CHRIST CREATIVE BAPTIST CHURCH
A SERMON PREACHED ON SUNDAY
MAY 30, 1999
BY
THE REV. DR. GEORGE ST. ANTHONY FERGUSON, SR.
AUTHOR: Peter
THEME: Suffering and Glory
DATE: 65 AD
TEXT: 1 Peter 5:7
Do you have a problem in your life? Do you have a burden in your life? Do you have a concern in your life? Do you have a care in your life? I don't know about you but I do. I have problems. I have burdens. I have concerns. I have cares. If you don't have any cares, just keep on living. And with all these burdens and cares come suffering. We all suffer. We all have pain. We all have problems. We all have cares. We all have worries. All these cares will even raise your blood pressure and make you sick. But I know a man who can take away your worries. I know a man who can take away your cares. I know a man who can take away your problems. I know a man who can take away your pains. And His name is Jesus. He can bless you. He can rest you. He can make you happy. The song says don't worry, be happy. But you can't be happy if you don't know Jesus. And in order to experience the blessings of the Lord in your life, you need to cast your cares on Jesus. So on this Lord's Supper Sunday as we remember the suffering and glory of Jesus Christ, the Lord told me to preach on the title: Take Your Burden To The Lord.
We find ourselves in the 5th chapter of the book of 1 Peter. As we begin, most of you know that this is one of two epistles that Peter wrote. Peter was writing about suffering and glory. Peter was writing about Jesus and us. Peter was an uneducated man and a fisherman. Peter was a strong and burley fisherman. Peter was a cursing and lying fisherman. Peter was an unary and fighting fisherman. But despite his cursing, lying and fighting ways, Jesus saved his very soul and made him a disciple of Christ. And Peter had foot in mouth disease. Peter often spoke before he put his brains in gear. Peter often reacted without thinking. Peter often went crosswise with Jesus. Peter was just like us. But on the Day of Pentecost, Jesus transformed him from being a pebble of a man to being the rock of Gibraltar. Peter preached the first sermon of the Church and became the leader of the First Church of Jerusalem. Peter wrote this epistle and was the source for the gospel of Mark. Mark was Peter's son in the ministry. And by the time we get to chapter 5, Peter said we could handle suffering as Christians because our salvation is complete in Jesus. Peter said we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Peter said God said be ye holy for I am holy. Peter said we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. Peter said as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. Peter said we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Peter said Jesus Christ suffered as an example for us. Peter said if we suffer for the Lord, we ought to be happy. Peter said because Christ suffered, we will suffer. Peter said think it not strange when fiery trails come into your life as though some strange thing happened to you. And here in 1 Peter 5:6 Peter said, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time." My first point is this, "God Resist The Proud But Exalts The Humble." When Peter says humble yourself, he means to be modest. He means to be unassuming. He means to be lowly. He means to be meek. Now, meekness is not weakness. Meekness is strength under control. Meekness is power that forgives foolishness like water rolling of a duck's back. Meekness is knowing that you can take somebody out but being willing to turn the other cheek. Meekness is understanding that you can have your way but letting it go for the greater good. Jesus has all power in His hands but yet He was the most humble, meek and lowly man to ever live. And you cannot be both humble and proud at the same time. You either are humble or you are proud. You either do it God's way or you do it your way. How many of you know that pride is one of the worst sins you can have in life? God said there are seven things He hates. One, a proud look; two, a lying tongue; three, hands that shed innocent blood; four, a heart that devises wicked imaginations; five, feet that are swift in running to mischief; six, a false witness that speaks lies; and seven, he who sows discord among the brothers and sisters in church. The number one sin God hates is egocentric pride. And God said pride goes before destruction. John said for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. You've got to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. To humble means to abide under. God wants you to
ABIDE UNDER HIS LOVE
ABIDE UNDER HIS GRACE
ABIDE UNDER HIS MERCY
ABIDE UNDER HIS JOY
ABIDE UNDER HIS PEACE
ABIDE UNDER HIS MIGHTY HAND
He's got the whole world in His hands. Am I right about it? Take Your Burden To The Lord.
