Limping Isn't Losing | Evangelist Michael Maupin

Let's give the Lord a great praise tonight.

He is worthy. Hallelujah, Hallelujah to the

King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus.

Oh Hallelujah, Hallelujah. What a sweet presence of the

Lord that's been in this place tonight.

And I learned a long time ago that whenever the Lord is in the

house like he is tonight, anything is possible.

No matter what your situation is, no matter what you brought

here, whatever your need is, God's able to do exceedingly and

abundantly above all that we can ask or think.

And I just appreciate this church very, very much.

Thank you for allowing me to be here tonight.

I counted A tremendous honor and the the McGee family and the the

Mason family, friends of mine for many, many years.

I love and appreciate them very, very much.

They are so talented, but more than just being talented, they

are anointed and I just appreciate them very much.

And Speaking of talented and anointed, this champions aptly

named. I just, I could have listened to

that for a few more songs, I think.

But thank you to everybody that's here tonight.

Thank you for your kindness and thank you for being faithful to

the House of God. If you have your Bibles turned

with me to the book of Genesis, if you don't know where that's

at, just open your Bible and start turning quickly.

Genesis 32 verse #31. And as he's speaking, passed

over Peniel, the sun rose upon him and he halted, or he limped

upon his thigh. I saw a video several years ago

of it was out West somewhere, I don't even remember where, maybe

Colorado or somewhere like that. It was too large bull elk

fighting for the rights in the of that region.

And it was a tremendous, I like stuff like that.

It was a tremendous fight struggle.

After several minutes of them fighting, one of the elk bowed

his head and walked away. The loser and the cameraman

focused in on the winning elk, and he had won the battle, but

there was something different about him.

He was now walking with a limp. He won the battle, but was still

limping. So I want to preach to you

tonight on this thought. Limping isn't losing.

As a matter of fact, it's probably the opposite.

It probably means you've been fighting some battles and you're

still winning. You're still victorious, so if

you'd set your Bibles down and lift your hands and your hearts

to heaven, would you help me pray right now?

Lord, we love you and we thank you for who you are.

We thank you for Your word. We thank you for your anointing,

Your spirit that we feel in this house.

God, anoint me to preach Your Word the way you want it

preached tonight. God, anoint your people, God to

hear Your word and to receive Your word.

God and Lord, I'm asking you to move on your people tonight.

God work on us tonight, encourage us through your word

and your Spirit. In Jesus mighty name we pray,

Amen. Why don't we clap our hands one

more time? And the Bible says not the only

clap, but to shout. Can we add a shout?

Hallelujah, thank you Jesus, thank you.

You may be seated here this evening backing up to verse #24

we find how we got to that verse says.

And Jacob was left alone, a place of isolation.

And there he wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the

day. So his isolation turned to

confrontation. And when he saw that he

prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh.

He dislocated his hip. And I don't know if anybody's

ever had any hip problems. I, when I was a young, I'm

probably 12 years old, I, I disobeyed my dad and this is a

lesson for all you young people and jumped on a golf cart with

the, the hotel he worked at. We're having a car show and he

told us not to get on the golf carts until the show was over.

And I disobeyed him and wrecked the golf cart and dislocated my

hip. And I've had trouble ever since.

So I know what kind of pain that can be, but he dislocates his

hip. The hollow of Jacob's thigh was

out of joint as he wrestled with him.

And I find it amazing that about this story, I've often wondered.

The Angel could have done anything.

He could have dislocated his elbow, that would have hurt.

He could have dislocated his shoulder, that would have hurt.

But he touched his hip, and I believe tonight the reason he

did was because Jacob was a runner.

He had spent the last 14 years of his life running from his

past, running from his mistakes, running from his failures.

And I want you to understand something tonight.

God always knows how to stop your running.

And verse 26 says, and the Angel looks at him and says, let me go

for the daybreaketh And he said, I will not let thee go except

thou bless me. So his isolation turns to

confrontation, and now it's turned to desperation because

Jacob said, I know we've been fighting all night long.

And I know that we've struggled all night.

