GYCSE 2015: Here We Stand

Plenary

Taj Pacleb

GYC Southeast

A Life That Could Have Been pt 2: The Weakness of the Weakest

Thank you so much, dear Lord, for the Sabbath that is upon us.

Thank you for bringing us safely through another week, for helping us with our school and our studying and our tests.

And thank you, Lord, for giving us this sanctuary in time, for us to come apart, to rest.

And we ask, Lord, that you remove every earthly thought, every worldly care, that you would shut us into your presence, and that you'd give to us a fresh revelation of Jesus tonight.

Please fill this room with the power of your spirit, Lord.

Speak to us in a personal and intimate way and give us spiritual ears to hear what you would have us to hear this evening.

And bless us, Lord, as we contemplate what it means to stand firm in the final hours of this world's history in these last days.

So please bless us now as we open your holy word.

Our message tonight is part 2 of last night's presentation.

It's entitled A Life That Could Have Been.

We introduced the fact that, according to our theme, here we stand, that in order for us to stand firm in these last days When the winds of strife and trouble are blowing upon the world that we need Supernatural and spiritual strength and stability to make it in the last days This past Wednesday evening we had a message entitled, Who Shall Be Able to Stand?

And we learned that nothing matters except that question in the last days.

There's gonna be a group of people described in Revelation that are going to be running and seeking to hide from the face of Jesus.

But in contrast to those who are falling, there's a description of a group of people who are standing firm.

They're able to look into the face of God without any fear.

And we learned that in order to be amongst that group, we must be spiritually strong.

And so last night in our second message, we talked about the strongest man in the Bible.

And we learned that there are 2 specific things that made him strong.

And for those who were here last night, you remember that the 2 things that made Samson strong was number 1, Samson understood his identity.

In other words, the existence of Samson was called forth by the prophetic word.

And we learned that that's the same with us.

The secret of our strength is when we understand who we are in Christ, not only as individual children of God, but also as a corporate church to recognize that we have a prophetic identity, that there's something special that God has called us to do that no 1 else has done and is doing in these last days.

And that was the second thing, the purpose, our identity and our purpose.

Satan is working overtime to cause us to forget these things because when we forget them it neutralizes our spiritual strength.

And so those were the 2 things that made Samson strong.

But we also learned that the strongest man in the Bible also happened to be the weakest man in the Bible.

What made him strong was he understood his identity and purpose.

And we're going to see tonight that there were certain things that made Samson weak.

And so with that introduction, that foundation, let's open our Bible to the book of Judges.

And we're gonna go to the 15th chapter, Judges chapter 15.

And I want you to notice what the Bible says here.

In fact, we're gonna go to chapter 13 first.

And I want you to notice the verse that we left off last night in Judges chapter 13 beginning with verse 25.

If you're there and if you're ready to study the Bible would you please Let me know by saying amen.

The Bible says here in Judges 13, 25, it says, and the Spirit of the Lord began to move Samson at times in the camp of Dan between Zor and Eshto.

It says the Spirit of the Lord began to move him what?

Which reveals to us that even though Samson was so strong in his identity and purpose at first, that the Spirit of God was with him, it tells us that he was moved only at times, which implies that at other times he was not moved by the Holy Spirit.

In other words, this expression, moved at times, indicates that Samson was struggling.

At other times he was moved by his own flesh.

At times he was on fire for the Lord, but at other times he was living for himself.

His life is characterized as what I call roller coaster religion.

Spiritual heights of victory, followed by satanic lows of defeat.

In other words, his walk was like many of our walks today.

Inconsistent, unstable, wavering and fluctuating and vacillating and ever-changing.

And I'm wondering if you can relate with that tonight.

Friends, do you find yourself moved by the Spirit of God at times.

Some days you're spiritually focused, but other days you're distracted by the world.

Some days you're on fire for the Lord, but other times you are concerned more about what other people think about you and you live to guard your reputation.

Sometimes you find yourself moved by the message, at other times you're bored in church.

It was a lukewarm condition, a double-minded condition.

Half-hearted, though Samson was strong, he had some major weaknesses, and we're going to look at that, his weaknesses tonight.

We're gonna see that it was the weaknesses of Samson that was neutralizing his strength.

And we're going to discover that the same things that made Samson weak is what makes many of us weak in our walk with the Lord today.

