C. BOSTIAN LEARN
TO ENDURE TESTING DEC.14, 2003
(Insert Slide) Hebrews 12:7 (KJV)
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as
with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Hebrews 12:5-13 (MsgB)
So
don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat
children, and that God regards you as his children? My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline, but don't be
crushed by it either. [6] It's the child he loves that he disciplines; the child
he embraces, he also corrects. (Insert Slide) [7]
God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as
dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, [8] the
normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to
fend for them-selves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? [9] We respect our
own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training
so we can truly live? [10] While we were children, our parents did what seemed
best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's
holy best. [11] At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like
it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for
it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with
God. [12] So don't sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! [13]
Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no
one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for
it!
LAST WEEK I BEGAN TO SHARE WITH YOU ABOUT FOUR TESTS IN LIFE PATTERNED AFTER ABRAHAM. HE HAD TO LEARN HOW TO ENDURE TESTING AND SO DO WE. YOU AND I CAN LEARN TO ENDURE TESTING AND GO ON TO THE NEXT LEVEL GOD HAS FOR US. BUT FIRST WE HAVE TO PASS THE TEST. AFTER TESTING GOD IS GOING TO PROMOTE US FROM ONE LEVEL OF SUCCESS TO ANOTHER. (Insert Slide) SO WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND ONE THING: TESTING ALWAYS PRECEDES PROMOTION. SO THIS MORNING I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU 4 MAJOR LIFE TESTS TAKEN FROM THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM
NOW LET’S TURN TO HEB.11:8 AND READ ABOUT
ABRAHAM.
(Insert Slide) Hebrews 11:8-19 (MsgB)
By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God's call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. [9] By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. [10] Abraham waited and kept his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God. [11] By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was (Insert Slide) at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said. [12] That's how it happened that from one man's dead and shriveled loins there are now people numbering into the millions. [13] Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. [14] People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. [15] If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. [16] But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them. (Insert Slide) [17] By faith, Abraham, at the time of testing, offered Isaac back to God. Acting in faith, he was as ready to return the promised son, his only son, as he had been to receive him— [18] and this after he had already been told, "Your descendants shall come from Isaac." [19] Abraham figured that if God wanted to, he could raise the dead. In a sense, that's what happened when he received Isaac back, alive from off the altar.
(INS) SO THE FIRST TEST OF LIFE IS MAJOR CHANGE:
THE
KESY LESSON WE NEED TO LEARN IS UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER TO GOD. ARE YOU WILL TO GO WHERE HE LEADS YOU, NO
QUESTIONS ASKED? WHEN YOU SAY YES, YOU
PASS THE TEST AND GO ON TO THE NEXT ONE:
(INS) 2. TEST#2 IS
DELAYED PROMISE:
BETWEEN
THE PROMISE GIVEN AND THE PROMISE RECEIVED THERE CAN BE DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS AND
EVEN MULTIPLE YEARS BEFORE THE PROMISE IS RECEIVED. WHEN WE PASS THIS TEST WE LEARN TO TRUST IN THE LORD AND TO WAIT
ON HIM. OUR FOCUS IS NOT ON THE PROBLEM
BUT ON THE PROMISE AND MORE IMPORTANTLY ON THE ONE WHO GAVE THE PROMISE. WE KKEP OUR EYES ON THE LORD NOT ON THE
PROBLEM.
(INS)
3. TEST # 3 IS AN IMPOSSIBLE PROBLEM.
(INS) HEB.
11:11-12
[11]
By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the
time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said.
[12] That's how it happened that from one man's dead and shriveled loins there
are now people numbering into the millions.
ABRAHAM’S CONFIDENCE WASN’T IN
SARA BECAUSE HE SAW HER BARRENESS FOR 90 YEARS. THERE WASN’T NO OIL OF OLAY, NO LEVITO OR VIAGRA, THERE WASN’T
ANYTHING IN THE NATURAL THAT COULD REVERSE THE BARRENESS OF SARA. BUT HE COUNTED GOD FAITHFUL WHO MADE THE
PROMISE. (INSERT VIGRA SLIDE) FOR SOME OF YOU GOD WILL WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE EXHAUSTED EVERY
RESOURCE TO CONVINCE YOU THAT ONLY GOD CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN. ITS NOT BY MIGHT AND ITS NOT BY POWER BUT
ITS BY MY SPIRIT SAYS THE LORD, AND THAT’S THEY WAY ITS SUPPOSE TO BE. ITS NOT BY YOUR CLEVER INGENUITY OR WISDOM
BUT ITS BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD. I’LL TELL
YOU SOMETIMES A LONG WAIT IS TELLING THAT YOU CAN’T MAKE IT HAPPEN.
