Aaron & Hur

Good evening everyone. May the Lord bless, richly bless, obviously bless us this evening as we gather in His name. Let's begin with a word of prayer.

Father, we come before you, we tremble in your presence, we marvel at your goodness, we feel our great need and we cry out, Father, to you that you would come and visit us, and not just visit, Father, dwell within, lead, guide and direct, be upon the very throne of our heart and mind and soul and spirit, that all that we say and think and do, Father, whatever we, in word or deed, we would do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that you would bless this evening, stir within us, Father, we know that except you build the house, we labor in vain to build it. Father, we know that we are weak vessels, sometimes almost empty vessels, Father, but we desire to be empty of ourselves, that we might be filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

So we ask that you would have your way. We pray that you would take away from distractions this evening, we pray that you would help each one of us to fix our gaze upon you, Father, tonight, the Lord Jesus Christ, and may the glory and the praise be thine, we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen. Well I trust tonight that our gathering together will be a blessing and bring glory to the Lord and also that it would bring fulfillment and a rejoicing in each of our hearts.

We have desired greatly to be here, we've looked forward to coming, and also with that mixture of reservation, because we feel our weakness. I'm just going to say tonight, we're just going to be honest, we don't come tonight having all the answers, we don't come having experienced complete victory in every area of our life, we don't come big tonight, we come very, very small, we come very, very needy, very broken. But you know, whenever we get real honest, whenever we become transparent before each other and before God, that's kind of where we end up, very, very needy people.

When the truth comes out, when we take off the cover, you know the scripture that says that all things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do, when we have that attitude amongst ourselves as brothers and sisters, we're all pretty needy people. You know, I always marvel in the scripture, any person, any man, woman, or child that ever got a vision of God, just immediately was completely broken, seeing clearly their own wretchedness and their own need. Even righteous people, even people excited about God, you know, you can read about Job.

Job was a perfect and an upright man, it says, I think there was none like him in all the earth. But what happened to Job when God spoke to Job? Job said, I abhor myself and I repent in dust and ashes. What did he repent of? A perfect and an upright man, abhorring himself and repenting in dust and ashes.

I tell you tonight, when we get a vision of who God is and who we are in comparison to the glory of God, it brings a whole new understanding of our great need. I think about Isaiah, Isaiah was a good man, Isaiah was a prophet of God, speaking on behalf of God. But when Isaiah got a vision of God, what did he say? He said, woes me, for I'm a man of unclean lips.

I mention a few more, Daniel was a man of God, greatly beloved of God. The scriptures say that Daniel had an excellent spirit within him, but when Daniel got a vision of God, he fell on his face as dead. No strength to even look up and behold.

I think about Ezekiel, Ezekiel had an interesting vision. Ezekiel got a vision one time of how ugly our sin is to God. And when Ezekiel got a vision of sin, as God sees sin, you remember what he did.

He pulled all the hair out of his head and out of his beard. And he ripped his mantle and he sat down astonished until the evening sacrifice. And then he spread out his hand and just cried out, O Lord God, were you embarrassed to look up? The state of man, the needy condition of man, I think of the apostle John.

You know John, the apostle whom Jesus loved, a dear soul, a good man. But what did John do when he was on the Isle of Patmos and he got a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ? He turned and he saw him as the sun shineth in strength. In all the description there of the Lord, John said he fell on his face as dead.

A good man, a marvelous thing, and all of that can sound very, very condemning to who we are, but that's the reason I like so well what John says happened to him on the Isle of Patmos. When he had this vision of the glory of God and he had no strength left in him, John said and Jesus laid his right hand upon me and he said, fear not. Think of the comforting words in our great need, in John's great need, no strength to even lift his head to look up, fear not John.

What comforting words that must have been in the ears of dear John. And what that does is it brings us to the place where we are this evening, the thing that's on our heart. We've had a phrase that's on our heart, we've had a burden that's on our heart, we've kind of walked through some of the valley of the shadow it seems, recently and through it all God tends to teach us lessons and out as we come back into the daylight, as the glory of God brings answered prayers and we're experiencing unity and sweet fellowship and koinonia and the blessings of God upon us, it stirs within us a desire to minister life.

