Don't Draw Back Sun PM 11-3-96

Look, if you would tonight, as the juniors are coming back around, make sure you get yours back.

We don't want them uh out going to 7-Eleven or anything like that.

Hebrews chapter 10, if you'll turn there.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 10, Deuteronomy chapter 3.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention Deuteronomy 3 · chapter mention

I realize we've been here uh exactly an hour.

I'm watching the time to make sure you get out of here and uh have some family time tonight, Lord willing.

Hebrews chapter 10 and Deuteronomy chapter 3.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention Deuteronomy 3 · chapter mention

Everybody getting in, everybody getting settled good.

They did a great job, didn't they?

Amen.

Good to see them growing up and learning character building song.

And by the way, that's a good reason, if no other reasons.

Come to church on Wednesday night and bring your children and make sure they're in that group on a regular basis.

Hebrews chapter 10 and Deuteronomy chapter 3.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention Deuteronomy 3 · chapter mention

I want to give them just a couple of minutes to get in and uh want to emphasize now that coming up to the big day, we've asked that uh invite someone to the 1045 services two weeks from now.

Uh, make sure you remember your 15-minute daily prayer commitment for that uh for that day specifically.

Pray for Wally Davis.

He'll be our preacher that day.

And those of you who made commitments to our buses, our turkeys, our drivers, pray that money in and then make sure once it comes in, give it.

And uh make sure you make your commitments to where you're gonna serve that day.

If you can help us by planning on sitting in the overflow areas, unless you need to sit with a visitor.

And men, don't forget that chili cook-off, that's important.

And we hope that you'll do that.

Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

Looks like we're getting everybody in.

I want to give them just a couple minutes because I don't know about you, less distractions during preaching the better.

You say, well, then why don't they stop saying amen?

That's not a distraction, amen.

That's an encouragement to the preacher.

Unless somebody gets in the flesh, and then that's a distraction.

But you don't have to worry about that.

I'll call that down, amen?

Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

I want you to uh begin reading with me and not out loud, but look if you would at verse 32.

Verse 32.

But called to remembrance the former days, in which after ye were what?

Illuminated.

Remember when the eyes of your understanding were open and you were illuminated if you would.

Somebody says, What you wasn't talking about illuminated?

I think he was talking about salvation.

When the Holy Spirit of God came in and turned on the light so we could understand what was going on in this life, ye endured a great fight of affliction.

Now, if you got saved at the young age, maybe not, but those of us who were saved at an older age, I'll guarantee you there was a fight of affliction.

Amen.

For ye had compassion of me, of my bonds.

Or verse 33, partly why ye were made a gazing stock.

Somebody says, What does that word mean?

Uh it's uh it's something to deal with.

People were looking at you or watching, if you would, uh uh they were they were uh making fun of you or mocking you, or if you would, the a gazing stock, they were gazing at you both by reproaches and uh and afflictions and and partly whilst ye became companions of them that were uh so used.

You know, uh brother and I I think that all of us can remember if we got saved uh a little bit later on in life that uh people kind of stared at us a little bit and kind of wondered what what went on.

Uh I guess the word would be uh spectacle.

We were kind of made a spectacle to those around us, amen?

Kind of like uh what happened to you?

It's good that they saw the change, amen.

So uh we became a spectacle, and others around us are our companions.

Verse 34, for ye had compassion of me and my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and enduring substance.

Now watch what he says, verse 35.

Now that you were illuminated, now that you were made a spectacle, and now you've endured all that, cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.

Verse 35, I'd just like you to underline, if you would, the word confidence.

For ye have need of what?

Say it.

Patience.

Confidence, patience.

That after you have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

For yet a little while, and he that shall come, I like this next two words, say it, will come, and will not tarry.

Then he says this, now the just shall live by what?

He said, Have confidence, be patient, and have faith.

And then he goes on to say this in verse 38, and this is the crux of the message.

If any man do what?

Draw back.

My soul shall have no pleasure in him.

But we are not of them who draw back into what?

Perdition.

The word perition means destruction.

Um lost.

I'm going to give you another word.

Waste.

But of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

You know, brethren, a lot of people get saved and they get going for God, but somewhere along the way, they draw back and go back into some of the things that they were supposed to come out of and begin wasting their Christian life.

They draw back into position.

It's almost like, why did they get saved?

They're just wasting their time, they're wasting their talent, they're wasting their efforts.

And, brother, may I say this to you?

Every one of us in here have the capability of drawing back.

A lot of people start.

Fewer people finish.

And by the way, drawing back can be a habit.

You say what do you mean?

Starting, starting, starting, and very rarely finishing.

That's right.

Starting this and starting that, and starting to do this, and starting over there, and start.

A lot of Christians start a lot of things.

You know what we need to be as a church and as a group?

We need to be people.

When we start something, if God is in it, we finish it.

We finish it.

If there's anything our children need to learn, if God is really in this big day, we finish it.

If God is really in a marriage, we finish it.

If God's really in a ministry, we finish it.

If God's really in Christianity, if Christ is really real, we finish it.

All the way through.

Too many people draw back, and other people get reasons why they can draw back.

If any man draw back, Paul said, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, my soul shall now.

You know why Paul was ticked off at John Mark?

Because he left the mission.

He left the journey.

And Paul just wouldn't tolerate that.

Now, later on, I understand.

Bring John Mark, he's profitable to me.

Hey, you guys back here.

Uh, don't go to sleep on me.

