9-24-2022 West Palm Beach 7th Day BAPTIST Pastor Garfield “Keep On Keeping On” Exodus 17;8-16

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9-24-2022 West Palm Beach 7^th Day BAPTIST Pastor Garfield “Keep On Keeping On” Exodus 17;8-16

 

 

We are placed in each other’s lives to encourage each other. Encouragement is important. Whatever you are going thru we are saying keep on keeping on. Whether its pain or a disappointment in your life, keep on keeping on. Don’t get tired of doing that which is good. At the right time, you will reap a harvest of blessings if you don’t give up. We are saying keep on keeping on. Sometimes we are discouraged, tired and without confidence in our ability to change our circumstances. We must keep going. If God has placed something in our heart to do then we must just keep on keeping on. Don’t let negative words impact your progress. Just keep on keeping one.

 

The theme “keep on keeping on” gives the impression that you want to stop. The encouragement here is that you persist despite the obstacles that you are encountering. Be determined to do even better than what you have done before. When you are tired, it requires more of you to keep on going the distance. This is what keep on keeping on really means. It is the mental and spiritual determination to continue doing the best that you can. Our best is not good enough. It is not our best that will make the difference. It is our obedience to God. Many times the tasks we are given to do are not to be done alone but are part of a system. For the system to be successful, all parts must be working according to the expectation. Brothers and sisters it doesn’t matter how bad things look or how slow you are progressing, do not worry, it is not your race. No mater how messy things may look, never quit. It is not about your ability but your obedience.

 

In our text, the Israelites are encountering their first enemy. It is very important how Joshua responds and how Moses responds to the situation. The Amalekites were the grandsons of Essau and there was bad blood between them and Jacob’s grandchildren. The Amalekites were fierce enemies of the Israelites so they became the targets of our God. I want you to understand that when someone is your enemy then they become a target of God’s wrath. The angels of the Lord are encamped around us and our God will deliver us from all of our challenges. When someone is the focus of God’s wrath, my pity cannot help you. The Israelites were on their way to their place, the promised land of God. There are some folk here today that are waiting on the promise land that God has for us but we haven’t seen it materialize yet. The word is Yet. God has started a work in each of us and He will see it to the end.

 

In the text, Moses told Joshua to take an army and go fight the Amalekites. Joshua did not hesitate but went straight to battle. Moses said he would climb up on the mountain and hold out his hand with the rod. The Bible says as long as Moses’s hand was lifted up, the Israelites were victorious. The holding up of the hand with the rod was a priest’s posture of praying and interceding. Moses stood as a priest and he was interceding. Moses got weary holding his hand up and got tired. Help came to Moses by two men holding up his hand and standing on either side of him. I want you to understand a few things. First from the mountain place where Moses stood, he could see the battle. More importantly, Joshua could see Moses from where he was. This gave Joshua a great amount of encouragement. Joshua could see that he was not alone when he saw Moses with his hand and rod lifted up. There was a system at play here. This system can be found in church and in our families. It is one where the physical interacts with the spiritual. The head of this system is Love and the two main characters in our story are Moses and Joshua. They are loved by God and their responsibility is to let the Glory of God reach all ends of the earth. We, as Christians, are part of the system and we are to bring the Love of Christ to a world that is dying and dark.

 

Moses was a devout man who had respect and commitment to God. Joshua was a man of faith and he had deep confidence in God. Brothers and sisters whatever it is that God has called us to do, we must have deep confidence in God. God is with us today. Faith is the confidence in the result you are hoping for. Joshua was faithful, hopeful and confident in God. Joshua was determined that he had a role to play in the victory of Israel. Each one of us have a role to play in the victory of our family, community and church. Joshua was obedient, courageous and persistent. Persistence is pushing even when you don’t see anything moving. They were persistent and they won the battle because they were part of God’s system. We need to be obedient, courageous and persistent in doing what God has called us to do. Be obedient. Keep on keeping on and the result will come.

 

We must be devout like Moses was. Being devout is having a deep belief in God. This deep belief is that God is God and that God is Sovereign. There is none like Him. There is no one like God. This deep belief is that God is in charge of everything. This deep belief is that wherever I am, I know that God Is. With this deep belief, we have a respect for God that cannot be matched by anything. This respect for God is that whatever is happening to you, you are worshipful to Him. With Joshua the key word was hopeful. With Moses the key word was worshipful. While Joshua was hopeful in the battlefield with his obedience, courage and perseverance, Moses was loyal, caring and pious with his hand up to the Lord. Moses was pious and consistent in worship to God. We must have all of these qualities inside of us.

 

Keep on keeping on is not for just you and me but for the people who will come behind us. People like our grandchildren and future church family. Keep on keeping on is leaving a legacy for our children to have. Keep on keeping on needs to have deep confidence and faith in God Almighty. After the battle was won by the Israelites, God told Moses to write it down in a scroll to be remembered. God said He will completely blot out your enemies. Keep on keeping on because the victory is not ours but the Lord’s. Keep on keeping on because God has a plan. God is in control and God is always with us.

 

AMEN