IT'S JUST ONE STEP (1)

JUST ONE STEP

1 Samuel 20 King James Version (KJV) 20 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?

2 And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.

3 And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.

WE ALL BEGIN THE ROAD OF LIFE ENTERING INTO THIS WORLD COMPLETELY DEPENDENT UPON OTHERS. SO WEAK THAT WE CAN T EVEN HOLD UP OUR OWN HEADS. SO FRAGILE THAT SOMEONE COULD TAKE THEIR THUMB AND PUSH THRU THE HOLE THAT IS IN OUR SKULL AT BIRTH. COMPLETELY DEPENDENT. NEEDING SOMEONE ELSE TO FEED US AND BATH US. NOT EVEN BEING ABLE TO BELCH ON OUR OWN WITHOUT HELP. IT BECOMES A MILESTONE WHEN WE CAN FIRST SIT UP ON OUR OWN, THEN HOLD A BOTTLE WITHOUT HELP. WHEN WE GO FROM PURELY LIQUIDS TO BABY FOOD AND THEN, O MY

GOODNESS TO EATING TABLE FOOD. WHAT A MILESTONE. BUT I GUESS ONE OF THE GREATEST MILESTONES IN A BABY S LIFE IS WHEN THEY TAKE THEIR FIRST STEP. THE EXCITEMENT AND ANTICIPATION. A WOBBLING CHILD, FALLING AND CRAWLING YET STILL TRYING TO WALK. FIRST WITH HELP. HOLDING ON TIGHTLY TO THAT FINGER AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN ONE DAY, ON THEIR OWN, UNASSISTED THEY TAKE THAT MEMORABLE AND MOMENTOUS FIRST STEP. THEN ANOTHER. AND THEN THEY BEGIN TO TAKE STEPS ON THEIR OWN. NOT TRULY KNOWING WHERE THEIR STEPS WILL TAKE THEM IN LIFE. BUT REALIZING THAT THEY WILL ONLY GET THERE ONE STEP AT A TIME. ONE STEP AFTER ANOTHER. STEPS TO THE PLAYGROUND. STEPS TO SCHOOL. STEPS TO WORK AND STEPS TO THE ALTAR. THEY SAY THAT THE AVERAGE MAN WILL take an average of 7192 steps a day while women take about 5210 steps. WHICH MEANS THAT SISTER HARDESTY TOOK

APPROXIMATELY 160,000,000 STEPS IN HER LIFE TIME. THE STEPS SHE TOOK AS A FAITHFUL WIFE AND A GOOD MOTHER. THE STEPS SHE TOOK AS A PREACHER S SPOUSE AND FIRST LADY. THE

STEPS SHE TOOK TAKING CARE OF HER FAMILY AND LOVING HER HUSBANDS. STEPS SHE TOOK AS A CHILD OF GOD. STEPS TO CHURCH AND STEPS TO SERVE THOSE IN NEED. STEPS SHE TOOK AS A DEACONESS AND A FAITHFUL MEMBER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. MILLIONS OF STEPS. SISTER HARDESTY A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO HAD A PROCEDURE ON HER FOOT AND BECAME VERY FEARFUL OF TAKING STEPS. AFRAID THAT SOMEBODY WOULD STEP ON THAT TOE. GREAT GOD ALMIGHTY. SO MUCH SO THAT AFTERWARDS, SHE NEVER STEPPED BACK INTO CHURCH AGAIN. I WOULD OFTEN SAY TO HER, SISTER HARDESTY, IF YOU CAN JUST TAKE THAT FIRST STEP BACK TO CHURCH, ALL THE REST WILL BE EASIER. SIS. HARDESTY WE LL MAKE SURE NOBODY STEPS ON YOUR FOOT. BUT WE WERE NEVER ABLE TO GET HER TO TAKE THAT STEP. IF THE TRUTH BE TOLD, OUR LIVES OUR ACTUALLY LIVED OUT IN STEPS. WE ARE DEFINED BY THE STEPS WE TAKE IN LIFE. WHERE WE STEPPED AND HOW MANY STEPS WE TOOK. THE STEPS WE HAD TO TAKE AND THE STEPS WE REFUSED TO TAKE. FOLLOWING THE STEPS OF OTHERS AND WITNESSING THE