Otherwise, you'll not be sitting back here again, amen?

Amen.

Don't draw back on me tonight.

You fall asleep here, and I'll send to your parents right away and embarrass you, amen?

Oh, I can't believe he talked to my child that way.

I'm just trying to help your boys out, amen.

They're not going to fall asleep now, I'll guarantee you.

The idea, though, is so many people start.

You know, I you hear this sometimes, the average active life of a Christian may be a couple years.

I didn't say they're not saved, I said active.

I said involved.

How many people have you knocked on a door and they said, Yeah, we used to go to church.

I used to be a Sunday school teacher, used to do this, used to do that.

You think, well, what happened?

Hey, believe me, if you've been serving in a church for over five or ten years, you are a minority.

But it ought to not be that way, because if salvation is real and the Holy Spirit is real, more of us should be finishing what we started.

He said, if any man draw them back, Paul said, I don't have any pleasure in that.

And by the way, may I say this?

You say, well, that was just Paul.

He was under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit said, Paul, write it.

Now, I understand, you know, who wrote the book of Hebrews and all that stuff.

But come on, no, don't get don't get bent out over that kind of stuff.

You say, Well, I don't know if I believe Paul wrote the book of Hebrews.

Well, then just have your own way.

Amen.

The idea is this, though.

We're not supposed to draw back, we're supposed to finish what we've started.

Now, somebody says, well, what if you already, what if you already had a situation where you quit something, you can't go back and redo it.

Then don't sit here and get all guilty.

Just take up what you have right now, where you're at right now.

You can't go back and redo something that's undone, that can never be done again.

Start right now and decide I'm not gonna start something without finishing it if God's in it.

I think about Abraham.

You know what?

When he lifted the knife, he didn't intend to draw back.

When he put that knife on his son, he never intended to draw back.

He intended to kill that son by faith.

Yes or no?

As a sacrifice in obedience.

And it was only when God vetoed him that he stopped.

I think of Moses.

Look at Deuteronomy 3.

Deuteronomy chapter 3.

Deuteronomy 3 · chapter mention

Moses just wasn't a guy to draw back.

He was a meek man.

Somebody says, meekness, uh, well, there's the kind that quick.

Hey, meekness is not weakness.

Some people that are meek, they just keep on going and keep on going and keep on going, and they finish it.

You remember what happened to Moses, brethren?

Uh Moses uh was told to speak to the rock, and he smote it.

And God said, All right, because you did that and you disobeyed my commandment, you, Moses, do not get to go into the promised land.

You know what, though?

Moses wouldn't let it die.

You see what I'm talking about?

Look at verse 23 of Deuteronomy 3.

This is Moses speaking.

And I besought the Lord at that time, saying, Watch it, O Lord God, thou hast begun to show thy servant thy greatness and thy mighty hand.

You know, he's buttering him up just a little bit, amen?

Or trying at least.

And by the way, I'm not putting Moses down.

I appreciate the fact that he just wanted to try it and ask one more time if he could go in.

For what God is there in heaven or in earth and can do uh that can do according to the works and according to thy might.

I pray thee, let me go over and see the good land that is beyond Jordan.

That goodly mountain in Lebanon.

Can't you see Moses?

Man, he's been looking for this for a long time.

And he made a mistake, and he was supposed to speak to the rock, and he smote it, and God said, That's it.

But there was more of a reason than just that.

God was going to do a uh, by typology, something with Joshua that he couldn't do with Moses.

But he said, I pray thee, let me go over and see the good land.

He said, Just let me go over.

Verse 26, look at it.

But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me.

He's talking to the people.

And the Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee.

Speak no more unto me of this matter.

Get thee up in the top of Pisgah and lift up thine eyes, westward and northward, and southward and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes, for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

You know what I appreciate about Moses?

At least he tried one more time.

At least he said one more time, God, you know you're so great and you're so mighty.

Can't can't I please go over?

And God said, I don't want to hear more about that matter.

It's done.

You know what I'd rather have?

I'd rather have somebody asking me again.

And asking me again.

And then if I said, all right, that's it, don't ask me again, I'd rather have someone a little aggressive than someone who constantly quit.

You say, I don't get it.

Moses said, God, please, just, just, just, wouldn't you let me go over it?

And God said, Don't want to hear more about that matter.

It's already decided, but I'll let you go up to Pisca and look at it.

I'll let you look at everything.

You know, uh, too many of us at times aren't aggressive enough.

Brother Vogler here gave a testimony tonight about he went in and talked to the powers that be, and they said no.

You know how many times we've been told no on the military basis?

And we're not unkind about it, and we're not uncharitable on it, and it's not like we have a right to be there.

If the pizza man, the insurance man, can be there, then we can be there.

Now they don't even let the pizza man on anymore, I don't think.

And the insurance man?

You see, when I was running the military ministry, the pizza man used to be able to go through the barracks and they'd bring stacks of pizza and sell it.

The insurance men used to come in and sell insurance in there.

Then they started closing that down, and then they said, Well, if they can't come in, then you, Lighthouse Baptist Church, you can't come in and do it either.

So we said, All right.

About three months later, we went back again.

And we've been doing that year after year after year after year after year, and people have got saved.

Please look up here, because we have not let it die.

So many churches have let ministries die.

And God ordained it.

Listen, if God ordained something, you say, Well, wait a minute, shouldn't you just say, okay, there are the powers that be and all that?

You know what?