NOW ABRAHAM HAD TO LEARN THIS
CAUSE IT DIDN’T COME NATURALLY FOR HIM AND NEITHER WILL IT FOR US. ABRAHAM THOUGHT HE’D HELP GOD OUT A LITTLE
AND WENT IN AND SLEPT WITH SARA’S MAID HAGAR AND HAD A BABY CALLED ISCHMEAL. HALF THE WORLD IS HAVING PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW
IN THE MIDDELEAST BECAUSE ABRAHAM GOT IMPATIENT AND DECIDED TO HELP GOD OUT A
LITTLE BIT. AND HE FAILED. HOW MANY ISHMEALS HAVE WE ALL CREATED? YOU KNOW WHEN YOU BIRTH THOSE SUCKERS YOU
HAVE FEED THEM, PAY TAXES ON THEM AND EVERYTHING. THEY DON’T GO AWAY. YEA,
WELL I’M SAVED NOW AND ISCHMEAL IS STILL OUT THERE. AND YOU BIRTHED IT CAUSE YOU GOT IMPATIENT AND TRIED TO MAKE IT
HAPPEN. I EVEN HAVE TO FIGHT THAT IN
THE CHURCH CAUSE I DON’T WANT TO MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN THAT I’LL REGRET
LATER. IF GOD’S GONNA GIVE YOU
SOMETHING HIS YOKE IS EASY AND HIS BURDEN IS LIGHT BUT YOU MAY HAVE TO
WAIT. SO WE TRY EVEYTHING BUT GOD AND
ONLY COMPLAIN ABOUT HOW OLD WE ARE AND HOW LONG WE’VE BEEN WAITING. REMEMBER JOSHU8A AND CALEB? THEY JOINED THE CHURCH OF THE ‘WE BE NOT
ABLE’ AND HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THEY WERE 8O BEFORE THEY COULD ENTER THE PROMISED
LAND. AND JOSHUA SAID AT AGE 80 THAT HE
WAS JUST AS STRONG AS HE WAS AT 40 AND HE AND CALEB WENT IN AND TOOK THE LAND
OF PROMISE. GOD WILL EXTEND YOUR LIFE
AND HEALTH FOR ANY PROMISE HE’S MADE TO YOU.
YOU CAN BE CONFIDENT OF THAT. IT
MAY BE A LONG WAIT BUT YOUR STRENGTH WILL ENDURE.
LOOK, ABRAHAM WAS CONFRONTED
WITH AN IMPOSSIBLE PROBLEM: HE’S 99 YRS OLD AND NO KID. GOD SAYS HE’S GONNA BE A FATHER OF MANY
NATIONS. SO GOD CHANGED HIS NAME FROM
ABRAM TO ABRAHAM WHICH MEANS FATHER OF
MANY NATIONS. SO YOU DRIVE INTO TOWN
AND A GUY SAYS HI MY NAME IS BILL WHAT’S YOUR’S. MY NAME IS FATHER OF MANY NATIONS. WOW! HOW MANY KIDS YOU
GOT. NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. IS THAT YOUR WIFE UP THERE OR IS THAT A
STUFFED TROPHY? HEY, THIS ISN’T MEL
GIBSON UP THERE THIS IS ABRAHAM. HE’S
99 AND DEAD IN HIS BODY AND CONFRONTED WITH AN IMPOSSIBLE PROBLEM. SO GOD HAD TO DO SOMETHING IN THEIR BODY TO
MAKE THIS HAPPEN. DO YOU REALIZE THAT
ABIMILECH WANTED SARA AT 90 FOR HIS HARRAM.
NOW THAT SUCKER IS EITHER ON DRUGS OR SHE GOT RESURRECTION LIFE IN HER
BODY, MIRACUOUSLY. THEY AIT NO COSMETIC
CREAM THAT CAN DO THIS GIRLS. SHE’S A
KNOCKOUT AT 90 YRS. OLD AND IT’S A GOD THING.
(INS) DO YOU REALIZE THAT MOST OF THE GREAT MEN AND WOMEN
OF THE BIBLE HAD THEIR MOST SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THEIR CULTURE WHEN THEY WERE
70-80 YRS. OLD. I THINK MY BEST DAYS
ARE AHEAD AND SO ARE YOUR’S IF YOU’LL STAY WITH ME.
