Everyone is acquainted with the sayings “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”, which was cited as a proverb as early as 1546, and “That’s a horse of a different colour”, which probably originated in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in 1601…

Phrases like stubborn as a mule, beating a dead horse, horseplay, horse before the cart, horsing around have been pretty common sayings in the past.

TEXT: Song of Solomon 1:9 “I have compared my love to a company of horses in Pharaohs chariots”

TITLE: FINDING HOPE FROM A HORSE

INTRODUCTION: This is an allegory, analogy. A picture pattern of the church.

Allegory is a narrative in which abstract ideas are personified; a description to convey a different meaning from that which is expressed.

Now the Bible likens the church to such things as a bride, body, temple, a seven branched lampstand, something as magnificent as an eagle and something as insignificant as an ant!  But here, the church is likened to a company of HORSES.

Not just any horses. These were the KINGS Horses. They were to be used by the king and their high calling in life was to bear the king’s chariots into battle and win territory for their Lord. This was their Highest call.

I want to show you 5 ways in which we are like the Kings Horses.

1. THEY WERE BOUGHT HORSES:  Did you know that when it came to equipping his army, the king purchased only the finest of thoroughbred horses? In his eyes they were the First bought, First caught, First quality horses.

No distance was too great to obtain these fine horses for the king

The man who negotiated the deal for the horses was called, the mediator.

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men. Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.

Ephesians 1:7 “In him we have redemption through his blood.”

If you ever feel useless, worthless, without purpose;  know that you were bought with a price! Therefore, glorify God in your spirit because you belong to God.

Sometimes we feel like we don’t have any talents, abilities or feel like the horse that pulls cow dirt around the farm. Sometimes, you feel like your sole purpose is to bear weight. Or that you train yourself to make your jockey look good. But isn’t that the role of a servant? When one wins, you both win.

Did you know that in the Old Testament, there were only 47 men on record who ever went in the temple and stood before the ark?

They were the only ones who enjoyed the Presence of the Lord while everyone else stood outside as spectators wondering what that felt like.

Jeremiah 33:3 “‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” (NIV)

Psalm 84:1-2“How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord…” (NIV)

Psalm 16:11 “You will show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” ~ KJV .

Psalms 145:18 “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.” (KJV)

Have you ever wondered what the Lone horse on a hill feels like? When all the other horses were in the stable enjoying wheat and grains and each other’s company, you were left out and settled for grass and stubble?

When Jesus the mediator cried out, “it is finished” and initiated salvation, suddenly everyone could enter into his presence and be accepted.

Isn’t it ironic that Jesus was born in a stable?  He came to us horses right where we are.

If you want to get a status of what your worth-look at Calvary. You were bought by Christ’s  blood. You are a BOUGHT HORSE

2. Blood Horses:

I used to live on a farm and had the privilege to enjoy riding some nice horses. I don’t know a lot about horses but was told if you ever go to buy a horse-you don’t look at its appearance, color, height or weight, or how muscular or skinny it is.

DO YOU KNOW HOW THEY JUDGE THE WORTH OF A HORSE?

By who its father was~~

You look at its background, its heritage. When people are buying horses, they will trace its genealogical tree back 6-7 generations.

A lady in the states had an old, run down rag of a horse in her backyard.

It was nothing but a purple eyed, bow legged, sway back of Alpo meat. From all appearances it was worthless.

The old woman cried out for someone to come and take this useless flea-bitten animal away.

One day a very young enterprising man from NYC came into town visiting relatives and heard about the horse. He came out, checked it out and asked if she had papers for the horse. She said, I believe my late husband had papers in his safe.

He asked if she would be willing to sell the horse. She said, my conscience would bother me too much-I will pay you to take it!!  They worked out a deal and he paid her $100.00 for it.

HERE IS THE GREAT PART!!!   The man took it home, worked with it for 3-4 months, brushed it and put it with a trainer and resold it for $250,000.00!!

WHAT CHANGED?  The individual checked the heritage. Found out that the horse had a great, great grandfather who came in 2nd in the Kentucky Derby and suddenly it took on a new sense of worth.

We have a great heritage behind us and if you’re a believer today, you have a glorious future in Christ Jesus.

We may not make millions but as believers, I have worth and value. My father is not only a king but a well-known artist as well:

Look at the sky at night. IF you could count the stars at a rate of 125 per minute, it would take you 2,000 years to count the stars in our Milky Way. And if 1 of the estimated 400 billion stars moved 2degrees either way, it would cause cosmic chaos.

HE IS AN ENGINEER!

