Pain, trouble and turmoil always come from the devil. The devil has no desire to give you a happy life. Unless making you happy and content with your life is the thing that will keep you from the Gospel. He’s only nice to us if it will move us away from the will of God for us. All Good things come form God all and evil comes from the pit of hell.
God doesn’t inflict us with suffering. It’s not his nature. In the Garden of Eden He created a paradise for mankind. In fact the word Eden, literally translates as pleasure or delight. So God created this place and in doing that He met every need of mankind. He provided us with food, a place to live, meaning and purpose for our lives and the wonderful comfort of companionship.
It was sin that destroyed that. Stan tempted Eve and took both her and Adam out of the will of God. And God had to evict them from his paradise. But even in the curses that they were given was the promise of redemption. He still desired good for us. and that’s his character God doesn’t change.
Genesis 50:20
20 “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
This is Joseph speaking, and he says you meant it for Evil but God meant it for good. And this tells me that occasionally we may suffer things, but that God can bring something good from those sufferings. I want to examine this idea from the following passages of scripture:
Genesis 39:1-6
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
Genesis 39:19-20
19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused.20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.
Joseph’s Story
We all know Joseph’s story. He ticked off his brothers and they sold him into slavery. They hated him and they wanted to kill him, but Reuben intervened and so they threw him into a pit and sold him to Egyptian slave traders. This is God’s chosen man. God had spoken to him in two dreams, prophetic dreams, telling him that he would rule over his brothers.
These dreams were the beginning of God’s plan for Joseph. We don’t always see what God is doing do we. He’s given this prophecy to Joseph that he would rule over his brothers but those same brothers have just sold him into slavery. Where’s God’s plan? How can Joseph rule from slavery? How can the prophecy come true from this? It must have seemed to Joseph that God had abandoned him.
Do you ever feel like that? We’ve heard it preached a million times that God has a plan and a purpose for our lives, but we look at what’s going on in our lives and we wonder Where’s God in all this? Where’s the plan of God?
Joseph is sold into slavery and he’s taken to Potiphar’s house and because of his faithfulness, he prospers, and Potiphar gets blessed.
Genesis 39:2-5
2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.
Potiphar’s trust in him is so complete that he turns over everything to him. Joseph is in charge of it all. Everything he has is placed under Joseph’s authority. Potiphar believed in him because he saw the hand of God in all that he did.
But Potiphar had a wife: She was the only thing that wasn’t turned over to Joseph. Potiphar’s wife saw something also in Joseph. She wanted him and tried to seduce him. But Joseph resisted her charms. He didn’t want to betray Potiphar. He didn’t want to sin against God, and so he fled from her. He did the right thing. Potiphar’s wife was angry, she was bitter and she accused Joseph of Rape and he was sent to prison.
Can you imagine that? He is being sent to prison because he did the right the thing. Because he refused to sin, he’s being punished. When bad things happen to us, often, we think that God is punishing us for some misdeed. As a pastor I’ve heard that so many times, “I don’t know why God is punishing me.” But here’s Joseph, he’s done the right thing and he’s going to prison. God isn’t punishing him. What reason would God have to punish him, he’s been nothing but faithful and righteous.
But what we’re seeing here is a strategy of Satan. It’s a strategy designed to wear us down and cause us to doubt God. So we’ll begin to think that “God’s Plan” is a lie.
Think about this for a moment. What did Satan tell Eve in the Garden?
Genesis 3:4-5
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.5 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
“You’ll not surely die,” God lied when he said that. God’s a liar. “He knows that in the moment you eat of it you’ll be like him.” God wants to keep you down. He doesn’t want you to be like him. He doesn’t want you to have wisdom. Eve began to doubt God. That’s what the devil is trying to do to you. “These things you’re going through, that’s God punishing you.” “He’s not a gracious God, He wants to get you.”
If that’s what God wanted for mankind he would have killed everyone in the flood. Why leave a remnant, why send a redeemer, if all he’s looking for is to punish us. The truth of the matter is that God is always looking to reconcile with us.
Isaiah 1:18
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
“Let us reason together.” “Your sin can be white as snow.” This is the way of God. God is looking to reconcile with us, not to punish us. Joseph was right in the will of God. He was doing the right thing and he landed in prison. God’s not punishing him; the devil is trying to take him out.
But in all of this Joseph maintains the right attitude. How do you react when things go wrong? How do you deal with frustration and setbacks in life? Do you become angry and bitter? Keeping a good attitude is the hardest part isn’t it? Joseph, didn’t fall into anger and bitterness, in fact in prison he did the same thing he did at Potiphar’s house.
Genesis 39:21-23
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.
God had mercy; He worked in Joseph’s life even in prison. God helped him in this time of setback. But do you think God can act in your life independent of your actions. Joseph continued to act in faithfully. He remained diligent. If he has a bad attitude it doesn’t show, does it? God continued to be with him. And when you’re facing setbacks in life, God remains with you, too.
God’s Plan Doesn’t Always Mean Smooth Sailing For Us.
In Genesis 50:20 Joseph speaks something powerful.
Genesis 50:20
20 “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
This verse speaks of God having a plan. It speaks of God bringing things to a specific end. But Joseph had to endure some things to “bring it about as it is this day.” Look at the sequence of events that led to this moment. It takes place after Joseph has been made the Governor of Egypt, second only in power to Pharaoh; after God’s plan has played out.
1. His brothers sell Joseph into slavery.
2. He ends up in the house of Potiphar whose wife accuses Joseph of rape.
3. Joseph is sent to prison.
4. While in prison he is given authority over all that happens in the prison.
5. He meets the King’s cupbearer and interprets his dream.
6. The cupbearer remembers him to Pharaoh, when he has been released and
Pharaoh has a dream that needs interpretation.
7. Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream and is elevated to Governor of Egypt.
8. Joseph puts in place a system that provides for all of Egypt during a famine.
9. It also provides for the family of Israel.
If he hadn’t been sold into slavery he wouldn’t have been in Potiphar’s house. Potiphar’s wife never would have falsely accused him of rape. If she hadn’t he never would have gone to prison and been given authority over the prison. If not, he wouldn’t have had access to the king’s cupbearer to interpret his dream. If he hadn’t interpreted the cupbearer’s dream correctly, he wouldn’t have had opportunity to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. If he hadn’t done that he wouldn’t have been given the authority he needed to save Egypt and the family of Israel. All of these events led to the fulfillment of God’s plan for his life.
All of the things that Joseph endured led to the plan of God playing out in his life. It may be just as true that the things you endure may be the things that bring about God’s plan for your life. The devil may mean these things for evil but God means them for good.
Who Knows the Plan of God for Their Life?
I wonder what Joseph thought as they took him to prison. He knew what God had prophesied after all his telling his brothers is what started all the trouble in the first place. But look at the first part of Genesis 42:9:
Genesis 42:9a
9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them,
This moment took place after he had gone through all of these things. It took place after he had been made Governor of Egypt, after it had all played out. It was after he had endured all that he had endured, and then he remembers the prophecies. While he was going through it all he forgot that God had a plan for his life.
