'Overcoming Crises' Part 2 — Joshua Daniel

Mr. Obama in his book mentions or refers to an elevator in which a woman suddenly finds herself with a black man and she clutches her purse. What does that mean? Oh, he must be a thief. He must be a purse snatcher.

Oh, a highly insulting thing, you know. But, you know, people have suffered under that kind of complex, that kind of ill-treatment. And he mentions that. Okay. Clutching at your purse or clutching at your neighbor's wallet, which seems to happen all the time, with the result that doctors' malpractice insurance has shot up so high that some of the poor fellows can hardly finance themselves anymore.

In fact, one of my doctors told me, I can't keep up with the system, so I'm quitting. So he did. You see, my dear friends, it's a question of grabbing. And you imagine seven years of famine, and what will happen to these predators?

Joseph’s Wisdom During Famine

These fellows who want to just get something for nothing. How shocking. But look at Joseph. What does he do? You know, when he interprets his dream, the reaction of Pharaoh was, verse 38, Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, 39, Forasmuch as God has revealed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as you are. Thou shalt be over my house, and according to your word shall all my people be ruled.

So the king gave him a free hand. You say you're going to gather the plenty from the plenteous years? Do it. I give you a free hand. You know, my dear friends, unfortunately, one of the advisors who has been appointed by the new administration in the White House is a man who almost advocates not only abortion, but a strict limit upon population in terms of getting rid of some of the older people who are not useful anymore.

Resisting the Devaluation of Human Life

So we see some of the old methods which Hitler employed. You know, there was a man who was taking care of really sick and mentally afflicted and deformed and handicapped people. And Hitler wanted to take all that group that were with this man of God and just kill him.

But he withstood it. This man would not let go of those people. Now think of that. There have been such wonderful people who stood for God. And today, you and I may have to stand for God in the same manner on this continent.

It is sad. But when we depart from the word of God, you know, anything goes. The streets become too dangerous. You know, years ago, almost 50 years ago, when I went to see one of the executives in the UNO, I took my attache case with me.

It always used to go with me. And I was warned, be careful. We have had diplomats whose attache cases were snatched around here. How sad. Right there in the seat of what is supposed to be a body that indicates or almost controls so many international matters.

No security. I got off the bus and, of course, walked up to the UNO. And here was one of those executives who showed me around the place and the Security Council's room or chamber and all that. But I was also warned, be careful.

Social Breakdown and the Crisis of the Family

Yes, the streets get dangerous. The family gets to be dangerous also. You know, it hurts me when a young sportsperson coming up, you know, a 17-year-old girl, coming up to the quarterfinals as the only representative of the U .S. in the U .S. Open and then having to contend with not just an opponent, but a divorce in her own family.

A father and a mother. This, the moral fiber of a nation, when it gets to be so contaminated, polluted, such that the divorce courts are full and nobody knows, no child knows, is my father and mother going to keep together?

When we have such a situation, then you can see a breakdown of health such as never can happen in an endemic nor a pandemic or an epidemic. So here was Joseph. He had the answer. And if you turn to the chapter 50 and verse 25, after he had rescued so many, Joseph took an oath, 25th verse, the last chapter of Genesis 25.

Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel saying, God will surely visit you and you shall carry my bones from hence. He wanted not even his bones to be left behind. Having done so much for that country, yet the people of Israel were slaves in that country.

The Bondage of Sin and the Fear of Freedom

They became slaves. You know, slavery to sin makes a people say, wait, it's all right. We are getting by. We don't want to be free. Now, if you turn to the 14th chapter of Exodus, you will see 14 chapter of Exodus and the 11th verse.

Here is another crisis. And they said unto Moses, because there were no graves in Egypt, has thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt?

Here was another crisis. They could hear the chariots of Pharaoh. You know, the people of Israel had just left their captors behind and were advancing towards the promised land. And then the Egyptians said, what have we done?

We have let them go. The fifth verse says, why have we done this? That we have let Israel go from serving us. So he called out his armies, his chariots, his horsemen, and they pursued and overtook the people.

