Church Of The Harvest | Sermon Podcast | Cleveland, TN
A Lifeline of Mercy - Pastor Rhonda Davis
material there. Amen, amen. Give my awesome son in love a hand for getting out the process. I love to open up with funny things and personal stories but we're just going to dive into the word because I have a challenge to get an abbreviated message and abbreviated time so that I can get down here and make Kristianne become Mrs. Stephen Whit. You look beautiful and you look handsome and I love you both. Amen. Begin this podcast. We welcome you this morning whether you're listening in the room or by podcast. This morning I'm going to speak on the life line of mercy. The life line of mercy. Our story of context comes from Jeremiah 38 but we will get to that in just a moment. A life line is a thing on which someone or something depends on which provides a means of escape from a difficult situation. A thing that helps someone in a difficult situation. A rope or a line used for life saving. This morning God is throwing a life line of mercy to this room and this morning He is challenging us to be that life line in the community ahead of the time where you say amen. Amen. Reading from limitations 3 and 22. Through the Lord's mercy we are not consumed. Amen? Because his compassion failed not. Someone say fail not. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion brother Gerald says my soul therefore I hope in him. Can you say amen? Reading from 2 Corinthians 1 and 3. God is the source. Someone say God is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. Powerful. He comforts us in all our troubles so we can comfort others. When others are in trouble we will be able to give them the same comfort that God has given us. Can you say amen to the reading of God's Word? Lift your hand if you will. Father repeat after me. Father in Jesus name I receive your word today. Come Holy Spirit speak to me. Let me hear what you have for me this very day. I will receive it with joy and I will be changed. In Jesus name amen. You did fantastic. I bring you to the city of Jerusalem Israel. Two weeks ago we left Jeremiah there planning in the land and prophesying about the future of Israel and he was on point. Nebuchadnezzar is coming against the walls of Jerusalem and there is Jeremiah and this what happens to him in the 38th chapter. So they took Jeremiah who took him was the princes of the kingdom and cast him into the dungeon Malachi the king's son and in the dungeon there was no water but Meyer. So Jeremiah sank in the Meyer. Here is Jeremiah deep in a dungeon like place. The most important person in Jerusalem this is to crude a treatment for the man who was just guilty of loving God's people too much. The most valuable person in Jerusalem is in a pit but he was still chosen by God. Can I get any man? He was still the apple of God's eye and to those in this room that feel like you have been put in a pit or someone that you love has been put into a pit that you love so deeply a difficult place a hard place. Jeremiah could say the words of the Psalmist 69 I'm sinking into deep Meyer. I cannot stand deep waters overflow me and I long for someone to take pity on me and maybe this morning you feel like you're sinking. Maybe this morning someone you love you feel like they're sinking in the Meyer. Maybe you feel like you're drowning. I have good news for you this morning. Jesus extends a rope of mercy and grace and he will never ever fail you. Someone give him a shot of praise in this room but Jeremiah had to fight against the lies of the enemy in the pit and in difficult moments in difficult times you and I and confusing times overwhelming times we have to fight the lies of the enemy cannot get any men and we have to help each other fight the lies of the enemy cannot get any men. We know God is faithful we know his words are true but when we're hurting broken hearts here through broken hearing. Fearful souls feel through here through fearful hearing. Our perception becomes distorted in a hard place can I get any men. We can't feel right. We can't see right. We can't hear right and the enemy's lies come so much and he wants us in a hard place in a pit to focus on our circumstances instead of the God of the mountains. Can I get any men. The enemy will lie and tell you you must have done something wrong to be here. Something must be really bad in fact I need to tell you the enemy will say what people are saying about you whatever the enemy is saying to you it is a lie because he is the father of all lies and he speaks no truth. Come on now. The thing about is the enemy will manipulate those lies and fabricate the evidence to make it look real to you. We need to discern between the enemy's lies and truth that statement from the enemy you're no good you'll never be any good you'll never measure up. You don't matter you won't fulfill your dreams you'll never be accepted or acclaimed and we begin to in a pit of hard times difficult moments places in our life we've gotten ourselves into or maybe life has thrown us in the pit because life through Jeremiah in the pit we become vulnerable we feel like we're sinking when our circumstances don't look favorable but that's the moment someone say that's the moment when you need to tell yourself the truth and if you can't tell yourself the truth you need to get on the phone with somebody that will tell you the truth come on don't be going to your friends in the world because they'll identify with the lies of the enemy get on the phone or get in person even better with a son or daughter of the most high God that will say the truth to you because there are people who will agree with your depression they'll agree with your oppression they'll agree with your woe woe as me but there is a people of God who are lifeline givers and they will say you are believing a lie this is not truth you are a son and a daughter of the most high God somebody give him a praise say to someone in that moment I'm not okay and this church believes it's okay not to be okay and then after you hear truth begin to say this is not where my story ends there's an expiration date to this trial