The key to seeing our destinies play out is in the endurance. Even through the setbacks and the suffering Joseph remained steadfast in continuing to serve God. God finally brought him to his destiny. Joseph never knew hoe his life was going to play out. He had no more idea of what God was trying to do in his life than you or I do. But he pressed on and the plan of God was fulfilled.
It’s easy to become discouraged and disillusioned when suffering setbacks, but those setbacks may be the key to God’s plan. None of us know what God is going to bring to pass through our lives. But I do know this God has a plan and it can only pay out, if we will allow God to work…even when it hurts.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Crisis of Faith: The Storms of Life
How many times have you encountered some circumstance in your life that caused you to doubt your faith? We like to think that we are all locked in, that we will always remain steadfast, never stumble in our faith, but that’s unrealistic. There are moments of doubt and struggle in everyone’s life. Or maybe it’s just me; maybe I’m the only one who wonders why it seems like my prayers don’t always get answered. Am I the only one who sometimes worries about where the money will come from? It would be wonderful to have staunch unshakable faith, but let’s face it, we’re people.
We read about the Heroes of Faith in Hebrews Chapter 11 and we think, “I could never measure up to that standard,” because we have these crises of faith. But even those that were with Jesus, had their moments of doubt and confusion.
Matthew 14:24-33
24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
In the Middle of the Storm
Here we see the apostles, out in the midst of the sea, tossed by waves, caught up in a storm that has blown up. Here’s the reference to that storm in Mark’s Gospel:
Mark 6:48
48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
And John’s:
John 6:18
18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.
So they are in the midst of a great struggle. They’re battling for their lives, no doubt they’re afraid. And in the middle of that Jesus walks up to them.
This is an interesting picture of our lives isn’t it. How often does it feel like what you’re going through is a storm? There’s the feeling of a lack of control, there’s the fear and anxiety, the confusion of the storm. You’re straining and fighting the best you can but what is your strength compared to the power of a storm. The apostles are toiling at rowing; they’re fighting it out. They’re depending on their strength to maintain direction in the midst of this storm. That’s the predicament we find ourselves in when things go wrong in our finances, our marriages, at our job and in our families. Have you ever heard the expression, “I’m trying to keep my head above water.” We feel like we could sink at any moment. If you ever find yourself in a storm in a small boat you will recognize that emotion.
It is when we are caught up in these storms that well up in our lives that we lose direction. Have you ever noticed that it is much easier to believe God and to trust in God when things are going well? It is when things go wrong that fear and doubt overtake us. That’s when we begin to doubt God and his promises. We begin to struggle with the question, “Why has God forsaken me?” People backslide in these kinds of “wilderness experiences.” And yet it is also in the midst of these circumstances and storms when Jesus comes to us. Think about the moment you repented and gave yourself to Jesus. Was it while things were going well in life, or had all hell broken loose?
Matthew 14:25
25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
In the midst of the storm He comes walking out to them. He comes on the scene. It’s interesting that they don’t recognize Him.
Matthew 14:26
26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
Sometimes when He’s working in our lives, when He’s doing something to build our character or our faith, we don’t recognize that it’s him. How many times has something gone wrong in your life and you said, “The devil is attacking me?” How do you know it’s the devil and not Jesus trying to bring about some change in your life?
How does God change us? Is character built during times of crisis or times of blessing? Many years ago I worked at a vocational training facility for mentally challenged people. There were many times when I felt that I needed more patience. The people that worked there had been pampered; they’d never had to do anything they didn’t want to do. But a job isn’t like that; often you have to what you don’t feel like doing. So I began to rpay for patience and guess how God taught me patience. He brought every circumstance where it would require patience on my part before me. I learned to be patient by going through a lot of situations where I had to be patient. That’s how God works.
We learn character not through blessing but through trial. We are refined like silver or gold. Gold and silver are made pure by going through extreme heat so the impurities can float to the top and be scraped off: So many times when we’re going through it the devil isn’t attacking us, God’s refining us. We don’t even recognize his hand on us, and the fear and doubt overtake us. The apostles thought he was ghost, “and they cried out in fear.”
Notice also that Jesus waited to come to them. He didn’t come in the beginning of the storm He waited. He came in the fourth watch. In Roman times guard duty was set up in four watches in a night. If He came in the fourth watch, He came when it was close to morning. He didn’t come in the beginning of the storm. He let them weather it out for a while, struggling, fighting, trying to get through it. Doesn’t it feel like that when we’re battling it out? That he’s left us alone to deal with it: That He’s gone off and just thrown us to the wolf? We call it a wilderness experience, and we feel like we’re all alone, but that’s not the case.
Mark 6:47-48
47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
In this scripture, we see that even though He wasn’t with them He was watching. He was showing an interest in their struggle. He was concerned about them in the storm. As we struggle with trials and afflictions, he is watching us. He’s interested in what we suffer. He cares about what we go through. He stands watching. In the same way he came to them and brought comfort: “Be of Good Cheer. Do not fear,” He will comfort us.
We understand that intellectually, so why is it so difficult for us to maintain our faith. Why do we struggle with fear and doubt?
Maintaining our Faith in a Crisis
Matthew 14:28-31
28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Peter recognizes Jesus her for who He is as he is walking on the water and calls out to Him, “Tell me to come!” There is a faith here that Jesus can bring them through the storm. He believes that through Jesus he can walk on the water. But in the midst of all that’s happening, he begins to doubt and immediately starts to sink. Isn’t he just like us? We believe that we can see healing in Jesus’ name. That we can cast out demons in Jesus’ name. We believe that signs and wonder follow. We believe it all. We really believe it…until we don’t. We understand that we can do all those things, that we can see miracles. But when things are going crazy in our lives, it’s easy to lose that faith. “I believe that God can heal, but can he heal me.” “God can get us through storms, but can he deliver me?” It’s easy to keep the faith when things are calm, but when the storm is blowing; it’s a whole different ballgame.
Have you ever known a depressed Christian? Someone who looks at life as if the odds are stacked against him? Doesn’t that seem odd? I know a woman who is a Christian counselor and she is helping other Christians battle depression and other things. How can someone who is filled with faith and power struggle with depression? It happens when we lose sight of the power in our lives and begin to focus on the storm. That’s when we sink into depression. Peter becomes distracted and takes his focus off Jesus and immediately sinks.
You might think, “Well that’s Peter. After all he suffered a number of these types of faith crises.” What about the big one after the crucifixion, where he decides to go back to fishing? Peter placed all his faith in Jesus as the messiah, and now he’s been crucified. Peter thinks it’s all over. He didn’t see what was ahead all he saw was that jesus was crucified. He lost faith, went back to fishing. He lost faith in what God was really doing through all of that. He went back to his old life: He backslid in the midst of the trial.
Even Abraham, that hero of faith can lose it.