We want to minister life to the people of God and by life I mean encouragement, I mean strength, I mean revival like we heard tonight, I mean assurance in the Lord, I mean coming alongside, I mean hope, you know the scriptures tell us that we have a lively hope and that we should abound in hope and these things minister life to each heart. And brothers and sisters we have read in 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and you have too about the ministration of death and it also mentions there in that passage the ministration of condemnation and I'll tell you tonight there's not one person here that does well under that kind of ministration. But Jesus Christ when he came, he came to bring life, that's what he said, he said I am come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.

In him is life and this life is the light of men. I want to think for just a minute, how did Jesus minister life to people? That's the intense desire that we have upon our heart to just be very, very real, very, very honest, right where we live but minister life. I want to think for just a minute and I want to turn there, I just want to think about the woman taken in adultery.

I want to just mention her now and I want to close this evening again with her because this is such an amazing story and just merits tremendous meditation but I want to think about that woman. I try to picture what happened there in John chapter 8 and I try to picture the countenance of this woman when she was brought right out of the very act, right into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, a condemned woman, a sinful woman, the darkness, the despair, the countenance upon her face. I mean this is real, picture it.

And then with that, I like to picture the countenance that must surely have been on her face when that scene was over. No one but Jesus and her left standing in the midst and when Jesus was gone. What kind of countenance was on her face? Think about the two.

I like to try to picture, you know, when this woman was first brought by her accusers, the bitterness that was in her heart, the embarrassment, the despair, even the hatred that was there. And then I like to just try to picture the joy that was in her heart when that scene was over. Think about it.

It's real. That really happened. A condemned, sinful woman.

What a difference it made. I like to think about when she was first brought by her accusers, the slave, that woman was to her sin. She couldn't get out of it.

She was a slave to it. And then I try to picture the power that she had over that sin when that scene was over. Think about it.

It's like it wasn't even a temptation anymore. Neither do I condemn thee. I mean that sounds beautiful, but there's admonition that goes with that.

Go and sin no more. That woman was a changed woman. And I challenge us tonight.

What kind of life did Jesus minister to that woman in just a little bit of time? That's the kind of life that we want to minister to the people of God. And so I'm just going to challenge us here tonight, thinking about that woman. Has that happened to you yet? Has that happened to those around you? Have you beheld it? Have you heard testimonies of it? And I want to challenge us with this question.

Has that change happened to your church? If there ever was an institution, I guess I'll say if that's the right word. If there ever was an institution on the face of this earth that should minister life to its people, it is the church of the living God. And many times people walk away hurt.

Death comes into their life. Discouragement prevails. And I'm not justifying every discouraged heart that walks away, but I'm just saying if there ever was an institution on the face of this earth that should minister life to its people, it is the church of the living God.

And you can say, well, Brother Dale, so what's your burden tonight? A message to the lost to get saved? Eternal life? Or is it to the children of God that are just in a hard situation? And I'm going to say it's all-inclusive. Jesus Christ can minister life to everyone in the situation that we are in. It is our desire tonight to lift up the hands that hang down, whatever they are, whatever the reason.

It's to strengthen the feeble knees. And I'll just tell you, your desire to do that greatly increases when it's your own hands that have hung down. And it's your own knees that have buckled.

And someone came alongside and lifted you up. I look back. I'm not sure at certain points of my life if I'd have made it had that kindness not been shown.

I wasn't looking for a justification of the wrong that I had done. I was already convicted. I knew it was wrong.

I was already in repentance. I didn't need to hear it again. I needed life.

And the church of the living God sometimes, and I'm going to say this carefully, but sometimes is starving for life from the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your life and save you from your sin, to come into your life and rescue you in your situation, and to build you up in the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to minister that grace. We want to lift up as it were the hands of Moses like Aaron and Hur did at the time of battle.

And it brought victory to the people of God. We want to build and be built up. You know, I remember when I was a boy, I grew up in the German Baptist Church.

Craig, you're probably going to remember this, and Diane. But whenever someone would move from one church to another church within the brotherhood, they would send with them a letter. And they called it the church letter.

And it was a formed letter, but one part of that letter said this, this person we recommend to you to build and to be built up in the most holy faith. I always liked that phrase. That's a good phrase.

It's to build and to be built up. That's a very positive statement. But in the most holy faith only means one thing.

It means that your whole focus is Jesus Christ. Your whole foundation is Jesus Christ. It's to build and to be built up in the most holy faith.

So we want to lift up the hands that hang down this evening and encourage the feeble knees. It is the heart of God to do that. If you just look for that going through the scriptures, it's everywhere.

