Friends and new listeners, welcome to this program of the RG Hardy Ministries. I'm Sharon Ottz, thanking you for being with us today because we know faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Today's message by my father, Brother Hardy, is certain to uplift you, especially if you're in a tight place. In fact, that's the title of today's message: "The Tight Spots of a Christian." So, if you are in need of encouragement, you are in tune with the right station. To hear a timely word, the tight spots of a Christian.
You know the the big difference between a child of God and a sinner. One big difference. One big difference I found between the child of God. And someone that doesn't know Jesus. Let me put it that way.
You know the Bible said that the rain falls on the good or the just and the unjust. How many say Amen? In trials and test, hard places, pressings way, come to the just and unjust. We know that you know a lot of people. They have the wrong.
They have a misconception. They have the wrong idea. They believe that when they get saved, that they're never going to have a test anymore. There's never going to be a hard spot. There's not going to be burdens.
There's not going to be battles, and consequently, they're not prepared. A lot of people think that they're going to fly to heaven on a magic carpet. I tell you what, I've been serving the Lord about twenty years, and I read that Bible all from cover to cover and lots in between. I never found no magic carpet yet. I said, I haven't found that magic carpet.
How many's got that magic carpet? You got it? Where's hiding that thing? Move over, let me sit down. Everybody say, "Amen." Don't misunderstand me.
The Lord's going to work it all out. But you see, a lot of people think that when I get saved, I'm never. Going to be confronted with a bad situation anymore. There's not going to be any hard places anymore. There's not going to be any tight spots anymore.
How many thought there'd never be a tight spot?
Well, that's contrary to the Bible. You know what the Bible said? Many. M a n y. That means a whole lot.
Does the word "many" mean a whole lot? How many believe that? Many are the afflictions.
Now, remember, I said the word "affliction" wasn't sickness and disease. A lot of people think when they think of the word "affliction," they think well, a disease, a sickness. But that wasn't the Hebrew and the Greek meaning of the word "affliction." Anything that was a hard spot was called an affliction. The Bible said, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous." How many say, "Amen"? The Greek word translated affliction means a tight spot.
It means really a narrow, confining. Place. You're in a tight spot. You just about can make it. It's rough and it's hard.
It's a tight spot. You just squeezing through. Let me bring it up to the 20th century.
Somebody said, "How'd you get out of that fix?" I made it by the skin of my teeth.
Well, that's what the word affliction means. By the skin of your teeth, I just made it. By the skin of my teeth.
Well, the Bible says you're going to get in many places as a Christian that you just going to make it by the skin of your teeth. I don't care. Just so I make it. That's all that I'm interested in. I just got by by the skin of my teeth.
Money, you're gonna find yourself if you follow the Lord. He carries. Of course, maybe some of you'll never learn this scripture because the Lord ain't gonna be long coming. Come on, Jesus, right now!
Sorry, me. Don't worry. You'll meet your boy and wife in the air. Don't go. When I used to be out on the field, and hundreds or maybe thousands of miles away from Baltimore, and I said, "I'd say, I wouldn't care if Jesus come right now." I said, "What about your wife and your family?" I said, "If they're living right, I'm gonna meet them in the air.
What do you? Don't worry about it. I'll meet them up, and we'll all go to heaven. But if you follow on to know the Lord." You're gonna get a lot of predicaments that if you get out of it, it's gonna be by the skin of your teeth. Many are the tight spots of the righteous.
You see, it rains on the good and the bad, and tight spots come to the good and the bad. And the only difference, see, what I'm telling you, between the just and the unjust is that when the tight spot comes, they don't have Jesus. That's what it is. I got Jesus. How many say, "Man, that's the difference between a sinner and a saint"?
We all going to go through tight spots, but I got somebody to help me. That's the big difference between being saved and unsaved. We all trying to make. Away in life, how many say Amen? Calamities come to our loved ones.
Famine might come. Maybe a war will come, and our loved ones there, sinners and saved. But if you're a saint, honey, God's gonna make a way where there seems to be no way. He's gonna get you out. Come on, Jesus.
Come on, Lord. The only difference between a saint and a sinner, when they get in a tight spot, they can't throw their head back and holler. Come on, Jesus! I think when I was in the world and didn't know Jesus, I got in tight spots. I called on Mama.
I got in spots. Mama couldn't help. What no use calling on Daddy? I knew he wasn't going to help. Why no use going to call my father when I got my tight spot with Mister John Law?
My father say you made your bed now laying it. I was in a tight spot. I didn't want to hear that stuff. That bed was hard. How many say Amen?