They had no weaponry for 100 years in slavery. Where did they have any weapons? Nothing with which to face the foe that were running them down. And before them was the Red Sea. And what did the people do?

The people looked at the dismal military situation. And they said, what can we do? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? We love our slavery. We would have been safe in slavery. Just think of that. You know, you get used to slavery.

The slavery to sin. It seems like some kind of, you know, I'm used to this. I want this addiction. It helps me to get away from reality. To get drunk or to get on my drug trips. You get so used to it.

Moses Calls Israel to Stand Still

Look at the provocative statements. The graves, are there not graves in Egypt? And then the 12th verse, for it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness. And what was the answer of Moses?

Boy, if you had put me there, I don't know what I would have done. I would have lost my patience, I suppose. What's the use of shouting at such people? They are talking about the grave. They are ready to rise up in mutiny.

But what would you talk to such a people? Moses said, fear you not. 13th verse. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you today. For the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them again no more.

The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. What a wonderful faith. I wish all of us would have such faith. Stand still and see the salvation of God. Stand still. I'm going to do it. God is going to fight for us.

The Cost of Liberty and Christian Freedom

You know, folks, freedom comes to us at a very great price. Very great price. As a matter of fact, you know, when I think of how this country was constituted, I am filled with wonder that they should, the pilgrims should have thought, even thought of getting away from civilized Europe.

Look at the, look at the kind of immigrations that are taking place today. Immigration, rather. Go to the prosperous countries. Go to places of comfort. Go where you will find good jobs. What did the pilgrims do?

Did they embark on a voyage, a perilous voyage, in fact? No. When the pilgrims chose to separate from the Church of England because they wanted to see the churches of God revert to their ancient purity and recover their primitive order, liberty, and beauty, the governor of the Plymouth settlement, William Bradford, wrote, they shook off their yoke of anti-Christian, anti-Christian bondage.

As the Lord's free people joined themselves by a covenant of the Lord into a church in the fellowship of the gospel to walk in all his ways made known unto them according to their best endeavors whatsoever it should cost them.

Bradford, the governor, wrote that. Whatever it might cost, we want to be free. What it could cost Jesus to make us free. All right, when we come to the pilgrim fathers, we see the prize which they paid.

That is why I say the present inhabitants of this land hardly know at what price our freedoms have been obtained. And they think it's all a nice easy dollar ride. That's all they think of. But what prize has been paid for this liberty in which we stand?

The Cross and Rescue from Sin

The cross, the cross. What a prize has been paid for me to rescue me from my old evil nature and the power of sin, the law of sin and death which reigned in my body and mind. What a prize has been paid.

Faithfully Facing National Crisis

So my friends, you can see when crisis had to be faced and the whole Bible is full of that narrative of how men faced crisis and all that people think of today is religion should be like a Hawaiian hammock where I can swing sweetly in these balmy breezes.

Shocking. We don't want to face such crisis. We don't want to pay such price to lead people into freedom. But there is a price to be paid today to rescue a nation, to rescue nations. It's a costly price, but it has to be paid today.

Shall we pay it? Shall we look at this crisis looming before us? Economic want, deprivation of this or that, this luxury or that luxury and shall we balk at this? Shall we back off? Or shall we say the Lord will fight for us?

The Lord will do this. All I need to do is to stand still and not get in the way of God. We need that kind of faith. I need that kind of faith. For he cares for me. He cares for you. Let us pray. Let us pray.

Prayer for Grace to Endure Hardship

Let us ask God for grace to face any crisis. Shall we stand still and see the salvation of God? He cares for you. He cares for me. Loving Father, we hardly can understand the struggles, the battles, the privation which those that treasured their liberty in Christ Jesus have had to face.

We want an easy picnic. That's all we are asking of life. One pleasure to another. Forgive us, we pray. Give us the grace to face crisis, tough situations, knowing that the whole testimony of God's word consists of men and women who faced crisis and overcame.

Please, Lord, give us that grace, that living faith. Bring it into our hearts. We ask in Jesus' holy name. Amen.