And I know that we were bloodied.

And I know that we've been rolling around in the dirt and

the it's mixed with the dew and the sweat and we're literally a

muddy mess and our clothes are tattered and torn.

But you don't understand, Sir. I've always let go.

I've always been a quitter. I've always been the one to

throw in the towel. That's why I'm in the shape that

I'm in. But Jacob said I can't go back

to my wife the same way I left. I can't go back to my children

the same way I left. I will not let go until

something changes in me. And I just wondered and I is

there a Jacob in the house with the same mentality that I'm not

going to leave this place until God changes something in my

life, till God changes my situation, till God changes my

life. And the Angel said, what is thy

name Now? I don't think, I don't think

that Angel hit his head on a rock and was suffering from

amnesia. He, he knew who Jacob was.

He, he was sitting there by divine appointment and he knew

what Jacob's name was, but what he was wanting Jacob to do is he

wanted Jacob to come to terms with who he was.

Because you've got to understand something.

In biblical times, the name Jacob wasn't just a good name

like it is nowadays. When, when, when you were named

Jacob in biblical times, it carried a weight.

It carried A reputation around. You know when when you hugged

Jacob's neck, you made sure your wallet was still in your back

pocket. When you ladies, you held your

purse a little closer. You when you saw Jacob walking

down the road, you went on the other side because his name

meant deceiver and Sir planter. You know, he was a dirty, rotten

scoundrel. You couldn't trust Jacob.

So when the Angel said, what is your name?

It's not that he didn't know his name, but he wanted Jacob to

have a man in the mirror confrontation with himself, and

he wanted him to admit who he was.

And I don't think Jacob stuck his chest out with pride and

said my name is Jacob. I think he probably looked down

and in the dust and kind of kicked the rock and ashamedly

said my name is Jacob. And then I think Jacob was

getting ready to explain his story.

I think Jacob was getting ready to say, well, it's not my fault

that my name is Jacob. My Mama named me Jacob.

It's not my fault that that my father was so easy to deceive

it. It's not my fault that my

brother was so easily to steal the birthright.

It's not my fault that I that I did Laban my father-in-law

because he tricked me first anyway.

He tricked me and the marrying the ugly sister and and so my

life has been a life of I've lived up to my name.

And I think he was getting ready to plead his case, but the Angel

interrupts him and says thy name shall be called.

No more Jacob. I think that's what God's got in

store for somebody here tonight. No more Jacob, but their name

shall be called Israel. For as a Prince thou has power

with God and with men and has prevail.

So his isolation plus confrontation plus desperation

turned into revelation. Because that's what happens when

you have an encounter with God. You walk in here a Jacob, but

you limp out of here in Israel and Jacob, you're never going to

talk the same. You're never going to walk the

same. You're not going to be called

the same. You've got a brand new name.

And can I tell somebody in the Holy Ghost, you might have

walked in here at Jacob tonight, but you do not have to leave the

same way that you walked in. You can walk out of here

different than you walked in. And Jacob verse 30, Jacob called

the name of that place Penao. For I have seen God face to face

and notice what he says. My life is preserved.

He was a bloody, muddy mess, had a fat lip, black eye, bloody

nose. His clothes are tattered and

torn. He's muddy and bloody.

And he says my life is preserved.

See, because God is more interested in tonight, in your

preservation than your presentation.

He cares more if you're holy than if you're healed.

He'd rather matter of fact, He said in the New Testament.

He said if thy foot offend, he cut it off because he would

rather you limp into heaven than walk into hell.

And Speaking of heaven, notice what the gates of heaven are

made out of? Pearl.

Guess how you get a Pearl? A Pearl is when an oyster is

wounded, an irritant. Something bothers that that

oyster, and overtime, what was once a wound become something

that is valuable and of worth a lot of money.

So you know what I believe when we walk through those pearly

gates one day, we're going to put our hand up on that day and

we're going to remind ourselves of all the times I was wounded

and all the times that I was hurt words and all the times

that I went through tough times. That's why I'm here.

I may be limping, but I'm not losing tonight.