I serve a God who designed my deliverance long before the enemy demised my destruction can I get any man and I'm not staying in this place I'm not going to decorate this pit commemorate this pit build a Facebook group around this pit make a thing about this pit talk to my coworkers about this pit rise in the sky screaming about the pit I'm gonna say to the world I may be in a pit today but my King Jesus owns a palace somebody give him a shout a praise and I'm gonna say that he will turn this adversity into something that will make hell shake heaven rejoice and others will say there goes the redeemed of the Lord somebody give the Lord a shout a praise well I made my bed and I have to lie and I hate that statement that's not the God I've witnessed pulling people out of the pit now for 40 years of full-time ministry everyone may give up on you but God will never give up on view well I don't deserve a second chance well brothers and sisters you didn't deserve your first one either neither did I and you won't deserve your third or your fourth or your fifth anybody on like 1,222 about right now because of his mercy we reap his love I heard the Spirit say brother Danny this morning early he said there are some testimonies waiting to be written and I said tell me more and it's almost like I could see Patricia like a quill in the hand of a heavenly scribe just watching situations waiting to do the forward and the endorsement of testimonies that are gonna rise up out of the pit into the glory realizing they are sons and daughters of God if you're in the waiting room your testimony is gonna be written if you're believing for something that hasn't happened your testimony is going to be written someone give the Lord a shout a praise and you will say with David Psalms 40 I waited patiently for the Lord and he heard my cry he lifted me up out of a pit he put my feet on a rock he put a new song into my mouth and many shall see and shall give praise to the Lord praise him praise him in advance for what he's going to do the Lord's gonna redeem the adversity and recycle it into ministry Ebid Melech that's the man's name in the context of this story I wish I could read the whole thing we don't have time but Ebid Melech steps up as a lifeline for Jeremiah it's not a name it's not like Rhonda Todd Michael it's a title it means servant and Ebid Melech went to the king and petitioned him and said they have thrown the prophet into and he's gonna die there he's gonna die there you let them do it he's gonna die Ebid Melech could have said man I'm just an Ethiopian with beautiful dark skin and people see me and just say that's a servant but he heard God say that's my son who's gonna make a difference come on you know what you could say in the workplace this week I'm not the boss I don't have the title I'm not recognized by anyone but God says I see in you someone I can use for my kingdom somebody give him a praise this morning number one use your voice use your voice the world said I see a servant in Ebid Melech but God said I see a man who will stand in the gap others will save you I see an employee but God says I see a woman a God who has the heart of mercy others will say oh mama Linda she's just retired and God says oh she's refined refueled and she's coming out come on somebody others will say I see their weakness and God says I see their strength others will say I see their past God says I see their future others will say you will never amount to anything and they said that about me many times in my youth but God backs up like he does about you and says you just stand back and watch me redeem and do what only I can do somebody give him a praise this morning you see people may see us sinking in moments of our life but God says I see them standing by my power my grace my glory and my anointing that breaks the yoke can you say amen Proverbs 31 says be a voice for the poor and needy be a voice for those who are speechless and that's what Ebid Melech did and God is looking for an Ebid Melech generation God is looking for this church I shared a dream two weeks ago if you missed it go back and listen to it where God showed me the future of the church so powerful and in it was a pool and when I woke up he said Bethesda and I said of course which means house of mercy someone say house of mercy we are a house of mercy and God is looking for us to use our voice you are that rope we are that lifeline to the alcoholic to the addict to the single parent to the hurting minister to the broken hearts to the poor in spirit we are the ones like Ebid Melech that walk in and change the atmosphere because the kingdom just walked in the room can you give him a shadow praise come on look at someone and say this is a good day to be in the house of the Lord this church does that in so many different ways many ways that I shared two weeks ago but this Saturday is Queen for a day and this Saturday is we begin to be a voice it's like we spot like these women and we say these people matter they're worth matters and Dutch sheet says it this way it's like a boomerang anointing and we do something on the earth and it goes into the heavenlies I don't really understand it but I found it to be true we bring our sacrifice our time we use our smiles our gifts and we spotlight so a woman who is single and born all kind of odds walks back into an apartment with a purse she could have never afforded on her own can you say amen and the heavens respond and say you are valuable someone living at Teen Challenge goes home with a beautiful necklace and earrings while they're trying to beat addiction and heaven says you matter you are valuable I'm glad we are the whosoever church that says you matter you are valuable somebody give the Lord a shout a praise in this room at the end of the finale Lisa come help me at the end of the finale this year it's always someone different cats out the bag it's Lisa Cook we're doing defenders still on this Saturday doing defender and at the end of that is relived a woman's past and all of that thank you Lisa she didn't know I was gonna do this at the end of that drama Christ represented by Matt puts