Hebrews 11:8-10
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
He’s called the friend of God because of his faith. He has a powerful testimony. He’s raised in a pagan nation, and yet when he hears the voice of God he recognizes Him and believes. He follows that voice out the a place where God promises to give that to his descendents. He’s a man of great faith. How many of us would recognize the call of God on our lives and get up and walk? How many of us would follow in Abraham’s circumstances? But do you think there were no moments of fear and doubt in Abraham’s life? Do you think he always carried a banner of great faith?
He follows God out to the land that God promises him. He believes God for that promise. He builds an altar to honor God. But a short time later there’s a drought and they travel down to Egypt, and Abraham tells his wife, “Tell them you’re my sister so they won’t kill me.” What happened to the faith? Where’s the great faith? The promise hasn’t been fulfilled, it won’t be if you die in Egypt…so where’s that great faith now? If this hero of faith suffers a crisis like that, how much more will average Joes like us suffer it?
The Antidote to Fear and Doubt
Matthew 14:30-31
30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Cry out to him and He will reach into the storm of your life and hold you above the swirling waters. As peter sank into the sea he cried out and Jesus reached into his life and caught him, because he cried out. He pulled him from the sea. As we cry out in the midst of fear and doubt he will pull us from the storm as well. He is the one who saves. He is the antidote to fear and doubt. His presence in our lives will bring calm.
Matthew 14:32-33
32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
That was the end of that storm in their lives, but does that mean they never encountered another storm, another moment of fear or of doubt? Of course not!
We see Thomas in his moment of doubt after Jesus rises from the dead. We see the disciples locked in the upper room for fear of the Jews. We see Peter’s doubt and confusion and he curses in denial of Jesus. In each case, though, we see a response from a personal and loving God. Thomas sees jesus who has him touch his wounds, so that he can believe. The disciples hear a rushing, mighty wind and receive the comforter, the Holy Spirit. Peter sees Jesus on the shore of Tiberius, where He bestows on him the mantle of His ministry, with the words, “Feed my sheep.”
We all experience moments of fear and doubt, but they don’t have to destroy us. We can find the antidote, in Jesus, and allow him to calm the storms in life.
We read about the Heroes of Faith in Hebrews Chapter 11 and we think, “I could never measure up to that standard,” because we have these crises of faith. But even those that were with Jesus, had their moments of doubt and confusion.
Matthew 14:24-33
24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
In the Middle of the Storm
Here we see the apostles, out in the midst of the sea, tossed by waves, caught up in a storm that has blown up. Here’s the reference to that storm in Mark’s Gospel:
Mark 6:48
48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
And John’s:
John 6:18
18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.
So they are in the midst of a great struggle. They’re battling for their lives, no doubt they’re afraid. And in the middle of that Jesus walks up to them.
This is an interesting picture of our lives isn’t it. How often does it feel like what you’re going through is a storm? There’s the feeling of a lack of control, there’s the fear and anxiety, the confusion of the storm. You’re straining and fighting the best you can but what is your strength compared to the power of a storm. The apostles are toiling at rowing; they’re fighting it out. They’re depending on their strength to maintain direction in the midst of this storm. That’s the predicament we find ourselves in when things go wrong in our finances, our marriages, at our job and in our families. Have you ever heard the expression, “I’m trying to keep my head above water.” We feel like we could sink at any moment. If you ever find yourself in a storm in a small boat you will recognize that emotion.
It is when we are caught up in these storms that well up in our lives that we lose direction. Have you ever noticed that it is much easier to believe God and to trust in God when things are going well? It is when things go wrong that fear and doubt overtake us. That’s when we begin to doubt God and his promises. We begin to struggle with the question, “Why has God forsaken me?” People backslide in these kinds of “wilderness experiences.” And yet it is also in the midst of these circumstances and storms when Jesus comes to us. Think about the moment you repented and gave yourself to Jesus. Was it while things were going well in life, or had all hell broken loose?
Matthew 14:25
25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
In the midst of the storm He comes walking out to them. He comes on the scene. It’s interesting that they don’t recognize Him.
Matthew 14:26
26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
Sometimes when He’s working in our lives, when He’s doing something to build our character or our faith, we don’t recognize that it’s him. How many times has something gone wrong in your life and you said, “The devil is attacking me?” How do you know it’s the devil and not Jesus trying to bring about some change in your life?
How does God change us? Is character built during times of crisis or times of blessing? Many years ago I worked at a vocational training facility for mentally challenged people. There were many times when I felt that I needed more patience. The people that worked there had been pampered; they’d never had to do anything they didn’t want to do. But a job isn’t like that; often you have to what you don’t feel like doing. So I began to rpay for patience and guess how God taught me patience. He brought every circumstance where it would require patience on my part before me. I learned to be patient by going through a lot of situations where I had to be patient. That’s how God works.
We learn character not through blessing but through trial. We are refined like silver or gold. Gold and silver are made pure by going through extreme heat so the impurities can float to the top and be scraped off: So many times when we’re going through it the devil isn’t attacking us, God’s refining us. We don’t even recognize his hand on us, and the fear and doubt overtake us. The apostles thought he was ghost, “and they cried out in fear.”
Notice also that Jesus waited to come to them. He didn’t come in the beginning of the storm He waited. He came in the fourth watch. In Roman times guard duty was set up in four watches in a night. If He came in the fourth watch, He came when it was close to morning. He didn’t come in the beginning of the storm. He let them weather it out for a while, struggling, fighting, trying to get through it. Doesn’t it feel like that when we’re battling it out? That he’s left us alone to deal with it: That He’s gone off and just thrown us to the wolf? We call it a wilderness experience, and we feel like we’re all alone, but that’s not the case.
Mark 6:47-48
47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
In this scripture, we see that even though He wasn’t with them He was watching. He was showing an interest in their struggle. He was concerned about them in the storm. As we struggle with trials and afflictions, he is watching us. He’s interested in what we suffer. He cares about what we go through. He stands watching. In the same way he came to them and brought comfort: “Be of Good Cheer. Do not fear,” He will comfort us.
We understand that intellectually, so why is it so difficult for us to maintain our faith. Why do we struggle with fear and doubt?
Maintaining our Faith in a Crisis
Matthew 14:28-31
28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Peter recognizes Jesus her for who He is as he is walking on the water and calls out to Him, “Tell me to come!” There is a faith here that Jesus can bring them through the storm. He believes that through Jesus he can walk on the water. But in the midst of all that’s happening, he begins to doubt and immediately starts to sink. Isn’t he just like us? We believe that we can see healing in Jesus’ name. That we can cast out demons in Jesus’ name. We believe that signs and wonder follow. We believe it all. We really believe it…until we don’t. We understand that we can do all those things, that we can see miracles. But when things are going crazy in our lives, it’s easy to lose that faith. “I believe that God can heal, but can he heal me.” “God can get us through storms, but can he deliver me?” It’s easy to keep the faith when things are calm, but when the storm is blowing; it’s a whole different ballgame.
