God Is Still In It!

By Pastor Don Smith

Mark 1:1-9, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan."

What a life John the Baptist had; what a great Man of God he was! Our Baptist Hero is the man Our Lord said was the Greatest!

Matthew 11:11, "Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

John isn’t the Founder of our Baptist Faith, that’s Jesus!

Hebrews 12:2b, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith."

John was a God called and sent MAN!

John 1:6, "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John." What a MAN! He was no pantywaist! Luke 7:24-28, "And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

John was the 1st Baptist Preacher, not an Old Testament Prophet! He’d forsaken his rights to a Priestly home, clothing and food, all for the New Testament Christ! It’s good to have a Hero! Lutherans have Martin Luther! Methodists have John Wesley! Presbyterians have John Calvin! But Baptists go back to the BIBLE; they have John!!!! He was great in the sight of the Lord!

Luke 1:15b, "For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord."

That makes him a great Hero! What success he had! Look at our text:

Mark 1:4, "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."

That’s Baptist Baptism!!!

Matthew 3:6-7, "And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"

Everybody, seeing his ministry, would say, "God’s in it!"

Now read Mark 6:17-29:

"For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give thee by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb."

Look at v.27. So what about that? I guess God’s not in it any more!!! Hear me well; I serve notice this day that God, most assuredly, is in it!!

We need some independent, unaffiliated, separated, N.T. sin-hating, sinner-loving, devil-kicking, big "B" Baptist preachers to continue the ministry of John the Baptist!

John 1:23, "He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias."

We need to be crying, preaching the gospel; standing for convictions and righteousness; preaching separation, holiness and scriptural soul winning! We must keep making straight and narrow the Lord’s Way where black is black and white is white, and we must be dedicated to clarifying all shades of gray!

We must stand for the King James Version: the inspired, preserved, inerrant, infallible, word for word, Word of God!

We must preach: all men are lost in sin and must be saved by grace through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone! We must stand for the local visible New Testament Baptist Church as founded by Christ during His earthly ministry, His Body and Bride!

Christ gave the great commission to the New Testament Church and works scripturally only through such local churches! The only baptism is Baptist Immersion, Baptism of Saved folk administered under the authority of the local New Testament Baptist Church to bring them into the local New Testament Baptist Church!

The Lord’s Supper is entrusted to the Local, Visible New Testament Baptist Church for its members only, with the elements being unleavened bread and unleavened blood of the grape, showing the purity of Christ’s Sacrifice!

And so, to encourage us to keep on crying in the wilderness of this world, making straight the way of the Lord, I’m saying to each of you that God’s Still In It!

I wish I could tell all of you that everything is going to be all right in your future ministry! I wish I could tell you that you’ll never see the inside of a jail cell! I wish I could tell you that the government is going to give you the freedom to live and serve the Lord as you are now! I wish I could guarantee you’ll have a great mountaintop experience and a mountaintop ministry!

It may be true, but I don’t know that! But whatever happens, in the future, whether we feel the coldness of the dagger, the steel of the sword, the slice of the guillotine, the dampness of a 21st Century Roman Prison, or whatever, God’s still in it!

Prosperity isn’t necessarily a sign of God’s blessing! I’m concerned about an attitude I see in Unaffiliated Baptists today! We count prosperity as a sign of God’s Blessing and adversity as a sign that God isn’t Blessing!

A Preacher came to me for advice and said: "Bro. Smith, I guess God isn’t in it! We’ve had nothing but trouble since we came here! I relied on the promise, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19) So I guess we’re not supposed to be here!" I said, "Brother, I guess one of your needs must be trouble! So if God supplies ALL your need, He’ll have to supply you some trouble!"

All over America, Elimelech’s and Naomi’s are leaving for Moab because of unemployment in Bethlehem! John Mark’s are turning back! Demas’s are forsaking God’s will, loving this present world! Lot’s are going to Sodom to find well-watered fields! Jacob’s are fleeing to Haran! Abraham’s are heading for Egypt! And they’re all blaming the Will of God for their lack of faith!