Samson had 1 main internal problem and this 1 main internal problem was revealed by 5 major external symptoms.

And so what we're gonna do tonight is we're going to look at the 5 external symptoms that reveals to us the main internal problem of Samson.

And I hope you brought something to write with.

If not, you can ask the Spirit to write it in your mind.

But notice Samson's 5 external problems were these.

Number 1, he had a problem with his feet.

Number 2, he had a problem with his eyes.

His feet, his ears, his eyes, his hands, and his mouth.

Symptom number 1, Samson did not keep his feet from treading on enemy territory.

You see, when you study the life of Samson and we don't have the time to read all the chapters of his life But you'll notice that in the Bible narrative Samson was constantly treading on dangerous ground we find Samson Frequenting the Philistine territories of Timna and Gaza and Sorek He was flirting with the enemy Dancing with the devil because he thought that he could freely walk amongst the enemy without being contaminated by the enemy's influence.

And that was his first symptom, problem controlling his feet.

He was attracted to the enemy's territory.

He thought that he could stand in the midst of the wickedness around him.

But friends, there is a universal law that none of us can escape from, and that law is simply this, that by beholding, do you know the rest?

Whatever we look upon, think about, converse upon, we become just like that.

Our parents used to say, birds of the same feather flock together.

Just like the Jamaicans, they say, if you lie down with dogs, you'll rise up with fleas.

And that's the reason why I notice what the Bible says in the book of Proverbs chapter 4, verses 14 through 16.

It says, enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.

Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away, for they sleep not except they have done some mischief and their sleep is taken away unless they cause some to fall.

The Bible, friends, warns us over and over again to be careful little feet where you go, to choose our companions and our associates wisely and to avoid the enemy's territory.

It says right here in the book of Proverbs 13, verse 20, he that walks with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of Fools shall be destroyed.

And then in Psalms chapter 1 and verse 1 it says, Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.

A Life That Could Have Been pt 1: The Strength of the Strongest

Thank you so much, Lord, for allowing us to gather together in this place tonight to consider things that angels find intriguing, to consider things that will make a difference in our lives for eternity.

And Father, we realize and recognize that your word is a spiritual book and spiritual things are spiritually discerned.

So we ask dear Lord that you'd please bless us with the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit in this room, that you'd fill our hearts, that you'd fill our minds, that you'd speak to us in a personal and intimate way, and that you'll give us ears to hear what the Spirit has to say to us tonight.

Bless us, speak to us, inspire us, motivate us, and challenge us to live a life of purpose, a life for the Lord Jesus.

This is our prayer in Christ's name, amen.

Our message tonight, A Life That Could Have Been.

I wanna begin by sharing with you the true story of Captain America.

This is not the fictional Marvel's version, but this is the true version.

Captain Alan Jones, Captain America, he is known on the internet.

He died not long ago, but he's 1 that was born in the state of Virginia.

He was a promising child that had a bright future ahead of him.

But when he was 5 years of age, he was struck with polio, a disease, a disorder that can leave a person disabled and immobile and brings muscle weakness.

But despite this disability, Alan would not allow this to stop him from doing amazing things in his life.

He later became a captain in the United States Marine Corps.

He also earned the title of being the fittest man on earth and he held the world record for the most amount of sit-ups continuous sit-ups and how many of you like to guess how many how much that was the most amount of sit-ups continuous sit-ups 500 not even close.

How many of you can do a thousand sit-ups?

I want you to notice in a 15-month period, Captain Alan Jones accomplished what is arguably the most astonishing array of physical achievements in history.

Here's what he did in a 15 month period number 1 He lifted a 75 pound barbell over his head at 1600 times in just 19 hours He made 3800 basketball free throws in 12 hours with a 96% hit rate.

He swam 500 miles in 11 days down a river to the ocean, skip rope 43, 000 times in just 5 hours, skip rope 100, 000 times in 23 hours, swam 68 miles in a swimming pool without a sleeping break, swam a half a mile in 0 degrees Celsius water without a wetsuit, which is amazing, and he performed 51, 000 sit-ups in 76 hours.

And to top it all off, this man, who is known as the fittest man on earth I have to just throw this in he's also a vegetarian He gets all of his protein from the same place that the strongest animals in the world get their protein like animals like elephants and gorillas, a plant-based diet.