Have you ever known a depressed Christian? Someone who looks at life as if the odds are stacked against him? Doesn’t that seem odd? I know a woman who is a Christian counselor and she is helping other Christians battle depression and other things. How can someone who is filled with faith and power struggle with depression? It happens when we lose sight of the power in our lives and begin to focus on the storm. That’s when we sink into depression. Peter becomes distracted and takes his focus off Jesus and immediately sinks.
You might think, “Well that’s Peter. After all he suffered a number of these types of faith crises.” What about the big one after the crucifixion, where he decides to go back to fishing? Peter placed all his faith in Jesus as the messiah, and now he’s been crucified. Peter thinks it’s all over. He didn’t see what was ahead all he saw was that jesus was crucified. He lost faith, went back to fishing. He lost faith in what God was really doing through all of that. He went back to his old life: He backslid in the midst of the trial.
Even Abraham, that hero of faith can lose it.
Hebrews 11:8-10
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
He’s called the friend of God because of his faith. He has a powerful testimony. He’s raised in a pagan nation, and yet when he hears the voice of God he recognizes Him and believes. He follows that voice out the a place where God promises to give that to his descendents. He’s a man of great faith. How many of us would recognize the call of God on our lives and get up and walk? How many of us would follow in Abraham’s circumstances? But do you think there were no moments of fear and doubt in Abraham’s life? Do you think he always carried a banner of great faith?
He follows God out to the land that God promises him. He believes God for that promise. He builds an altar to honor God. But a short time later there’s a drought and they travel down to Egypt, and Abraham tells his wife, “Tell them you’re my sister so they won’t kill me.” What happened to the faith? Where’s the great faith? The promise hasn’t been fulfilled, it won’t be if you die in Egypt…so where’s that great faith now? If this hero of faith suffers a crisis like that, how much more will average Joes like us suffer it?
The Antidote to Fear and Doubt
Matthew 14:30-31
30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Cry out to him and He will reach into the storm of your life and hold you above the swirling waters. As peter sank into the sea he cried out and Jesus reached into his life and caught him, because he cried out. He pulled him from the sea. As we cry out in the midst of fear and doubt he will pull us from the storm as well. He is the one who saves. He is the antidote to fear and doubt. His presence in our lives will bring calm.
Matthew 14:32-33
32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
That was the end of that storm in their lives, but does that mean they never encountered another storm, another moment of fear or of doubt? Of course not!
We see Thomas in his moment of doubt after Jesus rises from the dead. We see the disciples locked in the upper room for fear of the Jews. We see Peter’s doubt and confusion and he curses in denial of Jesus. In each case, though, we see a response from a personal and loving God. Thomas sees jesus who has him touch his wounds, so that he can believe. The disciples hear a rushing, mighty wind and receive the comforter, the Holy Spirit. Peter sees Jesus on the shore of Tiberius, where He bestows on him the mantle of His ministry, with the words, “Feed my sheep.”
We all experience moments of fear and doubt, but they don’t have to destroy us. We can find the antidote, in Jesus, and allow him to calm the storms in life.
Monday, May 10, 2010
The Spirit of Not Enough
Have you ever felt like there just wasn’t enough time in a day? That you have more things to do than you have time to do them. When you’re looking at the bills do you think to yourself, "There just isn’t enough money to pay them all"? Are you so tired from work and all the other things that have to be done that you just can’t make it to church?
Where are you going to get the energy, there's just not enough; time, money or energy to do everything that has to be done. But the problem is that there 's a calling on your life. God has a plan and a purpose for you. As a Christian there are commands that are placed on our lives. God has a plan for us but it is in addition to all the other things we need to do. We have to work to put food on the table. We have to go shopping, get the kids to school, and be a part of their extra-curricular activities. This is just life, not to mention the demands that are made on you for other things. Is it just me or does everybody seem to have their hand in your pocket?
God isn't asking you if you have enough time, money or energy to do what he has commanded you to do. he didn't ask, "Is it possible, if you have enough time that you could do me a favor?" He just said go do it. It's up to us to figure out how to make it all work.
I believe that this feeling that we have that there's not time or resources is one of the spirits of the age. It is the "Spirit of Not Enough." Think about this for a moment , this is the most properous generation in the history of mankind and yet one of the things we always here is, "I don't have enough.: There is never enough.
One of the things I hear all the time as I witness to people is, "I'll come to church, when I have time." I used to have conversations with the people I worked with. They’d tell me about the stuff they saw on TV the night before; they’d tell me about the weekends they spent playing, going fishing on Sunday morning, parties, just sleeping late. But when I’d invite them to church they always said, “I work too much…I’m too busy.”
That's a lie from the pit of hell. It's designed to stall the work of God and to keep us from stepping out in faith. It takes faith to come to church regularly. It takes faith that all the bills will get paid and all the things will get done while taking time out to attend church or be involved in the work of the church. The lie is designed to keep us from seeing the will of God for our lives.
But we can overcome the "Spirit of Not Enough." We can remove that spirit from our lives. Look at this in the Book of First Kings:
1 Kings 17:8-16
8 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.”11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”12 So she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.14 “For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.’ ”15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.
The Spirit of Not Enough
At this time in Israel there is a great drought. the drought has been brought on because the king, Ahab, has led the people away from God. he has turned them to false gods. The drought was an effort by Elijah, the prophet, to demonstrate the power of God.
1 Kings 17:1
And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
So God brought on this drought throughout all of Israel and the surrounding areas or Tyre and Sidon. The widow lived in Sidon and our text tells us that God commanded her to provide for the prophet. Elijah follows God's will and goes to Zarephath. he meets the widow and asks for a drink, but as she goes to get the drink he stops her and says bring me a morsel of food.
She stops right there and say, "I don't have enough." I'm going to gather the firewood, then I'll cook our last meal and then we'll starve. She's looking at what she has, these are hard times, she's seeing that there isn't enough for her and her son. She doesn't want to share what she has. She’s just like us isn’t she? We are all guilty of this. The Bible says God commanded her. She’s a woman of God and has heard the command from God to meet the needs of the prophet and she’s willing to do that when she has enough, but when she doesn’t that's another story isn't it.
This is human nature. There are things we want, things we need, things we absolutely have to have. But we only have so much. Our paycheck is a finite amount, but the people trying to get a cut of it aren’t. There’s always somebody else who wants money.
There's never enough time, either. I don't have enough time for all the things I have to do. I can't get everything done, as it is, and now I'm being asked for more time to do other things. "I never get any rest. Up early for work and work all day. Three services a week, now they want another night for Bible Study and outreach. When do I get to rest?"
This is the widow's thinking, "I have barely enough for us and now you want a piece." "Who are you to ask for some of what we have?" She says this to Elijah, the man of God.
Elijah, in this text is a picture of Jesus. he is a type of Jesus Christ. Have you ever had Jesus interrupt your plans? You decide to spend the day at the beach or some other thing and God has a different plan for you that day? When you hear it you kind of complain to God, "I never have time like this. When do I get to have some time for myself?"