Put your hand on your heart! Your heart if 6×4 and weighs 12 oz. The heart that God designed will pump enough blood through your veins in 50 years to fill 5 super tankers!!According to biologists Ron Sender and Ron Milo of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, your body replaces around 330 billion cells per day. At that rate, your body is making over 3.8 million new cells every second

He IS A Great Physician

3. The Kings Horse were Broken Horses:

The Horses as beautiful as they were had great potential, but they were useless to the king until they responded to the pulling of the reigns

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart.” They were useless until they would respect authority and move into the direction that the King wanted them to go.

I heard stories and saw Westerns where wild stallions were so rebellious that they refused to allow their energies to be controlled.

Sometimes we get to the point in our lives where God has to break us to use us.

David says Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart that you O GOD will not despise.” When we understand the principles of brokenness and go through those hard times, we finally understand what it means to be broken and ready for service.

In 1 Peter 1:6 and James 1:2, both Peter and James mention, “trials of many kinds.” Their point is that trials can be long, short, emotional, physical, mental, or circumstantial, and come with varying degrees of difficulty. Our trials come in all shapes and sizes and do not always come in a spiritual “wrapper.”

I am going through a trial RIGHT NOW! I don’t know if I am being tried, tested or tempted. The one thing I do know is I will trust him in the trial.

Rick James Article on the Significance of trials:

Why Do I Need Trials?

“Trials produce maturity, and this is why they are a blessing to us. James 1:4 describes a progression where trials produce perseverance, and perseverance, maturity. The goal of trials is not to make a person more persevering. That’s not a very exciting goal. But the result of persevering under trials is a mature character and faith. This is motivating. All Christians want the fruit of maturity; godly character and faith.

The great exhortation of Scripture, related to trials, is to endure them. When we fail to persevere, it is often because we have not recognized that we are actually in a trial. God has allowed the trial, and it is not random; it is a sign of God’s approval and not anger, and is not an obstacle to our growth, but ultimately the fuel for it.

One of the hardest things about trials is that we often think we are experiencing hardship because we have done something wrong, or that God is angry with us. The writer of Hebrews tells us to consider trials as loving discipline from God. He also says that our trials are actually indicators of God’s approval, and the reality of our adoption into God’s family.”

In other words, trials come from God’s heart—not his fist. They are a sign, in most cases, that we have been doing well spiritually, and not the reverse. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that God disciplines us—not out of anger—but out of love, and “for our good that we might share in His holiness.”

Put simply, trials are a sign of God’s approval of us, not his disapproval.

May I propose to you today that there is pain in the process to maturity in the faith. I have just recently been looking into the transition of a caterpillar to a butterfly.

“But then I realized that transition is going from one season to another but something even more significant has been happening in the church world. It is not just about transitioning from one season or place to another but the entire DNA of believers is changing, or for a better word  We are going into a metamorphosis.” Kris Vallotton-Season of Reformation

The caterpillar is attached to the earth, but the butterfly is attached to the heavens. I think we will start living from heaven to earth-from the future to the present. We can’t live from our past to the present because that person is supposed to be dead.

I propose to you that the darkness in the cocoon is the secret place where character is developed, and the process of transformation begins.

Some people complain that they are too busy and have too much responsibility. Have you ever given any consideration that more responsibility is your reward for faithfulness to the process? God can trust you with more!

As the butterfly in the cocoon -God is expanding your territory. You are outgrowing yourself and the pain that you are feeling is not a trial but a test to see if you can handle the expansion of yourself to a new dimension!!!

4.) The Kings Horses were BOLD HORSES:

Exodus 14:13 “Moses answered the people. Do not be afraid. Stand Firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you, you need to be still.”

Do you know how you can tell the difference between an old scrub horse and a broken thoroughbred horse? In the heat of the battle, when the clash of steel is heard and bloodshed is all around, the scrub horse will get scared, spooked and run for cover. But the thoroughbred will not be shaken, he will trust only in the master’s voice. Despite the chaos and commotion round about him, he will not retreat and run from, but run to the battle!!!

The horse will listen to only one voice, only 1 command.

GO THROUGH THE CAMP GET YOUR PROVISION READY!!!

Duet 31:6 “Be strong, Be courageous. Do not be afraid of them. For the Lord your God will be with you He will never fail you or forsake you.

Do you know why God is training you? To prepare you for some of the greatest victories you will ever know.

For those who believe the church will go through a tribulation period and the grace of God is lifted from this planet, if you can’t make it through this current trial, the trials afterwards will be tougher.

5.) The Kings Horses were bearing horses:

They were bought for advancement not grazing Their highest calling in life was to bear the Kings Chariots into battle and win territory for the king and the advancement of his kingdom.

Matt 16:18 “I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

John 1:6 “There was a man sent from God and his name was John. He came to witness and testify concerning Christ, that through Him all men might believe.”

