"For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity." (Proverbs 24:16, NASB)
"Time[s] of calamity," have come upon the human race since the Fall. The promise of our text is that while, "the wicked stumble," literally," totter, fall," the, "righteous man...rises again"--
over and over and over again.
You have seen, I am sure, wicked people who don't give up, who just seem to keep going, etc. But whatever we see is an illusion. In the end, they will come under the judgment of Isaiah 24:20, "The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls--- never to rise again" (NIV).
But the person in Jesus Christ is like those things we use to have as kids. They were in the form of a person. You would stand on a "platform" and you could beat on it all you liked, it would fly every which way----------- but it always kept coming back, upright, starring at you, mocking you, "You can't put me away." That, my friend is you and I in the Righteous One, Jesus Christ. The Cross looked like the great knockout punch of Satan. Resurrection morning, Jesus said,"Go ahead; make My day. And don't forget, Devil, 'I am He who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hell and of Death.'" Excuse me---------- GLORY!
Father, in Jesus' Name, I thank You for the, "rises again," promise and power in You. Amen.
"Time[s] of calamity," have come upon the human race since the Fall. The promise of our text is that while, "the wicked stumble," literally," totter, fall," the, "righteous man...rises again"--
over and over and over again.
You have seen, I am sure, wicked people who don't give up, who just seem to keep going, etc. But whatever we see is an illusion. In the end, they will come under the judgment of Isaiah 24:20, "The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls--- never to rise again" (NIV).
But the person in Jesus Christ is like those things we use to have as kids. They were in the form of a person. You would stand on a "platform" and you could beat on it all you liked, it would fly every which way----------- but it always kept coming back, upright, starring at you, mocking you, "You can't put me away." That, my friend is you and I in the Righteous One, Jesus Christ. The Cross looked like the great knockout punch of Satan. Resurrection morning, Jesus said,"Go ahead; make My day. And don't forget, Devil, 'I am He who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hell and of Death.'" Excuse me---------- GLORY!
Father, in Jesus' Name, I thank You for the, "rises again," promise and power in You. Amen.
***************
* I will be preaching in the CCE meeting, November 11.
* I will be preaching in the CCE meeting, November 11.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
