Keep Going Pt. 6

Hey, what's up, everybody? This is Pastor Keith Battle, and today we're in part six of Keep Going. I'm excited about this message, and I've given it this title, What Can Happen If You Keep Going? We're looking at Acts chapter 14 today, and it's going to bless your life. Don't forget, like, comment, subscribe, and share. I'll see you right now over in the sanctuary. So I'm going to ask you to stand right now, and part of the reason I'm asking you to stand is in honor of God's Word, but also I need you to stand up for something, and stand up against something, and stand on something. Amen. Don't just make a motion, but make it a declaration. I stand for something. I stand up for the faith that I have in my God. I stand and I pledge allegiance to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and I'm standing up against everything the devil is trying to take from me, trying to take in my family. I need some people that's going to stand there. I'm just trying to find you. I can't see you. I feel you at the fort. I feel you at Zillow. I feel you at the bridge. I'm just trying to find where the people that stand there for something, amen. I stand up against every attack of the enemy. I stand against it, amen. I stand on the Word of God that says no weapon that's formed against me. It may be formed against me, but it cannot prosper. It won't work, because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. I serve the greater one, amen, amen. So we're standing today.

We're bringing our faith to this moment. Acts chapter 14, Acts chapter 14. I'm going to read this passage out of the New Living Translation, and this is what it says beginning in verse 1. The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue, and the Bible says they preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. That's powerful. Verse 2. Some of the Jews, however, spurned God's message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. Some might say against. They're doing the right thing, but there's always somebody that's against you when you're doing right. Somebody say opposition. Verse 3. But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. You know what they did? They kept going. Somebody say keep going. Yes, you may face opposition, but you got to keep going. They kept boldly preaching the Word of God. Your calling should not end because things get difficult. Whatever God's called you to do, you do it until he tells you to stop doing it. Amen. Just because it gets difficult don't mean you're supposed to stop. When the devil's persecution goes up, God's power goes up. Amen. Keep going. Keep going.

And this is what God did. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders. Why did he do that? Because they kept going. Verse 4. The people of the town were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. Then Ahmad, verse 5, says of Gentiles and Jews, these people don't even like each other, but they got together because of who they hated. You'd be surprised at people that don't even get along, but they hate you so much they'll partner to come against you. I know ain't nobody here know what I'm talking about. How they have a meeting about you. Who am I talking to, Marty? Then a mob of Gentiles and Jews along with their leaders decided to attack and stone them. They're getting violent. And when the apostles learned of it, they fled to the region of Lyconia. So they didn't keep going, they got going. Sometimes you got to keep going. Sometimes you got to get going. Kenny Rogers says you got to know when to fold them. You got to know when to hold them. You got to know when to walk away and you got to know when to run. You never count your money while you're sitting at the table. There'll be time enough accounting when the deal is done. Y'all know that more than you know the Bible, don't you? Somebody say be wise. Yeah.

Verse 6, when the apostles learned of it, they fled to the region of Lyconia, to the towns of Lystra and Derby and the surrounding area and watch this, verse 7, and there they preached the good news. So they got back on assignment. They still kept going. Now, this is where I really want to focus. Verse 8, 10, 8, 8 through 11, while they were at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man with crippled feet. That's when I wish I had that theme is, it came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from. had never walked. He was, see, I'm so, I'm so off and on. I told you one minute, don't play nothing. Now, I want you to play. Don't worry about me. Uh they came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from birth. So, he had never walked. He was sitting, verse nine, and listening as Paul preach. Look, looking straight at him, Paul realized he had faith to be healed. So, Paul called to him in a loud voice and the man jumped to his feet and started walking. I'm going ahead of myself but the Bible says if any two of you agree on anything on earth, God says, I'm gonna do

something from heaven. If I find agreement, this one man had faith and Paul came into agreement with him. Says, stand up. I see what you believe. Stand up. Something's gonna happen in this room today. I'm telling you, something's gonna happen in every room. Something's gonna happen in your living room. Something about to happen in here because people gonna come into agreement. People you don't even know sitting in your section going to join their faith to you and God's gonna give you a breakthrough because of agreement. Stand up and the man jumped to his feet and started walking. When the crowd saw that what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, these men are gods in human form and they literally, verses twelve, thirteen, fourteen, they started going to get animals to sacrifice there. They started worshiping Paul and