And verse 31 says, and he passed over pin you on the sun rose

upon him and he halted or he limped upon his thigh.

That closes chapter 32 verse chapter 33 begins with these

words. And Jacob lifted up his eyes and

he looked and he beheld and he he saw Esau with 400 men coming

his way. Now the last time he saw he saw

his twin brother Esau. Esau said, I'm going to kill

you, I'm going to get my revenge.

So this was not an exciting moment for for Jacob.

He sees his brother coming. And for all he knows is his

brothers brought a an army of 400 soldiers, and they're going

to cut him down and kill him and his family.

And so notice what Jacob does in verse #3 And he passed over

before them. And he bowed himself to the

ground seven Times. Now we can we bowing isn't

something we we're accustomed to in America.

We don't, we don't bow before people, but but when you bow,

it's a sign of, of humbleness. It's a sign of humility.

It's a sign of repentance. It's a sign of someone that you

know that person's greater than you.

So you, you bow in their presence.

And, and, and so, so Jacob's got the birthright.

Jacob's got the, the, the blessing on his life.

So I don't really think it was for that.

And and then we can look at how how many times he bows himself

the seven times. That's the number of completion.

As we know God created everything in six days.

On the 7th day he rested. It made a week and it's a number

of completion. The the they, the children of

Israel marched around the walls of Jericho seven days.

On the 7th day they marched 7 times and got they shouted and

God gave him the victory name in the Syrian captain dipped in the

Jordan River 7 times and God healed him of the leprosy.

Jesus just met the woman at the well and he said go get your

husband. And she said I, I don't have a

husband. And he said, well, you've had

five and now you're living with a man.

And so that six men she's had in her life and she's talking to

the 7th man who would bring completion to her life.

And so we, we can play on that #7 if we want to.

But but what I really think about this story, I think every

time he took a step towards Esau, he felt that hip

dislocate. And instead of showing his

brother that he was wounded, he would do a fake bowing before

his brother to hide his wound, to hide his hip injury, to hide

his handicap. Because Jacob at this point, I'm

sure, was ashamed of his limp. He was trying to hide his limb

because he didn't want his brother to know he was wounded,

because his brother would just say, well, that's easy pickings

for me. He's not even at full health and

full capacity. And and that's human nature for

us today. We tried to hide our

imperfections. We tried to hide our hurts.

Us fathers, we tell our boys especially don't cry, get up and

rub some dirt on it. Show no weakness.

Don't let people know that you're hurt.

That's that's humanity. You I don't want.

I'm big bad Michael Mall. But I can't let people know that

I've been hurt. I can't let people know that

I've cried tears. I can't let people know that I

have wounds and scars. I can't let people know that

I've been limping. I can't let people know that

I've got problems in my life. I've got to put on a show.

I've got to let everybody think that I'm holy and spiritual and

I can't tell them about what's really going on in my life.

But somewhere between his encounter with his twin brother

Esau and right before his death, Jacob realized that his limp

wasn't something to be ashamed of and hid, but rather it was to

be celebrated and told. Because Hebrews 11 and 21 says

by faith, Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of

Joseph and worshipped leaning upon the top of his staff.

So somewhere in his life, he stopped wrestling and he started

worshipping. Somewhere in his life he

realized that that limp wasn't something to be despised.

It wasn't something to hide. It was something to be told.

And before he died, he said, come here, Manasseh.

Come here, Ephraim. And I've got a story to tell you

because you need to understand about Paw Paw's limp.

I know when I take my cat naps in the recliner, you boys come

and get my cane and you mock me and limp around the house.

I know it's funny to you but you need to understand where we got

this limp from because we wouldn't be here today if it

wasn't for this limp. But I had an all night wrestling

match with an Angel and it touched me and it changed who I

am. And Manasseh, I know I've been

embarrassing to you sometimes Ephraim, I know you've despised

my lips sometimes, but you wouldn't be here today.

And can I tell somebody else in this house that you wouldn't be

here today if it wasn't for your limp, if it wasn't for your

wound, if it wasn't for your scar?

