Plod Like William Carey, Noah, Paul, Emperor Tamerlane, And Thomas Edison; Expect Great Things From God; Attempt Great Things For God

Be A Success And Plod For God

This Sermon Was Preached By Pastor Art Kohl In 2003

     Be like missionary William Carey who plodded for God witnessing Jesus to the people of India in the 1700s. Plod means to work and persevere slowly with effort refusing to quit. The bible tells us to plod for God at Galatians 6:9 saying And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. In other words keep telling people everywhere how to be saved. Get saved, repent, decide to stop sinning, confess that Jesus is God, and believe the gospel that Jesus died for you on the cross, was buried, and rose again. Eventually your labor for Jesus will be rewarded and you will be blessed. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

     When William Carey began thinking about going to India as a missionary pioneer, his father told him that he had no academic qualifications that should fit him for such a task. William Carey replied the following three words: I can plod; I can go to India and I can plod for God. William Carey plodded and went to India where he slowly won souls to Jesus daily. It took William Cary seven years of relentless missionary labor to baptize his first Indian convert to Christianity. 

     William Carey arrived in Calcutta, India, in November 1793. After seven years of poverty, illness, and language study, he finally baptized a local carpenter named Krishna Pal on December 28, 1800. Krishna Pal did not just convert. He went on to become an ordained minister, preached the gospel for more than 20 years to his fellow countrymen, and authored several well known christian hymns. Eventually thousands of people in India got saved because William Carey translated the bible into the languages spoken by the people of India. Let's all follow William Carey's blessed advice: Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.

Why William Carey Said 

Expect Great Things From God; Attempt Great Things For God

     William Carey's blessed saying tells us that the confidence and vision for our lives should be measured by the vastness of God's power and not by our own human limitations. Faith must precede action. Notice the order of William Carey's blessed statement. He did not say attempt great things first. He said that you must first expect God to move. Your expectations dictate your actions. If you have a small, limited view of what God can do, you will only try small, comfortable things. High expectations of God's faithfulness expand your capacity to serve the Lord Jesus.

     When William Carey delivered this message, he was a self educated, working class shoemaker. He had no wealth, elite status, or institutional support. "Expecting great things" meant trusting that God could take a flawed, ordinary individual and use them to impact the world. It shifts the pressure of achieving results away from human talent and onto the divine capability of the Lord Jesus. 

     William Carey preached this blessed statement during a historic speech called the "Deathless Sermon" to a group of complacent ministers. At the time, church leaders actively dismissed the idea of global missions, believing that if God wanted to convert people, He would do it without human help. William Carey used this phrase to shock people out of their spiritual comfort zones, challenging them to believe that God wanted to work actively and globally through them. 

     William Carey told us to obey God's command at Isaiah 54:2. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. For William Carey, expecting great things was a firm reliance on biblical promises that God desires his grace and love to reach all corners of the earth.

     Because William Carey expected great things, he went on to attempt them. He moved to India, mastered complex local languages, translated the bible into multiple dialects, and effectively launched the modern global missionary movement. William Carey translated the entire KJV bible into 45 different indigenous languages and dialects, including Bengali, Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, and Assamese. 

Examples Of People Who Succeeded After Years Of Plodding

Noah

     Noah a preacher of righteousness kept plodding along for 120 years building an ark and succeeded in saving mankind. Pictured above we see that Noah kept plodding and preaching for 120 years warning the people that a flood was coming, ignoring the mockery, scorn, and ridicule from thousands of people while he built the ark. Notice the man in the picture above pointing to his head saying Noah is crazy for building an ark when it has never rained for 120 years. And Noah's sons probably said dad Why do we have to keep building this ark? It's ridiculous, it has not rained for 120 years. 

     But Noah kept plodding and building the ark and eventually after the flood, eight people were saved (Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives; a total of eight people and some animals). Not one person outside of Noah's family was saved. Noah was faithful though and kept plodding and eventually God saved and blessed Noah for his perseverance. Like Noah, would you be willing to plod for Jesus for 120 years and ignore mockery, ridicule, and scorn while you try to win lost souls to Jesus. Be like Noah and keep plodding for Jesus refusing to quit and eventually you will succeed and be a blessing to multitudes of people all over this earth.

Examples Of People Who Succeeded After Years Of Plodding

Paul

     Paul kept plodding through many sufferings and finally succeeded (finishing his course) saying at 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing. 

     Most people start plodding for God but quit after a small problem. But be like Paul and when you feel like quitting, keep plodding for Jesus slowly and eventually you can say like Paul I have finished my course and achieved all my goals for Jesus. Paul is amazing and a blessed example of how to plod for Jesus through many sufferings. When you feel like complaining after people persecute you for serving Jesus, think about all the sufferings Paul overcame while plodding listed in the next paragraph and finish your course for Jesus successfully because you don't quit. 

     When you feel like quitting, keep plodding for Jesus and remember how Paul plodded through all these sufferings and kept preaching Jesus. Paul listed his sufferings at 2 Corinthians 11:24 saying Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Through all these sufferings, Paul never quit and succeeded in writing most of our new testament that blesses billions of people with peace all over this earth. Keep plodding along like Paul and you will succeed and bless multitudes all over this earth if you don't quit.