The commands change, and new people come in, and new leaders come in, and one chaplain said no, and two months later he was gone, and the next chaplain came in, and he was a saved chaplain, said, Yeah, come on down.

You want to preach down here?

Let's do all we can to get these men saved.

It happens all the time.

Brethren, if God ordains us to do something, unless he vetoes it, we ought to do the best we can to not draw back.

Look a little bit further with me.

And notice uh scripture, look at Exodus chapter 17.

Exodus 17 · chapter mention

Exodus chapter 17 and Joshua chapter 8.

Exodus 17 · chapter mention Joshua 8 · chapter mention

Exodus 17 and Joshua chapter 8.

Joshua 8 · chapter mention

Well, what if I draw back?

What does that mean?

Well, go back into the doing some things before I was illuminated and everything.

You say, well, what'll happen?

You just waste what you could have done for God.

Exodus 17 and Joshua 8.

What's this?

Exodus 17, Joshua 8.

Exodus 17, look at verse 8.

We won't read the whole thing.

Then came Amalek and fought with the Israel and Rephidim.

Moses said unto Joshua, choose us out men and go out.

Fight with Amalek, Exodus 17, verse 9.

Exodus 17:9

Tomorrow, Joshua, I will stand on the top of the hill with the what?

Rod of the God.

Rod of who?

Rod of God, where?

In my hand.

Joshua did what Moses told him to do, and that next day you know the story.

Moses goes out, stands up on the mountaintop.

Aaron and her are with him, and as he stands up there, please look up here.

With uh brother uh Curtis, give me that real quick.

With the rod of God in his hands, every time he just dump that stuff off of there, or I will.

Here, here, let me have it.

There we go.

With the rod of God in his hands, he stood up on top of the mount, like this.

He might have stood like this for a while, maybe like this for a while, maybe like this for a while.

Sooner as later, his hands started to get heavy.

You know the story.

Joshua's down in there fighting and all the people, right?

And as he began to lower his hands, but brethren, it wasn't his hands, it was the rod.

The rod of who?

The rod of God.

Is that right?

It represented his authority.

Come on.

As he began to lower his hands, what happened down that valley?

They began to lose.

Oh, get him up again.

Amen.

Now, finally they got to the place where they had him sit down.

And while he was sitting down, they kind of came and uh, uh, Brother Bill, real quick, uh uh uh Brother Roy, real quick.

And they propped his arms up.

Now, brethren, please look up here.

If it would have just been this, prop him up, boys.

Joshua and everybody else would have died, and the enemy would have come up and said, look at those dumb guys over there.

What are they doing?

Must be some type of uh, I don't know, when a bunch of people die, they must do that.

Brethren, the key to this was the rod of God.

Is that right?

You know what God was teaching him?

Don't draw back.

My power.

You say, what was Joshua learning?

A lot.

Look at Joshua 8.

Thanks, guys.

Look at Joshua 8.

Look at verse 18.

And by the way, we're teaching our children something by our actions.

Look at Joshua 8, look at verse 18.

And the Lord said unto Joshua, stretch out the what?

The spear that is in thine hand towards Ai, and I will give it into thine hand.

And Joshua did what?

Stretched out his spear that he had in his hand towards the what?

Look up here.

He just hooded out.

Now, now please look up here.

If he just would have done this, nothing.

It's the spear representing destruction.

He said, Hold it out.

Interesting, look at verse 26.

And Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear until he had, and I like the next two words, utterly what?

Say it, destroyed.

All the inhabitants of Ai, please understand, he didn't draw the hand back until the battle was completely finished.

He held it out there.

Now you already know why.

He had already experienced what it was like for someone to drop the ball on him.

Yes, sir.

Can I say that again?

He had already experienced what it was like for someone to drop the ball on him.

Who was that?

Moses.

And every time Moses dropped his hands with the rod in it, he started to lose.

And every time he did anybody ever drop the ball on you?

What do you mean, drop the ball?

Made a commitment to you and withdraw that commitment.

You know, Christians have a convenient way to say, well, it probably wasn't the will of God, anyways.

Now, sometimes that may be true, but you know, a lot of times it's just a convenient way to justify our backing out.

Say amen.

We're having a good time.

Has anybody ever dropped the ball on you?

You get the ball dropped on you and me long enough, you know what it means?

It means we learn not to drop the ball on others.

I believe without a shadow of doubt, every once in a while, God puts somebody in our path and he knows they're going to drop the ball on us.

He knows they're going to make a commitment to us, and he knows they're going to not come through.

You know what it does to us or should do?

Not, yeah, make us angry, yeah, make us frustrated, yeah, make us all that, but it ought to make us even more committed to those we promise with what we promise them that we're going to do.

Amen?

Hey, I'm I'm talking about, he stood up there and just held it out and he said, There's no way I'm going to let this thing down.

I know what it's like, I've experienced it, it's going to be held out until that thing is utterly destroyed.

You know that was just right after Ai, when Joshua thought about quitting and going back to Egypt.

You know when we think about drawing back the most after a big failure?

Somebody fails us, or we fail miserably in something.

A dumb decision, we missed it, we didn't see it.

You know the first thing we think about sometimes?

Ah, this ain't worth it.

How many ever thought that way?

Not only I want you to think, because some of you are not responding.

How many ever thought after a big failure or somebody failed you?

I don't know.

Hey, you know, yeah, you know, maybe I can't do it, or you know, I don't know.