God resists the proud, but the feeble knees, the hands that hang down, they get the grace of God. It's all through the scriptures. God hath chosen the weak things of the world, base things of the world, things which are despised hath God chosen.

Not many mighty, not many noble are called. The grace of God comes upon the lowly. That's what God said.

He's going to make his dwelling. He's going to abide with the broken and the humble and the contrite in spirit. This is where God moves.

This is where God's grace is poured. And brothers and sisters, God uses people to pour his grace upon others. And I want to challenge us.

Are you available for God to use you to pour grace upon someone else? That's a very convicting question. So may the Lord have his way. There are three words that I would like to consider this evening.

I would like to consider the word comfort. I would like to consider these words in how God can use us to pour grace upon others, to minister life to others. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

It is God's heart to comfort his people. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem. Are we available to do that? Another word that I want to consider tonight is courage.

Courage is strength. Courage is a mindset that has no fear for the situation before you, but it's strength to meet that challenge. Courage.

And when we encourage someone, that literally means we give them courage. Because we came alongside, now they have more courage, because what they're facing is big. When we discourage someone, we literally take their courage away.

That's what discourage means. So I want to consider comfort, and courage, encouragement, and I want to consider help. Three things that we all need.

And maybe we don't all need them all the time, but I'm going to say many times, and quite often, we all need all of them. And I'm going to say that we need them. And the reason that we need comfort, and encouragement, and help is because God has established this life that there's just lots of trouble.

It just shows up. Life is full of trials and temptations, and it's not all trials, praise God, but there's lots of problems that show up because we make mistakes. And when we make mistakes, it doesn't always stay right there.

Sometimes it spreads, and it creates frustration. And it can even bring on confusion. And then beyond that, it can create hurt.

And it creates wounds. And then there can be discouragement, and even depression. And I want you to know tonight that I don't believe God ever intended any of His people, not one.

God never intended anyone to experience any of these trials, temptations, or trouble without also experiencing comfort, and encouragement, and help. Really, it's kind of like the poem says, God has not promised the sky is always blue. There will be trials, flower-strewn pathways all your life through.

God has not promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow, peace without pain. But God has promised, with all that, strength for the day, rest for the weary, light for the way, grace for the trials, strength from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love. You don't need to turn here, but I want to read you just a couple verses out of Isaiah 41.

I really appreciate this little passage. It says here that they helped everyone his neighbor, and everyone said to his brother, be of good courage. So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer, him that smotheth the anvil, saying, it is ready for the soldering, just a working together, and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.

But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. Thou, whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and sent unto thee, thou art my servant, I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. And this is God speaking now to Israel.

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.

And I just want to challenge us as we look at some of these scriptures, have you ever said that to anybody? Read it again and put it in your everyday life, speaking to someone. Fear thou not, brother, I am with thee. Don't be dismayed, I am your brother.

I'll strengthen you, yea, I'll help you, I'll pray for you. I will uphold thee with the right hand of righteousness. I'll uphold you at the throne of God in prayer.

You ever said that? That is God's heart. And I really want us to notice tonight, that is how God is. That is his commitment to us, and he wants that to be our commitment to each other.

I feel like this is an area where I have been very weak in my life, so I'm speaking out of weakness and out of great need, but the challenges that we've been through have just been God speaking, you're not going to make it alone. We need each other as we travel through this life. Verse 13 says, For I, the Lord thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee.

Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel. I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. I think it's so interesting that God refers to Israel this way, Fear thou not, thou worm Jacob.

Yeah, that's just kind of a scriptural testimony of the strength of man. Fear thou not, worm Jacob. Okay, so who do we think we are? I'm just saying we need help, and God wants us to be available to help each other.

That is God's commitment to us. Thinking about these three words, comfort is one of those things that often comes to us in the form of words. Words of comfort, words of cheer, and you know we love it, don't we? It's kind of like wonderful words of life.

That they bring a life into our spirit when someone speaks words of comfort into our life. Encouragement is also one of those things that often comes to us in the form of words. Words of encouragement, you can do it.

I'm with you. We're holding you up in prayer. It's wonderful words of life.

Help is one of those things that often comes to us with very, very few words. Sometimes hardly any. Help is one of those practical things that doesn't have to say just a whole lot.

And I want you to think for just a minute about help. When you are helping someone, there is no judgment in help. There is no condemnation to them as you help them.