I began to call on people. I sit there. I thought about everybody. Who in the world could I? I don't care who I.
If I knew the devil, if I really believed there was a devil, and I knew him, I'd have called on him. I was in such a bad spot. I used to call mom and mom would drop everything and try to get me out of that tight spot. But honey, I got spots mom couldn't get me out of. You know, in the beginning, Mom used to be able to get me out of little spots.
How many say Amen? But as I got older, my spots got harder and tougher, and Mom couldn't do it. I was in trouble. I was in a tight spot. I was looking for somebody to help me.
Wasn't nobody to help me. That's what the Bible and the Psalms said. Said they that hated David so and nashed on him. Said they got in trouble. They looked for help.
Said they even called to the Lord, and the Lord wouldn't help them. That's the difference between the sinner and the saint. Because if the sinner gets in a tight spot and says, "Hey God, get me out," God said, "No, you got to get safe first." I don't have to worry when I get in a tight spot. God, you got to get me out. Got to get me out.
See how? How do you know?
Well, the Bible told me to pay my vow to the Most High God. I know He's got to get me out. I don't pay my vow. Have you ever heard that scripture? Said, "Pay thy vow to the Most High God, and do what He said.
Then, in a time of trouble, call on me, and I will deliver you. I will say, 'Keep your vows to God, and when you get in a tight spot.'" Just call on, hey Jesus! I know you. I see you do a miracle. You gonna do some more for me?
Amen. Say amen. I'm glad I got Jesus. I'm glad I'm saved. I said I'm glad I'm a child of God.
My God, I wouldn't want to be in a fix I'm in and be a sinner. My Lord, help me, Jesus. My Lord, I said I wouldn't want to be living in this society. I wouldn't want to be living in Baltimore City of all the troubles there is, and be a sinner. No, sir, honey, I believe I'd barricade myself in a room and I wouldn't go out.
I'd be scared to death. How many say, "Amen"? I'm glad I'm saved. You know what? You know something.
I'd rather be the most tried and tested tight spot Christian that ever lived than the freest sinner right here in Baltimore. I'd rather be in all the tight spots that you can get in and be a Christian than be free and be a sinner. Because I know that if I'm in a tight spot, God's got to get me out. I don't have to do nothing. He's got to get me out.
He's got to.
Somebody said, "Why? He's got to get you out?" Because number one, I'm righteous. I'm his child, and number two, His Word said He'd get me out, and God's got to do it because He said it. I'm a gospel. God sent God.
I'm your child. The blood's on me. Put the blood on me right now. How many say Amen? I'm your child.
Your blood's on me. You got to move on me. You got to get me out of this tight spot. You got to move. I said, bless God tonight, God.
You've got to move, honey. If you had everything handed you, you want a silver platter? How you know God can do all those things? I won't have no problem with faith when old death comes. I said I don't believe I'm gonna have any trouble when it comes time to meet Mr.
Death. I ain't gonna be afraid of Mr. Death. I ain't gonna be afraid of him. I'm gonna say no.
I'm gonna say, "Hey, Death, where's your stick?" You know what it's gonna take to be raptured. I know what it's gonna take to be raptured. It's gonna take faith. How many say Amen? And all these little tests is just purifying our faith, so that when the big challenge of faith comes, we just won't have to worry.
How many say Amen? When the devil comes in, tries to break your faith at the old death bed, showing you death all around you. Maybe I don't know. Maybe the America might be invaded, and they might try to make you deny Jesus. And when he's got that gun there and that demon looking at you and death looking at you, how many say, "Man, God wants to bring you to the place that you can say, 'For me the living's Christ, but the die is game.' Pull, pull that old trigger.
You know, we just might be, we might just be brought to that before it's over. You know, the early apostolic church, the church of the apostles. Had to have that kind of faith. As you read the story of the apostles, you find that every one of them went out as a martyr. As I begin to read the autobiography of Paul, say, "When did you read it?
You know, he wrote it himself." How many say, "Man, you know that the Greek word 'auto' means self. The story of my own life by me. This is the story of my life by me, Paul, the apostle." He wrote it himself. How many say Amen? When did he write it?
When he said Timothy, fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life. He said Timothy, charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Preach the gospel. Be instant in season.
And I will season, and reprove, and rebuke, and exhort, with all long suffering and doctrine. He said, "But I'm about to be offered up, and the time of my departure's is at hand." He said, "This is my autobiography. I fought a good fight. I believe in fighting. I don't believe in fighting the defeated fight." I believe in fighting the good fight, and the good fight is fighting the good fight of faith.