Doesn't it seem like time has compressed for us? Think about this, whatever happened to the 40 hour work week. It doesn't exist anymore. the world demands more of our time than ever before, but there's still the call of God, isn't there?
Elisha knows this woman is poor, it has to be pretty obvious, doesn't it. But he poses the question anyway. God does that. he knows our schedule. he knows what we've got to do. he knows about our financial situation, but he says, "Just one more thing...Can you reach into that little bag that you have for yourself and give it to me first?" He’s really asking, “What’s first in your life? Work; Your boss; the car, the mortgage?” The little bit that you have for yourself or me? We're crying, "There's only enough for me," and God is saying, "I need that little bit you have for my will to be done."
God is Doing Something in Elijah and in the Widow
God is doing something here in both Elijah and the widow. This is a test of faith for both of them. For Elijah, God says, "I have commanded a widow to provide for you." But when he gets there and sees this woman, she is down to her last meal. She hasn't got enough for her self and God is commanding here to provide for him. What would you think if you were Elijah?
For the widow, after today they starve, there's nothing left. Then the prophet shows up and says feed me first.
1 Kings 17:12-13
So she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.
So she is faced with a test of faith, also. But there is a promise attached to her obedience, “For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth."
If she is obedient then God will ensure that she won't starve. he will provide for her needs until the crisis (drought) passes. There is a promise that is attached to our obedience as well. If we will respond to the command of God to give of ourselves.
John 10:10
10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. he's the one who feeds us the line that we don't have enough. he's the one who tells us we can't give to the church and meet all of our own needs. he's the one who asks, "How can you give more of your time, or money, or yourself when there isn't enough for you?" He's the one who says that God asks for too much. He's the one who wants to steal your blessing. The devil doesn’t want you to get blessed. He wants you to feel like there’s too many demands from the church in your life. He wants you to think that it’s the pastor that’s asking too much. He wants you to think that all the things the church does are up to the Pastor to do. Because he wants you to miss out on the blessing that God has for you.
But Jesus says, "I have come to give life life and that more abundantly." he isn't coming to steal from us, he comes to bless us with abundance. The devil comes to steal but Jesus comes to give. he will give sufficient time, energy and resources to see his command done. That's what he does with this widow, if she will obediently feed the prophet, God will provide sufficient resources to see His command through. The same is true for us, not just in the realm of resources, but in the giving of ourselves, too.
Luke 6:38
38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
My friends at work used to tell me. You're doing too much, you're burning the candle at both ends. You're going to make yourself sick. But the truth was that i was more energetic and fit than any of them. Energy was imparted to me, because I was in the will of God. I spoke to a pastor friend, not long ago, who complained how tired and discouraged he was. What the conversation boiled down to was that he wasn't really doing what he was called to do. He had other plans working other pursuits. he wasn't really fulfilling the call of God in his life so he wasn't receiving anything back.
Have you ever noticed when you’re feeling lazy and you lay down, you begin to feel more and more tired? I don’t know why I’m so tired! When you sleep too much you just don’t feel like doing anything. When my kids don't want to do what they are asked to do, suddenly they have to have a nap; they get very tired. We're the same way, when we don't want to do what God is asking us to do, we get very tired. When I'm really busy, that's when I'm happiest. I have energy throughout the day.
The same is true with doing what God has called us to do. Outreach energizes. Seeing someone respond energizes. That's the vessel being refilled. That's God's response to our faith and faithfulness.
Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
This is the replenishment of the vessel. This is the promise behind the command. This is what having and abundant life means.
Living Life Abundantly
Elijah, is a type of Jesus here. he comes with a burden and a promise. The widow is struggling with the "Spirit of Not Enough," and yet in her response of faith she was replenished. This same thing is true for us. If we will respond to the call of God he will make his will possible for us.
We have a tendency to see the cup as half empty. "I have nothing left. There's nothing I can do. It's impossible!" Just remember this:
Mark 10:27
27 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
Jesus will make a way for you if you will just step out in faith. Faith and obedience are the things that will overcome the "Spirit of Not Enough." Don't let that thief of old rob you of your blessing. Don't let him be the victor IN the struggle for obedience. He always appeals to the flesh: The part of us that wants to hoard things, like leisure time and money. Jesus always appeals to the higher things in our makeup, faithfulness, character, and selflessness. Which of those is easier to respond to? But which has blessing and promise attached? Which one tears down and which one elevates? The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, Jesus comes to elevate us. Jesus comes with the promise of replenishment. He will sustain us.
Where are you going to get the energy, there's just not enough; time, money or energy to do everything that has to be done. But the problem is that there 's a calling on your life. God has a plan and a purpose for you. As a Christian there are commands that are placed on our lives. God has a plan for us but it is in addition to all the other things we need to do. We have to work to put food on the table. We have to go shopping, get the kids to school, and be a part of their extra-curricular activities. This is just life, not to mention the demands that are made on you for other things. Is it just me or does everybody seem to have their hand in your pocket?
God isn't asking you if you have enough time, money or energy to do what he has commanded you to do. he didn't ask, "Is it possible, if you have enough time that you could do me a favor?" He just said go do it. It's up to us to figure out how to make it all work.
I believe that this feeling that we have that there's not time or resources is one of the spirits of the age. It is the "Spirit of Not Enough." Think about this for a moment , this is the most properous generation in the history of mankind and yet one of the things we always here is, "I don't have enough.: There is never enough.
One of the things I hear all the time as I witness to people is, "I'll come to church, when I have time." I used to have conversations with the people I worked with. They’d tell me about the stuff they saw on TV the night before; they’d tell me about the weekends they spent playing, going fishing on Sunday morning, parties, just sleeping late. But when I’d invite them to church they always said, “I work too much…I’m too busy.”
That's a lie from the pit of hell. It's designed to stall the work of God and to keep us from stepping out in faith. It takes faith to come to church regularly. It takes faith that all the bills will get paid and all the things will get done while taking time out to attend church or be involved in the work of the church. The lie is designed to keep us from seeing the will of God for our lives.
But we can overcome the "Spirit of Not Enough." We can remove that spirit from our lives. Look at this in the Book of First Kings:
1 Kings 17:8-16
8 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.”11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”12 So she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.14 “For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.’ ”15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.
The Spirit of Not Enough
At this time in Israel there is a great drought. the drought has been brought on because the king, Ahab, has led the people away from God. he has turned them to false gods. The drought was an effort by Elijah, the prophet, to demonstrate the power of God.
1 Kings 17:1
And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
So God brought on this drought throughout all of Israel and the surrounding areas or Tyre and Sidon. The widow lived in Sidon and our text tells us that God commanded her to provide for the prophet. Elijah follows God's will and goes to Zarephath. he meets the widow and asks for a drink, but as she goes to get the drink he stops her and says bring me a morsel of food.
