HopeLives365

Guest (Male): When you need peace to calm your fears, when you need peace to still your troubled heart, when you need peace to reach into your soul and calm your anxious spirit, reach out to the peaceful hands of Christ.

Guest (Male): This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: Secure in the Grip. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: Have you ever noticed that when you place your finger in a baby's hand, it grips your finger? You may have never seen that baby before. Maybe it's the first time that you see one of your grandchildren. Maybe it's the first time that you see a dear friend's child. As you look smiling at that little girl or that little boy, you stick out your finger to their hand, and what do they do? They grip your finger. The baby feels secure in holding your hand. It doesn't make any difference whether the baby is African or Asian, European or South American, Australian or American. It doesn't make any difference whether the baby comes from a rich or poor family, educated or uneducated. It doesn't make any difference what the baby's language is.

"Hold my hand" is the cry of ten thousand voices all over the world. A five-year-old girl crossing a busy street in New York City says, "Mommy, hold my hand." Two young lovers strolling hand in hand in the mall. A middle-aged woman dying of cancer: "Hold my hand." A seventeen-year-old macho, do-your-own-thing weightlifter lying on a bed dying after he's been hit by a car says, "Hold my hand." An eighty-seven-year-old man and his eighty-one-year-old bride of sixty years, holding hands sitting in their rocking chairs. We are secure when somebody holds our hand.

Why do we feel so secure when somebody holds our hand? Because we feel that they are by our side. Jesus' hands give us assurance. Feel the encouragement of his touch upon your shoulder. Feel the warmth of his gentle embrace. Feel the carrying touch, the strong grip of the Savior. Hands tell you something about a person: the calloused hands of a bricklayer, the oily hands of a mechanic, the skilled hands of a surgeon, the steady hands of an artist, the smooth hands of a baby, the wrinkled, cracked hands of an old factory worker. Hands tell you about the heart, the passion, the inner person. Looking at Jesus' hands, we understand Jesus' heart.

We're going to look today at five vignettes, five pictures of the hands of Christ. First, the hands of Christ are hands of blessing. We go to John, the sixth chapter. Here in John chapter six, you know the story well. Jesus is feeding the five thousand. As Christ feeds the five thousand, we notice here that the five thousand are sitting on the hillside of Galilee. They've listened to Christ speak all day. As they've listened to Jesus speak, many are hungry. Jesus lifts up his eyes in John 6:5 and seeing a great multitude says, "Where are we going to buy bread, Philip, that these may eat?" This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Jesus knew that a blessing was on the way. He knew, but he was testing his disciples to see if they had faith.

Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, says, "There's a boy here that has five loaves and two fishes, but what are they among so many?" Jesus says, "Make the people sit down." They bring to him the five loaves and two fishes. Verse 11: "Jesus took the loaves and the fishes, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down, and likewise of the fish as much as they wanted." Little in the hands of Jesus is much. Small in the hands of Jesus is great. Jesus' hands are hands of blessing. He took the bread in his hands and he blessed it. His hands are full. They broke bread; they had as much as they wanted. Heaven's supply never runs out. Heaven's blessings are never in short supply.

When you give to Jesus whatever you have—your talents, your abilities, your finances—he takes it and blesses it and makes something marvelous from it. I love Psalm 145, verses 15 and 16. "The eyes of all look expectantly to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing." Christ's hands are hands of blessing. Jesus can only bless what's given to him. If your faith is small, give your faith to him. If your spiritual strength is small, give that little strength you have to him.

If your finances are small, the way to financial prosperity is not hoarding what you have, but being faithful to Christ in your offerings and tithe. If your finances are small, give it to him. If your health is fragile, give it to him. Do the best you can, make the best health decisions possible, but little in the hands of Jesus is much. He blessed five loaves and two fishes; he'll bless your health if you make the decision to do the very best you can. If your love in marriage is small and if you feel the love for your husband or love for your wife is fading away, get on your knees and say, "Jesus, I'm giving the love that I have left to you. You are love, for God is love. Multiply my love; return that love into my heart for my husband or my wife." If your hope is small, give it to him. Why? Because the hands of Christ are hands of blessing. He blesses what we give to him.

I remember I was teaching on this whole subject of tithes and offerings once: the importance of tithe, the importance of offerings, the importance as we give. Jesus says it's more blessed to give than to receive. A man came into my office. He had this brown paper lunch bag with all these papers sticking out of it. This guy was angry. I could almost see smoke coming out of his nose and his ears. As he comes into my office, he puts this bag on my desk and he begins throwing down, "This is my bill, this is my bill, this is my bill. You're talking about being faithful to God in your tithes. How in the world could I ever be faithful to God? I can't even pay my bills now."

He went on and on and on. I said, "Well, sir, just two things. First, I am not telling you to pay your tithes." "Yes you were." "No, I was reading the Bible. The Bible says in Matthew chapter three, verses eight to ten: 'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house, says the Lord, and I'll pour out the windows of blessing, I'll open the windows of heaven, pour out a blessing you can't receive it.' I only have a question to you. First, I just read the Bible to you. That's all; I told you what God's word said. But second, has your method of financial prosperity brought you prosperity? Has the way you've been doing things solved your debt problem?"