Have faith and punch the devil. Amen. I said, believe God and lift up the blood stained banner.
Somebody said, fighting. I'm fighting now, honey. You don't know how I'm fighting now. I'm fighting for my life. Amen.
I believe in God and I'm punching the devil. I believe in God, punching the devil. That are you fighting? Yeah, man. I don't know how long my voice is gonna stay out, but I'm fighting the the good fight, man.
I'm gonna preach the good news. Hey, good news! You're in a tight spot. The Lord is on the way. Hold on, hold on.
You know God in every circumstance and situation that we'll get in has promised. To make us the victors. In fact, as we study the word, and we find out the word, we find out that wherever we are, if we're an obedient child of God, God led you there. I'm gonna let that sink in. I said, if you are an obedient.
Child of God, wherever you are at, whatever circumstance you're in, God led you there.
So don't let the devil tell you God don't know anything about you. He led you there. He ordered you there. Let me change it and really get biblical. If you have been obeying the Lord, whatever you're at, whatever your circumstance, God ordered you there.
The steps of a righteous—that's somebody that's obeying God. That's somebody that's not disobedient. That's somebody that's not living in sin. That's somebody that's not living in rebellion. That somebody that hasn't broken any law to be guilty, they are righteous.
The steps of a righteous man, or what? Oh, God ordered you just wherever you are. God ordered you to get right in that tight spot. God said, "Get in that tight spot." He said, "Harley, you've been obeying me." You've been doing what I told you, preaching my word, try to lift up Jesus, not compromising, cry it aloud, sparing not, lifting up holiness, crying out against sin. Said, get in that tight spot.
I said, all right, Lord. He said, because I'm gonna get you out of it. How many say Amen? Hey, did you ever read in the Psalms where God promised the psalmist said, "I will lead you into a large place"? What do you think He was talking about?
What's a large place mean? What do you mean a large?
Someone take you out that tight spot. You know what happens when you're righteous and you obey the Lord? The Lord leads you into that tight spot. You know what happens? The devil comes running.
Bless God, you in a tight spot. Look at you. You've obeyed the Lord. You've been righteous. Trying to get yourself righteous now.
Getting mean to tell me the Lord loves you. Led you into this tight spot. I said this is just a door. Said here you are, obey God. Led you in a tight spot.
What kind of God is that? Why don't you quit serving him? Why don't you give up? I ain't about to give up. Not in that place.
If I'm gonna give up, I ain't gonna give up no tight spot. Are you crazy? You mean tell me I'm gonna get in a tight spot? Don't see no way out. I'm gonna quit God.
There, I need Him then. If I'm gonna quit Him, I'm gonna wait till He gets me in a large place. I ain't gonna quit Him in a tight spot. See what I'm talking about? Hey brother, you ought to be glad you didn't quit God Wednesday.
Ain't you glad you stood up there and helped me preach and shout and pray for the sick and take them through the line? Aren't you glad?
Somebody said, "Why? I'm glad he didn't quit God Wednesday. Why? Because somebody stuck a gun in him. When was it?
Thursday or today? Wednesday after the church." Over four. I'm glad you didn't quit him Sunday. Stuck a gun on him. Took his money.
Took his watch. How many say Amen? He was in a tight spot. Didn't have his watch. Couldn't tell what time it was.
It's time to praise the Lord. And why should he praise God? That man could have pulled that trigger. That's why. What did the Lord do?
He got. He was in a tight spot. Didn't have your watch, so you knew what time it was. Didn't have his money, but the brother's been given to the Lord. He's been sacrificing, and God saw it.
And the devil said, "Bless God! I'm gonna rob him. I'm gonna take his watch and his money." And you know what? God saw him giving, and you know what God did? Made them police catch them boys and take his watch back and his money back.
How many say Amen? Hey, bless God! I wouldn't, I, I, I wouldn't be a shit in there for nothing. I'd stay in the house. We heard a story just like this just a little while ago about somebody.
Then a friend hollered to him. They stopped the car and got in the back of the car. He wasn't so fortunate. Cause when that man threw the gun on him, he shot him right in the heart. Boom!
Cause he didn't know Jesus, honey. How many? That was the difference. The Lord was in the car with you, brother. He let that gun get locked, y'all.
He let that finger, trigger finger, get paralyzed. You know that? You know that the Lord can paralyze that trigger finger when they want to kill you. That old devil once he came, the Lord doesn't want to let him do it. I imagine them lines when he had Daniel that Dan smelt.