SO THE THRID MAJOR TEST IN LIFE
IS AN IMPOSSIBLE PROBLEM. THAT’S WHEN
YOU WONDER HOW. NOT WHEN, NOT WHERE BUT
HOW. HOW ARE YOU GONNA DO IT LORD? SOME OF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT IT RIGHT
NOW. SOME OF YOU ARE DISCOURAGED AND
YOU’RE ASKING GOD HOW HE’S GONNA DO IT.
HOW AM I GOING TO MAKE ENDS MEET THIS MONTH. HOW IS GOD GONNA HEAL ME.
HOW IS GOD GONNA CHANGE MY HUSBAND OR WIFE? HOW IS THIS MARRIAGE GONNA BE RESOLVED? HOW IS GOD GONNA DEAL WITH THIS REBELLIOUS CHILD? HOW? HOW? HOW? THAT’S THE TEST OF A REAL BELIEVER. (INS) A REAL BELIEVER
WILL EXPECT A MIRACLE WITHOUT KNOWING HOW GOD INTENDS TO DO IT.
(INS) 1 Thes. 5:24 (KJV)
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
1 Thes. 5:24 (MsgB)
The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said
it, he'll do it!
(INS) WHEN
GOD GIVES YOU A PROMISE HE IS THE PERSON WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING IT TO
PASS. SO OFTEN WE THINK ITS BASED ON
OUR SCRIPTURE READING OR OUR PRAYER TIME OR WHETHER WE FAST OR NOT WHEN IN
REALITY ITS AN IMPOSSIBLE PROBLEM THAT ONLY GOD CAN SOLVE. SO REST IN HIM. PUT YOUR TRUST IN HIM AND KEEP YOUR FOCUS ON HIM AND HIS
PROMISE. HE WILL TAKE THE
RESPO0NSIBILITY TO FULFILL EVERY PROMISE HE GIVES TO YOU. SO WHILE I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT AND CAN’T
WRITE A BOOK TO EXPLAIN IT I WILL SIMPLY TRUST YOU CAUSE I DON’T KNOW HOW
YOU’RE GONNA DO IT.
Matthew 17:20 (KJV)
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for
verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall
say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and
nothing shall be impossible unto you.
CHARLES HADDEN SPURGEON WRITES:
GOD DELIGHTS IN IMPOSSIBILITIES. ONE
MAN WRITES: I WILL DO AS MUCH AS I CAN
CAUSE ANY FOOL CAN DO THAT. HE THAT
BELIEVES IN CHRIST JESUS DOES WHAT HE CANNOT DO, ATTEMPTS THE IMPOSSIBLE AND
PERFORMS IT. FOR JESUS SAID IF YOU HAVE
FAITH AS A MUSTARD SEED NOTHING SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO YOU. HOW SHALL A VIRGIN CONCEIVE AND HAVE A
CHILD. HOW SHALL THIS BE, MARY SAYS TO
GABRIEL. ITS IMPOSSIBLE. GOD OPENS THE RED SEA. GOD MAKES THE SUN STAND STILL. GOD RAISES THE DEAD. ALL THAT IS TO ENCOURAGE YOU AND ME THAT
THERE IS NOTHING TOO HARD FOR GOD.
(INS) 2 Cor. 12:9 (MsgB)
and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I
heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and
began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my
weakness.
(INS) 2 Cor. 13:4 (KJV)
For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth
by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by
the power of God toward you.
GOD LOVES FOR YOU TO RUN OUT OF
RESOURCES SO THAT HE CAN SHOW HIMSELF
STRONG ON YOUR BEHALF. HE SAYS TO PAUL
IN THE N.T. MY STRENGTH IS MADE PERFECT IN YOUR WEAKNESS. AND DON’T YOU JUST LOVE IT WHEN GOD DOES
SOMETHING AND THERE IS SIMPLY NO EXPLANATION FOR HOW IT CAME TO PASS. YOU SEE, THEN EVERYBODY KNOW’S IT’S A GOD
THING AND HE GETS THE GLORY FOR IT.
GOD NEVER ASKS US JUST TO DO
SOMETHING THAT’S HARD. NO, ITS ALWAYS
IMPOSSIBLE. WHEN YOU TOOK THE VOW, ‘FOR
BETTER OR WORSE” SOME OF YOU COULD HAVE NEVER IMAGINED JUST HOW WORSE IT COULD
GET. ITS GONNA TAKE MORE THAN COSMETIC
CREAM OR SURGERY TO SAVE YOUR MARRIAGE ITS GONNA TAKE GOD. IT TAKES GOD TO KEEP A MARRIAGE GOING FOR 50
YEARS. LISTEN, A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE IS
GONNA HAPPEN WHEN GOD MAKES IT HAPPEN.
