Every year, a group of hardy men and a few women will attempt to scale the tallest, most majestic mountain in the world. At 29035 feet, the mountain seems to have a voice, almost a tangible presence in the life of those who live and work around it. Some will pay the $65000 fee just for the chance to attempt it. Now, due to advances in technique, the numbers are increasing for successful attempts. Yet in the midst of it all, over a thousand have touched the top of the world, but over two hundred have died in the attempt.
What Hillary and Norgay first mastered in 1953 is the goal of men and women of mountaineering dream of. . . .Hillary would, in the attempt, scale up and down the mountain a total of three and a half times its height in the successful attempt. Everest can only be scaled in confined window of time during the year. You don’t attempt it in the winter, because sure death will follow.
Forty three years after the success of Hillary, the single most deadly twenty four hours on the mountain occurred. In the brief span of twenty four hours, eight healthy men died as a result of a storm that happened near the summit. It would be poor judgement that brought some of it on. . . while others succumbed to the fever of trying to reach the peak at all cost.
As I read the account of one of the survivors, it captured my being. I read of the men and women who were pushing upward. . .some of them going snow blind, others running out of energy in the open. I read the account, willing them all to live, despite the failure of the guides to stop them from killing themselves, I wanted them so desperately to live.
It was a lesson in timing. . . it was a lesson that was forcefully brought home. As I mentioned just a few moments ago, the mountain seems to have a voice, and the locals believe it so much so that they consider it to have a spirit of its own. Just as this mountain reputedly has a spirit, I believe that scripture is clear in its definite attention to our lives. Often we are told of how He is the God of the valleys, and the that He is the God of the plains. Our walk with Him is compared in scripture to climbing mountains.
It would be in the end of the life of Moses, when he begins to bless those tribes that are represented in the Old Testament that he turns to the tribe of Joseph, a nd thus blesses them.
Deuteronomy 33:13‑15 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,. . . . . And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
There are treasures of the heights. . . there blessings of the hills. . . . yet hills and mountains cannot be approached as if it were a plain. There is danger the lurks in the snowy peaks of Lebanon.
Remember with me the plight of Paul. Sitting in a cold and lonely prison cell, he and his
companion Luke would begin to look for ways to stay warm in the winter. There were a few things that Paul wanted-
· A Cloke that had served him well in previous winters, kept him from freezing
· Books- often the main companion of Paul, so that they became close to him to the degree that there was a cry from his heart, not for deliverance, but for something that would feed his soul.
· Parchments- those things that Paul had written down, perhaps as a personal record of the church, perhaps the list of things that God had done for him.
In the end though, in what is considered Paul’s most human moment, it would be that final urging of Come Before Winter that we find ourselves tonight. Come before winter. Probably the most human call that we hear from the pages of scripture from the lips of Paul.
Paul, who had endured much, as he records in II Corinthians chapter eleven,
· day and night in the deep
· shipwrecked three times
· journeyings
· hungers
· perils
· stripes
Paul stands that day when his progress is not measured in feet or yards, but this time merely in inches, and from the depths of his soul comes this cry. . . . come before winter. It is in the nuances of scripture that we find a range of emotions, from the height of a returning Ark, to the tramp of a donkey as he brought a Triumphant Messiah into Jerusalem, to the painful triumph of Psalm 23, to this particular scripture. Paul stood as close to death at this scripture as he probably ever had, and I think that he knew that death awaited him.
In the midst of those circumstances, Paul stood as one with hope. There was, in the middle of what seemed hopeless, hope. The confession of his mouth was a testimony that His life, his ministry, was still potent, that he hadn’t laid down in defeat. There in the ashes of what was to be the greatest ministry of all of the Apostles, Paul would not allow himself to be defeated.
As I take up this scripture tonight, I want to bring light into a heart that is darkened by the circumstances of life. I want to bring hope into a heart that beats defeat. I want there to be a surge in the spirits of man from the Spirit of Hope. It does not matter how far down you may be, or what prison you may find yourself in, there is a greatness that comes, even when you say, Come Before Winter.
There must be an intent to climb to the End
One of the things that is essential in finding a flame in the midst of a coldness is the condition of the mind. Jerusalem had lain in waste for many years. . . The Temple destroyed, the houses there open to the elements, the land basically desolate and returning quickly to its wilderness state. Yet a court prophet by the name of Nehemiah with a vision of what could be.
