Greetings in the name of Jesus! The theme I am going to be dwelling on in my sermon, as I try to build and strengthen your faith is Press on: Don't quit: Don't give up".
The Bible says, " What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for slaughter. Nay, ( Nothing) in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" ( Romans 8vs35-39).
Things may not be right in our lives right now, but it does not mean that God has deserted us.
He is still God and he will not leave us or forsake us ( Hebrews 13vs5-6).
Life is full of different experiences, challenges, surprises and obstacles, that call for prayer warriors and people of great faith in God's word. In times of difficulties and storms of life, women of substance and men of courage , survive persecution and falling, due to spiritual maturity in the word of God, as they fight a good fight of faith.
Remember, life is a journey full of surprises, both positive and negative, but those who know their God, will always be strong to face whatever circumstance in life. ( Daniel 11vs32).
Paul says, " We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed". ( 2 Corinthians 4vs 8-9). We must learn to persevere and endure suffering, but knowing that the good things come out of hard work and patience.
The Bible in 2 Samuel 21 vs 10 says, " And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sack cloth, and spread it for her upon the rock from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night".
Rizpah, is the woman whose grief touched the heart of a king. Rizpah burned with love for her two sons.
Before I go further in this story, I want to give a brief background of what had happened in the past, which caused all the suffering which the Israelites were now experiencing, including long famines and droughts, as they faced dry seasons through lack of rains. There was a curse upon the children of Israel after Soul had killed the Gebionites who had been spared by Joshua, in a covenant made between the two groups.
Now when David asked what the Gebionites wanted him to do, they said they wanted to be appeased with human blood and they wanted Soul's own children or grandsons to be hanged. He gave five grandsons and two of Soul's children born by Rizpah, who were slained to death. This led to Rizpah mourning her dead children for a long period, without ceasing. ( Ephesians 6vs18).
Rizpah demonstrated the highest degree of commitment and focus in the things of God.
Because of her love towards her children, although they had been slained, she refused to be moved by anything and she fought all odds, to protect the slain bodies of her two sons.
If the love of a woman for her sons could make her prolong her mournful vigil for so long a period, shall we be weary of considering the sufferings of our blessed Lord? She drove away birds of prey, and shall not we chase from our meditations, those worldly and sinful thoughts which defile both our minds and sacred things upon which we are occupied? We need to chase away fear and doubt, as we press on in our faith in God. Away, you birds of evil wing!
Leave the sacrifice alone! She bore the heats of summer, the night dews and the rains, unsheltered and alone. She defied all odds.
Sleep was chased away from her weeping eyes; her heart was too full for slumber.
She never left and must have barely slept.
Pray without ceasing and endure all night prayers and fellowship gatherings to overcome challenges, that may draw you back.
Remember, seasons come and seasons go. But you must learn as a child of God to press on and do not quit, because of circumstances that appear to be beyond your imagination.
God is there to watch over with you round the clock. He neither sleeps or slumber. ( Psalm 121vs 1-8). Rizpah here plays the role of a watchman or Mighty Defender himself, God. ( Deuteronomy 32vs4).
This grieving mother stayed there until the rains began to fall, about five months, probably from about May to October. How horrible for her to see the bodies of her boys begin to rot and swell as they decomposed.
Behold how she loved her children! Shall Rizpah thus endure and shall we start at the first little inconvenience or trial? Are we such cowards that we cannot bear to suffer with our Lord? She chased away even the wild beasts, with courage unusual in her sex, and will not be ready to encounter every foe for Jesus' sake? These, her children were slain by other hands than hers, and yet she wept and watched: what ought we to do, who have by our sins crucified our Lord?
Our obligations are boundless, our love should be fervent and our repentance thorough.
To watch with Jesus should be our business, to protect His honour our occupation, to abide by his cross our solace. Regardless of challenges and problems, let us watch over our faith with the Lord.
Those ghastly corpses might well have afflicted Rizpah, especially by night, but in our Lord, at whose cross foot we are sitting, there is nothing revolving, but everything attractive. Never was living beauty so enchanting as a dying Saviour. Jesus, we will watch with you yet a while, as you graciously unveil yourself to us, then shall we not sit, beneath sack cloth, but in a royal pavilion, if we persevere to the end as we fight a good fight of faith.