a crown on that head now you would think this is a little thing but I'm gonna tell you I've said in this room since the merge of 2015 that we've been doing this and something swishes in the room it's like the angels come close it's like Holy Spirit begins to store the waters and I don't understand it but every time when those women stop me after the day they'll cry and say when that crown went on her head that woman I felt God tell me that I was worthy and I was valuable and I was honorable we must use our voice somebody give the Lord a hand clap a praise thank you Lisa give Lisa a hand use your voice use what you have this sweet text someone encourage someone is to say to someone you're going to make it number two recognize the proximity you have to certain people look around you who you keep running into proximity means the nearness in place who do you work near who do you encourage who do you do business with who do you go to school with who do you constantly see the gas station the powerful thing is that even Melick took 30 men with him the king said you can go you can get Jeremiah and take 30 men with you and you see I want you to get what these 30 men were facing famine had hit Jerusalem it was a horrible battle they were starving and hungry and they nevertheless were willing to be among I wonder if we're willing this morning to be among a life-saving adventure can you say amen these men could have given excuses my family is threatened I need to work I need to beg I need to hide in a closet come on somebody I'm too busy they were fighting for their survival they could have said I just need me time and we all need me time but we need doing the work of Jesus time to amen and amen but at the weakest point of their life they said yes what would you say this morning what will you say in time of weakness will you say yes heaven waits for an answer I found a statement about almost 28 years ago I've preached on this so many times I don't even know where I got it from at this point but it's this and I live by it God does not call the qualified he qualifies the cold and you'll find me irritating you if you're in training underneath me pushing you prodding you irritating you loving you when you tell me you can't do what God has called you to do and reason I know cuz I've fought the same battle my entire ministry but when you come to the realization and the knowledge he qualifies you and you are called by him can you give him a hand clapper praise the history of the word of God is full of people that did not feel qualified years ago I don't know how many of you elderly people like me would remember this but there was a TV commercial it advertised a glue the claim was when it repaired a broken object the point of the repair would be stronger than any other part of the object so under stress it would break anywhere in the object before it would break where the glue was applied that's what God does for you and I the apostle Paul said in my weakness he is made strong so he makes it that he comes into our weak places and we become stronger in the place that we were weak than any other place anybody want to agree with that this morning give the Lord a shout a praise you see I know I've said it so many times I don't testify about my strengths they don't help anybody pastor Chris and Jen and I had a long time together this week they want to share some ideas with me about their ministry and toward the end I said can I tell you about my wig falling off story and they said what and so I told it they were laughing to their crying I'm not gonna tell it today but it's one of those stories that I've told on television it's one of those stories that I disarm a large group of women that wonder if that's all my hair most of it is the other end I got it Jen's down an inman street but come on somebody they wonder this and wonder that I like to tell about my weaknesses so somebody will say wow if she's really like that then I know God can use me come on somebody I don't like hyper spiritual I woke up this morning with a glory coming through the window that wasn't even my sermon that was for free it's all for free anyway but I like people that say I got weaknesses I've failed miserably I've made some huge mistakes but God does not need your strength he has more than enough strength on his own he just wants you to yield your weakness and he wants you to tell yourself I'm qualified to be the called no one is too weak for God's power and if you believe that in your candidate give the Lord a shout of praise in this room come on let him hear it musicians I'm not quite done that I'm gonna have y'all come on start playing for me if you will please no one is too weak these 31 men were starving they could have said I'm too busy spending too many plates to do the work of the kingdom one Saturday a year for queen today I'm sorry no one said that that's why I can say it here amen I'm sorry I can't do that they knew that a life was at the bottom of the pit that was worthy of being pulled out of the place they were in and they said we'll go in our weakness but together we will be strong this whosoever church our weaknesses together we compile them with our strengths but in the midst of it is a living loving glorious Savior who is strong all by himself when you can't he can just step back and say Jesus this is yours do what only you can do somebody give him a shout of praise and then something happens e-bedmellow does something is prophetic it's stunning I preached about e-bedmellow gone day start two years ago and I didn't even get this it wasn't this message but something happened as if a Hollywood author was scripting one of those you know like you know that Will Smith when he acts out the homeless guy what's that called yeah that one that one you know we we just love those where someone's marginalized and they climb up in the movie we love the way that makes us feel it's like almost like God said let's just put the Hollywood authors to shame right here and God began to write one of the divine reversal cinematic features e-bedmellow gets the permission and what does he do Jeremiah says he goes into the