I just, you know, maybe it's just best for me to draw away from this thing and, you know, just leave it alone.

That's why God put so many failures in the Bible.

So we can see all the failures in there and the people and the men and the women that got back up.

And got back up and got back up and got back up again.

Hey, uh, Caleb didn't draw back.

Forty years he was after his mountain.

And he just wouldn't draw back, and he wouldn't draw back, and he wouldn't draw back.

I'm saying tonight, we need some adult men and women that says, I'm not gonna draw back from what God wants me to do.

I'm gonna give him pleasure, I'm gonna do it by faith, because the just shall live by faith.

And faith does not draw back.

Faith is forward-looking and positive.

Hey, we've all done something before we said, Oh, okay, I was in the flesh, I shouldn't have done that.

Ah, you know, I'm gonna get off that.

I'm not saying at times God doesn't show us that we've done wrong.

Went a wrong direction.

Certainly, we need to be sensitive to the Lord, but when we have it in our mind and we make a decision by faith and we make a commitment, you know, I'm not supposed To be doing that with that hand.

That hurts, amen.

I'm not going to draw back, amen.

You say, well, give me the simple things.

15 minutes of prayer a day.

Don't draw back now.

And fast at least last two weeks, keep going like you've never gone on before.

Hey, you say, you know what?

I signed up to get a turkey, and you know, I don't really have the money for that.

Keep your commitment.

Fast for three days, and that'll pay for the turkey.

Amen.

Amen.

You say, now, wait a minute, I signed up, but I, you know, it was emotional.

There was no emotional play for that.

Nobody tweaked your emotions to do that.

I signed up for a bus.

How much was that thing?

I don't have that money.

You made a commitment.

Don't draw back.

Just want to see the whites of their eyes, amen.

Judas drew back.

For 30 pieces of silver.

Demas has forsaken me.

Love this present world.

A lot of people draw back.

Ananias and Sapphira drew back.

Made a promise, made a commitment, didn't keep it.

Oh man.

What did I sign up for?

I better think about it now.

What in the world?

How many clipboards have come by and how many have I put my name on?

Oh man.

Why didn't I pray about that first?

How can I be in seven places at once?

We can help you.

We'll schedule you.

Look uh look at another scripture with me.

Watch your time.

I'm watching it for you.

1 Kings 13, watch it.

1 Kings 13.

God put a lot of examples for our admonities.

Look at 1 Kings 13.

You know it, but along with this idea.

Young prophet comes by.

King's hand dries up.

Prophet prays, restores the king's hand.

The king's excited to have his withered hand back, and offers a reward to the young prophet.

Verse 7 of 1 Kings 13.

King said unto the man of God, Come home with thee, refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.

And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee.

Neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place.

For so it was charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.

So he went another way and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

Very good, young prophet.

Excellent.

Good.

But you're just about ready to be an example for the rest of us.

Because he goes on.

And an older prophet shows up.

And that old prophet, verse 15, says, Then he said unto him, Come home with me and eat bread.

And look what the young prophet says, and he said, I am not, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee.

Neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place.

For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou cameest.

He's got it now.

Verse 18.

He said unto him, I am a prophet also, as thou art.

And an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water.

But he what?

He lied unto him.

Now you've got to understand this young prophet was a little hungry.

Verse 19.

So he went back with him.

Did eat bread in his house and drank water.

And it came to pass as they, whose do they?

The young prophet and the old prophet sat at the table.

That the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back.

And he cried unto the man of God, that young man, that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord.

For as much as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, but cameest back and has eaten bread and drunk water in the place of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, drink no water, thy carcass shall not come into the sepulchre of thy fathers.

Now look up here.

Couldn't you see this?

Come on, come on, eat bread with me.

Angel spoke to me and said it's okay.

Oh, really?

Man, you're an older prophet, older Christian?

Oh, great.

Yeah, come on, that's good.

Yeah, good.

Let's go eat.

And right in the middle of that thing, the old prophet says, Thus saith the Lord.

Because you came back, you're gonna die.

Wait, wait, wait a minute, wait a minute.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

You just said that I was supposed to come back, an angel spoke to you.

And now you're you know what, brother?

I've read this thing so many times, you've got to be careful who you listen to.

Just because a person uh says they're a Christian, you better check out their walk before you believe them.

Better check out how much they know about this book.

A lot of people leaving God's will because they got counsel.

Hey, you know what?

If you ask enough people, you'll find somebody to agree with you.

That's right.

That's right.

Hey, if I want something that, you know, and I'm a pastor and I want something, I can call enough pastors too.

I can get a couple to agree with me.

In fact, I can talk them into believing that it really is God's will.

And what are they gonna say?

That sounds good to me, Pastor Fisher.

I I think you ought to do it.

Good.

I just trying to get counsel.

Multitudes of counselors, their safety.

And in my heart, sometimes that's why I don't talk to a lot of pastors.

Every once in a while.

You know, Christians, honestly, you'll get better counsel from this book and have a strong walk with God than you'll ever get from somebody who watches soap operas in this afternoon.

Amen.

I mean, if you don't, if you if you're asking counsel to somebody and you don't see them in church all the time and and and you don't know if they have a walk with God or not, hey, you ought to be careful.

That's right.

They just might not tell you what God's real will is.

Uh statement.

You say, well, then who can we trust?

A lot of times people come to me and I don't tell them this is what God wants you to do.