I serve notice on you: if things don’t turn out according to your own appraisal of what is good, that doesn’t mean God isn’t in it! One of the most carnal things we do is equate the will of God with whether or not things turn out as we think is best!

It’s tragic to feel that if the church is going well, then God is in it! But if the church isn’t going well, then God’s not in it! If we’re well, God is in it; if we’re sick, God’s not in it! If we’re full, God is in it; if we’re hungry, God’s not in it! If we’re employed, God is in it; if we’re unemployed, God’s not in it! If we have ease in life, God’s in it; if we don’t have it easy, God’s not in it! If things turn out like we think, God’s still on the Throne! If things don’t, it’s as if God isn’t on His Throne any more!

Then if things turn out better, we put our little god back up on His Throne and Rejoice once again!! I had a guy say to me a while ago, "Pastor, I got a job today! I guess God’s in it! He’s blessing! He’s still on the Throne!!!" I said, "Brother, He WAS still on the Throne, He WAS still in it, when you didn’t have a job!"

God was in it when Paul was put in that damp dark Roman Prison! God was still on the Throne, when the guillotine’s blade severed Paul’s head from his body! God was in it when our Hero, John the Baptist, baptized the Author and Finisher of our Faith, and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and the voice of the Father came out of the heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!" By the way, when Jesus got baptized by John, what did that make Him? A Baptist!!!

And the Father was well pleased with that! And God was still on the Throne when John the Baptist was beheaded! For God to still be in it, things don’t have to turn out like we think they ought to!

Things don’t have to turn out like you and I think they ought to turn out, for us to stay in our churches! We have the idea nowadays that if we’re hungry: "Let’s turn back! God’s not in it!"

God was still in it when the Apostle John was exiled to Patmos! God was in it when my dad got colon cancer! God was in it when I led him to Christ when in the hospital for his 1st surgery! God was in it when he suffered the indignity of a colostomy bag!

God was in it when less than 6 months later he began to suffer excruciating pain which continued for the next year or more! God was in it when a sore developed in his mouth that wouldn’t heal! God was in it when a lump began on his scalp! God was in it when they finally decided that the cancer was back and began chemotherapy and radiation!

God was in it when my dear mother spent the last year of his life caring for him through these helpless trials! God was in it when my dad told me, "I just wish I could die!" And God was in it when He took him home!

God doesn’t have to satisfy our appraisal of what’s good and bad to still be on the Throne! God was in it when the 1st bombing of the World Trade Towers was foiled! God was in it when the 911 attack killed 3000-4000! God was in it when Afghanistan under the Taliban fell quickly with few casualties for our troops!

God was in it when Saddam Hussein was toppled, and few of our men were lost! And God is in it now that we’re losing our young men in an undeclared war against a tactic instead of an enemy, while trying to build a nation, that’s none of our business, with increased unpopularity!!

God was in it when President Reagan was elected and when President Clinton was! I shudder when I say this: God will be in it whoever is elected this time! God was in it when we had 60 degree weather a week or so ago, and God was in it when it was 20 below up in Grand Forks! God was in it when Carla Moore went off the road with Allison and the kids, and they were not killed! God was in it when Allison almost lost her hands! God is in it now that she’s making miraculous progress and recovery!

Let me serve notice on each of us when having difficulties, God is still on His Throne!!! What you and I may think is bad, God may think is good, and He will surely use it for good! And what you and I may think is good, God may think is bad!

God knows what we need! Philippians 4:19, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Too many of us flee the will of God on the basis of no job/or some job; no food/or some food; unemployment/or having it tough! As sure as God is God, we need shadow as much as sunshine! We need Midnights as much as we need Noontimes! As much as we need good, we need bad!

I heard the best exegesis of Romans 8:28:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

It goes like this: I hate baking powder! I hate flour! I hate shortening! I hate salt! But mix them together, add milk, and bake it, and I love biscuits!

God doesn’t have to satisfy what we think prosperity is, in order to still be in it, to still be on the Throne! Baptist Deacon John Bunyan was in Bedford Jail for 12 years for preaching without a license! God was in it! His little blind daughter came to see him, "Mother says you can come home; we need you! All you have to do is promise not to preach in the streets any more!" "Sweetheart, if they let me out today, I’ll be preaching in the streets tomorrow!"