It's all very positive. There's often no charge when you help someone. And I want you to know this evening, just give you an insight on how much emphasis God puts on this practical thing of help.

I want you to know that this is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It's listed in the scriptures. You know the gifts that God gave to the church.

He gave some apostles, some prophets, some pastors and teachers, and miracles and gifts of healings and helps. And you can look that word up and you can study that word all you want to. And I'll tell you what the bottom line is.

It's good, old-fashioned, practical, coming alongside help. That's what it is. It's a gift of the Holy Spirit.

And you know, many times people don't see help quite as spiritual as maybe some of the like teaching or preaching or some of those things. But I want to tell you tonight, you can't get more spiritual than a gift of the Holy Ghost. That's as spiritual as you can get.

And help is a beautiful thing. You know, Aaron and Hur, when they held up the arms of Moses, I just think they had the gift of help. They weren't getting paid to do that.

I don't really think anybody told them to do that. They just had the gift to see a need. And I don't think they were talking the whole time they were holding his arms up.

Very few words. But they just noticed the victory that came to the people of God when Moses had his hands in the air and they just lifted him up. Are you available to be an Aaron and Hur? You know, I'd like for that to just be the title for the message this evening.

Aaron and Hur and the Arms of Moses. And just as we go through this, just to make practical application. And that can be anybody's arm.

I hope we don't interpret that that has to be, you know, Moses. There's lots of people that need help lifting up their arms, their situation, lifting up your hands in prayer on their behalf. May God give us the grace to see the needs that are around us.

I don't know if we've all seen this, but most of us have seen so many people or someone walk away from the Lord, discouraged, feeling condemned. That should hurt us. When all that person maybe needed was instead of some condemnation and judgment, they needed some understanding.

And I hope no one here is interpreting this tonight, you know, no more discipline, no more instruction, no more rebuke. We're just going to come alongside everybody and just help them. That's not life.

We want the complete picture to minister life. And that's what Proverbs says. He that receiveth instruction is in the path of life.

So let's keep the balance of this thing. So I'm kind of pointing out the need to come alongside and to understand. And you can say, well, Brother Dale, I'm not discouraged.

I'm pretty excited about God right now. So really this message isn't for me. I'm doing quite well.

And so I just have a question for you. In your strong, encouraged condition, do you have the discernment of the Holy Ghost? In your strong, encouraged condition, do you identify a hurting heart? You know, I haven't always had that. I think I'm going to tell you a little story that happened to me.

Years ago, I was a youth director at a church. I enjoyed working with the youth and we were doing well. It was going good, except there was a couple of youth in that youth group.

Their father, for some reason, resisted everything I tried to do. It seemed like it didn't matter what I tried to do, he stopped it. And it ended up in accusations toward me and putting me down.

And I wasn't sure what to do with it. I'm just going to be honest with you. Tonight he was driving me crazy.

I didn't know what to do with him. And time went on. And I knew this man had challenges in his life, big ones.

But I didn't know how to handle it. And it was years later, we were at another church for a singing in the evening. And it was a full house.

But I was sitting where there was an empty chair beside me and the rest of the house was pretty full. And after the singing started, this brother, hadn't seen him for years, he walks in. I didn't even recognize him.

It looked like life had hit him hard. And it had. He was divorced.

His wife had left him. His daughter had got married and then divorced. His son was killed.

It was a, it was, he really got hit. And it just showed. I didn't hardly recognize him.

But I said to myself, yes, I do know that brother. That's him. And he looked around and there was a full house and he saw that empty chair beside me.

And he came right over there and sat down right beside me. And I was just thinking, I was just remembering. My mind was just full.

It was stirring. I was thinking, does this brother remember everything that he did to me back as a youth pastor while we had our singing? And when the singing was over, this brother looked at me and this is what he said. He said, hey, Dale.

I said, yes, brother. He says, you remember all those things that I did to you years ago and how I withstood And I remembered quite well. In fact, my first reaction was, he does remember.

Then he looked at me and he says, Dale. He said, I was just asking for help. He said, Dale, I needed help.

That was my way of asking for help, Dale. Dale, I needed help. He said my name in every sentence he said.

And it just cut through my spirit. I was just thinking, well, why didn't you say so? But I want us to know tonight. When someone needs help, they don't always come up to you very nice and polite and say, could you please help me? I need some help.