I try to help them discern what God's will is, because he didn't tell me.

But I know the principles.

You run into somebody and you say, Well, what do you think about this?

And they say, Well, here's what you ought to do.

This is the way you ought to do it.

Right here, this is the way you ought to do it, and they don't even hear the whole matter.

I just go, eh.

Isn't it amazing how many opinions Christians have?

Yes, sir.

This isn't a shouting message, is it?

We just need to be careful not to draw back because we listen to someone else.

Hey, uh, I'll never forget this.

I haven't related this story in a while.

I'll never forget this.

I'll never, ever, ever forget this.

Former pastor resigns.

It's a big mess.

People start leaving the church.

About, oh, I don't know, seven, eight preachers show up.

Six maybe.

We go over to a little restaurant called Mother Sally's.

Don't even know if it's there anymore.

And uh, we go in there and we're sitting around this table.

And uh, you know, I'm looking for some encouragement.

I just became interim pastor, I'm 29 years old, five years old in the Lord.

Just, just, you know, God's gonna work, I think, maybe.

And uh you know what the conversation is?

I wouldn't touch that church with a 10-foot pole.

I heard a pastor say that, another agreed with that.

Said, yeah, listen, how are we gonna close the church down?

I'm serious.

Best way to do it.

You know, you got you gotta be careful, you got a lot of bills, you got a lot of this, that, that.

And and and all the talk was was basically the recommendation of the group was just shut it down.

Uh Brother Jordan, you remember?

I remember going outside, somewhat devastated.

I just become the interest pastor of a church we're going to shut down.

But I had scripture that I believed God had shown me to become interest pastor, and they wanted to shut it down.

I said to Brother Jordan, he was the only one from this church still here that was over there.

I said, Brother Jordan, I don't know.

And Brother Jordan immediately said, Listen, I'll take this, I'll do this, I'll do this, and I'll do this.

I said, Okay, I'll take this, I'll take this, I'll take this, and I'll take that.

And we were crying.

Amen.

Just kind of like felt like I'd been with the ten spies.

And they're all saying, shut it down, shut it down, shut it down.

Drum back.

It's good that Caleb was there.

You know it's good to have a spouse every once in a while that says, Let's do it.

Let's just do it.

Let's just go on.

Let's just keep on going.

Praise God.

I had one of those pastors, and Brother Jordan doesn't know this, years later.

Only one out of those ten turned around and came back.

Now, where were the other nine?

Five of them lost their churches already.

I'll let you know that.

And just said it was hard in their area, amen.

One of them came back to me five, four, or five years later and said, you know what?

I just want to say something.

That little meeting we had, I was looking at it by sight.

And by sight, it looked impossible.

But the just shall live by.

I said, brother, now I want to be honest with you and tell you something.

I did not know what I was walking into at that time.

I was young enough and ignorant enough and zealous enough that I just thought God can do anything.

And that's the truth.

If I would have known what I know now, I probably would have said, you ought to consider that.

But that's why God chose me.

Because God blesses ignorance sometimes.

It's better we don't know sometimes what we're walking into.

That way we don't draw back.

If I would have known what it was like to get on that sailboat and go to Samoa, I don't know if I ever would have gone.

It's better to go sometimes in ignorance.

It's almost better sometimes you don't talk to too many people.

Because they're gonna say, oh, we've been there.

You ought to be careful.

Oh, I'd never do that.

Thank you.

Amen.

Gotta be careful who you listen to.

I'd rather be around a group of people that says, you know what, I'll pray for you, brother.

I'll pray for you, sis.

I'm not sure what you should do.

Amen.

Because, you know, you look at the Bible, I mean, God told one guy to, you know, lay on his side for a long time, and then when he's done, lay on his other side, and you know, I don't know what to do.

And God told one guy to eat dung.

You know, I don't know what God wants you to do.

And you want to really read a book, read Hosea.

I mean, you know.

So God sometimes has different things for different people that are specific.

Amen?

You know what we do sometimes, though?

This is the way God dealt with me, so this is the way God deals with everybody.

And we become armchair counselors.

Should I move on?

I'm just trying to help y'all.

This is not time to draw back.

May I say to you, Prince Powers and Powers give you plenty of reasons right now why you shouldn't push through to the big day and thereafter.

Isn't it amazing when we decide we're going to do something for God?

All kinds of things happen.

I mean, David was one that didn't draw back.

He conquered the enemies God wanted him to conquer, and then he began preparing for the temple that he was going to turn over his son.

He said, In my trouble I prepared.

And he kept on going.

Saul?

He drew back.

Go out and utter destroy the Amalekites.

The prophet comes by and says, What meaneth uh those sheep over there?

Oh, it's nothing.

I commend, I kept the commandment of the Lord.

Oh, what's that I hear over there?

Oh, those are the people kept those good sheep over there.

Didn't God say to utterly destroy them?

Well, yeah, but you know, we kept, you know, people.

They wanted to sacrifice to God.

And the prophet looked over and there was Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and he was still alive.

And the prophet said to Saul, when you were little in your own eyes, you did everything God told you to do.

Now, God's rending the kingdom away from you.

And he made sure it was utterly destroyed, and old Agag was kind of doing a soft, walking on thin ice.

I can just see the whole thing now.

And the prophet was just looking at him and hewn him in pieces.

Cut him up.

Saul of the Old Testament drew back.

Now, this is not to discourage anybody because every one of us has started something that we haven't finished.

Haven't we?

