“Afflicted, Not Destroyed!” – FBC Morning Light (9/27/2024)

Well, a good Friday morning to you. Today, in our Bible reading, we're again in the Psalms, this time Psalms 126 and Psalms 128 and 129. Continue reading these Psalms of Ascent, and just as a reminder, these are songs that were sung as God's people were on their way to Jerusalem.

When you lived in Israel, no matter where you started from, if you were going to Jerusalem, you were going up to Jerusalem. It was a high prominent place in the nation, and so you would ascend to Jerusalem.

The Affliction and Preservation of God’s People

In that ascension, you would sing these various Psalms of Ascent, and Psalm 129 is one of those. The song encourages the singers, all Israel, to say, many a time they have afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me.

They've tried various things. The plowers plowed on my back, they made their furrows long, but the Lord is righteous. He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked. Many a time they have afflicted me, yet they have not prevailed against me.

It is true that many times there can be those who would afflict the people of God with a desire of eradicating them, eliminating the people of God completely from the earth. Someone would just absolutely love that.

They would love nothing more than to eliminate all followers of Jesus, all Christians, all those who are a follower of God from the planet. They'll never prevail. Even Jesus said, the gates of hell will not prevail against my church.

I will build it. I will build it. He ensures that it will be built. At times, the individual people of God may so suffer affliction that they lose their life in that affliction. Yet, the plowers plowing on the back, they do so in vain.

What the Lord does in the plowing of those furrows is he plants seed that brings forth great fruit, a great harvest. I saw an example of this the other day. I saw a video that purports to report the history of the song, the chorus that we've sung, I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.

I think it was originally titled I Have Decided to Follow Christ. In our hymnal, we have that song. It doesn't have a name as an author of the song, but it says that the tune is a folk melody from India.

This video explained that the background to that song is great affliction and persecution. There was a large village in this region of India that was totally pagan. It was ruled over by a pagan ruler of that village.

One of the villagers and his family came to faith in Christ. They received the gospel through missionary work. The ruler of the village brought the man of the family before him in chains and said, Renounce this Christ, or I will kill your sons before your eyes.

The man replied, I've decided to follow Christ. There's no turning back. The ruler killed his kids right before his eyes. Then he said, Renounce this Christ, or I will execute your wife. Again, the man said, The world behind me, the cross before me, there is no turning back.

He executed his wife. Finally, the ruler sneering at him said, You've lost your kids, you've lost your wife. Renounce Christ, or you'll lose your life. I'll kill you as well. The guy said, The world behind me, the cross before me, though no one join me, still I will follow.

There's no turning back. There's no turning back. The ruler had him executed. He thought he had eradicated Christianity from his village. The only problem is the Holy Spirit didn't let him rest, that ruler.

He was so moved by the testimony unto death of this Christian, whose back he plowed into great furrows and afflicted, that he himself became a follower of Jesus. He went public with that testimony. He told all of his village that he was now a follower of Christ, which then resulted in the vast majority of the villagers also turning to Christ.

Plowed his back, the back of this sole Christian, who said, I've decided to follow Christ. There's no turning back. Plowed his furrows in his back and planted the seeds that brought forth a great harvest in that village.

One of the villagers, apparently somebody in attendance, listened to what was going on. After he became a Christian, he penned the words to this song, never attached his name to it. The song has been sung countless, countless times all over the world ever since.

Song of great commitment. I've decided to follow Christ. There's no turning back. Though no one join me, still I will follow. There's no turning back. There's no turning back. All of that came about because some cruel, satanically inspired ruler thought, I will eradicate Christianity from my village.

I will eliminate these Christians from my presence. I will afflict them and plow their backs, but they shall not prevail. Jesus promised. God is so promised. Gates of hell will not prevail against Christ's church.

He will build it. He will build it. Our Father and our God, we thank you that we can be confident and trusting in who you are, in your power, in your care for your own. Bless these thoughts to our hearts today, we pray in Jesus' name we ask it.

Amen. All right, well listen, have a wonderful weekend and get to the Lord's house on Sunday, worship together with God's people, grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ together with the people of God on Sunday.

Lord bless.