Greetings to you, friend! I’m Mack Lyon. The program is In Search of the Lord's Way. Some people think of God as in heaven, so far removed from anything that is happening here on this earth that He doesn’t: well, He can’t understand our problems. But is that really true? Suppose we study what the Bible says about it today. What do you say?
Welcome, my friend, to our Bible focused media ministry, In Search of the Lord's Way to become a Christian and to live like a Christian wants to live. Say, it’s good to have you join our study of God’s word today. We’re here on this station every week because some of your friends. Well, they’re our friends, too. But, they are members of some churches of Christ in the area served by this station and they are making it possible for us to be here, free of any appeals for money. Oh say, they would be so pleased to have you attend some of their meetings, and we hope you will.
If you need help locating one of those churches, let us help. Or, to request a free printed copy or a CD or an audio cassette tape of today’s message, or if for any reason you want to communicate with us, our address is In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. By e-mail it’s searchtv@searchtv.org. And our toll-free telephone number is 1-800-321-8633. You might care to visit our website, too, at www.searchtv.org.
Phil Sanders will have the message today on the subject: The God Who Understands. If you’re struggling with some kind of problem, and the probabilities you are; well, this study is going to be a real help for you. But, first, Ken Helterbrand is going to lead us as we sing. Then Phil will be here for Bible reading and prayer.
Hello, I’m Phil Sanders. Today we are going to be reading from Hebrews chapter 4, verses 14 to 16. “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” That is from Hebrews chapter 4. Let’s pray. O Lord, we are grateful that You understand our hearts, and that You love us so much. We are grateful for all of the love You give us. Help us each day to love You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
A farmer had just relaxed on the front porch when a newsboy delivered the evening paper. The boy saw the sign, “Puppies for Sale.” Well, the boy got off his bicycle and said to the farmer, “How much for a puppy, mister?” “Twenty-five dollars, son.” Well, the boy’s face dropped. Well, he said, “Sir, could I at least see them?” Well, the farmer whistled, and in a moment the mother dog came bounding around the corner of the house followed by four cute little puppies, wagging their tails and yipping with joy. A little later another puppy came straggling around the house, dragging a hind leg. “Well, what’s the matter with that puppy, mister?” the boy asked. “Son, that puppy is crippled. We took her to the vet and the doctor took an X-ray. She doesn’t have a hip joint and that leg will never be right.” Well, the boy dropped his bike, and he reached for his collection bag and he took out a fifty-cent piece. “Mister,” the boy said, “Please, I want to buy that puppy. I’ll pay you fifty cents every week until the 25 dollars is paid. Honest I will, mister.” The farmer replied, “But son, you don’t seem to understand. That puppy will never, never be able to run or jump. That puppy is going to be a cripple forever. Why in the world would you want such a useless pup like that?” The boy paused for a moment, then he reached down and he pulled up his pant leg, exposing that all too familiar iron brace and leather knee strap, and holding a poor, twisted leg inside. That boy said, “Mister, that puppy is going to need someone who understands him and loves him.”
Perhaps there have been times in your life when you wished someone, well, anyone would understand and love you with all your faults and troubles. Well, there is someone who does! He understands you and will always love you. You may be crippled inside your heart or maybe outside, but He understands. You may be tempted, but He understands. You may have it hard and feel like quitting sometimes, and He understands. You may have been hurt and have reason to be angry. My friend, He understands. He knows all about you. He knows what you’ve been through. He knows how you think. He knows what you have done. He understands and loves you in spite of it all. The Bible says in that great book, the book of Hebrews chapter 4, verses 14 to 16, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.” Jesus experienced in his short life all the struggles and temptations that you and I face. He knows what it is like to be human, and he also knows what it is like to be Divine. He knows what it is to suffer and to be tempted; and He knows what it is to do what is right when things are difficult.
The Bible says about Jesus in John 2:24 and 5, that “he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” As a human, Jesus knew what it was to be hungry and thirsty. In Matthew 4 for instance, verse 2 the Bible says, “And after fasting forty days and forty nights, that he was hungry.” While hanging on the cross, Jesus, “knowing that all was now finished, said to fulfill the Scripture, ‘I thirst.’” We also know that Jesus got tired at times. In John chapter 4, verses 5 and 6, the Bible says, “So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour (that is noon).” Jesus never had a wife; he never had any children. His father likely died before his ministry began, and that left him having a mother and several siblings to support. He had a hard life as an itinerant preacher. He was popular to some and hated by others. He never owned a home; he walked everywhere he went; and he knew what it was like to be rejected. Can you imagine, from the time of your birth people thinking that you were illegitimate? Or can you imagine the soldiers of King Herod the Great hunting for you to take your life? You know the Bible says in Matthew 2, verse 16, “Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious; he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had been ascertained from the wise men.”
Can you imagine your family thinking you were crazy? Well, the Bible says in Mark 3, verse 21: “And when his family heard it,” that is His teaching and the miracles in Nazareth, “they went out to seize him, for they were saying, ‘He is out of his mind’”
Can you imagine your own family and friends refusing to believe you? John 1, verse 11 says, “He came to his own, and his own people didn’t receive him.” The people of his home town Nazareth rejected him and even tried to kill him by throwing him off a ledge. Mark 6, verse 2 through 6 says: “And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, ‘Well, where did this man get these things? What is this wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?” And then they said: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.’ And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.”
Can you imagine your disciple and friend selling you out? The Bible says in Matthew 26:14 to 16, “Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.”
Can you imagine being betrayed with a kiss? Can you imagine your close friend and disciple lying about you; about even knowing that you exist and that you are the son of God? But the Bible describes the boast of Peter in Matthew 26, verses 33 to 5: You remember that Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Now Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same. But you remember when the pressure came upon them, they did fall away. Peter denied him not once, not twice, but three times; and the last time in the very presence of Jesus.