What I'm saying tonight, brethren, is let's not make it a habit.

Hey, uh, we just went into uh single runs for the bus ministry.

You know how long some leaders have been working towards that?

Since last January.

Still not completely done yet.

Discouragement, there's been plenty.

But they wouldn't draw back.

Man, you know what?

I like to be around people that decide this is God's will, and then they just keep doing it.

And keep on going.

And don't quit.

Yes, we've all quit in different areas.

We've all given up in different areas, but it ought to not be a habit.

The just shall live by say it.

Roloff said, what you've decided to do by faith, don't undo by sight.

Man, you decide to do something, God speaks to your heart.

Now, statement: God has the ability to veto.

Just like he did with Abraham.

I just wanted to see if you did if you'd do it.

Just wanted to see if you'd love me.

Oh, there it is.

Okay, good.

Boy, I decided not to do that.

There it is.

Okay, I got that scripture.

Good.

Make sure it's from God.

You know I was thinking.

Coming in.

It kind of goes unsaid, but some of the things that just shouldn't even be thought about drawing back from.

This big day situation.

Do you understand if this building burnt down between now and the big day, we'd still have a big day?

Now oh, you shouldn't have said that.

That'll jinx it.

I don't believe in jinx.

But we'll still have a big day.

Because it's set.

Why?

Because God wants to reach some men and women and boys and girls and children, and without them knowing it, they're counting on us.

What do you mean they're counting on us?

They're counting on us.

They don't even know they need to be saved.

And God's given us the privilege, and they're counting on us.

We have to get the gospel to them.

You make a commitment to be a greeter, unless you call Art Miracle and tell him why you can't, you be there.

You told Daryl Schultz through that sign up and through a phone call, I'll make this.

Don't get up on Sunday morning and oh man, I forgot to make the green beans.

Oh, well, they have enough.

No, sir.

No, no, no.

We're counting on you.

Well, what if we have too much?

Then we have too much.

A lot of people be eating green beans for dinner, amen.

Well, oh man, I forgot to cook the turkey.

Oh, they got plenty of turkeys.

Go out and buy one quick.

Cooked.

Why, brethren?

We're counting on us.

We ought to be able to count and rely on each other.

Sign up as an usher, a greeter, a cedar, we're counting on you.

It's not time, brethren, to draw back.

You say, how many times are you going to say that?

Because we need to be people of character.

You know, in the military, if you've got watch and duty and you don't show up, you guys and gals know what I'm talking about.

That is taboo.

If you got, if you, you, if you've got the, I don't know, the 12 to 4 or something like that, and the person is not there at 4 o'clock in the morning to relieve you, you know what you do?

You send a runner to go shake them out of their rack.

And then when they get there 20 minutes late, you look at them and say, never again.

In the officer ranks, it was appropriate to show up 15 minutes before.

At the least.

And most of the time it was a half an hour.

You showed up and relieved the guy half an hour before.

If the military does that, how much more the Church of God?

Oh, it's just a little thing.

I was just supposed to help direct parking lot cars.

It's a big thing.

It's a big thing.

It's not time to draw back.

Well, nobody will know us if I don't do my job.

Well maybe we don't, but we should have enough character to do it anyways.

You know, you decide when you get married that you're not going to draw back from that marriage.

It's till death do its part.

They say now don't offend somebody, preacher.

I already said if you got something you can't it's done, you can't redo it, don't get all guilty.

But that still doesn't change the principle.

The principle is, where's my wife?

I do.

That's it.

I'm not going to draw back from her and threaten her.

If you don't get your act together, I'm leaving you.

Maybe I need to get my act together.

And by the way, you say, how can you finish a marriage?

You just finish it.

You mean you can finish it?

Yeah.

Yeah.

You start a marriage, you finish a marriage.

Huh?

It's temporary.

We don't believe in like Mormonism's celestial marriage.

That you're going to be married forever and got to go to the temple and hey, what in the world would I wanna encourage my woman to marry me forever?

That's the dumbest thing, I'm not sure.

I think Joseph Smith was smoking dope when he saw the last night.

Jesus, memory, just clear.

And why in the world was someone who was gonna go through some someone to be eternally married?

And let's say we're gonna be gods.

I'm gonna read where I'm gonna be married to Christ, and that's it.

Now they got a problem.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's the book.

Either that or they still believe in polygamy and they stopped that a long time ago.

Why in the world would I want to tell my wife, you ought to marry me forever?

We know it's temporary.

But down here it's it's all life.

It's like till one of us is done, or the trumpet blows and we both go up together.

See, I even believe in this.

All the remembrance of the former days will be wiped away.

She won't even remember she was married to me.

What a blessing.

That was Mark Miracle who said that.

He said, what a blessing.

I'm always considered the source, don't you?

It is a blessing.

Certainly it's a blessing.

Why would she want to remember the days she was married to me?

For all eternity.

I mean, ten thousand years from now.

I'm walking by, and she says, Yeah, that's the guy I was married to.

Isn't that dumb?

God's gonna write the remembrance of these former days away so we can focus on Christ.

Hey, hey, I'm not trying to hurt anybody.

That's a principle our children need to hear.

You say culture.

Hang culture!

Yes, sir.

I know it's getting easier and easier, and culture's not putting the pressure on, but this Bible puts the pressure on.

Yes, sir.

I want to draw back.

I want to keep going.

Just shall live by what?

If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

You say, well, what if I got a habit of drawing back?