Barnabas. They didn't know it because they were talking in their own dialect so they saw these people sacrificing animals and Paul says in verse thirteen, holy, holy. Hey friends, why are y'all doing this? We are merely human beings. Just like you. We have come to bring you the good news that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God who made heaven and earth. The sea and everything in them. Don't worship us. Worship the one that made it happen. Amen. Amen. I'm about to start. Here's my subject for today. I've chosen for part six of this series. What can happen if you keep going? You may be seated. What can happen if you keep going? What are the possibilities that are produced by perseverance? What can happen if you don't give up? What can happen if you don't quit? What can

happen if you had a fortitude that I will not stop? I will keep going. This story clearly shows that Paul and Barnabas kept going and the results of their tenacity but I also see this perseverance in this crippled man that may not be as obvious as maybe his physical condition and I want you to see it. If you look at verse eight, I want you to, I want to highlight how severe this man's situation was. Verse eight of Acts chapter fourteen says, while they were in Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man who's, who has crippled feet. The first thing he has is feet that don't work. They're inoperable. Not one foot. He don't have one bad foot. Neither of his feet work. And what we also find out. Secondly, is that this is not a recent problem. It is not something that atrophied over time. It is not something that just kind of

faded and now maybe we can turn it back around to where it was. No, he's had this problem all his life. He's been that way from birth. And the third thing is, not only has, does he have crippled feet and he's had this problem since he was born, the Bible says, he has never walked. Ever. He has never taken a step. Now, we don't know how old he is, but we know he's not a kid cuz the Bible says it was a man. Doesn't call him an old man, but he's probably been dealing with this problem for decades. Imagine, imagine having a problem for a long time. And I'm talking about one you can't hide. Uh imagine, uh imagine what it's like. See, you see, when you got a long-term problem, people start labeling you by your, by your limitation. People start defining you by your disability. And that's hard when you've had a

problem for a long time. But what I, what I'm grateful for is what this passage shows us is that when faith meets the power of God, even a long time problem can be turned around. I need your faith on this. I said when faith meets the power of God, even something that you haven't been working all your life, God can turn it around. I said he can turn it around. Now, let me go through it again. The man is crippled in both feet. He's probably been this way. He's been this way since he was born. and he's never, ever walked. Imagine what his life is like to never being able to walk. To being a child and watching other kids play on the playground and he can't participate. To watching his friends participate in sports and try out for teams and compete and he can't participate. To never being able to walk across a commencement stage and celebrate your graduation. To live like that is real hard. But I want you to see, I don't just wanna highlight his physical limitation, what I wanna highlight

is a quality in him that I think is very important to receiving a miracle. The Bible says these three words at the end of verse eight and it's very interesting, it says he was sitting. Now, somebody say, well, Pastor, that ain't real deep, the man can't walk, what else he gonna do? Of course he's sitting, he can't stand up, his feet don't work, he's been crippled since birth, of course he's sitting. Well, that's why you gotta go keep reading because if you connect the end of verse eight to the beginning of verse nine, it says he was sitting, yes, but he was sitting and listening as Paul preached. I'm sorry, I'm too excited about this to let it go. What I love about this man is in spite of how bad his situation was and how sad his situation was and how long his condition was the way it was, it didn't stop him from making sure he was sitting under the word of God. I don't know who I'm preaching to right now, but what this man encourages me in is this, he wasn't so mad at God and so angry with God and so bitter at God that he stopped coming to church, he kept coming to church, y'all, he kept sitting under the word, he kept showing up and I just came to encourage somebody today that maybe you've been dealing with something for a long time but something in you said, but I gotta get to the house of the Lord, I gotta get to the word, who am I preaching to here?

I don't care how bad it gets, Pastor, I will be in church because I need a word from the Lord, I will get in front of the word of God because I need it. Who understands what I'm talking about in here? I may not have ever walked a day in my life, but I'm here. I may be crippled in both feet, but I'm here. I may have a wayward child, but I'm here. I may have a troubled marriage, but I'm here. My math may not be math and financially, but I'm here. My vital signs might not be all together right in the hospital visit, but I'm here. Is there anybody that pressed their way and had to work through something just to make it to the house of the Lord? I want somebody to give somebody a high five and say, I'm here, I'm here, I'm here, I'm here. I can't miss the word, I can't miss the word. I need the word in my life. He's sitting under the word. And I have a question for you, who are you sitting under? Who are you sitting under, yeah. Who are you sitting under? The Bible says he was sitting under Paul while Paul was preaching. Yeah, he's preaching. And Paul discovered that while Paul was preaching to him, that this man, watch this, this man had faith to be healed. Now I'm gonna come back to that in a moment. While Paul is preaching, the man is described to have faith to be healed.