He got mad. "You know that it hasn't, Pastor." I said, "Look, you've tried your way, now why don't you try God's way? For the next six months be faithful in your tithe and offering, and then let's meet again in six months and tell me what's happened." Little in the hands of Jesus is much. Nine-tenths with God goes more than ten-tenths without God. So whatever it is, if your faith is small, give it to God. If your spiritual strength is small, give it to God. If your finances are small, give it to God. If your health is fragile, give it to God. If your love is small, give it to God. The hands of Christ are hands of blessing. Jesus blessed the loaves and fishes, and he will bless your life.

Secondly, the hands of Christ are hands of forgiveness. John chapter eight, verse eight. Mary Magdalene was taken, thrown at the feet of Jesus. She was condemned as an adulteress. John 8, verse seven: "So when they continued asking him, he raised himself up and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.' Again he stooped down on the ground and he wrote on the ground." He writes on the ground what? Their sins. These were merciful hands. His finger wrote forgiveness. When you need forgiveness, place your hands in the hands of Christ.

I remember reading the story of Martin Luther. One night Luther goes to sleep, this great preacher of the word of God. As he's sleeping, there is a scroll that is unrolled before him and Luther has this dream. In the dream, there is the devil with his hand on the top of a scroll and the scroll's unrolled before Luther. On that scroll are Martin Luther's sins. The devil says to Luther, "Are these your sins?" "Yes, they are." "Are the wages of sin death?" "Yes, it is." "Do you deserve to die?" "Yes, I do." "You will have eternal death, Martin Luther. You've sinned, you've acknowledged these are your sins."

Then Luther notices that Satan's hand is there on the top of the scroll. Luther says, "Move your hand, move your hand." The devil says, "No, I can't move my hand." "In the name of Jesus Christ, move your hand." The devil moves his hand, and when he does, written on the top of that scroll is this: "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin." What does Scripture say in 1 John chapter one, verse nine? "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

One night I'm preaching on the Solomon Islands. As I'm there in the capital city of the Solomon Islands, preaching in an outdoor marketplace filled with garbage—we'd have to clean it out and then go preach at that marketplace—it was just at the end of the Civil War between the Malaitans and the Guadalcanal people, a terrible Civil War where many died. As I was there, I walked over to end the meeting, praying with a few people, and I saw a large man standing outside and he motioned for me to come over. I walked in the darkness wondering if it would be dangerous.

The Solomon Islander said to me, "We cannot talk here, come." We walked back behind a shed. As we were there, I looked that man in the eyes in the darkness and he said to me, "You talked about the forgiveness of sins. Sir, I need forgiveness." I said, "Well, God can forgive you. He says, 'If we confess our sins, he's faithful and just.'" "But God cannot forgive me." "Why not?" "Because I am the rebel leader. I am the one that stole with my troops the only patrol boat we have here in the Solomon Islands. I took it along the coast, I fired into villages, I killed people. There's blood on my hands." We talked, we quoted the promises of God, and we prayed. Whoever you are, whatever you have done, there is forgiveness for you. The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. As it does, the grace of Christ not only pardons us, but empowers us.

The hands of Christ are hands of blessing. The hands of Christ are hands of forgiveness. Thirdly, the hands of Christ are hands of deliverance. They're powerful hands; they're strong hands. Matthew chapter fourteen. This is the story of Jesus walking on water. It's the story of Jesus approaching the boat with Peter, James, John, and the disciples in the boat. The story starts here in Matthew chapter 14, verse 22. Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side while he sent the multitudes away.

Then Jesus prays. A great storm comes up in verse 24. It's the fourth watch of the night, which would mean it's between three and six in the morning, the darkest part of the night. Jesus walks on the sea. Verse 26, they say it's a ghost and they cry out. They're fearful. Jesus speaks to them and says, "Be of good cheer, it is I, do not be afraid." Peter says, "If it's you, can I come?" Verse 29, Jesus says, "Come." So Peter gets out of the boat; he begins to walk toward Jesus. The wind is blowing fiercely. He's afraid, he begins to sink, and he says, "Lord, save me."

Now notice verse 31. Immediately Jesus stretches out his hand and caught him and said to him, "Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?" Just think about it. Peter is going down and Jesus reaches out his strong hands and pulls him up. You may be feeling you're in the middle of a storm. You may feel the waves are crushing in around you. You may feel that you're going down. You say, "I can't handle it anymore, Lord. It's impossible, Lord." When you feel you're going under, stretch out your hand. When sin is dragging you down, the hand of Christ is powerful. With our hand in the hand of Jesus, demons flee. With our hand in the hand of Jesus, chains of habits are broken. With our hand in the hand of Jesus, prison doors open. When you need deliverance, place your hand in the hands of Jesus.