She stops right there and say, "I don't have enough." I'm going to gather the firewood, then I'll cook our last meal and then we'll starve. She's looking at what she has, these are hard times, she's seeing that there isn't enough for her and her son. She doesn't want to share what she has. She’s just like us isn’t she? We are all guilty of this. The Bible says God commanded her. She’s a woman of God and has heard the command from God to meet the needs of the prophet and she’s willing to do that when she has enough, but when she doesn’t that's another story isn't it.
This is human nature. There are things we want, things we need, things we absolutely have to have. But we only have so much. Our paycheck is a finite amount, but the people trying to get a cut of it aren’t. There’s always somebody else who wants money.
There's never enough time, either. I don't have enough time for all the things I have to do. I can't get everything done, as it is, and now I'm being asked for more time to do other things. "I never get any rest. Up early for work and work all day. Three services a week, now they want another night for Bible Study and outreach. When do I get to rest?"
This is the widow's thinking, "I have barely enough for us and now you want a piece." "Who are you to ask for some of what we have?" She says this to Elijah, the man of God.
Elijah, in this text is a picture of Jesus. he is a type of Jesus Christ. Have you ever had Jesus interrupt your plans? You decide to spend the day at the beach or some other thing and God has a different plan for you that day? When you hear it you kind of complain to God, "I never have time like this. When do I get to have some time for myself?"
Doesn't it seem like time has compressed for us? Think about this, whatever happened to the 40 hour work week. It doesn't exist anymore. the world demands more of our time than ever before, but there's still the call of God, isn't there?
Elisha knows this woman is poor, it has to be pretty obvious, doesn't it. But he poses the question anyway. God does that. he knows our schedule. he knows what we've got to do. he knows about our financial situation, but he says, "Just one more thing...Can you reach into that little bag that you have for yourself and give it to me first?" He’s really asking, “What’s first in your life? Work; Your boss; the car, the mortgage?” The little bit that you have for yourself or me? We're crying, "There's only enough for me," and God is saying, "I need that little bit you have for my will to be done."
God is Doing Something in Elijah and in the Widow
God is doing something here in both Elijah and the widow. This is a test of faith for both of them. For Elijah, God says, "I have commanded a widow to provide for you." But when he gets there and sees this woman, she is down to her last meal. She hasn't got enough for her self and God is commanding here to provide for him. What would you think if you were Elijah?
For the widow, after today they starve, there's nothing left. Then the prophet shows up and says feed me first.
1 Kings 17:12-13
So she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.
So she is faced with a test of faith, also. But there is a promise attached to her obedience, “For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth."
If she is obedient then God will ensure that she won't starve. he will provide for her needs until the crisis (drought) passes. There is a promise that is attached to our obedience as well. If we will respond to the command of God to give of ourselves.
John 10:10
10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. he's the one who feeds us the line that we don't have enough. he's the one who tells us we can't give to the church and meet all of our own needs. he's the one who asks, "How can you give more of your time, or money, or yourself when there isn't enough for you?" He's the one who says that God asks for too much. He's the one who wants to steal your blessing. The devil doesn’t want you to get blessed. He wants you to feel like there’s too many demands from the church in your life. He wants you to think that it’s the pastor that’s asking too much. He wants you to think that all the things the church does are up to the Pastor to do. Because he wants you to miss out on the blessing that God has for you.
But Jesus says, "I have come to give life life and that more abundantly." he isn't coming to steal from us, he comes to bless us with abundance. The devil comes to steal but Jesus comes to give. he will give sufficient time, energy and resources to see his command done. That's what he does with this widow, if she will obediently feed the prophet, God will provide sufficient resources to see His command through. The same is true for us, not just in the realm of resources, but in the giving of ourselves, too.
Luke 6:38
38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
My friends at work used to tell me. You're doing too much, you're burning the candle at both ends. You're going to make yourself sick. But the truth was that i was more energetic and fit than any of them. Energy was imparted to me, because I was in the will of God. I spoke to a pastor friend, not long ago, who complained how tired and discouraged he was. What the conversation boiled down to was that he wasn't really doing what he was called to do. He had other plans working other pursuits. he wasn't really fulfilling the call of God in his life so he wasn't receiving anything back.
Have you ever noticed when you’re feeling lazy and you lay down, you begin to feel more and more tired? I don’t know why I’m so tired! When you sleep too much you just don’t feel like doing anything. When my kids don't want to do what they are asked to do, suddenly they have to have a nap; they get very tired. We're the same way, when we don't want to do what God is asking us to do, we get very tired. When I'm really busy, that's when I'm happiest. I have energy throughout the day.
The same is true with doing what God has called us to do. Outreach energizes. Seeing someone respond energizes. That's the vessel being refilled. That's God's response to our faith and faithfulness.
Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
This is the replenishment of the vessel. This is the promise behind the command. This is what having and abundant life means.
Living Life Abundantly
Elijah, is a type of Jesus here. he comes with a burden and a promise. The widow is struggling with the "Spirit of Not Enough," and yet in her response of faith she was replenished. This same thing is true for us. If we will respond to the call of God he will make his will possible for us.
We have a tendency to see the cup as half empty. "I have nothing left. There's nothing I can do. It's impossible!" Just remember this:
Mark 10:27
27 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
Jesus will make a way for you if you will just step out in faith. Faith and obedience are the things that will overcome the "Spirit of Not Enough." Don't let that thief of old rob you of your blessing. Don't let him be the victor IN the struggle for obedience. He always appeals to the flesh: The part of us that wants to hoard things, like leisure time and money. Jesus always appeals to the higher things in our makeup, faithfulness, character, and selflessness. Which of those is easier to respond to? But which has blessing and promise attached? Which one tears down and which one elevates? The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, Jesus comes to elevate us. Jesus comes with the promise of replenishment. He will sustain us.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Growing Like Samuel
All of us have a desire to hear from God. That's one reason Christians attend church. One responsibility of a pastor is to bring the word of God in a way that is understandable and allows God to speak to us, in a personal way. But each of us must have an openness to hear from God for this to happen. A preacher can preach all day but unless we are open to hear from God nothing will happen.
Today, I want to examine our ability to hear from God using Samuel's encounter with God as an example.
1 Samuel 3:1-11
Then the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.2 And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see,3 and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down,4 that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!”5 So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.6 Then the LORD called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”7 (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. Then he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy.9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”11 Then the LORD said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.
1 Samuel 3:18-19
18 Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him.” 19 So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
Samuel was Willing to be Taught the Things of God
In the first verse of our text we read that, "Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli." So we are seeing that Samuel followed the teachings of Eli as he ministered before God. So Samuel was a disciple: A pupil: A learner. But there is a deeper relationship between a disciple and a teacher than between a student and a teacher. A disciple will strive to be like the teacher. he will pattern his life after the teacher. Samuel has accepted the training of the man of God, his pastor.
What kind of relationship do you think they had? Do you think Eli was able to bring correction into his life? Samuel had been given to God at an early age and brought to Eli so that he could be raised to serve God. That's what that word minister means. Eli raised him as a father and as a teacher. This is a powerful relationsghip that they have.