He stood, trapped not by walls of iron and locked doors, but tied relentlessly to a King. He had been brought here by no act of his own, yet regardless of why, he too was in a prison. Jerusalem might as well have been the tallest mountain that he could only faintly remember, but the land cried out to him to come.
Jerusalem need not lay in waste. . . . Jerusalem, the land of which Melchisedec was both priest and king. . . where the headquarters of the Promised Land lay. Jerusalem, the birthplace of prophets and dwelling place of Kings lie in waste.
But Nehemiah would convince a King that had no real interest in the area into allowing him to come back and rebuild the city again. Those that came to Jerusalem would come with purpose. . . . there the heckling of Sanballat and Tobiah would remind them of the prison that they were in.
Nehemiah 4:6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
But the fire begin in the mind. . . fueled by the Spirit of God, the seed of what can be seized them all. If you’ll seize the seed of what can be, you will find yourself, despite the circumstances of life beginning to feel the warmth of the flames of revival.
Watch the powerful words of Isaiah when he prophesied these words. . . .
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Peace brings with it a quickening of the spirit.
Look forward
Scripture is clear. Our focus in life cannot be down here. There is simply too much defeat and dismay that invades our lives. Our prison can be one of self imposed defeatism. Our judgement is often clouded by what might have been. We must look forward.
Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Too much hinges on you to allow prison doors of isolation, sin, or defeat close you in. Our focus cannot waver from the simplest truth of them all. He left us to carry on His work on earth. Entrapment is one of the slyest ways the enemy has to conquer our purpose.
Let me make this practical. Our lives are constantly bombarded with things clamoring for our attention. Make sure that you set your foot down on solid ground. Don’t let the world, or those who simply aren’t spiritual be the advisors of your life.
Watch where you are placing your feet. The strains of that old song comes ringing true. . .
“. . . Lord plant my feet on higher ground.”
Look up
One of the principles of walking and climbing is this. . . you are going where you are looking. When we walk patients at the hospital, we require them to look up, out in front. If they look at the floor, that is where they will go.
That is a good spiritual principle. . . .you are going where you are looking. What ever it is that has your eye will lead you that way. That is why an old man named Caleb could at 85 years old, claim a mountain.
Joshua 14:12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day;
It would be David who would pen these words
Psalm 121:1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Focus in life often determines success.
Look for the Finish Line
There is a final principle in finding our way in the midst of great winters of our life. I must remain dedicated to the calling that God has placed in my life. I must not be moved by every stray doctrine that blows through.
“He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. . . . .”
Paul refused to allow his present condition to determine his allegiance. Sure, it was cold, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Sure he needed the items before winter came to his part of the world. But there is something much more scary than the physical, mental, or emotional coldness, and that is spiritual coldness.
The Danger of the ColdWhat Hillary and Norgay first mastered in 1953 is the goal of men and women of mountaineering dream of. . . .Hillary would, in the attempt, scale up and down the mountain a total of three and a half times its height in the successful attempt. Everest can only be scaled in confined window of time during the year. You don’t attempt it in the winter, because sure death will follow.
Forty three years after the success of Hillary, the single most deadly twenty four hours on the mountain occurred. In the brief span of twenty four hours, eight healthy men died as a result of a storm that happened near the summit. It would be poor judgement that brought some of it on. . . while others succumbed to the fever of trying to reach the peak at all cost.
As I read the account of one of the survivors, it captured my being. I read of the men and women who were pushing upward. . .some of them going snow blind, others running out of energy in the open. I read the account, willing them all to live, despite the failure of the guides to stop them from killing themselves, I wanted them so desperately to live.
It was a lesson in timing. . . it was a lesson that was forcefully brought home. As I mentioned just a few moments ago, the mountain seems to have a voice, and the locals believe it so much so that they consider it to have a spirit of its own. Just as this mountain reputedly has a spirit, I believe that scripture is clear in its definite attention to our lives. Often we are told of how He is the God of the valleys, and the that He is the God of the plains. Our walk with Him is compared in scripture to climbing mountains.
It would be in the end of the life of Moses, when he begins to bless those tribes that are represented in the Old Testament that he turns to the tribe of Joseph, a nd thus blesses them.