It tells your story. What, what he what once

embarrassed him, he's now embracing what he wants

disguised, He is now declaring. And Jacob's limp did not

perceive God's blessing, but the limp was a blessing in itself.

Because if you think about it, our limps, our scars, our

wounds, they tell our story. My, my body is covered in scars.

And that the reason is because I was raised with two brothers and

we, we lived out in the country and we, we played ball and we,

we did all kinds of stupid stuff.

And I tell people all the time the UT hospital knew us by first

name basis in the emergency room because we were always in there

getting a cast or getting stitches.

And, and man, I've got, I've got a scar back here where we were

playing, we, we grew up in a single wide mobile home and, and

the hallway was not much bigger than this podium.

And, and we would play tackle football and, and, and, and I

was bigger than them. So I would always play one

against two. And, and, and, and they tackled

me one time and I hit my head on the furnace and I had to go to

the emergency room and get, so I got a big scar from that.

And then one time my cousin was chasing me with a water hose and

I was backing up running backwards and I tripped and fell

and hit the deck of the riding lawn mower and busted and gashed

my head. One time I was throwing a ball

to my brother and and baseball and he hit the ball and popped

it up and I went to run and get it and all of a sudden I got hit

in the head and knocked down and he'd slung the baseball bat.

And I had to get stitches. And I've had stitches here from

a bicycle wreck and I've had barbed wire fences RIP my body

open and I just got scars everywhere.

I guess God said it's a big canvas to work with.

But every once in a while I'll see one of those scars in a

mirror and I'll say, man, that's an ugly scar.

And then I'll I'll think back to how I got that scar and I'll

say, man, I wish I wouldn't have rode my bike that day.

I wish I wouldn't have threw that baseball that day.

I wish I wouldn't have played football because now I have a

scar and it's ugly. But but even deeper than that,

I've got some scars here and here.

I've got some wounds here and here.

And, and I think back to when I made that mistake and I think

back to when that person hurt me and wounded me.

And I, I say, I wish I wouldn't have done that.

And I, I wish I wouldn't have made that mistake.

And I wish I wouldn't have let that person do that to me.

But you know what I've learned? I learned after almost 48 years

on this earth, every scar tells a story.

Every wound tells a story. And I wouldn't be who I am today

without my scars, without my wounds.

I might be limping tonight, but I am not losing.

If you ever if you ever had a chance to meet my dad, one of

the first things you would notice about him is he's got a

very visible limp. If you asked him why he limped

so bad, his short answer would be because he's had both of his

knees and one of his hips artificially replaced.

But the deeper story is he was playing college football at

Norfolk Stake in Norfolk, VA, his senior year with NFL scouts

in the stands watching him. He says he still doesn't know

what happened. He said there was the end of a

play and he was at the bottom of the the of the, the mass that

the people just piled up. And he said when he got up to

try to go back to the huddle, he said that his leg from the knee

down was just dangling. And he, they of course, rushed

him to the emergency room and he, he every ACLPCL, what are

all the different ligaments? And we're all destroyed in his

knee. And they did a surgery on him.

And back then you didn't have surgeries like that and you were

on the field the next season. His football career was over.

His hopes of playing in the NFL were over.

And I, I, I've often seen my dad limping and knowing the pain

that it causes him. But I also know the rest of the

story. He went back to Knoxville, TN to

recover from his knee surgery. While on crutches still, he gets

on a blind date with a girl by the name of Denise Smith from

Maryville, TN who would later become Denise Maupin, my mother.

And when I see that 75 year old man limping down the hall of his

house, I know it's caused him pain.

I know it caused him grief. But I understand if it wasn't

for that limp, I wouldn't be here today.

Another story. There was a young man that grew

up right outside of Chicago. He was a three sport all state

athlete in high school. Major League Baseball draft

experts were talking about him being drafted in the first round

of the Major League Baseball draft.

Every Big 10 college, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan, everybody

was offering him football scholarships and same thing in

the senior year. He he, he, he has some sort of

injury to his knee while running the ball and and every school

withdrew their scholarship offer.