God wants you to humble yourself under His mighty hand so that He may exalt you in due time. If you have humbled yourself under God and you have not been exalted yet, then its just not your time. There is a time for everything. God does things decent and in order. And Peter said God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. James said humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. James said draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. But just because you have humbled yourself under the mighty hand of God does not mean that you do not have problems. All Christians have problems in their lives. You are headed to a problem, already in a problem, or coming out of a problem. The problems in life may change but the problems of life are constant. And problems are want causes us to have worries, concerns and cares. So what should we do with our worries? What should we do with our concerns? What should we do with our cares? Peter in V7 says, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." My second point is this: "Cast All Your Cares On Jesus." I am convinced that Peter told us to cast our cares on Jesus because he knew that we have a problem with giving up our cares to anybody. We talk to someone about our cares and they give us a great idea. But just as soon as we leave him or her, we forget that idea and take that care with us again. We pray to God about our cares and God answers our prayer. But just as soon as we leave God, we ignore the answer and pick back up that care. Some of us are so comfortable with our cares that we feel guilty if we have no care. We will go back to the throne of God, argue with God about the care, take back the care, and say, "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, nobody knows but Jesus." We have a pity party with the care. We say oh woe is me with the care. We get a victim's mentality with the care. We pat it and stroke it and treat it like a member of the family. We wear our care like a badge of honor and dare anyone to solve it. But God sees you with that unneeded, unwanted and unnecessary care and wonders why don't you take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Yes, we all have a cross to bear. Yes, we all have a burden to carry. Yes, we all deal with the cares of this world. But we have somebody who is willing and able to bear our burdens and share our loads. And His name is Jesus. Peter said, casting all your care upon Him! The word that is translated casting in the Greek is a present tense imperative. That means keep on casting your cares and keep on bringing your burdens to Jesus. Bring them all, bring them all, bring them all to Jesus. Tattered dreams, broken hearts, wounded souls. Bring them all, bring them all, bring them all to Jesus. And He'll heal your life. When we hear the words don't worry, be happy; we worry about being happy. But you can be happy in Jesus name. Jesus said the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me. Peter said cast ALL your care upon Him. What does all mean? All means all. All means everything. All means the whole shooting match. All means the whole kit and caboodle. And why should you cast all your cares on Jesus? Because He cares for you.
JESUS CARES FOR YOUR HEART
JESUS CARES FOR YOUR MIND
JESUS CARES FOR YOUR FLESH
JESUS CARES FOR YOUR SPIRIT
JESUS CARES FOR YOUR SOUL
JESUS CARES FOR YOUR BODY
Did he put food on your table; clothes on your back; money in your pocket; a roof over your head? Then you know he cares for you. Can I get a witness? Take Your Burden To The Lord.
V8 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." My last point is this, "The Devils Wants To Kill You But Jesus Wants To Save You. Peter told us to be sober. That means to be clear headed. That means to be bright eye and bushy tailed. That means to be temperate. That means to be focused. That means not to be drunk. And Peter told us to be vigilant. That means to be a sentry. That means to be on the look out. That means to be on guard. That means to be wide awake. In other words, you need to watch and pray. You need to pray without ceasing. You need to stand against the devil. Paul said and having done all to stand, keep on standing. Paul said be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Why do you have to be steadfast and unmovable? Why do you have to be sober and vigilant? Because your adversary, the devil, is walking about this world as a roaring lion. Your adversary, the devil, is walking about this world seeking whom he may devour. Your adversary, the devil, is going back and forth and to and fro in this world on a seek and destroy mission. The devil wants to steal from you. The devil wants to kill you. The devil wants to destroy you. Jesus said the devil comes but for to steal, to kill and to destroy; but I have come that you may have life and life more abundantly. And because Jesus suffered, therefore all Christians will suffer. But you can overcome the devil in Jesus name. And did you notice that Peter said the devil was a roaring lion? He did not say he was a biting lion. He said he was a roaring lion. I think he said it that way because God wants us to know that the devil's roar is bigger than his bite. You see when Jesus snatched the keys of hell, death and the grave out of the devil's hand in His resurrection; He also slapped his teeth out. He can roar and make you afraid, but he can't bite you. Have you ever seen an old mangy lion at the zoo? He can see you. He can roar at you but he can't bite you. He wants to bite you and eat you up but he can't because he can't get to you. Well, that's what Jesus did to the devil. He slapped his teeth out so the devil can't get to you. He can roar and roar and roar and blow his stink smelling bad breath on you, but he can't bite you. He can roar you the death. He can gum you to death. But he can't bite you to death. He has no power over you. Greater is He. The devil goes about as a roaring lion but Jesus Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, slapped his teeth out. Jesus is the King of the Jungle and the King of Kings. But the devil is just an old mangy, beat up ally cat. Paul said Jesus made a show of them openly. Paul said oh death where is your sting. Paul said oh grave where is your victory. And I say oh devil where is your teeth. So we can resist the devil. James said submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. The devil is a coward. Paul said