Deuteronomy 33:13‑15 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,. . . . . And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
There are treasures of the heights. . . there blessings of the hills. . . . yet hills and mountains cannot be approached as if it were a plain. There is danger the lurks in the snowy peaks of Lebanon.
Remember with me the plight of Paul. Sitting in a cold and lonely prison cell, he and his
companion Luke would begin to look for ways to stay warm in the winter. There were a few things that Paul wanted-
· A Cloke that had served him well in previous winters, kept him from freezing
· Books- often the main companion of Paul, so that they became close to him to the degree that there was a cry from his heart, not for deliverance, but for something that would feed his soul.
· Parchments- those things that Paul had written down, perhaps as a personal record of the church, perhaps the list of things that God had done for him.
In the end though, in what is considered Paul’s most human moment, it would be that final urging of Come Before Winter that we find ourselves tonight. Come before winter. Probably the most human call that we hear from the pages of scripture from the lips of Paul.
Paul, who had endured much, as he records in II Corinthians chapter eleven,
· day and night in the deep
· shipwrecked three times
· journeyings
· hungers
· perils
· stripes
Paul stands that day when his progress is not measured in feet or yards, but this time merely in inches, and from the depths of his soul comes this cry. . . . come before winter. It is in the nuances of scripture that we find a range of emotions, from the height of a returning Ark, to the tramp of a donkey as he brought a Triumphant Messiah into Jerusalem, to the painful triumph of Psalm 23, to this particular scripture. Paul stood as close to death at this scripture as he probably ever had, and I think that he knew that death awaited him.
In the midst of those circumstances, Paul stood as one with hope. There was, in the middle of what seemed hopeless, hope. The confession of his mouth was a testimony that His life, his ministry, was still potent, that he hadn’t laid down in defeat. There in the ashes of what was to be the greatest ministry of all of the Apostles, Paul would not allow himself to be defeated.
As I take up this scripture tonight, I want to bring light into a heart that is darkened by the circumstances of life. I want to bring hope into a heart that beats defeat. I want there to be a surge in the spirits of man from the Spirit of Hope. It does not matter how far down you may be, or what prison you may find yourself in, there is a greatness that comes, even when you say, Come Before Winter.
There must be an intent to climb to the End
One of the things that is essential in finding a flame in the midst of a coldness is the condition of the mind. Jerusalem had lain in waste for many years. . . The Temple destroyed, the houses there open to the elements, the land basically desolate and returning quickly to its wilderness state. Yet a court prophet by the name of Nehemiah with a vision of what could be.
He stood, trapped not by walls of iron and locked doors, but tied relentlessly to a King. He had been brought here by no act of his own, yet regardless of why, he too was in a prison. Jerusalem might as well have been the tallest mountain that he could only faintly remember, but the land cried out to him to come.
Jerusalem need not lay in waste. . . . Jerusalem, the land of which Melchisedec was both priest and king. . . where the headquarters of the Promised Land lay. Jerusalem, the birthplace of prophets and dwelling place of Kings lie in waste.
But Nehemiah would convince a King that had no real interest in the area into allowing him to come back and rebuild the city again. Those that came to Jerusalem would come with purpose. . . . there the heckling of Sanballat and Tobiah would remind them of the prison that they were in.
Nehemiah 4:6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
But the fire begin in the mind. . . fueled by the Spirit of God, the seed of what can be seized them all. If you’ll seize the seed of what can be, you will find yourself, despite the circumstances of life beginning to feel the warmth of the flames of revival.
Watch the powerful words of Isaiah when he prophesied these words. . . .
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Peace brings with it a quickening of the spirit.
Look forward
Scripture is clear. Our focus in life cannot be down here. There is simply too much defeat and dismay that invades our lives. Our prison can be one of self imposed defeatism. Our judgement is often clouded by what might have been. We must look forward.
Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Too much hinges on you to allow prison doors of isolation, sin, or defeat close you in. Our focus cannot waver from the simplest truth of them all. He left us to carry on His work on earth. Entrapment is one of the slyest ways the enemy has to conquer our purpose.
Let me make this practical. Our lives are constantly bombarded with things clamoring for our attention. Make sure that you set your foot down on solid ground. Don’t let the world, or those who simply aren’t spiritual be the advisors of your life.