Examples Of People Who Succeeded After Years Of Plodding

Emperor Tamerlane

     Emperor Tamerlane ( a descendant of Genghis Khan) became a plodder after he was inspired by nature in the 1300s. Emperor Tamerlane's army had been defeated and dispersed by a powerful enemy. Emperor Tamerlane escaped and hid from the enemy in a deserted barn while enemy troops searched the countryside for him. While Tamerlane was hiding in the barn, he became desperate and dejected. 

     While he was laying in the barn, Tamerlane watched an ant try to carry a grain of corn over a perpendicular wall. The kernal of corn was larger than the ant. As the emperor counted, 69 times the ant tried to carry the corn up the wall only to get near the top and have the corn fall down. But on the 70th time, Tamerlane saw the ant succeed in getting the kernal of corn over the wall. After witnessing the ant's success, Tamerlane leaped to his feet with a shout that he too could triumph if he did not quit. Tamerlane reorganized his forces and succeeded in putting the enemy to flight.

     Would you be willing to try to accomplish a blessed goal for 69 times ignoring failure and eventually succeed on the 70th time. Remember failure is just an indicator that we've tried to accomplish something. Don't be afraid of failure. Just keep plodding along for Jesus and never quit and eventually you will succeed.

     Proverbs 6:6 tells us to learn from the ant saying Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. 

Examples Of People Who Succeeded After Years Of Plodding

Thomas Edison

     Those who accomplish things for the glory of God and for the good of humanity are plodders. Plodders accomplish the most for God and for humanity. Thomas Edison accomplished much by discovering many inventions while he plodded along after many failures. He didn't walk into the lab the first day of testing and discover something miraculously. But eventually he was successful and discovered many inventions after many days of plodding and perseverance. Therefore the key to success is to never quit after any failure. Keep trying to achieve your blessed goals, and if you don't quit you will succeed and your dreams will become reality.

Remember Quitters Never Win

Winners Never Quit

When You Feel Like Quitting

Say Thomas Edison's Quotes Below

Many of life's failures are people who didn't realize 

how close they were to success when they quit

Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration

A Story About Two Preachers Who Were Successful Plodders

     Read the following story that I pray in Jesus name will encourage my friends everywhere to keep plodding and witnessing Jesus everywhere.  

     A man witnessed and told everyone about Jesus on a busy street. He witnessed for two years (every day) after he got saved. After two years he never saw one single convert and therefore he quit witnessing. He moved away to another town because he was ashamed of himself. Several years later he went back to the same city and he saw a man on the same busy street witnessing and telling everyone about Jesus. 

     He asked the man why are you witnessing Jesus to everyone? The man responded a few years ago a man on this same street witnessed to me about Jesus and I got saved. That man was so faithful in his witnessing but he's not here anymore. So I presume that he probably died and I have to take his place. Luke 14:23 says And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. Keep witnessing Jesus everywhere.

Mickey Thompson's Race Cars

Learn a Lesson From These Cars That Were Unsuccessful Plodders

     Mickey Thompson had workers that built the fastest cars for auto racing. But not one of these cars gave Mickey Thompson the checkered flag and a triumph. On 29 different occasions, cars built by Mickey Thompson led races but they never won a race. The reason was because none of Mickey Thompson's cars ever finished. Mickey Thompson could make fast cars but he couldn't build them to finish. They all broke down during a race where an engine blew or a gear box broke. Micky Thompson's race cars were good starters and fast runners but they were not good finishers.

     A lot of preachers for Jesus are good starters and fast runners but they are not good finishers. The average preacher today only stays one year in a church. According to the US Postal Service, most preachers change their address every year. And most pastors quit the ministry after preaching in three different churches. These preachers took off sprinting in a marathon race for Jesus but forgot to plod and eventually quit.

     Unlike these preachers, never quit preaching Jesus. Brother Bob is determined to keep plodding and writing articles on preachbrotherbob till I leave this earth. Hebrews 12:1 tells us how to plod for Jesus saying Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

     To be a successful plodder lay aside all your sins and daily deny your flesh by reading the KJV Word of God, going to church, and praying. The formula to be a successful plodder and deny your flesh daily is Word, Church, Prayer every day. If someone is not reading the Word, going to church, or praying, they will be sinning and stop plodding. While you plod and run this marathon race for Jesus, remember that eventually Jesus will reach down from heaven and give you a second wind to gain strength to finish your work for Jesus. 

     Isaiah 40:29 says He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Keep plodding for Jesus and never quit preaching, witnessing, caring, and visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction. Witness Jesus everywhere. Eventually you will succeed and achieve all your dreams.

     I pray in Jesus name that this bible study blesses multitudes everywhere with great joy, peace, and strength. Feel free to email Brother Bob anytime at rz9tlm@gmail.com or write to Brother Bob Malkin, 2233 Pinetree Lane, Apt. N., Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068. (614) 746-7071. Till we all meet again soon to lift up our Lord Jesus, everyone have a blessed day in Jesus name.