Said this is the sweetest piece of meat I've smelt in a long time. Said, "Oh, I've been getting some stinking dirty devils." Said, "This is some of that righteous holy stuff." Said, "Man, this is a good clean meal." Said, "I like to eat him." Daniel said, "You like to eat him?" But shut up, boy. He's got to give you lockjaw. Just You smell, but you can't eat. Hey, you go and go home if you want to.
It's all right. I'm preaching the hearty anyhow. I'm preaching to myself. I ain't about to quit, God. God, I'm like I'm I'm like Jacob.
Have you ever read the story about Jacob? Oh, Jacob. He was a. We call him a conman now. If he was living now, he'd have him one of them fancy hats.
He'd have them big dark glasses on. I mean, he'd be super fly. He'd be down there flimflamming all them cats. That's what he did. The Bible said he was a supplanter, huh?
He got it by. Being a consman, even got his mother in on it. She worked with him, didn't she? Mother got in and said, "Jacob said I named you right, supplanter, consman, huh? By trickery, flimflam.
You gonna get the blessing? I tell you what. I don't blame Jacob. The blessings of God's are good. I'd even use flimflam.
The kid, what are you talking about?" Hey, I said the blessings of the Lord so good I'd even use consman's tactics to get it. I say, Lord, bless me. I don't care what it takes. Just bless me. Esau ran into his father, and his father said, "Your brother got your blessing." Said, "I don't care.
Bless me. I don't care. Give me some kind of a blessing." How many say Amen, honey? I want the blessing of God. I don't care what it takes to get tight spots, cramped spots, bruised ankles, kick shins, punching a nose.
Give me the blessing. With God, you can. I believe I'm a little bit like Jacob. Oh, Jacob used anything he could. To get out of a tight spot, didn't he do it?
Tricked his brother, starved to death, and stole his birthright. Huh? With his mother, harmed his father. To think he was somebody else, put sheepskin, goat skin on, put his brother's clothes on, smelt like his brother. Father was blind.
Said, "I can't see you, but I'm gonna smell you." Said you talk like Jacob, said, but you feel like Esau. And his father blessed him and gave him everything. Bless God, I'd put goatskins on too to get everything, wouldn't you? These folks don't believe that. And all of a sudden, he heard that Esau was going to kill him.
Oh, he was in a tight spot. He knew his brother wasn't no fool boy. He ain't gonna fool round. His brother was gonna turn him every way but loose. He knew his brother was a wild man.
His brother said, "I won't kill him now while we're mourning. But as soon as we get our father into supper poker and get all the mourners out, I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill him." How many say Amen? And I mean, Jacob knew he was in a tight spot. Do you know what he did?
He left that blessing. He left all that things that that his father gave him, and he run. I said he run. He left everything. He was in a tight spot.
That man was going to kill him. That man wasn't going to do no talking. He said he couldn't tell that man. I'm going to give you the blessing to me. I'm going to kill you in heaven anyhow.
How many say Amen? He ran. Didn't he do it? And on his running in his tight spot, he ran into God. That's a good one to run into.
How many see him in? He didn't have anything. That's when God finds us. I mean, if God wasn't going to help us, why does He wait till we ain't got nothing when everybody's against us? How many see men?
Esau's going to kill us. And the only thing Jacob had, his sole tumb, sum and total of his belongings, was a stone for his head. Huh? And while he had his head on that stone, God found them. Amen.
What an inspiring word of encouragement by God's servant, Brother Hardy. The tight spots of a Christian. The Scripture says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all." Now, the term afflictions does not refer to a sickness, but rather to a narrow, confining place, as though you are being squeezed. Or as Apostle Paul described, being pressed in the Spirit, and even pressed out of measure, in other words, a tight spot. Many are the tight spots of a Christian, but God has promised to deliver us out of every one.
First Corinthians ten four states there is no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted above that which you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way to escape that you may be able to endure. Child of God, your tight spot will not destroy you because God is faithful to bring you out, and James reminded us that we have the examples of the Old Testament saints. Who also suffered great afflictions, and they did so with patience. And Peter stated that the same afflictions, the very same tight spots, are accomplished in our brethren around the world. We believe this message is one you might need to hear again, or you may know someone who is in a tight spot that you want to share it with.
It can be ordered on CD for a love gift of ten dollars or more for the radio ministry. Request offer one twenty-seven, and mail to Archie. Hardy Ministries, P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland 21203, or go online to archiehardy.org. Friends, even if you do not wish to order, we want to hear from you, and we need your financial support to continue on this station.
But to receive the tight spots of a Christian, request offer 127, mail to P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland. Two one two zero three. Till next time. This is Sharon Atzine, Maranatha.