Sometimes in their frustration, in their desperation, they don't know how to do that. They literally throw a rock at you. And that's the way to ask for help.

Those kinds of situations are all around us. And I want to challenge us tonight. I challenge myself.

Do you have the discernment of the Holy Ghost to recognize a cry for help? And I'll tell you, it takes discernment. I have found that everybody that throws a rock at you isn't asking for help. So it takes discernment.

But there's a cry for help from many people. And all they get is condemnation. Let me tell you something.

We are all pretty sharp. We all have discernment on how to bring judgment on a wrong act. We're all pretty quick.

We can see that thing. That thing needs to be dealt with. But how quick are you to see through the situation and hear the cry from that heart? You know, Jesus, he did that.

And the call of God upon us is that we would be like him. What if I had heard this brother's cry? How different could things have come out? I was very sharp at bringing discernment and judgment on his mistakes. But I've been since convicted.

What would have happened if I had heard his heart? I heard a song the other day. I don't know the song well, but it says, can you hear the cry of the children? Can you hear the voice of the children? Can you hear the prayer of the children? And that song just brought all this back to me. I didn't hear it.

What could have changed? God would open our ears to hear. What kind of revival could break out? What kind of life could be ministered to these situations? Think about the woman taking an adultery. I want to think about comfort.

Let's open our Bibles tonight to 2 Corinthians chapter 1. This is a passage of scripture that talks about comfort. And I want to challenge us tonight. God wants to comfort His people.

And He wants to use people to do it. He wants us to be like Him. Let's read verses 1 through 7 here.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Ki. Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation.

This is God now. This is what He does. Comforts us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble.

In other words, He wants us to do what He does. He comforts us in all of our tribulations so that we are able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

In other words, yes, we have trouble, but our consolation is just as big. Bigger. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer, or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. And what that's saying there is what we mentioned earlier. God never intended anyone would endure suffering and not endure consolation.

And He wants us to have the discernment to see where it needs to go. We know there's a time for judgment. We know there's a time for discipline.

We know there's a time for rebuke. And may God give us wisdom so that we use it at the right time. But I'm just going to tell you tonight, we're too quick to get there.

And we're too slow to see where comfort and consolation needs to go. So I'm trying to speak into my own need and the needs that we have. I want to look here at verse 3. It says, Blessed be God.

Now we're talking about God the Father here. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies. Now I want to make sure that we have an accurate picture of our God.

Many times we are, you know, His just, His holiness, and these things aren't just, they're just who God is. But I want us to know here, He is the Father of mercies. And you know, when someone is the Father of something, that means that's where that thing came from.

I mean, talking about the devil, it talks about, He says He's a liar and the father of it. In other words, He's the one that came up with lies. I think about rock and roll.

I've heard that Elvis Presley is the father of rock and roll. He's the one that got that thing going. It goes back to Him.

But God, our Father, is the Father of mercies. That's His idea. He's the one that got this thing going.

This is no one else's idea. It's not just pleading for mercy from the Father and hope He'll understand. The whole thing is His idea.

He's the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. It all comes from Him. This is who God is.

Now, I want us to turn to Romans chapter 15. And we'll just read a few verses here. Romans 15.

First, I want to look at verse 5. And then I want to read verses 1 through 7. But look here at verse 5. Romans 15, 5 says, Now the God of patience and consolation. That's comfort. And God's very patient along with it.

The God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, what that's saying to me is that God is the God of comfort and patience and consolation and He wants us to be just like Him. That's what it says.

May God grant you to be like-minded. Treat each other that way. I'm convicted.

I haven't always done that. But this is who God is. In verse 1, We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves.

That's not a real common attitude. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. Do what will build him up.

For even Christ pleased not himself. But as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. He took our reproaches.

He became sin for us. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. I love that phrase.

We're talking about comfort tonight. Comfort of the Scriptures. That's a beautiful passage.

That we might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grants you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus, that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, receive ye one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

That we would receive each other as Christ has received us. And be members one of another and speak into each other's lives. And so I was thinking about God.

Do I have an accurate picture of God? We see here God the Father is the Father of mercy. He's the God of all comfort. Well, God is a trinity.

He's the Father. That's the way He is. How about the Son? Jesus Christ.

He's full of mercy. That's what Hebrews says. He's a merciful and faithful high priest.