I CAN’T CHANGE MY WIFE, LORD KNOW’S I’VE TRIED AND SHE CAN’T CHANGE ME,
BUT GOD CAN. IN FACT HE’S THE ONLY ONE
WHO CAN. (INS) WE GOTTA STOP PLAYING GOD IN OUR MARRIAGES AND LET GOD BE
GOD. WE GOTTA ASK HIM TO GET INVOLVED AND SIT BACK AND WATCH HIM WORK. AND IF HE DOESN’T THEN HIS/HERS
IMPERFECTIONS WILL PERFECT YOU OR BRING OUT THE WORSE IN YOU SO THAT YOU CAN
SURRENDER THEM TO THE LORD AND HE CAN ULTIMATELY DO SOMETHING GOOD IN YOU THAT
WILL LAST FOR ETERNITY. IN FACT THAT’S
ONE OF THE POINTS I MAKE IN MARRIAGE COUNSELLING AS A REASON FOR MARRIAGE. IT PERFECTX YOU AND HELP YOU GROW UP AND
QUIT BEING SO SELFISH AND SELF CENTERED.
(INS) John 15:4-5 (KJV)
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
[5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
WITHOUT GOD ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO
ANYTHING HE ASKS US TO DO. THAT’S WHY
HE SAID, WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING.
IT TAKES US TO ABOUT 50-60 YRS. TO FIGURE THAT OUT. IT’S A SAD THING THAT WE’RE RUNNING OUT OF
LIFE WHEN WE FINALLY SMARTIN UP. SO
LET’S LEARN TO TRUST GOD WHEN WE ARE CONFRONTED WITH AN IMPOSSIBLE
PROBLEM. LET’S LEARN TO TRUST GOD WHEN
WE ARE CONFRONTED WITH A MAJOR CHANGE AND A DELAYED PROMISE.
(INS)
4. TEST # 4 A SENSELESS TRADGEDY.
(INS) John 16:33 (MsgB)
I've told you all
this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace.
In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take
heart! I've conquered the world."
THIS IS NOT THE ‘WHERE’
QUESTION. THIS IS NOT THE ‘WHEN’
QUESTION AND THIS IS NOT THE ‘HOW’ QUESTION.
THIS IS THE BIG ‘WHY’ QUESTION.
WHY IS THIS HAPPENNING. IN FACT
MOST OF THE WORLD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE. PEOPLE WILL OFTEN SAY, ‘THIS ISN’T FAIR’
AND IT SIN’T. BUT WHO SAID THE WORLD
WOULD BE FAIR? GOD DIDN’T SAY THAT. IN
FACT JESUS SAID THAT IN THE WORLD WE WILL HAVE TRIBULATION BUT TO BE OF GOOD
CHEER BECAUSE HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD.
NO, LIFE ISN’T FAIR BUT ONE DAY GOD WILL SETTLE THE SCORE. THE UNFAIRNESS WILL ONE DAY AND FOREVER
FINALLY SETTLED. HITLER WILL BE DEALT
WITH. STALIN WILL BE DEALT WITH. OSSAMA BIN LADEN WILL BE DEALT WITH. CORPORATE PEOPLE WHO EXPLOITED BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS AND DESTROYED THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF LITTLE PEOPLE WILL BE DEALT
WITH BEFORE THE JUDGEMENT BAR OF GOD. SO THIS LIFE ISN’T FAIR, DEAL WITH
IT. GOD IS RIGHTEOUS AND HE WILL SETTLE
THE ACCOUNTS AT THE END OF THE AGE.
(Insert
Slide) Heb.11:17
[17] By faith, Abraham, at the time of testing, offered Isaac back to God. Acting in faith, he was as ready to return the promised son, his only son, as he had been to receive him— [18] and this after he had already been told, "Your descendants shall come from Isaac." [19] Abraham figured that if God wanted to, he could raise the dead. In a sense, that's what happened when he received Isaac back, alive from off the altar.
WE ARE TOLD IN THIS PASSAGE OF
SCRIPTURE THAT ABRAHAM WAS ASKED TO SACRIFICE HIS SON ISAAC AS A BURNT
SACRIFICE TO THE LORD. HE IS THE ONLY
SON OF HIS OLD AGE AND NOT ONLY THAT BUT GOD DECLARES THAT ITS THROUGH ISAAC
THAT THE PROMISE WOULD BE FULFILLED. (INS) YOU SEE, ISAAC REPRESENTED
EVERYTHING THAT ABRAHAM HELD DEAR TO HIM.
