KJV Mark 3:3, And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. {Stand forth: Gr. Arise, stand forth in the midst}

Jesus was angry and hurt. Grieved. The sense of loss was great, almost overwhelming. He had left the splendors of heaven to invade the earth as a human being. His purpose?

To set all men free from the grip of sin!

To destroy the works of the devil!

Here he was, pure love, willing to die for these fools.

He preached!

He taught!

He healed and performed works, works previously assigned only to God. But like petulant children, these self-serving gawkers were out to totally discredit him. Why? It made no sense!

And it grieved him. Oh, grief! Oh, heavy grief!

A sense of loss. Grief comes from a sense of loss. And what an emptiness! A terrible tragedy. Men were choosing darkness rather than light! They actually preferred the chains of darkness and eternal damnation to freedom and the brilliant life everlasting!

He saw the troublemakers, but, more importantly, his eyes of compassion focused on a man with a withered hand. Compassion was stronger than grief. He had a mandate from the Father. Obedience was stronger than anger. Regardless of their behavior, he must truly obey the word.

Let’s set the record straight. Jesus surely was not the limp-wristed wimp that some artists have pictured him to be. Most likely Jesus was a strong, rough handed carpenter, a “man’s man.” Probably about six feet tall and muscular. This man was no sissy. Even His cousin dressed in camel’s skins and ate wild honey and locusts. These were tough men that spoke with persuasive authority and men listened. For disciples, He selected Simon and surnamed him Peter, a rock. “Rocky!” Next he called brothers, James and John. You just don’t call weak personalities “Sons of Thunder!” All the disciples (except one) became willing to die for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

On an occasion, certain officers who were sent to arrest Jesus came back empty-handed. ” Never a man spoke like this man,” was their personal self-defense. How ridiculous that must have sounded. With his speech he drove them away, disrespected.

In the garden just before the crucifixion he simply said, “I am He,” and the soldiers fell back. No! Jesus was no “pansy!” Jesus was a strong man physically, mentally and spiritually. Which of us could stand up to such scrutiny and pressure?

Even so, as the meekest man on earth. Even more meek than Moses! He obeyed every edict of his Father. He consistently subjected himself to righteous authority. As he told John the Baptist at the Jordan River, “Let it be so that all scripture might be fulfilled.

                                        IT MADE NO SENSE WHATSOEVER!

People were ready and waiting, ready to find fault with his words. Ready to “put him in his place.” Why? Why? Why!?

It takes strong men to do the works of Jesus. They will face the same contempt from religious leaders and civil rulers as well . Just like Jesus, they will face ridicule and scorn from friends and family.

Come forth, preachers! Preach with Power. Be like the mighty prophets and come out swinging, “THUS SAITH THE LORD!” and do not bow to POLITICAL CORRECTNESS! STAND WITH POWER AND COURAGE! DO NOT LET THESE PRESSURES OF THE WORLD CHOKE OUT YOUR MESSAGE AND CAUSE YOU TO FAIL AND TO SHOW UP BEFORE THE LORD…UNFRUITFUL!!! If you are truly called and anointed, you will be like Jeremiah, though you feel like quitting, the word of God will be like FIRE SHUT UP IN YOUR BONES! Cinch up your belt another notch and let your words be so powerful that signs will follow your message. Like Stephen who preached with such power under the anointing of the Holy Spirit that dissenters rushed on him and gnashed on him with their teeth while he loved them enough to tell the ABSOLUTE TRUTH! PLEASE, no more weak sermonettes or powerless oratory from the haughtiness of the human intelligence, showing your prowess with words. No get a fresh anointing from God. Get a message…not just a sermon. A MESSAGE! Do not preach until you get a word from God and then do not back down because your biggest tither might be offended.

I wept one Sunday evening as God told me to tell prominent men in my small congregation that they were “Liars and Slowbellies.” But to my surprise these strong men came and fell in the altars of repentance. The message is up to God. The reception is up to the hearers. The presentation is up to us! If we preach with conviction and power, God will demonstrate approval with signs following. I ask myself this question, “Will I be courageous? or will I buckle under pressure?”