Can you imagine being asked by your Father to be crucified? The Father sent his Son into this world to sacrifice himself as an act of love and to deliver you and me from our sins. That was the most difficult thing that Jesus ever had to face: the cross. In Matthew 26 and verse 38 when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane he said, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to the point of death.” The Bible describes his prayer in the garden in Luke 22 and verse 42 this way: it says “And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.”
Can you imagine dying on the cross, bruised and bleeding, while the people all around you are mocking you? Matthew 27, verses 41 to 43 says: “So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Can you imagine remaining silent during all their ugly mockery? Can you imagine being in excruciating pain at the hands of very wicked men and never striking back; never saying anything back; never taking vengeance on them?
Jesus understands the good and the bad, the easy and the hard. He understands the fair and the unfair. He knows people and you know what, he also knows churches. You remember in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 that Jesus spoke to each of the seven churches of Asia. Some of them were good churches; some of them were not so good. And to each of the seven he said, “I know your works.” Now he knew the positive about them; but he also knew the negative about them. He praised them for the good and he rebuked them for the bad. He praised them whenever they had toil, and they were faithful. He praised their perseverance, their sound doctrine, their faithfulness whenever they went through tribulation. He praised their willingness to suffer poverty for the cause of Christ, and even when they were blasphemed for the name of Christ. He praised them for how they lived, how they showed their love, how they showed their faith in times of struggle, and he praised them for their service to the Lord. But you know he also rebuked them when they left their first love like Ephesus did, or when they compromised their faith and began to embrace false doctrines like some of the churches did. He rebuked them when they supposedly were alive but were spiritually dead; and rebuked them when they were lukewarm. He said I want to vomit you out of my mouth. Oh, Jesus knows about our spiritual life, yours and mine; and he knows whether we are growing as we ought to grow or whether we are dying or we are just lukewarm.
Jesus also knows when you are tempted; he knows when life has caved in on you. Oh, I love the faithful promises of God; and one of the ones I love the most is 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 13. There the Bible says: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” I love that promise because it shows me that God is faithful and that he will watch out for me and never let anything come on my shoulders that is too heavy to bear. God understands my limits, your limits, and he won’t let temptation and trials so overwhelm you that you can’t endure them. When you can’t stand the temptation, the Lord will make a way of escape so that you don’t fall into sin. He will bless you and He will be there for you. He promises in Hebrews 13, verse 5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Oh, I love that! The God who understands my needs and my weaknesses is also the God who stands by us to help us through all the struggles that we face.
Jesus knows your victories and he knows your defeats. He also knows your heart. If you love him, he knows it. If you have forgotten him, he knows it, too. If you have let sin come into your life, he knows it; and if you are overcome by that sin, he knows it, too. Now in spite of all that he knows about you and me, he still loves us anyway. He loves us even in our sins and our weaknesses. To that lukewarm church at Laodicea, the Lord and Savior Jesus said in Revelation 3 and verse 20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I want to come in to him and I am going to eat with him, and he with me.” You see, what Jesus wants is a relationship with you. He wants to love you and be loved by you. He wants to be your friend. And he took the first step in building that relationship by offering to you and me his love and his grace. And no matter who you are or what you have done in the past, the Lord’s heart is big enough and open enough to forgive you and welcome you into his family, if you are willing to come to him obedient. Saul of Tarsus was the chief of sinners, but God could open his heart to him. The apostle Paul in Scripture said in 1Timothy 1, verses 12 to 16, “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, or ministry, though formerly I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” I tell you if God could forgive Saul of Tarsus, my friend, he can forgive you, too!
Won’t you come to him in love and faith by repenting of your sins, confessing him to be the Lord and Christ, and by being baptized in water for the forgiveness of your sins? The Lord is looking for you. Sometimes Christians wander away from the fold. If you have, my brother, isn’t it time you came home? And why not do it today? Let’s pray. O Lord, we are thankful for your love and your mercy and for your understanding. Help us to give our hearts to you always. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Thank you, thank you, thank you Phil for the message today. Oh say, my friend, God knows your every care. He knows your every burden. He knows even the temptations you and I have. He is even ready and willing to forgive and forget when we’re ready to repent and turn to Him.
If you would like a free CD, audio cassette tape or printed copy of the message today, “The God Who Understands,” please write us In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or by e-mail searchtv@searchtv.org. I would probably call; and if you would prefer to do that, we’ll pay the call for you. Our toll-free telephone number is 1-800-321-8633. Oh say, if you would like to enroll in a free Bible Correspondence Course, we would love to have you. Use either of those addresses or the telephone number to enroll. We have two courses. The first is a survey of the Bible in eight lessons; and when you request it, we’ll send you the first two lessons. You study the first one and fill it in the blanks and return it in the envelope provided. And while you are working on lesson two, our graders will grade it and return it to you along with lesson three. The second study consists of 26 lessons. Be sure to tell us which one you want. We pray that you will be blessed by the study of them as many others have. And many of those who have done the first series then want to enroll in the larger series about 26 lessons. Both of them are free to you and we will be happy to enroll you at anytime.
And say, who not attend the church of Christ in your area very soon. They are the ones that make it possible for us to be here every week without any appeals for you to send us money or to send us your tithe or anything of that kind. And they are the people that are responsible for our being here every time. We pray you were blessed with our study today and that you will be with us again next week. And you have time yet this week and next week before we are on to invite somebody else to see the program. Tell them about it. If you have been blessed, then surely we can be a blessing to them, too. God bless you now. Until next week. We love you.
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