Calvary Christian Center Media: Photos and Video Messages

OUTLINE FOR SUNDAY MESSAGE SUNDAY, 6-7-26

“THE BACKSIDE OF THE DESERT,”

PR. 3:5-7 (KJV)

Proverbs 3:5–7 (KJV)

⁵    Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;

And lean not unto thine own understanding.

⁶    In all thy ways acknowledge him,

And he shall direct thy paths.

⁷    Be not wise in thine own eyes:

Fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

Trials and tests come to make us strong. That saying has much truth to it. In the midst of trials and tests, God just wants us to trust Him, 1 Peter 1:6–7 (KJV): ⁶ Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: ⁷ That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Trials and tests come to make us strong but only as we trust in the Lord through them. It’s in trials and tests that are forged our greatest soldiers. The greatest leaders were birth out of the greatest sufferings. Sometimes God allows us on the back side of the desert. If we would have never went through some of the things we’ve been through we would have never found out what all God had in us and how tough we really are. There are things that happen to us on the back side of the desert that took our trust in Him to another dimension in our faith.

MOSES

Exodus 3:1 (KJV)

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

DAVID

1 Samuel 17:32–37 (KJV)

³² And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. ³³ And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. ³⁴ And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: ³⁵ And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. ³⁶ Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷ David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.

David, the man who penned Psalm 23:1–6 (KJV):

¹    The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²    He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

³    He restoreth my soul:

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

⁴    Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵    Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶    Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

JESUS

God’s love experienced the backside of the desert in order that the greatest demonstration of the agape of God be manifested in the earth among men, Philippians 2:5–11 (KJV):

⁵ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

REPUTATION, PHILIP. 2:5, DEFINED

Greek kenosis, Strngs. 2758, to make empty, i.e. (figurative) to abase, neutralize, falsify:- make (of none effect, of no reputation, void), be in vain.^[1]

 There was more suffering that the Savior endured, Matthew 27:26–44 (KJV):

26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. 28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. 31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. 32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, 34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. 35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 36 And sitting down they watched him there; 37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.

39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. 44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

The Lord emptied of Himself, leaving the splendor of glory in order to satisfy God’s justice to redeem the man He created. Through much suffering came God’s plan of salvation, Isaiah 53:3–5 (KJV):

        ³      He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:

And we hid as it were our faces from him;

He was despised, and we esteemed him not.

  ⁴     Surely he hath borne our griefs,

And carried our sorrows:

Yet we did esteem him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

  ⁵     But he was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities:

The chastisement of our peace was upon him;

And with his stripes we are healed.

In His earthly pilgrimage the Lord came from a humble background, Micah 5:2 (KJV):

²    But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah,

  Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah,

  Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel;

  Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

John 1:43–46 (KJV)

⁴³ The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. ⁴⁴ Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. ⁴⁶ And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

The Lord didn’t do these things for Himself. He didn’t need to learn anything by His experience and His sufferings except to identify with our sufferings as our High Priest, Hebrews 4:14–16 (KJV):

¹⁴ Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. ¹⁵ For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

The Lord was our example to teach us the power of trials and tests, 1 Peter 2:21–25 (KJV):

²¹ For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: ²² Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: ²³ Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: ²⁴ Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. ²⁵ For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

Jesus demonstrated the power of true leadership as we also learned through Moses and David. Titles don’t make leaders. Trials do. Leaders are forged, not gifted. True leadership is not about birthright or entitlement. It’s about vision, resilience, and the ability to serve others. The greatest leaders are birth out of pain and trouble, Rom. 5:1-4 (KJV): Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: ² By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; ⁴ And patience, experience; and experience, hope.

TRIBULATION, ROM. 5:3, DEFINED

Greek thlipsis, pronounced thlip-sis, Strngs. 2347, pressure (literal or figurative):- afflicted (-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble.^[2]

PATIENCE, ROM. 5:3, 4, DEFINED

Greek hypomone, pronounced hoop-om-on-ay, Strngs. 5281, cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy:- enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting).^[3]

Leaders are not born. They are forged. Leadership is not a gift wrapped in genetics or privilege. Leadership is the result of a furnace – a series of trials, decisions, scars, sacrifices, and relentless reinventions that molds a soul capable of carrying responsibility larger than itself. Leadership is forged through resistance, not inheritance.

We’re eagles and eagles don’t run from trouble, but eagles lock their wings and the storm that could kill or destroy the eagle, he let’s the winds off of the storm to buoy him up higher and higher until the eagle is above the storm.

Nelson Mandela was born in Mvezo, a small South African village on the banks of the Mbashe River, herding cattle as a boy. He was neither rich nor powerful. His leadership wasn’t a birthright – it was a crucible. 27 years of imprisonment didn’t break him – it tempered him into steel.

Chief  Obafemi Awolowo was one of Nigeria’s most visionary leaders. Born into modest circumstances in Ikenne, Ogun State, Awolowo refused to let limitations define him. He pursued education relentlessly, becoming a lawyer, nationalist, and statesman. His leadership was forged through hard, intentional work championing free universal education, building first-class health services, establishing Africa’s first television station, and building Liberty Stadium, a lasting symbol of pride and possibility. As Awolowo once expressed through his actions and philosophy: “The grearest glory is not in never falling, but in rising each time we fall with a higher dream for humanity.”

What forges a leader? 1. Conviction in chaos. When everything falls apart, leaders choose principle over panic. 2. Service beyond self. When others seek survival, leaders seek to serve. 3. Vision without validation. Long before the world applauds, leaders see futures worth fighting for. It’s not just experience, education, or resources. It’s how a soul responds to hardship, betrayal, failure, boredom, and hope. Leadership is the process of transforming ordinary situations into extraordinary responsibilities. The world’s greatest leaders come from every background. Some were born poor, others rich. Some were loved deeply, others were abandoned. Some had formal education; others taught themselves in the margins of life.

Environment shapes access, not destiny.

Family shapes influence, not outcome.

Colour shapes perception, not capacity.

^[2] James Strong, “Θλῖψις,” in Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).

^[3] James Strong, “Ὑπομονή,” in Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).