Now, how many of you think that that's pretty amazing?

How many of you think you can come close to doing at least 1 thing on this list?

Oh, friends, No matter how physically strong we are, we have nothing to boast about.

I want us to know what the Bible calls and how the Bible defines what true strength is.

Turn with me to the book of Isaiah chapter 40.

Isaiah chapter 40, our message entitled A Life That Should Have Been, A Life That Could Have Been.

We're going to the book of Isaiah chapter 40 where we read a very powerful and beautiful promise.

It says right here in Isaiah chapter 40, beginning with verse 30, and if you're there, would you please say amen?

It says, even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.

Even though we might be strong physically, Bible tells us that human strength is finite and limited.

So even though we might be strong physically, human power has limits.

But notice the promise of power that God gives us in the next verse.

It says, but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

They shall mount up with wings like eagles.

The Bible tells us that when we wait upon the Lord, he will make us a people of power.

And we might not get big muscles and be strong like Captain America, but God will give us a faith that cannot be shaken and a purpose that cannot be moved.

And my friends, in these last days, we need such a faith in order to endure the testing times that are coming our way, like we talked about last night.

The winds of strife are beginning to blow and they're going to just get stronger and stronger and more and more intense and only those who are strong in Faith only those who have this resolute determination to stand for Christ Will make it through that testing time.

And so what does it mean to wait upon the Lord?

Tonight I want to share with you as well as tomorrow night, the story of the strongest, but also the weakest man in the Bible.

A life that could have been, should have been, and would have been great, but unfortunately it was not.

It's a very familiar character in the Bible, who we're talking about tonight.

We're talking about Samson, who is the strongest, but also the weakest man in the Bible.

But before we do that, take your Bible and go with me to the book of Judges chapter 13.

Judges chapter 13, and as you're turning there, allow me to give you the context of this story.

This story takes us back to a time when Israel was setting down in the promised land The 40 years of wandering were finished and God's promise was fulfilled Israel had entered into the land of promise Canaan the land flowing with milk and honey But there was still a work to be done when they entered into the land.

God told Moses to tell the people that when they enter into the land of promise, that they had to utterly drive out the squatters of the land, all the inhabitants, these wicked idolaters.

If not, these people would end up becoming a snare and a stumbling block to the people of God.

And so even though they landed in Canaan, there was still a work to be done.

But notice, instead of driving out the wicked inhabitants of the land, notice what Judges 1 and verse 28 says that they did.

It came to pass that when Israel was what?

That they put the Canaanites to tribute and did not utterly drive them out.

At the height of their strength, they demonstrated spiritual weakness.

Upon their settlement in Canaan, the tribes of Israel failed in completing the conquest of the land.

They became comfortable in the reality that they were in Canaan.

And as a result, they become complacent in spirituality.

They thought to themselves, you know, the territory is already gained, and so why not benefit from the people of the land by taxing them.

And so they did not utterly drive them out.

They failed short of perfect obedience to God and this decision to try to gain and benefit from the enemy would lead to their ruin.

Bible tells us that these people ended up becoming stumbling blocks, a thorn in their side, the Bible says.

And as we think about the history of the Israelites in entering into the land of Canaan, many times we have made the exact same mistake.

Sometimes we think that we can trifle with sin and benefit from what sin offers to us, but my friends, we cannot play or negotiate with the enemy.

If we're planning on landing in the heavenly Canaan, we must allow the Lord to utterly drive out the enemy from our lives.

But God is calling us to allow him to do it for us.

We are all born on a battlefield and we must make a decision which side we're going to be on.

But the Bible tells us that no man can serve 2 masters and that God does nothing in partnership with the devil.

But Israel allowed the remnant of these idolatrous nations to remain in the land, and as a result, as I mentioned, they ended up being pricks in their eyes and thorns in their sides, and that's what introduces the time of the judges.

And when you read the whole book of Judges, when you do a study on it, it's like a rollercoaster of faithfulness and apostasy.

Spiritual heights of victory followed by satanic lows of painful defeat.

The Bible tells us in Judges 2, verse 10, that there arose another generation after them which knew not the Lord, and they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers.

And then it describes that generation, it says that every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Morality became relative and everyone simply walked after their own desires, their own what they thought was right to themselves.

It's a fit description of the world that we live in today when morality is relative, that everything is relative.