I want you to see the marriage between those two things. The preaching that he was hearing made possible the faith that he was experiencing. Because the Bible says faith comes, I'm just trying to see if anybody's listening to this ELO right now, faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. But how can they hear? I need to go somewhere else to preach this. How can they hear without a preacher? You need a preacher in your life. You need a preacher in your life. You got a dentist, you got a chiropractor, you got a lawn care keeper, you got a mechanic, you got a hairstylist, you got a barber, you got a custodian, you got a painter, you got a certified financial planner, you got a therapist, you need a preacher because you're gonna need some faith in your life. Somebody thank God for the word that is preached because everybody's dealing with something. You may not be paralyzed in both feet, but you got something that's got you stuck. You got something in your life that ain't moving. You got something in your life that ain't working the way you want it. And you need a word from God to show you how to navigate it. He's listening. Amen. In spite of what he went through.

Do you know how hard it is to get to church when you can't walk? In the first century? With no automobiles? When you have that kind of determination, you know what you say? If I have to lay on the ground and roll to Derby and Lystra. If Paul is in Lystra and Derby, I will roll all the way there. If I have to hitchhike on somebody's horse, I'm going. If I have to Uber a camel service, I'm gonna get there. If you have to set me in a wheelbarrow and push me, I'm going. Z-Lo, if you have to have four friends pick you up on a mat and climb up on the roof and tear the roof open to get there, I'm going to get there. See, I came to preach to somebody. All y'all ain't like this. There's somebody I'm preaching to right now. I don't even mean to expose you, because you carry your pain so well. You cover it so well. You are so graced to carry the pain that nobody really knows what you're really dealing with. But if the truth be told, it ain't easy being you. And it ain't easy for you to get up on Sunday and get yourself together and come into the house of the Lord, particularly when you have a problem that is visible. And it seems like people are staring at you. But I need to talk to my survivors for a minute.

I don't know where you are, but I need to talk to my survivors for a minute. There are some people in here who have to go through a lot just to make it from week to week. If you knew what they've endured and what they've had to push through and what they got through and what was supposed to destroy them and what was supposed to shut them down. And they should be locked up. They should be in a psych ward. They should be in a cemetery right now. But you're a survivor. Don't play with me in right here. You survived because all your life, God has been watching over you and carrying you. And I just want you to know, if you're a survivor, all I need you to do is raise your hand and say, present. Just present. That's how we used to do it in elementary. This teacher would read the roll. And when she'd get to your name, it was respectful to just say, I'm here, present. Somebody, if I gave you the mic right now, you say, pastor, I'm tired, but I'm present. I've been through a lot, but I'm present. I thought like giving up, but I'm present. Things aren't always the way I want them to be, but I'm present. And I'm not just present. I was glad when they said unto me,

let us go into the house of the Lord. I need somebody that's grateful to give God 10 seconds of praise just because you made it. That's 10. That's 9. That's 8. That's 7. That's 6. I'm grateful. I'm grateful. I'm grateful. I'm grateful. I'm grateful. I'm grateful. Been through a lot, but I'm here. Been through a lot, but I made it. I'm present and accounted for. Devil, you're a liar. You can't stop me. I'm present. Joyfully present. I'm joyfully present. I'm joyfully present. Woo! After all this man been through, still present, sitting and listening for a word. I don't know the man, never met him, but he must have known how important a word was. And watch this, watch this, watch this. While he's there, y'all, excuse me if I'm taking too long.

The Bible says, the Bible says, I'm going to change this page. The Bible says Paul looked straight at him and realized he had faith to be healed. OK. Verse 11, verse 11 says, it was a crowd. It was a crowd of people. But Paul saw one man, one hungry person. Everybody ain't been seen. You know how many people in Mark chapter 5 were around Jesus? And one woman, one woman with a 12-year issue of bleeding got healed. Are you the one? I don't need everybody else who's just here to spectate. I'm looking for the one today. One man got seen, and he said, I can see you got faith to be healed. Watch this, watch this, watch this, Woodbridge, watch this, watch this. This is the thing people don't understand. Paul has a documented vision problem. Do your research. Just read the Bible. Paul has a documented, Paul has problems seeing. Period in fact most people believe when Paul prayed in 2nd 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 He says Lord three times. I prayed as you remove this thorn from me that he's talking about his eye problem and God says my grace It's sufficient for you pastor Crawford. My strength is made perfect in your weakness Parenthesis right there if God doesn't fix it his grace is enough You may want to write that down right there I said if he doesn't fix it his grace is enough it's not cuz he can't Paul obviously had a seeing problem because in Galatians chapter 4 verse 15 Paul says this Paul says to the glacier church I know if y'all could y'all would give me y'all's eyes So I want to ask you if the man has a vision problem and Doesn't see well