He's the consolation, that's comfort of Israel. His Son is just like Him. What about the Holy Spirit? What's His name? What did Jesus call Him? The Comforter.

That's His name. Do we really know who God is here? God the Father is the Father of mercy. Jesus Christ the Son is ever interceding on behalf of others.

The Holy Spirit is the Comforter. And why is He called the Comforter? I tell you tonight it's because we need comfort. And He has it.

And He is willing to come alongside and to give it. I think about the Holy Spirit indwelling all of God's children. And I've heard a phrase, and I'm sure you have too, about certain people that, well now, they're hard to live with.

Or they're hard to get along with. But the Holy Spirit can get along with them. He can dwell within them.

He can abide with them. Isn't that amazing? And if the Holy Spirit dwells within us, that's the influence that needs to come forth. Let's turn to Romans chapter 8. Romans gives us beautiful little insights here on what kind of a Comforter the Holy Spirit is.

In Romans chapter 8 verse 26, it says, Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now I want you to picture this Holy Spirit here making groanings which cannot be uttered on behalf of each one of us here. The person that the Holy Spirit is interceding for here has probably undoubtedly grieved the Holy Spirit.

This person has quenched the Holy Spirit, and yet here's the Holy Spirit pleading for them, interceding for them with groanings which cannot be uttered. I don't know how you are, but if I know someone is off somewhere talking about me in a negative way, it just kind of hurts. And there's nothing you can do about it, but it just kind of hurts.

But think about when someone is off somewhere talking about you, praying for you, interceding for you, lifting you up, holding you up. What a joy. Isn't that a joy? Doesn't that minister life into your spirit? I can go to sleep on that.

I can't go to sleep on the other. This is the burden that God has. This is the way He is.

This is what the Holy Spirit does. How about us? Well, is it just the Holy Spirit? Look down in verse 34. It says here in Romans 8, 34, Who is He that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

And Hebrews tells us about Jesus Christ. It says, He ever liveth to make intercession for the saints. And it says here in verse 27, It says, He that searcheth the heart, this is God the Father, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit as He makes intercession.

It says, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God the Father. So it's the Father's will to have this intercession. It's the Holy Spirit doing it.

It's Jesus Christ who also makes intercession for us. This is our God. This is for the people of God.

I'm just telling you. Is the Holy Spirit doing this because we're perfect? No, it's because we're not perfect. And many times we think someone else has to be kind of perfect before we come alongside and support them.

Is this the influence of the Holy Spirit within? It's not. We have grieved the Holy Spirit, and yet He pleads in our behalf. Let's turn to Philippians chapter 2, and just read a couple of verses there.

It says in verse 2, If there be therefore any consolation in Christ. Now that if there doesn't mean, you know, maybe there is, maybe there isn't, but if there is, no, it doesn't mean that. It means there is.

This is a given. Since there is consolation in Christ, since there is comfort of love, since there is fellowship of the Spirit, since there are bowels and mercies. Look at this.

Brethren and sisters, this is the kingdom of God. This is a picture of church life. If we make it happen, it says here, if any bowels and mercies.

Bowels, if you look at that word in the scriptures, that word is given as the deepest, that's as far deep as you can go, in the innermost feelings and part of man. That's what's in a mother's heart for her child. That's what the scripture says, you know, he yearned in his bowels for his son.

If there's any of that in Christ, and there is. If there's any of that in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, and there is. Our feelings for each other goes as deep as you can go.

Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Brothers and sisters, that's the plea of the scriptures. Yes, there is consolation in Christ.

Yes, there's comfort of love. Yes, there's fellowship of the Spirit and bowels and mercies. And the cry in verse two is God wants us to have it for each other.

That's what it says. Do we? I'm convicted. There's higher ground for me.

It ministers life into each heart. God loves an intercessor. God loves an intercessor, not just words going up on behalf of someone, but when your bowels yearn for their situation, for life to be ministered into their situation, for their prayers to be answered.

That's intercession. It's not just words. It's feelings and emotions.

You know, some people say religion is not emotions. It's not feelings. Oh, yes, it is.

When your spirit stirs towards someone to leave emotions out of that, I don't know how to do that. It gets you into it. I'm not saying you lose your judgment over it.

I understand the burden to take some emotion out of, you know, just making something just a lighthearted, short decision, but there's bowels of mercies. There's fellowship. There's emotion.

There's feelings. There's sentiment in this Christian life. Have you ever felt that deeply for someone? That is of God.

