This Is Not A Dead End!
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· 153 viewsWhen you're living for God, He makes a way at dead ends!
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This Is Not A Dead End!
This Is Not A Dead End!
Text
Exodus 14:10-
And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Introduction
I just feel like speaking to somebody at the outset of this message that it is not the time to back off!
I believe I’ll say that again: “At New Life Christian Center at the end of September 2018, it is not time to back off in this church!”
If I had a cup that was specifically designed to catch and carry the tears of satan himself, I can tell you that that cup would be full today!
Over the last year, and particularly the last few months, we have witnessed and been a part of moves of God and miracles, and prayer rooms that have caused the devil to cry himself to sleep!
And ladies and gentlemen, I’m standing here today to make it clear what our intentions ought to be from this point forward: IT’S NOT TIME TO BACK DOWN!
Rather, I have decided it’s time to DOUBLE DOWN!
It’s time to double down on our worship!
It’s time to double down on our renewing in the Holy Ghost!
It’s time to double down on our godly example!
It’s time to double down on PRAYER!
You can say that makes me over-the-top!
You can label me a radical!
You can disregard me as ridiculous...
But friend, I look around this world we find ourselves in, and I see a whole lot of people fighting for a whole lot of things that aren’t eternal.
HGNN: Hey - listen to this: a lifetime appointment to a government job is not eternal!
It may not be what you were expecting to hear this morning… And I’m not saying we shouldn’t pay attention and pray for our government. I believe that’s the godly thing to do...
But there’s people who are choosing to get down and fight with each other in the muck and grime about this thing. People getting depressed, obsessed, and just nearly possessed about it...
But rather than get down in the muck and grime about something that is most certainly not eternal, and rather than getting distracted by something that definitely will not last as long...
I’m gonna let God know: “LORD, I JUST WANT MORE OF YOU! OH, GOD, WE NEED MORE OF YOU! LORD, LET ME GET MORE OF YOU TODAY!”
IT’S NOT TIME TO BACK DOWN, IT’S TIME TO DOUBLE DOWN!!!!!
Body
Hitting A Wall
There came a point when the children of Israel had come to the conclusion that they needed to back down.
The almighty God of heaven and earth had just laid waste to the powerful dynasty of Egypt. And under the direction of Moses, the children of Israel walked right out of Pharaoh’s front door. All by the hand of God.
And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.
Exodus
And smite them by His wonders He most certainly did!
SIDE POINT: We serve a God who, when He does something, He does it in the best and mightiest way!
If He smites Egypt, it’s by His wonders!
If He’s bringing us salvation, it’s by the greatest act of love ever known!
If He’ll do things like that, then what He could do for you today might be the best thing that’s ever happened to you!!!
And now, they are walking out the front door of Egypt, as if they now owned this place! What a mighty God.
But you know what, sometimes, even when God is showing Himself mighty, people can still be fickle!
Along the road, they find themselves between the Red Sea and the armies of Egypt. And they have now hit a wall in the road.
The fact of the matter is, at one point or another, we all sometimes will find ourselves hitting a wall in life.
Spiritual walls, where we feel as though our prayers aren’t getting past the ceiling.
Hitting a wall when we receive a diagnosis from a doctor.
Hitting a wall when something or things are thrown at you that you don’t know how you’re going to get past.
And a wall will come up, keeping us from progress in the Holy Ghost, in our relationship with God.
I wonder if there would be anyone who would be honest today and say, “Yeah, I’ve been there. I’ve hit a wall before and wondered what it’s going to take to get around it.”
Sometimes when we get to these points, it’s so very easy to say what the Israelites said.
After being delivered from Egypt by the mighty hand of God...
After God had smitten Egypt with all of His wonders (He systematically destroyed every God of Egypt with His plagues)...
After He walked them through. to. the. front. door…
After seeing God do all of these miracles before them, the Israelites stand between the Red Sea and Egyptian armies, and they turn to Moses, and basically tell him: “Moses, this is a dead end.” “You have brought us to a dead end.”
“Moses, we’ve been met with a problem we don’t know how we’ll ever get through!”
“MOSES, THIS IS A DEAD END!”
In God, There Are No Dead Ends!
The way I look at it is this: you can either look at a Red Sea and call it a dead end, or you can believe God for a miracle!
There don’t have to be dead ends in living for God!
I’m not here today to pump you up with a feel-good message, but I am going to tell you what the word of God says:
Fear thou not; for I am with thee:
Be not dismayed; for I am thy God:
I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee;
Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41
Isaiah 41:13
For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand,
Saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
“No weapon formed against you can prosper… you’re more than a conqueror in God!”
Exodus 14:
A dead end doesn’t have to be a dead end!!!
Car Trouble
I had to rediscover this myself recently.
Because I can sometimes be as ignorant as the next doofus, hallelujah.
We had been having terrible trouble with my work vehicle. And one day we discovered that there was a hole in our radiator.
Sis. Kierstin said, let’s go lay hands on that radiator. To me, as a man, I’m thinking “We have to replace it. It’s that simple.”
We prayed, and I didn’t exercise much faith. We ended up putting in a new radiator, but I realized I didn’t have a right spirit about me.
So the vehicle ran alright for awhile. Then there came a day when it began having a lot of trouble starting. And that evening, when I got in it, it wouldn’t even make a noise.
In God, There Are No Dead Ends!
I laid my hands on that thing and said, “God, I need you to make this thing work! Make it work until we can get something else! This is not a dead end! In Jesus name!”
And when I turned the key on that thing, it started like a brand new vehicle!