Major League Baseball draft scouts say, well, he probably

won't even get drafted now. One school left a scholarship on

the table to him, the University of Tennessee.

He was a a northerner. He didn't want to move South.

He'd never lived in the South. He didn't want to go down South.

But it was the only school that was still offering him.

So we moved to Knoxville, TN. 1 morning on a Sunday morning, he

hears a knock at his dormitory door.

On the other side of the door is the future Hall of Famer Reggie

White. And he said get up freshman,

we're going to church. They pile in a vehicle and they

pull into 5020 Pleasant Ridge Rd. in Knoxville, TN and this

young man walks into an Apostolic Church for the first

time in his life. Raised Catholic, didn't know

anything about this. He feels something.

He's never failed. He repents of his sins, he gets

baptized in Jesus name. God fills him with the Holy

Ghost. He gets married, he gets called

in the ministry. He was my coach at the Christian

School. He baptized me in Jesus name.

He's a mentor of mine. He's pastoring a great church in

East Tennessee. And if you asked Geno Magnus

today about his limp, he'd probably tell you about a few

football stories. He'd tell you about all the pain

and embarrassment. But he'd also tell you he would

have never heard this glorious one God gospel if he wouldn't

have been hurt. So what are you saying I'm

telling somebody? Your limp, your scars, your

wounds, they're a part of who who you are.

They tell your story. Tonight

I just, I just came to a place in my life.

I don't even trust a man that doesn't limp spiritually because

that means he's not been fighting any battles.

I wouldn't follow a leader that's not limping tonight.

I don't believe the stories of a so-called warrior that that has

never been wounded, that doesn't have any scars.

If they don't have any scars, that means they've never fought

any battles. You know who else had wounds?

Jesus, our Savior had wounds. He had scars, and they told his

story way before he was ever born on earth, Isaiah said.

He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised

for iniquities. The chastisement of our peace

was upon him, and with His stripes we are healed.

So He wasn't just the triumphant King of kings and the lion of

the tribe of Judah, but He was also the suffering servant.

He was also the despised and disfigured Lamb of God.

Our Savior had scars and as a matter of fact, He still has

scars. But after his resurrection,

Jesus shows up where the disciples are hiding in fear.

He just walks right through the the doors you don't even need.

We learn in 2020, closed doors don't stop him.

He disappeared in the room and he talks to his disciples and

the Bible says Thomas was not there.

Now, I don't know where Thomas was.

The Bible doesn't tell us where he was, but I can promise you

Thomas wished he would have been there that night.

And that just lets me know that I don't want to ever miss when

church is happening because I don't ever know when Jesus is

going to show up. I don't want to be home watching

football. I don't want to be on the golf

course. I don't want to be on the lake.

I want to be in the House of God every time the doors are open

because Jesus is going to show up.

But John the 20th chapter, verse 25 says that Jesus shows up

again and and with the first time and they and they look at

that Thomas comes back and and they said we've seen the Lord

and Thomas's next words have given him a 2000 year long

nickname doubting Thomas because he said, except I see in his

hands the print of the nails and I put my finger in the print of

the nails and I thrust my hand into his side.

I will not believe. So 8 days later the disciples

are back in this same place and this time the Bible says and

Thomas was with him, he learned his lesson.

And once again the doors being shut, Jesus just appears in the

midst of them and he says, peace be unto you.

And then Jesus turns his attention to the one that wasn't

there the first time and he looks at Thomas and he says,

Thomas, reach hit her thy finger and behold my hands.

Thomas reach hit of the hand and thrust it into my side and be

not faithless, but believing. And Thomas's next words are one

of the most powerful scriptures for one God because Thomas,

after he touched the nail prints and after he thrust his hand

into the side, the wound of Jesus, he said, my Lord and my

God. Now I've often thought to

myself, why didn't Jesus come back from the grave with a whole

body? To me that would have been the

greatest smack in the face to the Romans that the Pharisees,

man, hey, you crucified me. But look, those scars that were

on my back, they're gone. The Dale Prince, they're gone.

They're not even there. The the crown of thorns, you

can't even see where that used to be.