While John Bunyan was rotting in Bedford Jail, let me assure you, God was still on the Throne! God was in it! While John Bunyan was writing The Pilgrim’s Progress, God was still in it! When he was released and went on to become Pastor of the Bedford Baptist Church, God was in it!

Three years later, when he was imprisoned again for preaching without a license for six months, God was in it! When they finally released him and gave up on him and let him preach unhindered, God was in it!

Adoniram Judson, the Father of modern American Baptist Missionaries, was a Baptist missionary and Bible translator to Burma. God was on the Throne! Despite the fact his father was a Congregational preacher, and in spite of his mother’s "tears and pleadings," Judson was not saved until he was 20 years of age.

God was on the Throne! He had become a confirmed deist, due largely to the influence of a brilliant unbeliever in college who set out to win Judson to his deistic faith, and succeeded. God was still on the Throne!

After graduation Judson left home to become a drifter. God was still on the Throne! One night in a country inn, his room was adjacent to the room of a dying man. The man’s moaning and groaning through the long night kept Judson awake.

God was still on the Throne! All night troubled thoughts and questions assailed his soul: "Was the dying man prepared to die?" "Where would he spend eternity?" "Was he a Christian, calm and strong in the hope of life in Heaven?" "Or, was he a sinner shuddering in the dark brink of hell?" God was on the Throne!

Judson scolded himself for even thinking such thoughts contrary to his philosophy of life beyond the grave! God was still on the Throne! Judson thought how his brilliant college friend would rebuke him if he learned of these childish worries. God was still on the Throne!

During the night the room next door grew quiet as the man died! God was still on the Throne! Next morning Judson asked the Innkeeper of the dead man’s identity! Shock! He was, in fact, his brilliant young friend from Providence College! God was still on the Throne!!

And he was the unbeliever who had destroyed Judson’s faith. "Now he was dead, and was lost! Was lost! Was lost! Lost! Lost!"

Those words raced through his brain, rang in his ears, roared in his soul: "Was lost! Lost! Lost!" Judson realized he was lost too! He went home, entered Andover Theological Seminary, soon was saved and dedicated his life to the Master’s service! God was still on the Throne!!

In 1809, the same year he joined the Congregational church, he became burdened to become a missionary. God was still on the Throne! Three years later, February 19, 1812, young Adoniram Judson, and his bride of seven days, Ann Haseltine Judson, set sail for India, supported by the first American Board for Foreign Missions. God was still on the Throne!

But on that voyage, Judson, while doing translation work, saw that immersion was the mode of baptism in the Bible. God was still on the Throne! He cut off his support under the Congregational board and returned to find a Baptist Church with which to join! God was still on the Throne!

As a Baptist Missionary, he and Ann again returned to India. God was still on the Throne! The East India Company refused their entry into India to preach the Gospel to the Hindus! This went on for years! God was still on the Throne!

After many trying times, frustrations, fears, and failures, they finally found an open door in Rangoon, Burma. God was still on the Throne! There was not one known Christian in that land of millions. And there were no friends in that robber-infested, idolatry-infected, iniquity-filled land. God was still on the Throne!

Roger William Judson was born to this lonely couple! God was still on the Throne! Eight months later he was buried under a great mango tree! God was still on the Throne! The melancholy thump of the death drum for the thousands claimed by cholera, and the firing cannons and beating on houses with clubs to ward off demons, tormented the sensitive, spiritual souls of that missionary couple, as well. God was still on the Throne!

And there were no converts! It was six, long, soul-crushing, heart-breaking years before the date of the first decision for Christ! God was still on the Throne!

Then, on June 27, 1819, Judson baptized the 1st Burmese believer, Moung Nau. God was still on the Throne! Converts were added slowly! But opposition came, also. God was still on the Throne! Finally he was imprisoned as a British spy, an imprisonment of 21 months. God was still on the Throne!

Judson was condemned to die! God was still on the Throne! In answer to prayers to God and the incessant pleadings of his wife to officials, Judson’s life was spared and finally British intervention freed him from prison. God was still on the Throne!

