They finally made it. It had taken a while. By the time they had prepared the stretcher for their friend and gathered the necessary items for the journey the morning had nearly passed. They had hurried as fast as they could but their speed was hampered somewhat by the condition of their friend. As the four men hoisted their friend laying on the stretcher onto their shoulders each one of them could see the look of hope in his eyes. How could anyone resist that look? Indeed as they began walking each one of them was filled with their own version of that hope.

They passed others on the way: a blind man, someone with a bandage around his head, and there was a woman carrying a child with open infected sores on its arms. As they got closer to the house, more and more people were walking beside them. Finally they got to a point where they could go on no more because of the size of the crowd. They set down their friend on a shaded place by the steps of a porch. One of the friends got on the shoulders of another and looked over the heads to see what was happening. As he got down the man on the stretcher looked up with a questioning look.

“Sorry, I don’t know if we’re going to get in there - there’s just too many people surrounding the house. We’ll have to try and get to Jesus another day.”

The men looked at their friend on the mat and he shrugged his shoulders, “oh well, thanks guys for making the effort!” Valiant words, but they could see the disappointment in his eyes. Something seized them in that moment and they looked at each other while their friend lay down on the mat. One of men peered down the alleyway behind the stretcher and noticed that there was a ladder leaning against the wall that reached the roof. He stepped out into street a bit and gauged the distance between the houses lining the street leading up to the house where the master was. He quickly gathered the rest of the men together and began pointing as he explained his plan. They nodded in agreement, it was worth a try.

Their paralytic friend was startled out of his rest as the men picked up the mat and moved toward the ladder. It wasn’t easy getting up the ladder and required some rather uncomfortable positions. There were a couple moments where the paralytic man almost slid out of his stretcher - but his friends were careful and they made it to the roof safely. One of the men pulled up the ladder and it became a makeshift bridge between the roofs of the remaining houses. As the men moved from rooftop to rooftop people in the streets began pointing and murmuring among themselves, wondering what these men were up to and what kind of predicament they were putting their friend in.

As the group of men and their paralytic friend approached their destination they began to hear the voice of the one they sought. They could hear Him speaking and teaching and the closer they got the more they began to make out what He was saying.

Then as they crossed over the improvised bridge one last time they set down their friend on the roof. The paralytic looked with love to his friends and said, “Thank you my friends, It is good that at least I can hear His voice and drink in His words.”

His friends simply smiled and said, “We’re not done yet!” Each of them took off their cloaks and their shirts and two of them began weaving them into makeshift ropes while the other two began to remove the thatch from the roof and work their way through the sturdy material. The paralytic man, propped up on an elbow began to wonder if His friends had gone mad, the owner of the house would not be happy or what if the roof of the house gave way?

The people in the house had heard the initial footsteps on the roof but many of them were simply listening too closely to the teacher to give any thought to why there might be that sound. But then, eventually their attention became distracted by the falling debris from the ceiling and the ray of light when the men on the roof poked through. By the time the hole was big enough to accommodate the stretcher the crowd below were watching with puzzled looks. The teacher was watching as well. Having stopped speaking when the first small hole appeared, he now looked, not with a puzzled gaze, like the others, but instead with expectation. He knew what these men were up to.

Then the men on the roof went to their friend on the stretcher and attached their makeshift ropes and lowered him to the feet of the teacher. Peering through the hole in the ceiling with sweat dripping from their faces and their chests heaving, they watched, hoping, waiting to see what Jesus would do. Finally they had made it. Then Jesus spoke…

PRAY

In the gospel according to Mark we find the account of an incredible blessing in the life of a young man who was paralyzed. A blessing that occurred in his life because He had friends who didn’t let a crowd, or a roof get in the way of bringing their friend to Jesus. It is significant that scripture records the first action of Jesus in response to the efforts of these men is to commend them for their faith - a faith that led them to even bring down a roof to get help for their friend.

Now there are a lot of things that stand out in this story, but today I want to ask one question that I believe the Holy Spirit would have us ask this morning. “What roofs is in your way?” I believe that God desires that every single one of us would not only know great blessing in our lives but also be agents of great blessing in other people’s lives.

Jesus himself said once, “I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
John 1:16 (NIV)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3 (NIV)

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

The thing about God’s blessing is that scripture teaches the principle that living in God’s blessing for your own life involves God blessing others through you. That is what happened in this story.

Blessing is one of those words that can have any one of a dozen meanings depending on your perspective. Generally speaking though, when we think of blessing we think of something that is good - something that is beneficial - and something that is a realized desire.