This is indeed a very good example of fighting a good fight of faith, despite facing a heartrending and painful experience. Although she was grieving and mourning, she knew how to boldly watch over her faith, least she could fall or be tempted. ( 1 Timothy 6vs12, 2 Timothy 4vs7-8).
Instead of seating on a comfortable bed or pillow, while mourning, she chose to be in solitary confinement in her own closet with the Lord as she set on a rock. The rock that is not shaken is Jesus. and it is the reason why she could not fall or surrender in her fight for justice and freedom as one of the greatest woman of faith and commitment to God. ( Hebrews 12vs26-28).
The same rock is the word of God and the living water that quenches thirsty souls. If you live and sit on the word you cannot be shaken easily. ( Hebrews 4vs12, Colossians 3v16, Colossians 4vs16).
Though this woman was desperate, she was persistent in her commitment to God in prayer and meditation.
There are many examples of such women and men like Daniel and others, in the Bible, who although there were bitter, but they could still persevere and persist in their prayer lives like Hannah, who poured her heart to God , until she told God what she wanted. ( 1 Samuel 1vs9-18). Finally, she got her own child, Samuel.
We need to feed our spirits with the word of God and then watch and pray all the time , in order to overcome challenges and storms of life.
Rizpah's story remains an example of motherly love and determination to see justice served and that faith, strength and hope are rewarded. ( Galatians 5vs22-23).
I think of her as a real woman and she was not real as you and I. She was flesh and blood then and a spiritual example today.
As I continue with the word of encouragement, in times of suffering and desperation, the Bible also says, " For the bed, is shorter than that ( a man) can stretch himself ( on it) and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself ( in it). ( Isaiah 28vs20).
We know that when the bed sheets are narrow a man cannot cover himself to be warm and comfortable.
Here is another desperate and uncomfortable situation faced by the children of Israel.
This is a common experience with all of us today.
Things are not balancing and you are faced with a small piece of cake that you must share amongst yourself as a family. Many times it is the mother ( woman ) who has to sacrifice so much that they may even go without food as long as family has got. You have to face reality in this life.
Here the bad is too short and the blankets are too small for comfort and cover.
There are also people who lay on the bed of their own righteousness, not submitting to Christ and his righteousness, and covered themselves with rags of their on doings, and not with the garments of his salvation, who would find themselves in a very uncomfortable and unsafe state.
It is indeed what is happening in many people's lives, but we still survive by his grace.
Sometimes this happens where we are exposed by those whom we trusted and loved so much and we then become vulnerable to attacks, due to lack of physical security and safety.
You may have lost a bread winner or someone you trusted so much. Like in Rizpah's case, children that were slain, were her future hope for dependence and provision in the absence of Saul, who was the husband.
But fate had it that death had to strike, leaving her at the open without nowhere to turn to, except Jesus (God) himself our shepherd, everlasting Saviour and provider.
Jehovah Jireh will never fail to supply all our needs ( Philippians 4vs19).
"On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided" ( Genesis 22vs14).
Many people are surviving on pieces, but God is always there to cover us and provide everything that pertains to life and godliness. ( 2 Peter 1vs3-4).
Even in the story of Ruth a woman who was a foreigner (Moabite), found favour in the eyes of the Lord , because of her commitment to the God of her mother in law, Naomi.
In Ruth 2vs14, the Bible says, " And she did eat, and was sufficed, and left".
Whenever we are privileged to eat the Bread which Jesus serves, we are, like Ruth, satisfied with the full and sweet food provision.
When Jesus is the host, no guest goes empty from the table (John 6vs35).
Remember, Jesus fed 5000 people with five loaves and two fish. ( John 6vs10vs10-13).
Jesus fills our conscience till it is at perfect peace, our judgement with persuasion of the certainty of his teachings, our memory with recollections of what he has done, and our imagination with the prospects of what he is yet to do. As Ruth was " sufficed and left ", so is it with us.
We have had deep droughts; we have thought that we could take in all of Christ; but when we have done our best we have to leave a vast remainder. There are certain sweet things in the word of God, which we have not enjoyed yet, and which we are obliged to leave for a while, like the disciples to whom Jesus said, " I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot hear them now!! At every banquet of love there are many baskets of fragments left. Let us magnify the liberality of our glorious Boaz.