STEPS LEFT IN THE SANDS OF TIME. SOMETHINGS WOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED IN OUR LIVES IF OUR STEPS HAD BEEN DIFFERENT. OFTEN SO MUCH REGRET AND GRIEF COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF WE HAD ONLY TAKEN THE APPROPRIATE STEPS. SOME OF THE MOST LIFE TRANSFORMING EXPERIENCES OCCURRED BECAUSE WE STEPPED INTO SITUATIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES THAT IMPACTED OUR LIVES FOREVER. SOME PEOPLE WOULD NOT BE WHO THEY ARE TODAY IF THEY HADN T OR IF OTHERS DID NOT TAKE THE STEPS THAT WERE TAKEN. OUR LIVES OUR LIVED OUT IN AND DEFINED BY STEPS. THEY SAY THAT A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH THE FIRST STEP. MLK SAID THAT FAITH IS TAKING THE FIRST STEP EVEN WHEN YOU CAN T SEE THE WHOLE STAIRCASE. NEIL ARMSTRONG SAID AS HE WALKED OUT OF THAT SPACE SHIP UNTO THE MOON, ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN AND ONE GREAT STEP FOR MANKIND. NAPOLEON BONAPARTE SAID THAT MOST GREAT PEOPLE HAVE ATTAINED THEIR

GREATEST SUCCESS JUST ONE STEP AWAY FROM THEIR GREATEST FAILURE. JUST ONE STEP. ONE STEP AT A TIME. IN OUR TEXT THIS MORNING, WE ENCOUNTER DAVID AND JONATHAN DISCUSSING A FRIGHTFUL SITUATION OF HOMICIDE. JONATHAN S FATHER SAUL IS THE KING OF ISRAEL AND IS VERY JEALOUS OF A YOUNG DAVID, BECAUSE OF DAVID S SUCCESS ON THE BATTLE FIELD. THE PEOPLE WOULD SING THAT KING SAUL HAD KILLED HUNDREDS, BUT DAVID TEN S OF THOUSANDS. DAVID WAS MORE LIKED THAN SAUL AND CELEBRATED AS A MIGHTY WARRIOR. SAUL HATED DAVID AND CONSPIRED HOW HE MIGHT KILL HIM. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AS IT BECAME OBVIOUS TO DAVID THAT SAUL WAS OUT TO KILL HIM, HE DECIDED TO FLEE AND RUN FOR HIS LIFE. 1 Samuel 20 (NLV) 20 Then David ran from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said to Jonathan, What have I done? What is my sin? What have I done wrong to your father, that he wants to kill me? 2 Jonathan said to him, Far from it, you will not die. See, my father does nothing big or small without telling me about it. So why should my father hide this from me? It is not so! 3 But David answered, Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes. He has said, Do not let Jonathan know this, because it would fill him with

sorrow. But it is true. As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is only a step between me and death.

THERE IS ONLY ONE STEP BETWEEN US AND DEATH. BROTHERS AND SISTERS, LIFE IS FRAGILE. OUR TIME ON THIS EARTH IS ONLY TEMPORARY AND LIMITED. IN JUST ONE STEP OUR LIVES CAN CHANGE. IN JUST ONE STEP, EVERYTHING WE KNOW CAN BE TAKEN AWAY. IN JUST ONE STEP, WE CAN GO FROM THE LIVING TO THE DEAD. FOR THERE IS TRULY JUST ONE STEP BETWEEN US AND DEATH. WHAT S THE POINT REV? LIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE FULLEST. IT S TOO BRIEF TOO CARRY GRUDGES AND TO BE UNFORGIVING. IT S TOO SHORT TO BE JEALOUS OR ENVIOUS, MAD OR BITTER. THERE S ONLY ONE STEP BETWEEN US AND DEATH. SO MAKE EVERY STEP COUNT. TAKE THAT STEP LIKE IT MAY BE YOUR LAST. TAKE THAT STEP LIKE IT MIGHT BE THE ONE THAT TURNS THAT DEFEAT INTO VICTORY, THAT FAILURE INTO SUCCESS, THAT PAIN INTO YOUR GAIN. TAKE THAT STEP, EVEN IF YOU CAN T SEE THE WHOLE STAIRCASE. TAKE THAT STEP, EVEN

THOUGH YOU CAN T SEE THE ENTIRE PATH. SOMETIMES GOD ONLY LET S US SEE ONE STEP AHEAD OF US AT A TIME.