In scripture, blessing is always connected with God. God is the source of every good blessing - his very presence is a blessing. More specifically the New Testament teaches us that the greatest blessing is life found in Jesus Christ. That’s the significance of the story this morning. What consumed the thoughts and actions of these men was getting their friend to Jesus. Jesus is the source of the blessing.

So if it is God’s desire that we experience His blessing and that He blesses others through us, what are the roofs in your way? What keeps people from living in the blessing of God? There are far too many people (some of you who are sitting here today) who are not living in God’s blessing let alone being a blessing to others.

The thickest roof that stands between man and God is the exaltation of self. That is, when the Almighty “me” is placed on a pedestal of necessity. Friends the Bible doesn’t speak against loving who you are, or loving the way God has made you, or thinking good about yourself. But the Bible does have much to say against those who worship themselves. That is they are consumed with the preservation, the pleasure, and the promotion of themselves.

Jesus, in a conversation one day with a man shared the two greatest commandments. Commandments that shatter this humanistic idolatry of self.

- two greatest commandments Love God with all your heart….
- Love your neighbor as yourself.

What stands out about the paralytic man and his friends is that the roof between them and Jesus was torn apart by a faith carried by selflessness. These men were doing what they did out of a love for their friend and were not thinking of what they could get out of it. And so they entered into the blessing of Christ.

Now I want to help you with answering the question, “what roof is in your way?” this morning. I believe that scripture can help us answer that question. On principle, most of us will vehemently deny we worship ourselves! But then, can you confidently say you are living in the blessing of God? Can you most assuredly say that the full blessing of God is working through you? If so, then that’s awesome! Feel free to tune out and spend some time thinking about what you’re going to do after the service. I suspect, though that some of you are interested in knowing what roofs are in your way this morning.

The worship of self is exhibited in many symptoms but I’m just going to mention a few this morning.

1. The pursuit of comfort

The pursuit of comfort is illustrated by the thought, “I’ll just pass on the pain”. This pursuit is directed by the path of least resistance. Self-worshipers don’t like being uncomfortable, and will avoid any discomfort at all costs and do whatever it takes to remain in the place of comfort. Decisions and choices are made with the consideration of whether it will contribute to their comfort or will make things uncomfortable. These people don’t like feeling uncomfortable let alone being uncomfortable.

Now, don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying that it’s wrong to want a little comfort in your life. After all, it’s nice to have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies, and clothes on our backs. It becomes a problem when an individual sees pain as an enemy and is constantly looking for ways to increase their comfort with the least amount of effort.

What does this lead to?

a. Rebellion and Disobedience

Take the example of Jonah in the Bible. God wanted to bless him and make him a blessing to the people of Nineveh. Because of the evil lifestyle and actions of the people of Nineveh, God was about to pour out the wrath of his judgment on them. But because of God’s grace and mercy He wanted to give them a chance to repent first. So, God decided to send the prophet Jonah. To this preacher God said one word, “GO”! That is a small word, but it carried with it a big blessing. But Jonah’s reply was “NO”! That is a small word, too, but it cut off the blessing.

Jonah didn’t go to Nineveh for two reasons - he didn’t want the Ninevites to be rescued from God’s wrath and it would mean leaving the comfort of His current life. The ironic thing about people who pursue comfort is that they don’t ever reach that place of comfort! There came a time when God conquered Jonah’s rebellious spirit, but the Lord had to send Jonah through a terrible storm, where he was tossed overboard, swallowed by a whale, lived in the belly of a whale for three days, and spit up on dry land before Jonah learned his lesson.

b. Resistance to Change

Another fruit of this pursuit is that there will be a resistance to change. Granted, not all change is good - but healthy growth always involves positive change. And change always means some degree of discomfort as we learn to adapt to that change. A common saying of the self-worshiper is, “but that’s the way it’s always been done.” What they’re really saying is, “that’s all I’m comfortable with”.

c. Indifference

Another fruit of this pursuit and one that is more social in nature is the indifference it creates towards any discomfort among our fellow man. “Well I’m okay, that’s all that matters”. Indifference can not only affect how we care for others but it also can affect our attitude towards opportunity. Opportunities to experience God’s blessing and for God’s blessing to work through you will come and go because of the indifference towards what might bring discomfort into your life.

Dig through the roof…

What roof is in your way? Is it the quest for comfort? Do you think the friends of the paralytic man would have even carried him as far as they did up that street if they were only concerned for their comfort? If comfort was their pursuit, then forget about them carrying their friend to a roof and digging through to get Him to Jesus!