How could he in a crowd? Y'all slow today Let me talk to Zee low. How could he in a crowd? See one man and see him so clearly that I see faith in you Cuz God will find you. I don't know who I'm talking to in there today. God will find you in a crowd He'll find you in a mob. He'll find you in an audience if you're hungry I Don't believe Paul got a miracle in his vision what I believe was is that the man was seated where he could be seen Yeah, I'm gonna get on my soapbox right here where you sit in church is very important You ain't gonna like this Yeah, some of y'all real casual about where you sit I Know this the further back you sit the less engaged you are. I promise you that I Promise you that I promise you when their seats up front and you choose to sit in the back You've already made a decision. This ain't all that serious and You get what you put you get out what you put in and what is disingenuous about that kind of seat selection And I love you. I'm happy you here But what is disingenuous about that seat selection for many of you is when you go to a concert Or you go to a sporting event Even when you buy tickets you like what you got up close. Is that Rove double B? We in triple-a you all on live you Facebook IG live saying we on the front row up in this piece Then you come into the house of the Lord The only one that woke you up this morning and made a way for you and you cool We're just sitting in the back like it ain't that big of it. The devil is a liar. I said the devil is a lie And I'm gonna tell you something if my man of God or my woman of God has a prophetic word for me And it's based on him or her seeing me. I'm not sitting somewhere, but you ain't gonna see me you gonna see me Is this seat taken I'll take this right here You gonna see me and I'm gonna see you cuz I ain't got time to come up in here burn up gas Look for a pocket space to play no games. My life is in trouble My family's in trouble. My marriage is in trouble. My child is in trouble. I ain't got time to play with you Some of y'all too cool to get a miracle

See selection matters It matters I got Bible for it Luke chapter 10 Jesus shows up in a place called Bethany. I'm preaching good Mary and Martha open the door Jesus comes into the house and Mary is Sitting Not just anywhere She was this when you if y'all read the Bible y'all be running around this church she is seated at his feet listening to his instruction Meanwhile Miserable Martha is serving with attitude Never sat down and mad about it and then told Jesus Why don't you make her do what I'm doing and Jesus says what Mary is doing Will never be taken away from her Because she made the right choice What was the right choice the right seat? and Meanwhile, let me tell you something the reason why a lot of y'all never get a word from God And some of you out here ripping and running and serving right now and you never get your miracle because you never sit I Hear you Josh, you're gonna make me do it. You're gonna make me do it. It cannot be lost on us We have a thing it cannot be lost on us that before he got a miracle He was sitting and he was listening He was sitting and he was listening Some of y'all can't get a miracle and you can't get a word from God because all you do is serve serve serve serve serve Serving serving serving serving and you never balance it with sitting and listening And when you serve without sitting you will serve in your flesh And you will miss the message that has your miracle in it and sometimes the miracle will deliver you from something and sometimes the miracle will Sustain you in something but you need to sit

and listen Let me hurry up in this Don't know how I'm in this so I'm looking straight at him and what does he see he sees faith He sees faith in a man who all his life Couldn't walk Who could never stand up and watch this out of everything he lacked he still got his faith His feet aren't working but his faith is working Whoo, that's so good, you know what that man is saying? I'm gonna preach for him. You know what he's saying? I still believe Whoo? One more time. I ain't gonna bother you anymore But is there anybody here that no matter what you lost and no matter what you've experienced and no matter how bad it is To say my faith is intact. I still believe I still believe I still believe I still believe I may not have everything I want, but I still believe I still believe that no weapon formed against me Sure prosper. I still believe that brighter days are ahead. I still believe I'm gonna find love again I still believe I'm gonna lose this weight I still believe that I'm gonna make enough money to take care of my family and to put God first in my money I still believe I still believe where my believers at that your faith is still intact. I still believe Still believe That's why Jesus said Jesus said to Peter in Luke 22 He said Simon Simon. I need you know something Satan is desired to sift you like wheat all of y'all like wheat But this is what I'm doing I'm praying for you I'm praying for you verse 32 stay with me Jules verse 30. He said I plead in prayer for you Simon What are you praying Jesus that your faith don't fail? What is precious to me Peter and what is important and crucial for you Is that no matter what happens to you your faith doesn't fail That you don't apostasize What is critical is that no matter how bad it gets you don't walk away from me I'm pleading with God that through it all you'll keep following me

Even when it hurts, I'm pleading with God in prayer that through it all you never turn and walk away from me I'm pleading with God that you keep going no matter what and in order to do that you're gonna have to have faith and Your faith is fed Through the preaching of the word. Are you listening to me? So this man listen He was sitting he was listening and he still had his faith intact I'm gonna close it right here watch this So watch what happens Paul says to this man after he saw his faith. He connected his faith with him Hey, this is Keith battle. I hope that message bless your life. It's blessing our church I hope you reach up and grab the miracle that God has for you. And here's my question Are you gonna keep going? I hope so What can happen if you keep going God's gonna do something amazing I'll see you next week