Then a second child died! And finally Ann also died! God was still on the Throne! Except for a few months, Judson had spent thirty-eight years in Burma. In 1834 he completed a translation of the whole Bible into Burmese.

The work progressed and gospel power began to open blind eyes, break idolatry-shackled hearts and transform the new converts into triumphant Christians and with that, the establishment of Baptist Churches! God was still on the Throne! From 1845-1847, after thirty-four years in Burma, he took his only furlough back to his native America.

Returning to Burma, he spent his remaining years working on his English-Burmese dictionary. God was still on the Throne! He died on April 12, 1850, having spent 38 years in Burma! Although he had waited six years for his first convert, sometime after his death a government survey recorded 210,000 Christians, 1 out of every 58 Burmese! God was still on the Throne! And now the communists have taken Myanmar, and there’s great persecution, but God is still on the Throne!

Don’t equate the blessings of God with sunshine! The sweetest and dearest blessings that I’ve ever known have come in times of shadow, at nighttime and at midnight!

Philippians 4:11-13, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Take Job as an example, he lost his health, wealth and family, and yet he said in, Job 5:17:

"Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:"

And again in Job 23:10:

"But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, was inspired to write in Psalms 119:65-72:

"Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O LORD, according unto thy word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes. The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart. Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law. It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver".

I’m a little tired of Unaffiliated Baptists tucking their tails under their spiritual backsides and taking off! "I’m leaving the church because we’re having a tough time!" or "We’re leaving because the church isn’t growing like we thought it would, God must not be in it!" I hear some say, "I just can’t get through to the Deacons! God just isn’t in it!"

Preach them right or preach them out, God is in it! God was in it when Tri-town Baptist sent us to Platteville to start Platteville Baptist Church! God was in it when we won Daniel Garcia, the 1st guy saved, a migrant worker from Mexico! God was in it when I met up with Marvin McKenzie, a student from a Baptist Bible College in Denver, who wanted to be involved in church planting. He and his wife joined and were with us for a couple of years.

Then we ordained him and sent him to start Bayview Baptist in Astoria, OR. God was in it when my wife won Sarah Garcia to the Lord, and she’s been with us for nearly all 25 years! God was also in it when one of the young preachers, I was training, rebelled and took some families with him! God was in it when we had a bus ministry and when we couldn’t!

God’s been in it no matter what, and today we have grown up a generation including three real deacons and a Spanish language pastor! So we have an addictions program, and a Christian day school, and a Spanish language church, and God’s in it! But if all these ministries fold, He’s still in it!

Whether attendance is up or down, whether the crowd likes you or not, whether things are on top or on bottom, these things have nothing to do with whether God is in it or not!!

God was in it when you got saved and baptized into church! God was on His Throne, as you were growing in grace! "But now things aren’t as good as they were! The church services aren’t like they used to be! Some of the folks are acting differently! The preacher isn’t as good as he used to be!" Phooey! God is still on the Throne, God is still in it!

God was in it when Bro. Lester Roloff preached at the meeting in Mt. Hermon, CA, and I got called to preach! God was in it when Bro. Roloff went down with his plane! God was in it when, in the fullness of time, Mary in Luke 2:7:

"(she) brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."

God was still in it when in Luke 2:13-14:

"suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

God was still in it, when our Lord was rejected! Isaiah 53:3:

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

God was on His Throne when, at Pilate’s Judgment Hall, the cat-o-nine-tails was laid across the back of our Lovely Lord 39 times! That whip lashed across our Lord’s back until Isaiah said you couldn’t even tell that His body was that of a human being!

When Jesus dipped His Soul into Hell and the Father turned His back on His Son, God was still on the Throne!!!

I’m tired of those who believe it’s God’s will to go somewhere and start something for God and then decide. "I guess I had better go back since God didn’t provide! I guess I made a mistake!" When you determine it’s God’s will, it either is, or it becomes so! And so you didn’t make a mistake: coward, you stay where you are!

God is alive! God is still in it! And God is still good! I’d rather starve to death in the Will of God than to live in plenty outside of it! If you have to turn off the electricity and get a kerosene lamp, stay in the Will of God! If you have to turn off the heat and get a wood stove, stay in the Will of God!