King's treasury everyone say the King's treasury y'all go ahead and play I'm good he goes into the King's treasury and listen to this don't miss this that's where the clothes of the rich had been discarded in the King's treasury down in the basement of the palace probably 457 robes of the rich that just said I don't need this anymore I've got 1,000 purple 7,000 red just put it down there discarded listen to me what's for the Lord put on my heart last night about this e-bedmellow took from what was thrown away and not good for anyone they thought e-bedmellow took what had supposedly outlasted its usefulness if the enemies tell you that that is a lie if the enemy is telling you're not useful anymore that is a lie can it get any men he took those things and he took those cloths to help pool Jera Maya out he put the cloths around the rope that he extended down to him I got a revelation about this about you and I glory to the King of Mercy there's a parallel that cannot be overlooked this morning those people that others have cast aside and put into the used bin God says I'm gonna use you those things in our life that others deem or we deem as worthless God said I'm going to use that can I get an amen the seasons of our life that we felt were wasted God says I'm going to use that in fact the Lord says to us through this rope in a moment e-bedmellow will throw down to Jera Maya I will not waste anything says the Lord that which you feel has been discarded or worthless God says I'm going to bring what a literary term is peripity divine reversal and I'm going to use what no one thought could be used to use you for my glory anybody a candidate for that this morning just wave a hand and let the angels take a snapshot of you I'll enjoy and in this moment e-bedmellow looks down into the pit I don't know about you have you ever looked up from a pit to see eyes of love looking at you no judgment someone say no judgment someone say no judgment no shame and all he sees is e-bedmellow throwing the rope down to him say and put those cloths underneath your arm this is a church that looks at people eye to eye I remember the first person I ever helped many years ago with multiple personality disorder I'm not going to explain that I'm not going to take time with that and not going to give any glory to the enemy but I remember when a note was turned in because I led worship back in that day into the offering to sister Rhonda and it said can we please meet with you my little people say they see Jesus in your eyes and that we can trust you I said oh God I don't know how to help us anybody with me I don't know what to do but God put this woman of God who is a woman of God today in Prox to me and if Jesus put someone in proximity to you I'll tell you what he told me Rhonda I know you don't know how to deal with this but remember what the word declares for this reason was the son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil someone give Jesus praise and as I said out of out of her basically because it's afraid to close my eyes can I be honest it's a long time ago as I looked at her Jesus just kept saying say this say that I love it that when I was divorced and people put a big X on me I love that people looked me in the eye and said don't be ashamed I love it when I was in a small college at a large church and it was tough nobody was judging me but I was dealing I love that people would look me in the eye with no shame and say you are valuable God is looking for an e-bed melon church and e-bed melon sons and daughters that will look the world in the eye and say you are not what you've done you are not where you've been you are valuable to the king can you give him a shout a praise hallelujah hallelujah Jeremiah said here's this 31 to pull you out you were thrown in without love but you're being pulled out with love and faithfulness will you and I be like those men will you and I put value on the person at the bottom of the pit will we Jeremiah 39 a power for promises made to e-bed melon and the Lord says to this beautiful Ethiopian servant who risked everything to talk to the king and to get Jeremiah out of the dungeon so he could feel the will of God for his life you see that's the thing that's the thing there are people in pits right now in this room people listening by podcast and people that you love that have a destiny in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ and we are to be that to pull them out with mercy with grace with love and get them up so they can't fulfill the will of God can you give the Lord a shout a praise use your voice recognize the proximity you have to certain people this last one is is the final just note here's your voice I've written letters to judges I've stood with women of hope and been their advocate many times I've talked to judges on the phone my late husband talked more judges into releasing young men on substance abuse into his care than I could ever count one of those young men is my son in love today can we give Jesus a hand clap of praise he talked one man out and today he runs a rehab of his own in East Tennessee don't be afraid to stand up for somebody don't be afraid to say something don't be afraid the outcome is in the hands of the Lord but God is looking for someone that will use their voice and use their proximity to bring the who so ever's in hallelujah and third Jesus became our rope look at someone and say Jesus became our rope say it to the person on the other side that was just to give me time to get down here in case you wondered she did it she did it she's almost done it okay your third point is Jesus is the lifeline and Jesus is the lifeboat give Jesus a hand Jesus is the lifeline Jesus himself became the rope that reaches into the darkness of every pit Jesus became the rope that reaches into the darkest depression Jesus became our rope he epitomized the mercy that EBIT Melech demonstrated for the Bible says in John 1 4 the word became flesh and moved into our neighborhood come on somebody have you ever been lost some of you old people remember this doesn't this look attractive I just love it we should get a thousand pictures