Let's pray for each other that way. I need it. Isaiah and Ezekiel talk about standing in the gap and making up the hedge for someone else.

And you know what standing in the gap means? Gap means there's a hole. That's what a gap is. It's not complete.

We have holes. We have blind spots. We just do.

And it's standing in that place of weakness for our brother and interceding with bowels and mercies on their behalf. It's almost like I can't comprehend this. Well, the flesh can't, but the Spirit of God can.

It's a high calling. Making up the hedge. What does that mean? Well, when you make up something, it means something was down, something was separated, and you're making it up.

You're bringing it back together. You're rebuilding it. You're reconstructing what was torn down for someone else.

We're pretty quick to do that ourselves. We're pretty quick to receive help to do it. But do we have the mind of Christ to move this way toward others? Let's turn and read in Numbers 23.

There's just an interesting little story here about Balaam. In Numbers 23, God said some amazing things to Balaam. It's amazing that He said them through Balaam.

But in Numbers 23, I'm going to read 19 through 23, what God says about Israel, it's like an intercession from God, interceding for Israel. Verse 19, God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent. Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Balaam said, Behold, I have received commandment to bless Israel, and he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt.

He hath, as it were, the strength of a unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel. According to this time, it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What have God wrought? Look what God said about His people.

Is it because they were perfect? They were far from it. So am I many times. And I need someone to come alongside.

There are things that happen to us in life that we'll never forget. And I remember when I was young, and I got out of school back in 1973, and I was popular in high school. I was active in FFA, Future Farmers of America.

I was active in sports, and I made some achievements, and I made many, many friends. And when I got out of school and all that came to an end, I was frustrated, and I got in trouble with the law, and I ended up in prison. And there was one day, I had a friend who was a girl that was in FFA.

We did activities together. Her mom was active, so I kind of knew the family a little bit. Now I was in prison.

And there's one day when I was in prison that I got to come home for work furlough, and I was working for my dad. Before I went back to prison that night, this girl, her mother, drove in with her daughter. And I saw them drive in, and I was embarrassed.

I was ashamed. I didn't know if I should act busy and go behind the barn. But they stopped, and they got out.

And they came over to where I was, and the mother looked at me, and this is what she said. She said, Dale, I just want you to know that no matter what happens, we think you're great. I couldn't believe it.

I looked at her daughter, and I could tell from the look, she felt the same. Did that minister life to me? Yes, it did. Were they justifying my sin? Not at all.

Did I need that right then? I did. Did I deserve it? I did not. But somehow there was some discernment in their heart.

And I don't even know, but maybe I'm here today because of what they said to me. Has God ever done that to you? He did it to Israel right there. And you can say, but that's Israel.

That's the Old Testament. Did you know there's almost a perfect parallel of that in the New Testament? Let's turn to Romans 8 again. Back there in Romans 8, there's so much in there.

In Romans chapter 8, I'm going to read verses 31 through 39. It's just the parallel of what God said about Israel. What shall we say then to these things? If God before us, who can be against us? And this just sounds just like what God said through Balaam to Balak.

He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who 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 the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That just sounds like what God said about Israel. And here it is for us in the New Testament. We get it too, if you're in Christ.

If you're not in the Lord tonight, you don't get it. This is for the believer. I just said that to encourage us to be in the Lord.

Amen? Yes, God help us. I want to make sure we understand clearly that we're not talking tonight about justifying someone's sin. We're not justifying someone with a wrong attitude and defending their rebellion because they're, you know, we love them.

No, we're talking about interceding, opening our heart to speak in their behalf, pleading for mercy. God is the God of all patience, are we? That's the cry of the scriptures, that we would be like-minded, that we would have patience. We don't just go around throwing out ultimatums.

It's not God's way. He has ultimatums, but He's patient, and loving, and kind, and intercedes on our behalf. God never justified anyone's sin.

Jesus Christ, when He was here, He didn't justify the woman taking that adultery. He didn't justify her sin, but He loved the sinner. And many times when we dish out ultimatums, we don't really love the sinner.

We love the ultimatum. I'm guilty. I pray for mercy.

You know, one of the qualifications of a priest, Hebrews gives them, and this is for fathers. You may see yourself as the priest of a home. Here's a quality that you need.