If you have enough for only 1 meal a day, stay in the Will of God! If you have to suffer the rejection of your spouse, stay in the Will of God! If you have to take the persecution of parents or other family members, stay in the Will of God! You don’t have real life until you have death! You don’t have a resurrection until you have a burial! You don’t have joy until you have tears! As long as you equate adversity with God not being in it, you’ll never know the real blessings and joy of our Almighty God!

God was in it when Peter preached and 3000 got saved and baptized! God was still in it when Stephen preached and they stoned him to death! God was in it when the Baptists huddled in the Coliseum! When the Lions were turned loose, they sang and praised God! Their lives were taken, but they entered the presence of Our Lord!

God was in it that 1st winter, when the Pilgrims had someone in each home die! When the Mayflower went back the next spring, they were all given a chance to go back to England; but everyone said, "We’ll stay!" God is still on His Throne!

Don’t you put God on trial! God doesn’t owe you anything! God doesn’t have to make it turn out like you think it ought to! You stay right where you are! If God led you where you are, just stay! Don’t even consider leaving! Don’t you even dare ask God if you’re supposed to leave!

When I unpacked my suitcase in the Greeley-Platteville area, I said, "Lord, You know my address and phone number. I’ll not check with You again about where I ought to be until You write me a letter or call me!"

Listen, Brother, old orders are still in effect until God leaves new orders! You want a Crown with no Cross! You want Victory with no Battle! You want Resurrection with no Death! You want a Cure with no Illness! You want a Rainbow with no Storm! You want a Deliverance with no Bondage! You want an Empty Tomb with no Calvary! You want a Quenching with no Thirsting!

You want the Promised Land with no Wilderness! You want your Waves Calmed with no Storm! You want a Sunrise with no Darkness! You want a Revelation with no Patmos! You want a Solution with no Problem! You want a Perseverance with no Hardships! You want an Upper Room with no Gethsemane!

Every time things go well, God’s in it! No job, God’s not in it! I get a job, God’s in it! But I’ve got to work nights, God’s not in it! But I get paid more for it, so God’s in it! But I’ve got to work Saturday, so God’s not in it! But I feel real good, so God’s in it! But the wife is sick, so God’s not in it! But the mother-in-law’s sick too, so God’s in it!

But it’s 100 degrees outside, so God’s not in it! But I have an air-conditioned vehicle, so God’s in it! But the price of gas is too high, so God’s not in it! But I drive a little car that gets 45 MPG, so God’s still in it! But the road is so bumpy on the way to work, so God’s not in it! But they’re going to fix it, so God’s in it! But they are going to raise taxes to pay for it, so God’s not in it!

Brother, God is always on His Throne! God is on His Throne in sunshine and in the clouds! God is on His Throne at NOONTIME and at midnight! God is on His Throne in the calm and in the Storm! God is on His Throne when you’re employed and when you’re unemployed! God is always on His Throne!

Don’t get bitter and quit! Job 23:2, "Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning." When God doesn’t meet your standard of living, you have the audacity to get Bitter! How dare you! Bitter at Him Who gives you the Food you eat! Bitter at Him Who gives you the Air you breathe!

What if Paul had had your attitude? If he would have quit every time he was opposed. If he would have quit every time he was stoned. If he would have quit every time he was withstood, the Gospel would never have gotten to Europe! Thank God, Paul wasn’t a bitter quitter! Thank God,

Peter wasn’t a bitter quitter! Thank God, my Pastor wasn’t a bitter quitter! Thank God, the Baptists of yesterday weren’t bitter quitters! If John Bunyan had been a bitter quitter, we’d not have The Pilgrim’s Progress! What if our Pilgrim forefathers had decided that God wasn’t in it after that 1st disastrous winter, what would we have for our heritage? God said He would meet all our needs! Philippians 4:19:

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Yes, I know! And one of Paul’s needs was the Roman Prison! And one of John’s needs was the Isle of Patmos! And one of Adoniram Judson’s needs was to lay 2 of his children in Burmese soil!