Samuel's life was turned over, completely, to God for God's use.
1 Samuel 1:28
28 “Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.
That word lent means to be turned over for someone else's use. I have a number of books, people always ask to borrow them. So I let them use them. I give them to them to use. Those books have been lent. Hannah, Samuel's mother, turned him over to God for God's use. So he has been dedicated to God. he is set aside for God's use, or consecrated to God.
As Christians we are supposed to turn our lives over to God. We have consecrated our lives. We have been lent to the Lord. Giving ourselves to God is a vital step In hearing from God, because it removes the distractions of the world. In a sense we are dying to Christ: making his will, our will. Our lives no longer belong to us.
When we turn our lives over to his pleasure. Then we are creating an openness to hear from Him, because we are now listening for his voice. He can we live his will if we don't know what it is? How can we know what it is, if we don't hear it.
Kids are funny aren’t they? Sometimes you can call them over and over and they don’t hear you. It’s because they have their own things that they’re doing. They don’t want to hear you. But when they are eager to please you what happens? They are listening for you voice. They are looking for your call and so they can hear from you.
Unless they desire to please you, there's resistance. But when they want to please you, they willingly respond. That's an openness to hearing from you. Samuel is open to hearing from God, because of the desire to please God.
Secondly, Samuel is ministered to the Lord before Eli. He is serving God. he is looking to meet the needs of God. He has a desire to serve and contribute.
So often we come to church looking for what God can do for us. People come to church in need and often when that need is met they leave again. And we think that by giving up drugs and whatever we're serving God. But that's really serving ourselves. Serving God means meeting the needs of God.
When you go to a restaurant, the server waits on you. They take your order, they bring your food. They fill your water glass, they serve you. They try to meet your food related needs. But what would you think about a restaurant where the server comes up and says, “I quit using drugs so I could be here with you today.” And then takes a seat. Is that serving you? No, it isn't but that's what people do with God all the time. "I'm serving God." "Really what are you doing for him?" "I quit using drugs and now I go to church."
Samuel is doing things in the tabernacle. He's assisting in the worship. He's preparing things so others can worship. He's serving God. He has given himself to the purposes of God. When he is in this frame of mind, God can speak truths into him, because God knows that he will faithfully speak those truths according to God's purposes for them. Simply put, God can trust him to execute those truths according to God's purpose. God is able to use him, because he has immersed himself into the will of God. In our lives, if we desire all that God has for us, we must also immerse ourselves into His will. When we have done that we have prepared ourselves to hear from and become useful to, God.
Listening for the Voice of God
The next thing we see in our text is that God is calling to Samuel. For all the reasons that I have just mentioned Samuel is prepared to hear from God. So when God calls out to him, "Samuel!" Samuel says, "Here I am!" He thinks that it is Eli calling and goes to see what Eli wants. He doesn't yell, "What!" He doesn't wait to see if he's called a second time. He just responds. He hears the voice calling and because he is immature he thinks that voice belongs to Eli.
1 Samuel 3:7
7 (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)
He's never heard the voice of God before so he goes to Eli and says, "Here I am." It's Eli who perceives that God is speaking to Samuel and so he gives him counsel on what to do when God calls. Samuel does what Eli tells him and God brings revelation that will affect all of Israel. "The ears of everyone who hears it will tingle," because it's from God.
Do you want to hear from God? If you do, then you need to listen for his voice, and you need to be open to instruction and sometimes interpretation.
I’ve had people come to tell me that they’ve heard from God and I don’t think it’s the voice of God. But they can’t hear me when I try to warn them. And they go off and make some huge mistake and end up chasing some dream that ruins them. Then they blame God when the real problem is that they were crying out to hear the voice of God, but then listening for their own; unable to distinguish the voice of God from their own thoughts.
Samuel is unable to distinguish the voice of God from the voice of Eli because he's immature. And it is the same for us as immature Christians, we have difficulty recognizing the voice of God. When I say immature I'm talking about being inexperienced.
How can we recognize a voice that we’ve never heard before? How can we know what to do when we have never done it before? People who are hiring look for people who have experience because they don’t want to take the time to teach someone who has no experience: Who has never experienced what needs to be done. We won't recognize when something is from God, unless we have experienced God's methods and purposes before.
Samuel Grew
1 Samuel 3:19
19 So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
This is the end result of Samuel's ministry; spiritual maturity and fruitfulness. This should be what we are all striving for, but where did it come from? I've mentioned several things.
1) Samuel was a faithful servant of God. By ministering to God he served God's purposes and made himself a trusted servant.
2) He learned to recognize when God was speaking to him. He learned to recognize God's voice.
3) he faithfully spoke what God gave him to speak. And the result was that he grew in the Lord. God was with him. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the confidence that God was with you in everything you spoke? God made him fruitful. He let, "none of his words fall to the ground." We want to reach people and God will give us words to speak. But we have to be able to recognize when they are God’s words and not just our own thoughts.
It's God that brings the increase. God does it that's what we miss, sometimes. God gives anointing to our words. If we don't have anointing it is difficult to draw people with just our words. We need his anointing to give power to what we speak. That's what the verse is speaking about. God's anointing on the words he speaks,so that they won't, "fall to the ground."
The reason that God anointed Samuel's words was that Samuel spoke all that God gave him to speak. "Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him." If we will faithfully speak all that God gives us to speak, he will anoint our words as well.
What did God give to Samuel to speak to Eli?
1 Samuel 3:12-14
12 “In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.13 “For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.14 “And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
Ouch. That's the judgment of God on Eli and his family. Can you imagine what Eli would feel in hearing that? Can you imagine what Samuel must have felt to tell him that? This is a close relationship and Samuel is called to tell Eli some very bad news. The Bible tells us he was afraid to say that to Eli. But he did it anyway, because he was committed to faithfully speaking the words of God.
In the end Samuel was the last God appointed Judge over Israel. After him was King Saul. The people demanded a king and Saul was chosen. The Bible tells us he stood head and shoulders above them all. He was Tall and handsome...He looked like a king. He is the king the people would have chosen for themselves. Samuel was the leader that was chosen by God. God didn't look on his outward appearance. God chose him because of his heart.
Samuel is what God is looking for from us. A faithful minister, committed to the will of God. A man who will hear from God and speak the word of God. Someone who will allow himself to be instructed in the things of God.
This is someone who can grow to maturity in the Lord. This is someone whom God will anoint and make fruitful. Are you a Samuel, today?
Today, I want to examine our ability to hear from God using Samuel's encounter with God as an example.
1 Samuel 3:1-11
Then the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.2 And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see,3 and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down,4 that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!”5 So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.6 Then the LORD called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”7 (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. Then he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy.9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”11 Then the LORD said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.