Watch where you are placing your feet. The strains of that old song comes ringing true. . .
“. . . Lord plant my feet on higher ground.”
Look up
One of the principles of walking and climbing is this. . . you are going where you are looking. When we walk patients at the hospital, we require them to look up, out in front. If they look at the floor, that is where they will go.
That is a good spiritual principle. . . .you are going where you are looking. What ever it is that has your eye will lead you that way. That is why an old man named Caleb could at 85 years old, claim a mountain.
Joshua 14:12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day;
It would be David who would pen these words
Psalm 121:1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Focus in life often determines success.
Look for the Finish Line
There is a final principle in finding our way in the midst of great winters of our life. I must remain dedicated to the calling that God has placed in my life. I must not be moved by every stray doctrine that blows through.
“He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. . . . .”
Paul refused to allow his present condition to determine his allegiance. Sure, it was cold, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Sure he needed the items before winter came to his part of the world. But there is something much more scary than the physical, mental, or emotional coldness, and that is spiritual coldness.
When Paul began to close his letter to Timothy he included this last personal communique to Timothy. “Do all diligence to come before winter.” There is much hidden in the phrasing of this scripture. Paul had become concerned for his son in the Gospel, Timothy.
One of the things that Paul seemed to say was this, I need you now, but in turn, you need me also. But I think that Paul’s greatest purpose in encouraging Timothy lay in this. . . .
He didn’t want Timothy to simply let the days slip from the sunny days of summer into the glorious days of fall. To allow those cool fall days to slip into winter. . . and thus fail to come before winter.
Paul seemed to be reminding Timothy that come now, not later. . . . that winter would be on him and he wouldn’t know it. There is our reminder tonight. I want to be as kind as I can but I felt the Lord in this as I was putting it together. . . .there are some here tonight that is going to allow winter to come and you will not have made that step.
· Perhaps one of the saddest things in life is the case of what might have been
· the position of could have
· the place of almost, but not quite
Paul understood the urgency of the moment. . . .He had stood in front of a man that told him, Paul, almost thou persuadest me to be a christian. As we stand in the presence of Jehovah tonight, I send out a call, Come Before Winter. Come before winter.
The passes might be snowed in.
Winter has come to some men’s hearts already, and though it is never too late, they always seemed to think that tomorrow I will.
Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
There is a cold storm that is blowing in this world today. The cold is beginning to affect parts of the church. It is pulling on some of you harder and harder. There seems to be a distance between you and God. At first you couldn’t tell, but now you realize that there is a distance in the relationship.
I am standing here tonight as a weatherman.. . . no, I can’t read a front, nor can I predict a thunderstorm tonight, but I can be certain of this one thing. The coldness is coming, the storm is breaking, the snow is starting to fall. At first it is the pretty snowflakes, and you think that you can control them, but it’s getting heavier now.
You are on a mountain side tonight, and being caught in the open will kill you. Self reliance will kill you.
The world is intruding into your life and Satan desires to have your soul.
1996 witnessed the most deadly 24 hour period that Mt. Everest ever. In the short period of time, 7 men and one woman would die. Of that number, there were several experienced mountaineers. The problem was that a storm approached in the death zone, above 26000 feet.
The story of one man in particular captured my attention. A physician from Texas, Beck Weathers, would attempt to climb this mountain. As the storm blew in, he became snow blind, and lost his direction. After attempting to locate his camp and safety, he huddled into the snow, and there gave up to die. The night and storm raged on. Winds that are cause by the turning of the earth were bearing down on him. At day light a search party was organized, and they located Beck. But Beck’s arm and leg were sticking out in the snow, completely exposed.
They couldn’t see any breathing. . . so they left him there in an icy grave. A few hours later, a man stumbled into the camp, blinded, frostbite so severe that amputation was the only option. Yet Beck made it. One of the most frightening things that he said was this that the closer that you are to death the less cold it feels. Are you feeling the cold tonight?
. . .some of you are perhaps in the middle of a storm. . . . some of you are safe at camp. . . .but there are a few of you who are laying down. . . . but I can see a fire just around the bend. . . . the flash of forgiveness is there, alongside of a new commitment and new anointing.
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