What's wrong for you may not be wrong for me.

What's right for you may not be right for me.

That's the mindset of our postmodern world.

As a result, it affected the church back in these times.

Up and down, back and forth, in and out, a roller coaster of apostasy.

That's what the entire book of Judges is about, and maybe, just maybe, we can relate with that tonight.

Rollercoaster religion, spiritual heights of victory and spiritual lows of defeat.

Who Shall Be Able to Stand?

Father in heaven, we thank you so much for this gathering this evening.

And Lord, we recognize that without your Holy Spirit, this meeting is in vain.

And so we ask that the power of your Spirit would fill this room, that you'd fill our hearts, that you'd speak to us in a personal and intimate way, that you'd captivate our minds tonight, that you'd convict our hearts, and that you'd help us to sense the urgency of the hour in which we live, that tonight we would see our need of Jesus and our need of a closer, deeper, and more intimate relationship with Him.

Father, I pray that you'd please put your words in my mouth, speak to me and through me, to the hearts of all of us gathered this evening.

And I pray, Lord, that at the end of this presentation, we would be better prepared for your coming as a result.

I hope you brought your Bibles tonight, and if you did, I invite you to take it and open with me to the book of Revelation.

Revelation, we're going to go to the sixth chapter as we begin our Bible study tonight, a short study.

In the sixth chapter of Revelation, we find a very urgent and solemn question that's asked in the last days.

A question of awful solemnity, a question in which we must know the answer to in order to be ready and to make it in these last days.

So what we want to do tonight in this opening presentation is basically laying the foundation for the remainder of the messages for this upcoming weekend.

And tonight we want to ask this question and the rest of the weekend we'll spend some time studying and examining how the Bible answers this urgent and solemn question.

But first I want us to notice the context in which this question is asked.

So we're in Revelation chapter 6 beginning with verse 14 and if you're there and if you're ready to study the Bible tonight, would you let me know by saying amen?

The Bible says in Revelation 6 verse 14 and the heavens departed as a squirrel when it is wrote together and every mountain and island were moved out of their places and the kings of the earth and the Great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the mighty men and every bond men and every free men did what?

They hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and they said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne." Here in these solemn words of scripture, we find a very dramatic description of the second coming of Jesus.

The Bible says that when the Lord comes, the heaven is going to split and the earth is going to be shaken.

And then it describes a group of people from every different walk of life, rich and poor, free and bond, those in leadership and those who are followers from every walk of life, but yet they all have 1 thing in common, and that is that when they see Jesus coming in the clouds, they're running and hiding from his face.

The Bible tells us in verse 16, They cry to the mountains and rocks hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne and from the wrath of the what does it say?

Not the wrath of the lion, but the wrath of the lamb.

Here we find Jesus is described sitting upon the throne as not a lion, but a lamb, a lamb, very different from a lion, because it reveals the nature of this king sitting on the throne.

And that is that he's not just the royal lion, but he's also the meek and lowly lamb.

He conquers not by military power, but he conquers by the power of love.

He is the lamb sitting upon the throne, and when he comes, this group of people are afraid of the lamb.

And they would rather be crushed by a rock than to see the rock of ages.

They would rather be pulverized by a boulder than to see the prince of peace.

And on this great dreadful day, A question of desperation rings from their lips in verse 17.

For the great day of his wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand?

And friends, I want to share with this young people that on this great day of reckoning, nothing else will matter except the answer to that question.

That which seems so important to us in the here and in the now, will fade into eternal insignificance on this day.

The only thing that will matter is are we standing, are we ready for this day?

It does not matter how much money we have or don't have.

Jobs and possessions, positions and popularity and prestige, none of these things will make a difference.

Degrees and education, these things will not make a difference in light of eternity.

The only thing that will make a difference is are we ready to stand on this day?

Revelation 6 verse 17 ends with the question, who shall be able to stand?

And then when you follow the context into the next chapter, chapter 7, the Bible spends time answering that question.

And time is not gonna permit us to do an extensive study on Revelation 7, but just allow me to summarize what it's talking about.

In Revelation chapter 6, the question is, who shall be able to stand?

Back to Menu

All Teachings

A Life That Could Have Been pt 2: The Weakness of the Weakest

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A Life That Could Have Been pt 1: The Strength of the Strongest

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Who Shall Be Able to Stand?

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