Then you need more divine nature.

Please look up here.

The old carnal Doug Fisher would draw back and would escape.

But the divine nature in Doug Fisher says, you made a commitment, try to do your best to keep it.

And if you can't keep it, tell them why you can't.

But at least try.

And then after 25 years of this stuff, you know what?

You learn not to make a commitment until you've thought about it and prayed about it.

And really believe it's God's will.

Somebody will come to me and say, Can you do this for me?

And say, I don't know.

Well, it's just a little, I don't know.

You know what?

I don't want to make a commitment until I know what it is.

Well, it's just a little favor.

Well, I don't know.

It's not unkind.

I just don't want to lose your trust.

They say, well, you promised me something one time, and I told you I wasn't perfect.

But he's working on it.

Panic, fear, imaginations, failures, they all have a tendency to potentially cause us to draw back.

Now, if you don't get anything in the message, I want you to get this little illustration, and I'm closing.

The just shall live by faith.

The just shall live by faith.

If any man draw back.

Now watch this.

Please look.

This is uh this is Doug Fisher when he first got saved.

And about a year later, God told Doug Fisher to get a little boat and sail to Samoa.

So Doug Fisher got on a little boat and sailed to Samoa, because the just shall live by what?

Say it.

And Doug Fisher needed this much faith to do that.

Jesus Christ is the author and what?

Finisher of our what?

Alright?

So Doug Fisher comes back from Samoa.

It's the only life I know to give an illustration about.

And uh comes back into this church and becomes an usher and becomes military director.

We bang that base down there for months and months and months, and nobody shows up.

I mean, and we sit out there, we passed out hundreds of tracks, witnessed it a lot of people, and nobody showed up, and nobody showed up, six months, nobody showed up.

I mean, everybody, every those guys would walk by and I'd look at them and had the van there and just ready to pick them up, and and and every time they walked by, oh man, I thought they were coming to the van.

Oh, let's see, should we get a little bit longer?

I mean, I'm talking six months.

I'd sit down there and wait and wait and wait.

You know, just at about, I forget the time we had to be back by 10 o'clock, just about 9.20, 9.25, it was a little disheartening driving back empty.

And coming back in.

How'd it go, Brother Fisher?

Nobody today.

Oh, I remember when the first guy opened up the van door and said, Is this the bus?

Is this the vehicle that goes to the church?

I almost felt like saying, Now, which church are you going to?

Oh, I tell you what though, boy, they started coming.

And in that place where that thing was, we we'd we'd see 20, 30 new visitors.

When that place was buzzing down there.

There's just not an NTC like it used to be in the A schools and everything.

Need a little more faith.

Stay with me.

Became pastor of the church.

Need a little more faith.

The church began to grow.

Please look up here.

Need a little bit more what?

Say it.

And he measures out faith for what our needs are.

Stay with me.

Got too big.

Had to move over here.

Need a little bit more faith.

Wait a minute.

If I draw back, he says, I'll have no pleasure.

If I start doing this, and by the way, if you start drawing back, it always goes catty corner.

What happens down the trail there?

Whatever faith he had planned for me, that he was going to complete and mature because of my decisions, I don't get to see the fruition of it.

Say, I don't get it.

God is the author and what?

Say it, finisher of whose faith?

Your faith and my faith.

But if I draw back, why should he measure out more faith?

The only way I get to see how much faith he's actually going to give me is to stay on track and keep on going and keep on going and keep on going and keep on going, the trials and everything until I get out here, somewhere down here, to where he says, alright.

It's matured.

Time to go to heaven.

Amen.

Brethren, here I am as pastor of this church right now, about right here.

I need much more faith that God has dished out than way back over there, getting on a little boat with just me and another guy and going to Samoa.

All I had to do was take care of myself.

Now it's been measured out and measured out and measured out and measured out.

Hey, what do you say?

I'm saying a lot of people who draw back in their Christianity never realize their full potential.

They never get out there to see what measure of faith God was going to give them way out there somewhere.

Oh, I don't know if I believe that or not.

Draw back.

Better yet, don't.

And wait till we get to the judgment seat of Christ.

Well, preacher, what if I had a failure?

What if I had a setback along the way?

Please look up here and don't miss it.

I'll start back over here.

Hey, this is kind of fun.

Here you are going along, going along, going along, going along, going along.

Faith, faith, faith, faith.

And then either something we did or look up here, something someone else does to us.

And you know what we do?

We draw back a little.

It's called reeling.

Well, what does God do?

He says, I'll give you a way to escape.

Now go on.

Well, it's happened to me again.

All right.

Now go on.

But but it looked like my path was going that way.

I know.

Surprise.

But God's not done with you.

Only if you're done with yourself.

Move over.

Get on another trail that's God's trail for you now, that those are things have happened, and move on.

And let God continue to mature your faith.

I make this statement I close.

These big days are important not only to those that we reach, but they are important to us in our growth.

Because this matures our faith.

Oh man, I've heard these big days, big days.

How many things have we done?

How many we're going to do?

Every year we need them.

Every year we need to be pushed a little bit more.

Every year we need to be accountable to each other.

Every year we need to, I bet I've cooked, I've cooked turkeys every year.

I'm not cooking one this year.

Cook a turkey.

Me and Usher.

Do something.

Just don't draw back unto perdition, where we just waste a perfectly good life that God could use.

Not everybody that was here last year is here this year.

And not all those people are in church.