But we know that they did carry their friend to Jesus because of their love for their friend and because they were not worshippers of self. Selfless people don’t see pain or discomfort as something to be avoided but instead as something that contributes to the significance and value of their end goal. Sure those men were dripping sweat and probably had raw hands and sore muscles from carrying their friend and getting Him to Jesus. Then of course there wasn’t only the physical cost of their actions but there is also the discomfort that they probably faced after when the owner of the house sent them the bill for the hole in his roof! But here’s the thing, as those guys were looking down at their friend and Jesus reaching out to Him, were they thinking it was worth it?

If we’re going to dig through the roof of the pursuit of comfort we have to realize that true comfort from this world is an illusion. Such a pursuit will lead to a hollow, meaningless, and yes even comfortless existence. True comfort is only obtained outside of this world and finds it’s source in God.

2. The pursuit of pleasure

A close cousin to the pursuit of comfort is the pursuit of pleasure. Not everyone who is a worshipper of self is in pursuit of comfort. In fact there are many in the world today that practice the mantra of “no pain, no gain”. But everyone who is a worshipper of self is in pursuit of pleasure.

The pursuit of pleasure comes in a myriad of shapes and forms and manifestations but it nearly always is best expressed in the question, “What’s in it for me?” - “What do I get out of this?” The pursuit of pleasure is also one of those insidious symptoms of self-worship that isn’t always easy to spot - especially in the seemingly charitable actions of others. Yet there are many self-worshippers in our world who give money or even volunteer for a “good work” after first evaluating what they will get out of it. How many people in churches today evaluate what the church does in terms of how many people come into the church as a result of that activity? How many people in churches today ask before doing anything, “what’s in it for us?”

Again, like the pursuit of comfort, it’s not wrong to want a little pleasure in your life! But the problem is that when pleasure becomes a driving force in your life you end up cutting yourself off from the blessings of God. Instead of allowing God to grow and lead us to the good pasture of pleasure, a self-worshipper grazes on the putrid ground of rotting thrills.

Self-Worshippers get caught in a pursuit that never satisfies them. And the saddest thing? The saddest thing is that there are so many Christians caught in the consumerist mindset arising from this pursuit. A calamity that has left much of the western church with a Christianity that bears little resemblance to the church of Acts and a lifestyle that has little to offer that’s different from the world.

Demas is an illustration of this point. He was a young man who heard Paul preach one day. He was drawn by the Holy Spirit in the truth that God spoke through Paul. Every word was a challenge to this young man’s heart. In a great moment of spiritual ecstasy he cried out, “I will leave everything and go with this man in the service of Jesus Christ”. Such a great decision! There is little greater than someone who will willingly commit themselves to God and God’s work. Demas was right by Paul’s side. He was a joy and a help to him. But they journeyed to the great city, and attraction of the pleasures the world offered him blinded the eyes of Demas (2 Timothy 4:10). Demas deserted Paul and the calling God has placed on his life and cut off every blessing for himself and for others whom he might have served.

There is an article I came across once by George Barna who has been researching the North American church for many decades. In the article, he describes that most Christians and non-Christians have the same values, the same wants and desires. He went on to say that many Christians believe what they want is Biblically accurate, even though what they believe is more in line with what our western culture promotes than what the Bible teaches. Here’s a couple he listed:

i. Acquisitions: Our culture defines happiness in terms of what we have: bank accounts, homes, clothes and cars. Or, happiness is defined by experiences: fine restaurants, sporting events, skiing trips, and tours of Europe.
ii. Merit-based: Our value and position depend in some measure upon our parents status and in great measure upon our accomplishments.

This even happens in the church. When I was a youth pastor I would sometimes receive from well-meaning Christians the question, “So when are you going to become a real pastor?”

Dig through the roof…

What roof is in your way? Is it the pursuit of pleasure? Were the friends of the paralytic man thinking about what was in it for them when they lifted up his stretcher and carried him to the house where Jesus was? Were they really thinking about what benefit they would get when they dug through the bird crap, dirt, mud and thatch to poke a hole through the roof of the house? Here’s the thing, they weren’t doing any of this for their own pleasure and no doubt it wasn’t a very pleasurable experience! But still, they were looking to bless their friend. And in the process they were blessed too.

