals and wild animals, and he just had to survive.

But there was also the fighting of just sheer boredom.

Because what do you do all day out there with the cattle?

Well, 1 of the things he liked to do was he got pretty good at a whip.

And so, as any young boy wants to do, he wants to be known for something, and so he'd practice that whip over and over and over, and he'd find some little flower or some little thing in the grass, and he'd try until eventually he could pop the head right off of a lot of things.

I've been told, I didn't ever get to witness it, but that he could pop a fly off a cow and the cow wouldn't even move.

And how do you stay warm out there in the prairie?

It's kind of like peat, I suppose, in Ireland and some of these other things.

But you dig a hole first and you build your fire in this small hole, and when it's time to go to bed, you cover it up with just enough dirt and you sleep right on top and stay warm.

Well, on this particular occasion, he was in town getting a few supplies, and there was a little ad that said, the circus was coming to town, And for anybody who could produce poisonous snakes, they'd get a nickel for every poisonous snake.

He says, man, I come across poisonous snakes all the time.

And he'd pick up the snake by the tail, typically, and he would do the same action he'd do with his whip, except this time, instead of cracking the whip, he'd just crack the end of that snake and break his neck, and that's it.

So he thought, well, I'll just start bagging these snakes.

I told this story to the pathfinders a few weeks ago.

So he's bagging these snakes and taking them around with him.

And eventually on his saddlebag, He's got a couple of these bags dangling around, and he's got a couple of snakes in there, 2, 3, and a couple more over here, and he's about ready to cash in, buddy.

He's already thinking about that new saddle or that new leather jacket or whatever it was.

I don't know, but he was just dreaming, I imagine, of cashing in.

But it was a particularly cold night, much like last night.

And somehow, someway, well I'll tell it to you this way.

He woke up in his bag feeling something snuggling up against his neck.

So very quickly this kind of went to this.

And then he felt as he started to move some movement down near his ankle and around his waist and it was just slow movements, but movements nonetheless.

Every 1 of his captured poisonous snakes was now sleeping with him in his bag.

At that moment, I don't think he was dreaming about the new whip.

And so he started to very carefully and delicately ease his way out until it kind of came to the breaking point and he started picking up rattlesnakes and popping their heads left and right and that was it.

Maybe that right now you find yourself in a predicament because of an unwise series of decisions, perhaps.

Maybe it's through no fault of your own, circumstances beyond your control.

Maybe you're dealing with a fallout of somebody else's failure or incompetence.

Maybe you have a child that's not walking with the Lord, And to say something seems like it's necessary, but to say the wrong thing at the wrong time could be detrimental, and you find yourself in the lurch.

Do you get into all the drama or do you stay out and keep your mouth shut?

Maybe it's relating to something at school or at home.

It might be something different entirely or it might be a mixture of all of the above.

Whatever it is, you find yourself squeezed into a tight space.

And perhaps the hardest part of all is that you don't see any good ways out.

In Exodus we find God's people in a predicament.

Exodus chapter 14, And you may recall as you're turning there, that God's people have been in bondage and slavery for the past some 400 years.

Yet more recently, the Lord has worked in miraculous ways through Moses and through these 10 plagues to bring this stubborn Pharaoh to the breaking point and finally to let his people, what?

And so we pick up the story, even though there's a lot there I understand, but we're picking up the story this morning in Exodus chapter 14 verse 5.

Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled.

But they're choosing to think that they fled.

And the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people and they said, why have we done this?

That we have let Israel go from serving us.

So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him.

Also he took 600 choice chariots, count them, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every 1 of them.

And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel and the children of Israel went out with boldness.

So the Egyptians pursued them and all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them, camping by the sea beside, and it gives you some words I'll allow you to pronounce.

Can you imagine 600 chariots and all this dust and everything just boiling up and the horses galloping and the roar and the thunder and the...

And so if you're in that situation, you hear this dull roar behind you, the desert, the wasteland is to the right of you, the mountains are straight ahead of you, and the sea is on your left." And they were terrified.

Yes, they were between a rock and a hard place.

They do what all human nature tends to love to do, blame your leader, right?

Verse 11, then they said to Moses, because there were no graves in Egypt you have taken us away to die in the wilderness Why have you done dealt with us to bring us out of Egypt Why have you so dealt with us to bring us out of Egypt.

Back to Menu

Following God... to a Dead End

Transcript

Description

Sponsor

Recorded

Related

Alan and Nicole Parker - Desires Of the Heart: God's Plan for Your Life

Waiting On God

38m

God’s Will My Way

37m

Joseph

Imprisoned and Forgotten

41m

Adam’s College Life

52m

The Three Angel's Messages

02 The Everlasting Gospel

1h 7m

Plenary

When Temptations Return

1h 18m

Get Up

45m

From Years to Weeks to Days

37m

The National Reform Movement & The Mark of the Beast

1h 3m

Keeping Focus

Keeping Focus Part 1

45m

But, Lord...

32m

Sound Doctrine