" So she gleaned in the field until even," ( Ruth 2vs 17). Let us learn from Ruth, the gleaner. As she went out to gather the ears of corn, so must I go forth into the fields of prayer, meditation, the ordinances, and hearing the word to gather spiritual food. The gleaner gathers her portion ear by ear, her gains are little by little so must I be content to search for single truths, if there be greater plenty of them. Every ear helps to make a bundle and every gospel lesson assists in making us wise unto salvation. The gleaner stoops for all she finds and so must you.
High spirits criticize and object, but lowly minds glean and receive the benefit.
A humble heart is a great help towards profitably hearing the gospel. Ruth had gone forth with her mother's blessing, under the care of her mother in law's God, to humble, but honourable toil and the providence of God was guiding her every step. { Psalm 37vs23) Little did she know that amid the sheaves she would find a husband, that he should make her the joint owner of all those broad acres and that she a poor foreigner should become one of the progenitors of the great Messiah!
God is very good to those who trust him, and often surprise them with unlooked for blessings.
As you press on in your good fight of faith, I want to encourage you by referring you to a good example of a woman who knew how to tap on the feet of the Lord and unlock mysteries through meditation and prayer, as well as commitment to the Lord. Although she was delivered from powers of darkness, however she found favour in the eyes of the Lord. She pressed on until the last hours of Jesus' death and resurrection.
The Bible says, " As it began to dawn, came Magdalene, to see the sepulchre".( Matthew 28vs1).
People of God, let us learn from Mary Magdalene how to obtain fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Notice how she sought. She sought the Saviour very early in the morning. If you can wait for Christ and be patient in the hope of having fellowship with him at some distant season, you will never have fellowship at all, for the heart that is fit for communion is a hungering and thirsting heart.
She sought him also with great boldness, like Rizpah and Hannah. The disciples fled, but she stood at the sepulchre. When Jesus was crucified by Romans, Mary Magdalene was there supporting him in his final terrifying moments and mourning his death. She also discovered the empty tomb and she is a witness to the resurrection.
We need to seek Christ boldly, even in the midst of challenges, let us not give up or quit.
Let nothing hold you back. Defy the world. Press on where others flee. She sought Christ faithfully -she stood at the sepulchre. Some people find it hard to stand by a living Saviour, but she stood by a dead one. Remember, even Rizpah stood by her sons' dead bodies throughout.
Let us seek Christ after this mode, cleaving to the very least thing that has to do with him, remaining faithful, though all others should forsake him. Note further, she sought Jesus earnestly - she stood "weeping". Those tears - dropping were as spells that led the Saviour captive, and made Him come forth and show himself to her.
If you desire Jesus' presence, weep after it! If you cannot be happy unless He comes and say to you, " Thou art my beloved", you will soon hear His voice.
Mary Magdalene sought the Saviour only. If Christ be your one and only love, if your heart has cast out all rivals, you will not lack the comfort of His presence. Mary Magdalene sought that, because she loved much. Let us arouse ourselves to the same intensity of affection; let our heart like Mary's , be full of Christ and our love, like here, will be satisfied with nothing short of Himself.
Let us be like Mary and we can survive storms of life as we press on. She was a great worshipper and intercessor. Remember she fell on Jesus' feet and worshipped him , when Lazarus died and Jesus wept after her intercession. ( John 11vs 32-35).
I believe after reading this message, you will purpose in your heart, that you desire to be like Rizpah, Ruth and Mary Magdalene. Just raise your faith, you can be delivered, and your faith strengthened.
The situations and circumstances that weaken people's faith and prayer lives are many, but today must mark the beginning of your breakthrough in Christ Jesus.
You may be failing to sleep because things are not well in your life, you are depressed and cast down, the solution is to substitute lack of sleep with prayer and meditation, after reading the Bible. ( Joshua 1vs 8, Ephesians 6vs18).
Press On: Don't quit: Don't give up. Be like Rizpah and Marry who knew how to develop a close relationship with God and as a result ,they could withstand all circumstances, which faced them.
Remember, God's grace is sufficient for you. ( 2 Corinthians 12vs9-10).
May God richly bless you all!
Evangelist Fanuel Masikati
Email:Divinerevelations7@gmail.com
Cell:263778495363