And one of Joseph’s needs was that his father loved him above his brethren! And another of Joseph’s needs was to be hated by his brethren! And another of Joseph’s needs was to be sold into slavery! And another of Joseph’s needs was to be falsely charged with rape and treachery! And another of Joseph’s needs was to be thrown into the depths of prison! And another of Joseph’s needs was to be forgotten by those he helped while there! And another need was to be elevated to the number two man in Egypt! Romans 8:28:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

And with all those needs met, Joseph had the character built into him to forgive and love his brethren and help them in the time when he could have gotten even!

Listen, if Sister Ever-so-good treats you like a dear friend, you say, "I’ll hang in there and give it my best!" And if she snubs you like a derelict from the gutter, you say, "I’ll hang in there and give it my best!" If the attendance is up, you say, "I’ll hang in there and give it my best!" If the attendance is down, you say, "I’ll hang in there and give it my best!" On the job, if you’re promoted for doing right, keep on doing it! If you’re let go for doing right, still do it!

Am I A Soldier Of The Cross

Am I a soldier of the cross, A foll’wer of the Lamb, And shall I fear to own his cause, Or blush to speak his Name? Must I be carried to the skies On flow’ry beds of ease, While others fought to win the prize, And sailed through bloody seas? Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood? Is this vile world a friend to grace, To help me on to God?

Sure I must fight if I would reign: Increase my courage, Lord; I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain, Supported by thy Word. Thy saints, in all this glorious war, Shall conquer, though they die; They view the triumph from afar, And seize it with their eye. When that illustrious day shall rise, And all thine armies shine In robes of vict’ry through the skies, The glory shall be thine

"If I find a job, I’ll stay in the area and in this church!" Phooey! If you don’t find a job, don’t run, dig in and stay in church and don’t miss a service! And don’t take a job that conflicts with services! "If the family is well, I’ll give my all to God!" "And if sickness stalks us all our lives, I’ll give my all to God anyway!"

I’d love to tell you, we’re not going to go through any more persecution here in America! But, first of all, I’m pretty sure we will! Secondly, God’s on the Throne either way! Thank God, God is in it!

And if another man never comes into Platteville Baptist Church and gets saved and baptized, I’m here to stay because God’s still in it! If everybody leaves, because they can’t take narrow Bible Preaching, God’s still in it! If they stay and vote me out, I’ll go to a church that’ll send me back across the street to start another Baptist Church, because God’s still in it!

If you’re a "useta-be" Baptist or "useta-be" Preacher or "useta-be" Deacon or "useta-be" Sunday School Teacher or "useta-be" whatever, get back in, God’s still in it!

Come death, come tribulation, come persecution, come hunger, come unemployment, come sadness, come sorrow, come heartache, come discouragement, come divorce, come destruction, come family problems, come desertion, come illness, come multiple sclerosis, come cancer, God is still on the throne!

I pray the dear Lord to give us the courage of the prophets of old! Help us to sing at midnight in the prison with Paul and Silas! Help us to rejoice in persecution! Help us to say, while in the Roman Prison, "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

Forgive us for being cowards. Forgive us for cutting and running! Forgive us turning back from a job undone! Forgive us for thinking, You’re not in it anymore because the church isn’t growing or responding or doing like we thought it should!

Forgive us for turning from a responsibility undone, like fathering, mothering, being a good child, being a faithful lovingly leading husband or a loving following helpmeet! Forgive us for not doing our duty as students, as employees and employers!

Forgive us for cutting and running from being the witnesses, the supporting church members, the faithful teachers, workers, soulwinners, and servants of Yours we should be! Forgive us for cutting and running from being the Pastor You’ve called us to be! Forgive us for going to Moab with Elimelech and Naomi!

Forgive us because we haven’t had the courage to say, "God is good, whether I’m sick or well, hungry or full, have a job or am unemployed, whether the deacons love me or hate me, whether my church is doing well or the numbers are down!"

Help me to be like our Hero, John the Baptist and keep "crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord" whether "all the land" comes out to the services to get saved and baptized or a modern day Herod wants my head on a charger!

Oh let us be assured that God is still in it, that He is still on the Throne! U