BUT KNOW THIS THAT THE STEPS OF A GOOD MAN ARE ORDERED BY THE LORD. THE BIBLE TELLS US TO TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL OF OUR HEARTS AND LEAN NOT UNTO OUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL OF OUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HE SHALL DIRECT OUR PATH. ONE STEP AT A TIME. I M SO GLAD THAT ON THIS PATH CALLED LIFE, GOD ALLOWED US TO SHARE IT WITH A WONDERFUL WOMAN NAMED DOROTHY HARDESTY. SHE WALKED WITH US IN LOVE AND KINDNESS. SHE PURSUED THIS PATH WITH US WITH A HEART FOR GOD AND HIS PEOPLE. SHE MADE THE JOURNEY AS A GOOD MOTHER AND WIFE. AS A FAITHFUL DEACONESS AND MEMBER. AND SHE LOVED US AND WE HER, ONE STEP AT A TIME. THE OTHER DAY, GOD CALLED HER AND SHE STEPPED FROM LIFE, THROUGH THE DOORWAY CALLED DEATH. SHE STEPPED FROM NOW INTO FOREVER. SHE STEPPED FROM HERE INTO THE

HEREAFTER. SHE STEPPED FROM TIME INTO ETERNITY. AS SHE STEPPED INTO HER REST. BUT I M SO GLAD THAT THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY, THIS IS NOT HER LAST STEP. O YES, BECAUSE THE BIBLE SAYS THAT ON THAT GREAT DAY, WHEN THE TRUMPETS SOUND AND THE LORD DESCENDS FROM THE CLOUDS, THAT HE S GOING TO AWAKEN THE DEAD AND THEY SHALL RISE TO MEET HIM IN THE AIR. AND WE WHO ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN, SHALL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER. AND HE S GOING TO TAKE US OVER THERE WHERE THE WICKED CEASE FROM TROUBLING AND THE SABBATH HAS NO END. NO MORE SICKNESS, PAIN, DOCTORS, NURSES, MEDICINE, ETC. AND WE RE GOING TO WALK, I SAID WE RE GOING TO WALK. YES, WE RE GOING TO WALK AROUND HEAVEN ALL DAY. ONE STEP AT A TIME! THERE'S SOMEBODY HERE TODAY THAT GOD HAS BROUGHT HERE. YOU RE HERE NOT JUST TO PAY YOUR RESPECTS AND GRIEVE FOR SIS. HARDESTY. BUT YOU RE ALSO HERE BECAUSE GOD WANTS YOU TO TAKE A STEP. HE WANTS TO SAVE YOU

AND FORGIVE YOU. HE WANTS TO HELP YOU STEP FROM THIS WORLD INTO HIS WILL. BUT YOU VE GOT TO STEP OUT OF THE WORLD AND INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD. IF YOU TAKE THAT STEP ONE DAY, YOU LL SEE SIS. HARDESTY AGAIN. IF YOU DON T YOU LL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN. IT S JUST ONE STEP. A STEP OF FAITH. A STEP OF SALVATION. A STEP IN THE NAME OF LOVE. IF YOU RE HERE AND YOU NEED TO BE SAVED FROM THIS WORLD OF SIN. KNOW THAT GOD SENT JESUS HERE TO FORGIVE YOU OF ALL OF YOUR SINS, GUILT AND SHAME. AND TO WASH ALL OF THAT AWAY. SO THAT YOU CAN STEP INTO A WHOLE NEW LIFE WITH CHRIST. BUT IT ALL BEGINS WITH ONE STEP.