The hands of Jesus are hands of blessing. He wants to bless your life in ways you could never imagine. The hands of Jesus are hands of forgiveness. He longs to forgive you for whatever you've done. You've turned your back on him, you've rebelled against him, put your hand in his hand. The hand of Jesus is the hand of forgiveness. The hands of Jesus are hands of deliverance. I've seen Jesus deliver people from alcohol, from tobacco, from drugs, from immorality. I've worked many, many years in former communist countries, and I've seen Jesus come and work miracles.

The hands of Christ are hands of calm. Matthew 4. In Mark chapter four, the story is told of the boat that goes across the sea in a terrible storm. I've been on the Sea of Galilee many, many times. I remember one time the thunder began to crash, the lightning began to flash, rain began to pour down. I was loving it and I said to my tour group, "Man, this is wonderful. We're experiencing what the disciples experienced out here." One of my group looks up and says, "Yeah, but the only problem is you're not Jesus and you can't calm the storm." I could see the fear in their faces and they were right. Only Christ can calm those storms, and we certainly prayed, and the Lord did calm that storm.

Mark chapter 4, verse 35. "On the same day when evening had come, he said to them, 'Let's cross over to the other side.'" I want somebody listening to this broadcast to cross over to the other side: to cross over from weakness to strength, to cross over from worry and fear to peace and calm, to cross over from anxiety to a sense in your life of trust. Verse 36: "Now when they left the multitude, they took him along in the boat as he was. Other little boats were also with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat so it was already filling. And he was in the stern asleep on the pillow, and they woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?'"

Jesus is in the boat. The thunder begins to crash; the lightning begins to flash. The waves are high. They're hitting the side of the boat; the boat's filling. They're sinking. And then they say, "Jesus, don't you care we're perishing?" You may feel that way. You're in the middle of a storm right now in your life. For you, the thunder's crashing, the lightning's flashing. The water's filling your boat. You say, "God, I can't take this; my boat's going to go down, my boat's going to sink." And what happens? Jesus is still on your boat. And you say, "Lord, are you sleeping out there? Lord, why aren't you doing something? I'm a Christian, Lord, why aren't you doing something? Are you sleeping?" Jesus arises, verse 39, rebukes the wind and says to the sea, "Peace, be still." And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Jesus holds up his hands and says, "Peace, be still." Jesus says to you in the storms of life, "Peace, be still." Peaceful hands. When you need peace, when you need calm, when you need peace to calm your fears, when you need peace to still your troubled heart, when you need peace to reach into your soul and calm your anxious spirit, reach out to the peaceful hands of Christ. The hands of Christ are hands of blessing. He wants to bless you. The hands of Christ are hands of forgiveness. He longs to forgive you. The hands of Christ are powerful hands. He longs to deliver you. The hands of Christ are hands of calm. He longs to give you peace.

And the hands of Christ are hands of invitation. Jesus says in Matthew chapter 11, verse 28 to 30, Jesus is speaking to your heart. Maybe you're listening to this broadcast in a car on your way to work. The traffic is heavy, and you have extra time to listen, to think, to contemplate. Maybe it's late at night and you're picking up this broadcast just before you go to bed, or early in the morning when you're awake, or mid-morning as a housewife working around the house. But Jesus is speaking to you in Matthew 11:28. "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Jesus says, "Come to me, all you that are burdened and heavy laden." And in John chapter six, verse 37 and 38, Jesus says, "Him that comes I will in no wise cast out." Jesus' arms are open for you today. You can bring him your difficulties, you can bring him your challenges, you can bring him your troubles. You can bring him your physical ailments, the pain that racks your body. You can bring him your financial difficulties. You can place your hand in the hand of Jesus.

How do you do that? Is this idea of placing our hand in the hand of Jesus just an expression? How do you do it? On your knees, imagine reaching up your hand. And imagine Jesus reaching down and taking your hand. Because the hands of Christ are hands of blessing. He blesses everything he touches. He'll bless your life when you put it in his hands. His hands are hands of forgiveness. He wrote in the sand that day mercy, pardon, forgiveness for that adulterous woman. He'll forgive you, no matter what you've done. The hands of Christ are powerful hands. No matter how weak you feel, his hands are hands of power. The hands of Christ are hands of calm. He lifted his hands and calmed the storm. He will calm your troubled heart. And the hands of Christ are hands of invitation.

Guest (Male): You've been listening to Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at hopelives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark.

Mark Finley: I love that old song: "Precious Lord, take my hand. Lead me on, help me stand. Through the dark and through the night, lead me on to the light. Precious Lord, take my hand." Jesus wants to take your hand and enable you to face life with the assurance and the security that you now are secure in his grip. In Jesus' name, let's pray. Father in heaven, thank you so much that we are secure with our hands in the hand of Jesus. We're thankful that you're a God of blessing, a God of forgiveness, a God of deliverance, a God of calm, and a God of invitation who invites us to come to you. We come and give our lives to you just now in Jesus' name, Amen.