NOW WHAT’S YOUR ISAAC? IT COULD
BE YOUR JOB, IT COULD BE YOUR INCOME LEVEL.
IT COULD BE A TITLE, A REPUTATION.
IT COULD BE A HOUSE, A NEIGHBORHOOD OR A POSITION. IT COULD BE A CAR, A BOAT OR EVEN A
MOTORCYCLE. BUT GOD IS SAYING WILL YOU
TRUST ME ENOUGH TO GIVE IT TO ME.
SOMETIMES HE GIVES IT BACK BUT HE JUST WANT TO SEE IF YOU WOULD GIVE IT
TO HIM. SOMETIMES YOU GIVE HIM YOUR
TALENT, WHETHER IT BE MUSIC OR WRITING OR WHATEVER BECAUSE YOUR PRIDE OR EGO
NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH. AND WHEN IT IS
DEALT WITH HE CAN GIVE IT BACK TO YOU REFINED AND READY FOR THE MASTERS
USE.
(INS) Romans 8:32 (MsgB)
If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us,
embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own
Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us?
(INS) 1 John 4:9-10 (MsgB)
This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only
Son into the world so we might live through him. [10] This is the kind of love
we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved
us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage
they've done to our relationship with God.
GOD GAVE ISAAC BACK TO ABRAHAM
BUT HE DID NOT WITHHOLD HIS OWN SON BUT GAVE HIM AS A SACRIFICE FOR THE
AGGREGATE SINS OF MANKIND. HERE WE ARE TODAY AT THIS COMMUNION TABLE
CELEBRATING THE AGONIZING DECISION OF CHRIST IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMENE AS TO
THE ‘WHY’ QUESTION THAT FACED HIM IN THAT HOUR. AREN’T YOU GLAD HE SAID YES TO THE FATHER’S WILL?
1 John 1:9-2:2 (MsgB)
On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast
of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins
and purge us of all wrongdoing. [10] If we claim that we've never sinned, we
out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows
off our ignorance of God.
[2:1] I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father:
Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. [2] When he served as a sacrifice for our sins,
he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world's.
BECAUSE (INS) WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN YOU FAIL A TEST? YOU NEED
FORGIVENESS AND ANOTHER CHANCE AT IT.
IN FACT, THAT EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN.
YOU CONFESS YOU SIN AND HE WILL FORGIVE YOU AND LATER ON GIVE YOU
ANOTHER CHANCE AT PASSING THE SAME TEST.
WHEN IT COMES TO PASSING A TEST IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD YOU NEVER FLUNK
OUT. NO, YOU JUST KEEP TAKING THE SAME
TEST UNTIL YOU PASS. GOD WANTS YOU TO
PASS THE TEST AND HE’S MADE PROVISION THROUGH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST TO TAKE THE
TEST AS MANY TIMES AS YOU NEED TO UNTIL YOU PASS IT AND GO ON TO THE NEXT LEVEL
OF SUCCESS.
WHEN ABRAHAM WAS ABOUT TO PLUNGE
HIS KNIFE INTO ISAAC’S CHEST GOD STOPPED HIM AND PROVIDED A SUBSTITUTE FOR HIS
SON. A RAM WAS CAUGHT IN THE THICKET
AND ABRAHAM SACRIFICED IT INSTEAD. (INS) GOD HAS ALSO PROVIDED US WITH A
SUBSTITUTE SACRIFICE IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
HE DID FOR US ON THE CROSS WHAT WE COULD NOT DO FOR OURSELVES. HE PAID THE PENALTY FOR OUR SINS.
THE AMAZAING THING ABOUT ABRAHAM
IS THAT HE DIDN’T ASK THE ‘WHY’ QUESTION BUT ACTUALLY BELIEVED THAT GOD WOULD
RAISE HIM FROM THE DEAD. AND THAT’S NOT
JUST A DEAD CORPSE THAT’S BURNT ASHES.