Yet by the grace of God, next year we'll still be here if God tarries.

And we'll still be actively involved in doing something for the Lord.

Tonight.

Maybe you got a commitment coming up.

Maybe you ought to really pray and get God's direction.

Maybe you made a commitment.

And it's tough right now.

I mean, trials and struggles and panic and imaginations and fear and failures and oh, all the trouble Nehemiah faced so much.

People saying things and people discouraging Nehemiah.

Come on down and uh we want to talk to you.

You know what Nehemiah said?

I cannot come down.

The work is great.

You know what he said?

I'm staying on the wall.

I got work to do.

I'm not going to come down there and I know what you guys want.

It almost sounds cold.

The just shall live by faith.

Let's not be those that draw back and waste what God had in plan for us.

Brethren, if there's anything I want for this church, is that we reach our potential as a church family.

And in order to do that, once in a while, we've got to push ourselves.

Man, I'm so sick of seeing clipboards.

You're going to see some more next Sunday night.

When will they stop?

November this year, 17th.

For a while.

Why don't we just sign them up in the church lobby?

Well, because people walk by and forget.

People go out that door and get their children and go right by and miss an opportunity to sign up.

So we just let it go right under your nose.

Well, what happens when we get to be a bigger church preacher and we got a thousand here?

We'll probably still use clipboards.

Might be a little nicer clipboards.

This gives us an opportunity.

It's good to be in a church where people make commitments and keep them.

And I'm going to tell you this.

Most of our people, when they commit into something, they do it.

It's amazing how many people are going to be involved in our big day.

Most of you here will be.

We're counting on you just like you're counting on me.

And we should, because that's accountability.

That's all standing.

It's just that I want to give it a little pause.

Uh the message tonight really deals with our, mine included, character.

And reaching our full potential by faith.

By walking that trail.

And no matter what, something happens, try to stay on the trail.

And if we have to change trails, keep on going.

And realizing that God has authored our faith, he began it, and he wants to finish it.

And really, a lot of that is up to our free will and what we do.

And then it will impact our children.

And possibly our children's children if God tarries.

Brethren, tonight.

Wouldn't hurt for a number of us.

To spend some time before the Lord.

And say, God, where is the vulnerable place that I would draw back?

Where's my weak spot?

What would get me?

Show me.

And then shore it up.

God, I've got a habit of starting and not finishing, and I want that to stop.

Either stop me from starting so many things or give me the divine nature to finish what you've led me to start.

God help me to see my part in this life down here is important.

Every part of the body in God's work is important.

Maybe some need to say, I can't change what has happened to me in my life.

But I can certainly press on towards the mark.

Paul said this, think with me.

I finished my course.

But in that same statement, what else did he say?

I kept the what?

I kept the faith.

Brethren, some of us need to say, God, build my faith because that's what's going to keep me on track.

Help me to live by faith.

The unseen, trusting thee.

God bless our big day.

Bless Wally Davis.

Deal with him tonight even more about the message.

God, that person I invited.

I don't know their name.

They were just hanging out the window at McDonald's.

But I invited and they said they'd think about it.

You know who they are.

God, draw them to yourself.

Maybe in this church service tonight.

Let's give God pleasure by doing our best to not draw back.

And then to perdition as a waste.

And just be one of those Christians that used to serve and used to go to church and used to do something.

There's too many used to Christians.

There needs to be a number of us who say, I'm just going to keep on going.

I'm not going to be one of those I used to teach a Sunday school or I used to do this or I used to do that.

I'm going to count what I have right now as important.

And take it with all prevalence in my life that it's going to be important.

With your heads bowed, your eyes closed.

Some have come.

I think many of us need to come tonight.

When's the last time, husband and wife, you grabbed each other's hand and knelt down?

And said, God, help us to bear up.

Help us to bear up.

There's so much going on.

Help us to bear up.

Seems like it's hitting us from every side.

Help us to bear up.

Teenager, young person, you better thank God if you got parents that are faithful to church.

They're setting a good example for you.

I'm going to tell you, some of the teens, and we don't know who, and some of the juniors that sang tonight, and we don't know who, may find themselves outside of church one day.

Stay on track, we beg you.

Fifteen minutes a day, we committed to pray.

Let's keep our promise.

If you've never received Christ as Savior tonight, he came and he bore up.

And he was not drawn away.

And he went to that cross for you, sir.

You, ma'am.

They tried to get him to come down, but he bore up.

He didn't draw back.

He stayed right there and suffered it all the way through.

And he finished the work that was set before him.

And now we have the opportunity to finish our work.

However long it might be.

Oh God, those who've knelt down, those who've sat down, those who are praying, give us the strength from within, the mindset.

Not to be drawn away like Demas.

Not to be like Ananiah and Sapphira.

God, not to be like Saul in the Old Testament, not to be like Judas, not to be like the children of the wilderness where they were pulled off track by the ten leaders, discouraged their hearts.

Not to be like the young prophet who should have stayed doing what you showed him to do.

God help us to look at all these examples and be what you want us to be on through the years of our life, this life.

We know our time is short.

And God, sometimes it seems like a long time.

And we know compared to eternity, it won't be much.

Help us to stay on course.

And God, those who've had broken pasts and situations beyond their control that people have done to them, and I know there's some represented probably here tonight.

Father, help them to see that you still have a plan and a purpose.

And help them to move on.

And live by faith.

And live their life with joy as much as can be in serving Thee.