You may see yourself as a pastor, or in some capacity of leadership, there's a quality that you must have from the scriptures. Hebrews chapter 5 makes it very clear. Every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Here's the qualification. It must be someone who can have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way. Because He Himself also is compassionate with infirmity.

Sometimes we forget our own weakness. Think about that. Someone who must have compassion on the ignorant.

How common is that? Compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way. Who is that? It's someone that's not really making a whole lot of sense. Compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way.

Because He Himself also is compassionate with infirmity. I think I'll bring this to a close. Try to.

I've been around long enough that I've seen some really strong people. There are people who are so strong that you can't imagine them being any other way than strong. But sometimes life hits the strong people.

And I've been around long enough to see some strong people get knocked clear over and hardly able to rise. That's actually a scriptural thing. It happened to John the Baptist.

That was a strong man. John the Baptist leaped in his mother's womb even before he was born. John the Baptist who prepared the way before Jesus Christ.

John who boldly proclaimed, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. And all of Judea came out to hear John and to be baptized of him. And John was just going for it.

I mean, John had an answer for everybody. The soldier said, what shall he do? They do. And he had an answer for them.

And the Pharisees said, what should we do? And he had an answer for them. He had an answer for everybody. John the Baptist, he was a strong teacher of God.

But John the Baptist got hit. He got hit hard. He lost his ministry.

It didn't last but six months. And he ended up in prison. And he was confused.

And he actually, he who had proclaimed boldly that this, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. He sent a note to Jesus through his disciples and said, Are you he that should come or do we look for another? He wasn't even sure who Jesus was. Did Jesus condemn him? What did Jesus say to those people who came and asked him, Are you he that should come or do we look for another? Did Jesus say, come on, John.

You know better than that. Not what he said. You know what he said? He said, there's never been born a greater among women than John the Baptist.

Have you said that for your brother? But maybe in some confusion. Maybe even throw in a rock. I remember Denny Kiniston.

I hope it's not wrong to mention names. I saw him when he was so strong. I couldn't imagine anything even phasing him.

I didn't know anything that could pry him away from the horns of the altar until his prayer got through. That's just the way he was. That's the way he preached.

That's the way he came across. That's the way he lived. Well, I'm just going to tell you, Brother Denny got hit.

He got hit so hard that in some of his latter days, he wasn't sure why God wasn't answering prayer. There's a lot of people here that haven't been hit that hard yet. Maybe you haven't got that strong yet.

But if you haven't got hit yet, I'm just going to tell you, it's coming. Don't think it isn't. I thought maybe it wasn't for a while, and I was wrong.

Did I come through every trial faultless? No, I came through every trial because the Holy Spirit was interceding. And there were brothers and sisters doing the same. And I felt that love.

Dale, no matter what happens, we think you're great. I don't understand that. There's some really bad theology in that statement.

But there's some sacred results. In closing, thinking about the woman taken in adultery. She was a sinful woman.

She was a condemned woman. She was an evil woman. And you can say what you want to about that situation.

You can say, well, where was the man? And you can say, you know, whatever you want to about this situation. But none of anything you're going to say is going to help this woman. This woman was a condemned woman.

She was a sinner, and she was condemned. And there was nothing in the law for that woman but condemnation. There was no exception in the law that could set her free.

There was no loophole in the law that could release her. She was condemned. The accusers were right.

I have read that Scripture. I have studied that Scripture. I have tried to figure out how could Jesus pardon that woman by upholding the law? And he couldn't, because there was nothing in the law for that woman but condemnation.

I have only come to one conclusion. All I can figure is that a greater than the law is here. A greater than Solomon is here.

Jesus said so himself. And I want to tell us here this morning, a greater than your situation is here. A greater than your confusion and your discouragement is here.

And he is Lord. He is the light of men. And as we invite him into our situation, he will move in our behalf.

He's patient with us. Let's be patient with him as he moves. Wish I could quote the poem that I had to memory at one time.

As children bring their broken toys and tears for us to mend, I brought my broken life to God because he was my friend. And it goes on to say that I wanted God to help me. But it was taking him so long that I began giving him some ideas and some things that needed to happen.

And the last verse says, At last, and talking about my life, At last I snatched it back and cried, How could you be so slow? He said, My child, what could I do? You never did let go. God can move in our behalf in any situation. Did Jesus get results with the woman taken in adultery? He did.

And I think we will get the same results. When we have the mind of Christ with each other. Let's pray.

Father, we are weak. We are needy.