put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the whiles of the devil. Paul said we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. In order to resist the devil you must put on the whole armor of God. You must submit yourself to God. You must humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Unless you abide under the hand of God, you cannot and will not be able to resist the devil. You can do all things through Christ. You either are under the mighty hand of God or dealing with the deafening roar of the devil. But you can only resist the devil by being in the Lord. And you have to resist the devil by being steadfast in the faith. You have to resist the devil knowing that you will suffer blows and beatings and buffetings. You have to resist the devil because you know the same afflictions that are happening to you are happening to your brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world. So be encouraged! And the only why you are going to resist the devil and endure the pain and suffering is for you to cast all your cares on Jesus. You have to take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. And do you know what the word care means? It means to be concern. It means to be worried. It means to be anxious. It means to be stressed. It means to be mentally oppressed. Given those definitions, who wants to have care? This reminds me of a popular statement people say when they leave each other. They say "Take Care." To be honest, I hate hearing that phrase. I don't want to take care. I don't want to take concern. I don't want to take worry. I don't want to take anxiety. I don't want to take stress. I don't want to take mental oppression. I will be careful and I will take care of myself but I don't want to take care. I want to take Jesus. Isaiah said the chastisement for our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes we are healed. In other words, all of the chastisement for our peace of mind was upon Him. All of the stress for our peace of mind was upon Him. All of the mental oppression for our peace of mind was upon Him. All of the care for our peace of mind was upon Him. And by His stripes we are healed. Jesus died. Listen to me this morning! We all have burdens to carry. We all have burdens to bear. Just being alive will imposes a burden on you. You have a burden to eat. A burden to sleep. A burden to work. A burden to think. A burden to make a living. A burden to take care of your family. A burden to take care of yourself. And sometimes, we get even extra burdens. When you are sick, that's an extra burden. When you have a legal problem, that's an extra burden. When you don't have enough money, that's an extra burden. When death comes to your family, that's an extra burden. And you have three things you can do with a burden. You can share your burden with someone else. Paul in Galatians 5:2 says, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." You can carry your burden by yourself. Paul in Galatians 5:5 says, "For every man shall bear his own burden." Or you can take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Jesus in Luke 11:28-30, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Even as a Christian you will have some burdens to carry. Your burden will be either labor under the devil or the easy yoke of the Lord. Your burden will be either being heavy laden by the devil or the light burden of the Lord. The heavy burdens of the devil will destroy you and take you to hell. The light burdens of the Lord will save you and take you to heaven. And you should take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Why? Because Jesus walks with you. Jesus talks with you. Jesus tells you, you are His own. Jesus will carry you through. This reminds me of the poem called "Footprints in the Sand." It goes like this. One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints. Other times there were one set of footprints. This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life When I was suffering from anguish, sorrow, or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints. So I said to the Lord, "You promised me, Lord That if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life There have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, When I have needed you most, you have not been there for me?" The Lord replied, "The times when you have seen only one set of footprints Is when I carried you." As I head to my seat, I want you to know that God said I will never leave you nor forsake you. Jesus said Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. The song says Be not dismayed. God will take care of you. Did he take care of the children of Israel at the Red Sea? Did he take care of the three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace? Did he take care of Moses? Did he take care of David? Did he take care of Peter? Did he take care of Paul? Did he take care of your mother? Did he take care of your father? Then God will take care of you! God cares for you. David said, "Cast your burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain you." The song says, leave it there. Leave it there. Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out. Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. Christ Creative, my advice to you is to put all your troubles in a sack, roll them up, take them to the Lord and leave them there. I must tell Jesus. I must tell Jesus. I cannot bear my burdens alone. I must tell Jesus. I must tell Jesus. Jesus can help me, Jesus alone. He's is a heart fixer. He's a mind regulator. He's a burden bearer. He's a load sharer. He's a way maker. He's a bridge over troubled water. He's a way out of no way. If you never had a problem, how would you know that God could solve them? How would you know that God could make a way? The Lord will make a way somehow. I'm not fearing no one. I'm not fearing no situation. I'm not fearing the devil. David said the Lord is my light an my salvation, whom shall I fear. Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid. For in the time of trouble, He shall hide me; He shall hide me in His pavilion. David said ya though I walk through the valley. God is good how many times? All the time! Say amen, somebody! And I just want to ask one question: "Will you take your burden to the Lord and leave it there?" The doors of the church are opened.
© 1998 drsax989238@msn.com
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