of me with the rope on my shoulder here's the deal if you ever lost before there was GPS before there was smartphones can I get an amen and you're a woman and you're willing to ask directions okay my my husband just cheered that one on I remember in Atlanta and Los Angeles being so lost and getting out to a pay phone and calling the person I was trying to find because I lived in Cali for many years and Atlanta several my best friends live there I just be in tears I can't make anything out of these interstates and it was driving my myself so I couldn't bring out the world Atlas come on somebody the Rand McNally the gold all the the maps of the world and they say what do you see around you I'm not telling what I see and this is what I see over here and they say I know right where you are you stay right where you are and I'll come to where you are and you can follow me to where you need to be oh come on somebody come on somebody and give him a shout of praise Christ located us in our mess Christ located us in our disappointment Christ located us in our weakness he located us in our misery and he said I'm coming for you somebody praise him somebody praise him you go ahead stand he pulled us out of the pit with his own life he didn't stay up on high and throw us a rope down into the pit he went into the pit himself he faced death hell and satan he sank into the mire of a frailty into the mud of our hopelessness he sank deeper still to the depths of hell to the stench of mankind's depravity he descended as the ancient Creed say into very hell and Jesus himself entered into the hell of every fear every Tara ever anxious feeling you would have he stepped in and he pulled us out and he didn't have to go to the king's treasury because he was the king he clothed himself with flesh and was obeyed unto death and today he stands at the right hand of God and God has given him the name that is above all names somebody praise him somebody praise him this morning as I get ready to pray for you Hebrews 4 15 we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize and understand and feel what we feel Christine there's no temptation Wendy there's no heartbreak there's nothing Stephen that he has not felt and so he says to us share since you have a high priest who became that rope himself come boldly come boldly to obtain mercy and grace in the time of need this morning I'm gonna ask you two questions right where you're standing they're gonna sing a little bit for about one minute I'm gonna pray over your situation and we're gonna transition into the next part of this program right now I want you to ask you who are you called to be a lifeline to think about it just a moment who do you work with who do you do business with who keeps coming across your path who's in your household but I've tried so many times try one more time says the Lord think about someone you're to be the lifeline you don't get in the boat with them of what they're going through in the world I'm saying the sin you become the lifeline that pools them out then secondly through the Lord said there are several in this room that feel like you're sinking in your circumstances every eye is closed I'm not gonna call you out but I want you to lift your hands so the Lord will see and you just want in this closing prayer for the Lord to know you feel a little bit like you're sinking this morning and you need that lifeline of mercy if you just lift your hand right where you are God bless you God bless you God bless you God bless you God bless you and God bless you amen Jesus sees and Jesus knows and He's throwing the mercy to you right now now with every eye opened I want you to lift your hand representing yourself or the people you're praying for just began to worship for a moment I'm gonna pray over you this morning father in the name of Jesus we come based upon the mercy of our Savior Jesus Christ Lord we're so moved by the mercy that Eben Melech showed we're so moved by the lifeline that he gave we're so moved by what he did Lord and we want to make a difference in our community we want to make a difference where you have assigned us Lord help us to use our voice help us to notice who's in our proximity and let us depend upon your strength in our weakness and now Father we lift up people the women that are coming to queen for a day and the people were supposed to reach in this community and the people that came to our mind come on begin to see them in your mind Father the name of Jesus we pray for your mercy to be received we pray for salvation's this Saturday we pray for you to do what only you can do and for these lives we're called to give us wisdom give us creative ideas show us the path and Lord for every person in this room that feels like they're sinking your mercy is extended right now he just says receive it receive it receive his mercy acknowledge his mercy and today will be a new day now sing with me one time way maker come on declare it in praise come on sing it my God that is who you come on in declaring way maker way maker miracle worker promise keeper light in the darkness my God that is who you come on declare one more time over your situation way maker miracle worker promise keeper light in the darkness my God that is who you that's who you are today I declare Jesus you are my way maker you have my life in your hand you hold those I'm called to in your hand your mercy I will be your lifeline and Lord I know I will see new testimonies written in the lives of those I've been called to serve if you believe it give him one more shout a praise hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah yes this country was built on a distinctly American work ethic but today work is in trouble we've outsourced most of our manufacturing to other countries sending away good jobs and diminishing our capability to make things American giant is pushing back against that tide they make the kind of high-quality clothing staples you need for a comfortable stylish and active summer wardrobe like vintage style tees tough tank tops breathable polos lightweight sweatshirts 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