1 Samuel 3:18-19
18 Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him.” 19 So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
Samuel was Willing to be Taught the Things of God
In the first verse of our text we read that, "Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli." So we are seeing that Samuel followed the teachings of Eli as he ministered before God. So Samuel was a disciple: A pupil: A learner. But there is a deeper relationship between a disciple and a teacher than between a student and a teacher. A disciple will strive to be like the teacher. he will pattern his life after the teacher. Samuel has accepted the training of the man of God, his pastor.
What kind of relationship do you think they had? Do you think Eli was able to bring correction into his life? Samuel had been given to God at an early age and brought to Eli so that he could be raised to serve God. That's what that word minister means. Eli raised him as a father and as a teacher. This is a powerful relationsghip that they have.
Samuel's life was turned over, completely, to God for God's use.
1 Samuel 1:28
28 “Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.
That word lent means to be turned over for someone else's use. I have a number of books, people always ask to borrow them. So I let them use them. I give them to them to use. Those books have been lent. Hannah, Samuel's mother, turned him over to God for God's use. So he has been dedicated to God. he is set aside for God's use, or consecrated to God.
As Christians we are supposed to turn our lives over to God. We have consecrated our lives. We have been lent to the Lord. Giving ourselves to God is a vital step In hearing from God, because it removes the distractions of the world. In a sense we are dying to Christ: making his will, our will. Our lives no longer belong to us.
When we turn our lives over to his pleasure. Then we are creating an openness to hear from Him, because we are now listening for his voice. He can we live his will if we don't know what it is? How can we know what it is, if we don't hear it.
Kids are funny aren’t they? Sometimes you can call them over and over and they don’t hear you. It’s because they have their own things that they’re doing. They don’t want to hear you. But when they are eager to please you what happens? They are listening for you voice. They are looking for your call and so they can hear from you.
Unless they desire to please you, there's resistance. But when they want to please you, they willingly respond. That's an openness to hearing from you. Samuel is open to hearing from God, because of the desire to please God.
Secondly, Samuel is ministered to the Lord before Eli. He is serving God. he is looking to meet the needs of God. He has a desire to serve and contribute.
So often we come to church looking for what God can do for us. People come to church in need and often when that need is met they leave again. And we think that by giving up drugs and whatever we're serving God. But that's really serving ourselves. Serving God means meeting the needs of God.
When you go to a restaurant, the server waits on you. They take your order, they bring your food. They fill your water glass, they serve you. They try to meet your food related needs. But what would you think about a restaurant where the server comes up and says, “I quit using drugs so I could be here with you today.” And then takes a seat. Is that serving you? No, it isn't but that's what people do with God all the time. "I'm serving God." "Really what are you doing for him?" "I quit using drugs and now I go to church."
Samuel is doing things in the tabernacle. He's assisting in the worship. He's preparing things so others can worship. He's serving God. He has given himself to the purposes of God. When he is in this frame of mind, God can speak truths into him, because God knows that he will faithfully speak those truths according to God's purposes for them. Simply put, God can trust him to execute those truths according to God's purpose. God is able to use him, because he has immersed himself into the will of God. In our lives, if we desire all that God has for us, we must also immerse ourselves into His will. When we have done that we have prepared ourselves to hear from and become useful to, God.
Listening for the Voice of God
The next thing we see in our text is that God is calling to Samuel. For all the reasons that I have just mentioned Samuel is prepared to hear from God. So when God calls out to him, "Samuel!" Samuel says, "Here I am!" He thinks that it is Eli calling and goes to see what Eli wants. He doesn't yell, "What!" He doesn't wait to see if he's called a second time. He just responds. He hears the voice calling and because he is immature he thinks that voice belongs to Eli.
1 Samuel 3:7
7 (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)
He's never heard the voice of God before so he goes to Eli and says, "Here I am." It's Eli who perceives that God is speaking to Samuel and so he gives him counsel on what to do when God calls. Samuel does what Eli tells him and God brings revelation that will affect all of Israel. "The ears of everyone who hears it will tingle," because it's from God.
Do you want to hear from God? If you do, then you need to listen for his voice, and you need to be open to instruction and sometimes interpretation.
I’ve had people come to tell me that they’ve heard from God and I don’t think it’s the voice of God. But they can’t hear me when I try to warn them. And they go off and make some huge mistake and end up chasing some dream that ruins them. Then they blame God when the real problem is that they were crying out to hear the voice of God, but then listening for their own; unable to distinguish the voice of God from their own thoughts.
Samuel is unable to distinguish the voice of God from the voice of Eli because he's immature. And it is the same for us as immature Christians, we have difficulty recognizing the voice of God. When I say immature I'm talking about being inexperienced.
How can we recognize a voice that we’ve never heard before? How can we know what to do when we have never done it before? People who are hiring look for people who have experience because they don’t want to take the time to teach someone who has no experience: Who has never experienced what needs to be done. We won't recognize when something is from God, unless we have experienced God's methods and purposes before.
Samuel Grew
1 Samuel 3:19
19 So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
This is the end result of Samuel's ministry; spiritual maturity and fruitfulness. This should be what we are all striving for, but where did it come from? I've mentioned several things.
1) Samuel was a faithful servant of God. By ministering to God he served God's purposes and made himself a trusted servant.
2) He learned to recognize when God was speaking to him. He learned to recognize God's voice.
3) he faithfully spoke what God gave him to speak. And the result was that he grew in the Lord. God was with him. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the confidence that God was with you in everything you spoke? God made him fruitful. He let, "none of his words fall to the ground." We want to reach people and God will give us words to speak. But we have to be able to recognize when they are God’s words and not just our own thoughts.
It's God that brings the increase. God does it that's what we miss, sometimes. God gives anointing to our words. If we don't have anointing it is difficult to draw people with just our words. We need his anointing to give power to what we speak. That's what the verse is speaking about. God's anointing on the words he speaks,so that they won't, "fall to the ground."
The reason that God anointed Samuel's words was that Samuel spoke all that God gave him to speak. "Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him." If we will faithfully speak all that God gives us to speak, he will anoint our words as well.
What did God give to Samuel to speak to Eli?
1 Samuel 3:12-14
12 “In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.13 “For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.14 “And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
Ouch. That's the judgment of God on Eli and his family. Can you imagine what Eli would feel in hearing that? Can you imagine what Samuel must have felt to tell him that? This is a close relationship and Samuel is called to tell Eli some very bad news. The Bible tells us he was afraid to say that to Eli. But he did it anyway, because he was committed to faithfully speaking the words of God.
In the end Samuel was the last God appointed Judge over Israel. After him was King Saul. The people demanded a king and Saul was chosen. The Bible tells us he stood head and shoulders above them all. He was Tall and handsome...He looked like a king. He is the king the people would have chosen for themselves. Samuel was the leader that was chosen by God. God didn't look on his outward appearance. God chose him because of his heart.
Samuel is what God is looking for from us. A faithful minister, committed to the will of God. A man who will hear from God and speak the word of God. Someone who will allow himself to be instructed in the things of God.
This is someone who can grow to maturity in the Lord. This is someone whom God will anoint and make fruitful. Are you a Samuel, today?
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