A Crippled Young Man At HYC Healed
I was getting anointed and prayed for on the platform, then they sent us out...
There was a young man in a wheelchair who could barely walk even with a cane.
He got in my ear in that altar and said, “Brother LaRue, I want to dance and shout like these other kids...”
My heart was bursting!!!
I grabbed a few other men on the youth committee, and we said, “God, this is not a dead end!”
And we laid hands on him, and I watched as he lifted himself out of that wheelchair, and in a matter of minutes, God had ministered healing into his legs so much that he was jumping like a basketball player - above my head!!!
I went on praying for other people, but when I came back to that area, I seen lying on the ground his cane - he had broken it in half!!!
A WHEELCHAIR IS NOT A DEAD END! A DOCTOR’S REPORT IS NOT A DEAD END!
Mike March’s Story
By the doctor’s report, it’s stage four cancer! By the doctor’s report, it’s a dead end!
But I’m gonna tell you what I’m looking at: I’m looking at a man of God who doesn’t bear the characteristics of stage four cancer!
He’s gained weight, he changed a flat tire the other day, he’s doing outreach - and today he’s preaching revival in Mississippi!!!
I don’t know what wall it is that you’re dealing with today, but I’ve been ordered by God to tell you this morning: When you’re living for Him, a dead end doesn’t have to be a dead end!!!
If you’ve come in here looking to avoid any kind of a miracle, you’ve come to the wrong place!!!
If you’ve come into this church trying to convince us that God doesn’t do miracles and work wonders anymore, you’ve come too late!!!
But that’s what the children of Israel told Moses… And here is how he responded… He delivered a word from God to them:
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Moses gave forth a word of faith!
And wherever the Word is being delivered, there are no dead ends!
I said wherever a Word is being given, there are no dead ends!!!
“His word shall not return to Him void - it accomplishes that which it was sent for!!!”
We haven’t met a dead end in this church because this church is a place where the word is allowed to flow!!!
Prophecy is in operation in this church… gifts of the spirit are in operation in this church… some of the most powerful words of God I’ve heard are crossing the pulpit in this church!!!
Let me put it this way: by being in this church today, you have positioned yourself for a miracle!
Forward!
And let me be very, very clear on something today: this church is not at a dead end!
I like what Pastor said the other day: “You may be thinking, Pastor has us doing these prayer cloth things all the time, what’s it going to be next?” Who cares what’s next? As long as we’re following God, why does it matter where He leads us?!
This church is not at a dead end! As a matter of fact, we’re just getting started!!!
If you feel today as if you’re standing at a wall - a dead end - let me assure you: He’s a God who will make a way where there was no way!!!
Examples
Adam and Eve fell to temptation - there was a sacrifice
Directly after Moses spoke that word of faith to them:
Adam and Eve fell to temptation - there was a sacrifice
When three young men were thrust into their fate (a flaming furnace) - He said "This is not a dead end! You've been faithful to me, I'm going to be faithful to you!"
When three young men were thrust into their fate (a flaming furnace) - He said "This is not a dead end! You've been faithful to me, I'm going to be faithful to you!"
When there had to be a savior because the law couldn't cut it - He said, "This is not a dead end! I'll be the answer! And He became Jesus.Directly after Moses spoke that word of faith to them:
When there had to be a savior because the law couldn't cut it - He said, "This is not a dead end! I'll be the answer! And He became Jesus.
When the ruler came to Jesus and said, “My daughter has just died, come lay your hands on her!” Jesus came to his house and said: “Ya’ll need to make room - this girl is not dead, she’s just sleeping!” And they began to ridicule him.
But he basically said, “This is not a dead end! I’m about to make a way where there is no way!”
But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.
But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
What I want you to know is that there are dead ends that some in this church feel they have been looking at that God is getting ready to make a straight way through!
Matthew 9:25
I’m not trying to tell you that God wants to make every aspect of your life completely perfect.
I’m not trying to tell you that you’ll never face another problem again...
But I AM telling you that if you’ll submit yourself to God, and you’ll give room to the power of the Holy Ghost...
THERE’S NOT A WALL ANYWHERE THAT’S STURDY ENOUGH THAT HE WON’T CAST DOWN!
THERE’S NOT A RED SEA THAT HE WON’T MAKE DRY GROUND FOR YOU TO WALK THROUGH!
Because in the perfect will of God… there are no dead ends.
Conclusion
I don’t know what that wall is for you today. I don’t know what it is that you’re up against, but I can tell you this: God will bring you through it!
He’s not in the business of leaving you high and dry, without hope. HE IS in the business of getting the glory when He works a miracle for you!
It may be a car motor - it might be a broken family - either way, He can make a way where there was no way!!!
Directly after Moses spoke that word of faith to them, God made Himself heard:
And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
Exodus 14:
And then, what Moses prophesied was fulfilled! They stood still, and saw the salvation of the Lord, as He pulled back waves of water of the Red Sea, and they walked on dry ground - FORWARD!
Conclusion
Can I tell you that the day of fulfillment of prophecy for this church is TODAY. Not next week. Not next year. TODAY!
And the best thing you can do for yourself is to dive in to what God is doing right now!
I’M NOT INTERESTED IN ANYTHING LESS THAN ALL OF WHAT GOD WANTS TO DO IN ME!
I wonder if there’s anybody who would step out and say today: I’ve got to get more of God!!! I need to dive in further! Make me more like you!
Maybe you’ve met a dead end - a wall - in your life, and you need God to do something. He can make a way today!