ABRAHAM KNEW THAT THE PROMISE WAS TO BE FULFILLED THROUGH ISAAC AND THAT
GOD WOULD RAISE HIM FROM THE DEAD IN ORDER TO FULFILL HIS PROMISE TO
ABRAHAM. ABRAHAM’S CONFIDENCE WAS THAT
IF GOD COULD GIVE HIM A SON AT 99 YRS. OLD THEN HE COULD RAISE HIM FROM THE
DEAD. WHAT MADE ABRAHAM SUCH A GREAT
EXAMPLE IS THAT HE BELIEVED THAT GOD HAD THE RIGHT TO MAKE ANY KIND OF CLAIM ON
HIS LIFE. A REAL BELIEVER WILL TRUST
GOD’S PURPOSE WITHOUT ASKING, ‘WHY.’
(INS) SOME
OF YOU ARE GOING THROUGH A ‘WHY’ QUESTION THIS MORNING. WHY DID I LOOSE MY JOB? WHY DID GOD ALLOW MY SPOUSE TO HAVE AN
AFFAIR? WHY DID MY CHILD RUN OFF AND GET ON DRUGS? WHY AM I GOING BANKRUPT?
WHY DID I HAVE A MISCARRIGE? WHY
DID MY PARENTS DIE? WHY? I DON’T THINK THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH
ASKING GOD THE ‘WHY’ QUESTION. OR FOR THAT MATTER THE ‘WHEN’, ‘HOW’, OR ‘WHEN’
QUESTION. (INS) THER ISSUE IS THAT IF GOD CHOOSES NOT TO RESPOND, WILL
YOU STILL OBEY? SEE, THAT’S THE TEST OF
A REAL BELIEVER. A REAL BELIEVER WILL
FOLLOW GOD’S DIRECTIONS EVEN WHEN HE DOESN’T KNOW WHERE. A REAL BELIEVER WILL WAIT ON GOD’S TIMING
EVEN WHEN HE DOESN’T KNOW WHEN. A REAL
BELIEVER WILL EXPECT A MIRACLE WHEN HE DOESN’T KNOW HOW. AND A REAL BELIEVER WILL TRUST GOD’S PURPOSE
AND LOVE WHEN HE DOESN’T KNOW WHY.
(INS) Romans 8:31-32 (MsgB)
So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how
can we lose? [32] If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us,
embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own
Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us?
MAYBE YOU CAN’T TRUST THE
DEMOCRATS. AND MAYBE YOU CAN’T TRUST
THE REPUBLICANS. AND MAYBE YOU CAN’T
EVEN TRUST YOUR SPOUSE. BUT THERE IS
ONE THING FOR SURE THIS MORNING: YOU CAN TRUST JESUS CHRIST. YOU CAN TRUST GOD TO LOVE YOU
UNCONDITIONALLY, HE’S FOR YOU. HE DIED
FOR YOU. AND HE HAS NEVER HAD A BAD
PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE SO MY CONFIDENCE IS THAT WHEN I DON’T KNOW WHY I NEVER BLAME
GOD. JOB GOT INTO THAT AND HAD TO
REPENT AND ASK GOD TO FORGIVE HIM SHUT HIS MOUTH. WE HAVE TO KNOW BY FAITH THAT GOD IS NOT AN UNJUST OR UNFAIR GOD
AND WE HAVEN’T SEEN THE OUTCOME OF WHAT APPEARS TO BE A SENSELESS TRAGEDY. THAT ‘WHY’ MAY YET BE ANSWERED AND THAT’S
WHY WE NEED TO TRUST HIM AND CONTINUE TO OBEY HIM.
IF YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD YOU
WILL PERIODICALLY BE SUBJECTED TO ONE OF 4 TESTS: THE FIRST ONE IS A MAJOR
CHANGE. THE SECOND TEST IS A DELAYED
PROMISE. THE THRID TEST IS AN
IMPOSSIBLE PROBLEM. AND THE FOURTH TEST
IS A SENSELESS TRADGEDY. THE GOOD NEWS
IS THAT GOD WANTS YOU TO PASS THE TEST AND WILL HELP YOU TO DO JUST THAT AS YOU
WAIT ON HIM AND TRUST IN HIS FAITHFULNESS AND HIS UNFAILING LOVE. IF YOU FAIL THE TEST TAKE COURAGE CAUSE
HE’LL GIVE YOU ANOTHER CHANCE. THE ONLY
CONDITION IS THAT WE NEED TO CONFESS OUR FAILURES TO HIM, REPENT AND BELIEVE IN
THE POWER OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST TO COVER OUR SIN. SO AS WE PREPARE FOR COMMUNION THIS MORNING LET’S TAKE TIME TO
EXAMINE OURSELVES AND ALLOW GOD TIME TO SEARCH OUR HEARTS.