I don't have a spear mark in my side.

I'm I'm a complete body. Jesus could have done that and

that would have been powerful. That would have been an amazing

testimony of that. He really was God if he came

back from the grave with no scars.

But if he wouldn't have came back with no scars, Thomas

wouldn't have touched the scars and Thomas wouldn't have

believed. And church history tells us that

Thomas would go on to start the first Apostolic Church.

And what we now know is modern India.

There wouldn't have been a Apostolic Church there if Jesus

didn't have scars. And you know what that tells me

tonight? That Jesus has the ability to

keep me from ever getting wounded.

He's got the ability from me ever having a scar.

He's got an ability to keep me from ever limping.

But if I never was wounded, there's a world out there that

wouldn't know that. There's a God who is greater

than my wounds. There's a God who's greater than

my scars. There's a God who's greater than

my limp. Tonight you can remain standing.

I'm drawn to a close second. Corinthians 12.

This is Paul's thorn in the flesh Scriptures.

Paul said, I had this thorn in the flesh.

We don't know what it is. You can guess it doesn't matter

to me. But he prayed 3 times.

He said God remove this thorn. God was silent.

God remove this thorn. God ignored him.

The third time God removed this thorn and God finally answers

him. But it wasn't the answer he was

looking for. But God says My grace is

sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect.

Not in your strength, not when everything is going perfect in

your life. Not when you just feel so holy

and spiritual and you just came off a 40 day fasting.

Not when your marriage is perfect.

Not when your children are doing what they're supposed to be

doing. Not when the doctor said you're

the best health I've ever seen in your life.

Not whenever you've had a good job and all the money's in the

storehouse and all your bills are paid.

That's not when his strength is made perfect, but his strength

is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly Paul said.

Therefore I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of

Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasures and

infirmities and reproaches and necessities and persecutions and

distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, when I'm

limping, when I'm wounded, when I'm scarred, then I am strong.

You want to know when you're stronger than you've ever been

is whenever you're having to lean on him.

When you're limping. You want to know when you're

stronger than you've ever been is when you've been wounded.

But you're still here on a Sunday night with your hands

lifted. Great.

Praising and worshipping the King of kings.

Whenever you know that there's problems in your life, but you

know there's a God who's greater.

See, Paul thought historian in his flesh was his weakness, but

in all actuality it was really his strength.

Limping isn't losing. I might be wounded, but I'm

still winning. I might be wounded, but I'm

still worshiping. I might be scarred, but I'm

still shouting. I might be in pain, but I'm

still praising. I might be limping, but I'm not

losing tonight as every head is bowed, every eyes closed, all

across this house. Just wonder tonight, is there

anybody here? First of all, if there's a Jacob

here, you've never repented of your sins.

You never been baptized in the only name under heaven given

among men whereby we must be saved, the saving name of the

Lord Jesus Christ. You never been filled with the

gift of the Holy Ghost. God wants to give you a new

name. He doesn't want you to leave

here, Jacob. He wants you to leave here,

Israel tonight. So this altar is open to you

first, but then I want to open this altar to altar to some

limpers here, some wounded worshippers here, some scarred

shouters here tonight. And I want you just to come down

to the front. I want you just to limp

spiritually. I might, I might just barely got

here tonight. I may just barely be making it,

but guess what? I'm limping, but I'm not losing.

I'm still victorious because His grace is sufficient for me.

His strength is made perfect in my weakness.

And when I'm weak, then I am strong.

So this altar is open right now. Would you just come?

I believe there's supernatural strength that's going to be

poured out on somebody in this house.

I believe God's getting ready to give somebody a holy bonus.

They've never had that. You're going to take your limp

and let it be your testimony. You're going to let your wound

be your story. You're going to let your scar be

your story. You're going to tell a world

that there's a God who's greater.

There's a Savior who's greater than your scar.

There's a there's a God who's greater than everything you've

ever been through. Come on, let it be your light.

Let it be your testimony. There's a world out there that

needs to see your scars, that needs to touch your wounds

tonight.