Are you sent by God? Is he calling you to bear his chariot?

Many years ago, Dr. Lorrie Price, one of Canada’s finest preachers died in a tragic car accident. A couple of years before he passed, he shared a story at the graduation ceremonies of Zion Bible Institute.

• An old Methodist missionary couple were in Mainland China. They were there 45-50 years until the communist take-over. Many of the missionaries were slaughtered but there were some more lenient provinces who would give the missionaries a 1-way ticket and 24 hours to leave the country.
• They approached the aged couple and offered them a passport and 24 hours to go home.
• The couple went home and prayed before God asking for His guidance. In tears they cried out, “Lord you have made us shepherds of this flock for over 50 years. This is our home. We are going to stay and put this in your hands.”
• The following day, the communist’s soldiers came by the house and said, “It is time to go!”
• The couple replied, “We have prayed about it and decided to stay. China is our home. Live or Die, whatever the case may be…we are staying.”
• The commanding communist officer said, “Then you will die”
• About 2 nights later, as they were sleeping, they heard the footsteps of a squad of soldiers coming through the woods to their humble little home. The heavily armed communist soldiers broke the door down and literally dragged the old man and his fragile wife out the house. He was 80 and she was 78.
• The Commanding officer said, “we will give you 1 last chance. If you deny Jesus Christ, we will still give you your tickets home. Otherwise, your dead!
• The couple said, “Sir, we have served the Lord for over 50 years in this, your country. We just could not deny him now or never. They said, “very well then.” They interrogated the old couple until they were nearly passed out of mental exhaustion.
• They escorted then into the darkened woods in the wee hours of the morning until they arrived at a shallow grave. They placed a spade in the old man’s hands and told him to commence digging. They then said to his wife, “If you curse Jesus, we will still let you go”.
• She said, “I’ll never deny Him, and I’ll never forsake him. “For immediately after she said this…they cut off her hands, and said, “deny Jesus! We will send you to the greatest hospital in China! She said, “NEVER”.
• Little did she know that “NEVER” would be her last word.
• He commanding officer gave the orders to cut out her tongue but as they began to reach for her tongue, she said, “Sir please can I have 1 moment before you do what you feel must be done?
• By this time, her husband with beads of sweat dripping from his face was standing knee high in a shallow grave, he had dug.
• On a hill somewhere in China, with the sun coming up on the horizon, the old 78-year-old Methodist missionary began to sing….
• “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold. I’d rather be his than have riches untold. I’d rather have Jesus than anything this old world affords today.
• You could have heard a pin drop in the ranks of the Chinese soldiers.
• Orders were given. She collapsed unconscious. The soldier then took the base of his weapon and struck her head. They put the spade back into the husband’s hand and he was forced to bury his wife alive.
• Then they physically picked him up. Put him on a boat and sent him back to Canada. It was not long after his arrival that he passed away.

Dr. Lorrie Price was called to preach his funeral. At the graduation, Dr. Price told the story of what one couple paid to love, follow, and serve Jesus.

He then looked over the audience of 1500 students and said,

“One of the king’s horse had fallen, who will rise up to take its place?”

All over the auditorium, everyone stood up and said, “I will take their place.”

250-300 young people stood to their feet, came to the alter and dedicated themselves to foreign missions!!!

Deut 23:5 “But the Lord thy God turned the intended curse into a blessing” The church will not fail, you will not fail, His kingdom will not fail for when 1 falls, 10 more will rise to take its place.

The Horse may not know much….but it looks forward to the affectionate pat of its master that has said, “Well done my good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23)

I have compared thee O my love to a company of horses in Pharaoh Chariots!

2 Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, now there is in store for us the crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge will award to me on that day and not only me but to all who have longed for his appearing.”

These were not only Paul’s last words but Rachel Scott from Columbine as well.

A martyrdom mythology sprang up around Cassie Bernall, who was 17 when she was shot by Eric Harris at Columbine. As the story was first told, Harris asked Bernall if she believed in God moments before he shot her, and she said yes

Rachel Joy Scott, another Columbine victim. Scott was an outspoken Christian who planned to become either an actress or a missionary upon her graduation, before her life was cut short. She was the first victim of the shooting, and, as with Bernall, Harris reportedly asked her if she believed in God before he killed her.

In Conclusion:

The words you live by are the words you die by. You are preaching your funeral by what you live, say and do.

D.L Moody, Death for a Christian is not a period but only a comma in the story of life.”

Our highest call in life is to bear the Kings Chariot into battle.

SIDE NOTE: (While The devil is trying to separate the church) God is trying to separate us to himself so we will have compassion to understand what separation away from God is like)