If we are to break through the roof of self-worship then we need to recognize the symptoms of the pursuit of pleasure and eradicate that pursuit from our life. We need to realize that healthy pleasure isn’t so much a destination as it is the result of a process. When pleasure is viewed merely as a destination it results in an unhealthy pursuit. It results in the accumulation of things or the chasing of experiences to satisfy that lust for pleasure.

When we understand that pleasure is the result of process we discover it in places we never thought of before. How many young people dream of the day they get married. They pursue the ideal mate and that romantic “happily ever after” vision promoted by the fairytales of their childhood. Then they meet the person and complete the ceremony and, well that’s it. They’ve reached the destination - but it doesn’t seem to be all that it’s cracked up to be. The pleasure in great marriages isn’t the destination, it’s the process. So many marriages are falling apart today because marriage is viewed as a destination rather than a process. If you enter marriage thinking you’ve achieved everything you need to make a great marriage work and pleasurable then you are deluded.

Now in saying this, I don’t mean that there is never pleasure in the destination. But what I am saying is that merely pursuing pleasure as a destination will result in a continual dissatisfaction.

Another important thing to remember that will help us dig through this roof is that the pleasure of this world is temporary and fleeting. Christ offers us a pleasure that is eternal and lasting. Jesus himself said,

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV)

What are treasures in heaven? They are the things that last beyond this world. The things that bring pleasure on an eternal scale rather than limited to the time we have here on earth.

One of the greatest of these eternal treasures is the pleasure of being a vehicle of blessing to others. In fact, God has wired us so that our greatest pleasure comes from loving and serving others. The path to being fulfilled and satisfied in life is found not in the accumulation of things and the amassing of accolades but is instead in the living out of God’s command to love your neighbor as yourself.

What roof is in your way?

(…the third symptom of those who worship themselves is…)

3. The pursuit of self-righteousness

Self-righteousness is best exemplified in the statement, “I have my rights”. In other words that either there are good things that I deserve because of what I’ve done or by virtue of who I am or there are things that should happen to you because of what you’ve done or by virtue of who you are.

A self-righteous person is also concerned most about appearances. It doesn’t really matter what they are thinking or storing away in their hearts or their minds but they are concerned about what others are thinking about them and how they appear to those of influence and other people who “have it all together”.

The pursuit of self-righteousness is like the pursuit of pleasure in that it is often insidious in character. Nevertheless it will rear it’s ugly head in several noticeable areas.

What does it lead to?

a. Unforgiveness

When offended the self-righteous will grab a hold of that offense, claim it, and nurture it. The offense will grow into bitterness and it becomes an inalienable “right” that they feel this way towards the one who offended them. In this climate of hurt and malicious feelings it is no wonder that forgiveness is far from their mind. This lack of forgiveness will always be a barrier to receiving and passing on blessing from God.

b. Critical Spirit

The pursuit of self-righteousness will also lead to a critical spirit.

A learned man said to D.L. Moody one day, “You made 38 grammatical errors in your sermon today.” Moody replied, “I am quite sure that I must have made even more than that. I have not had the educational advantages that you have had, but I am trying to use all that I have for the glory of God, are you?” (illustration quoted in “Barriers to Blessing” by Ed Wood)

I wonder how much the man got out of Moody’s sermon that day? The man who looks for only the mistakes of others finds little in life with which to enrich himself.

In their critical way, the self-righteous often judge men by what they have seen, when really and truly no one knows another’s heart. We throw self-righteous robes around us, we flash our critical eyes upon others and say, “Thank God, I’m not like these other men.” Yet, we do not know the things that are deep down in their hearts.

Why did Jesus first say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”? Do you really think that’s why his friends went through all that effort to bring him to Jesus? To simply hear that his “sins” are forgiven? I don’t want to minimize the importance of those very words being spoken. For indeed Jesus, does have the authority to speak them and there is a necessity for every single one of us to hear those words. But I believe that Jesus chose those words to be the first out of His mouth because He wanted to call out the self-righteous arrogance in that room - the self-righteous arrogance that would be appalled at the actions of those who dug through the roof and even more so at the way in which this teaching was interrupted; the self-righteous arrogance producing the judgement that this paralytic was responsible for his own condition by his sins - let alone the indignation that Jesus would could forgive them! The self-worshipers in that room were so wrapped up in their self-righteousness that they missed out on the blessing of God’s righteousness in that room that day. Instead of leaving blessed they left condemned.

c. looking for the line of least responsibility and culpability

When looking at their relationship to the world around them, the self-righteous are always looking for the line of least responsibility and culpability. That is, what is the minimum I need to do to keep up appearances and make it. You can apply this to any situation but it is terribly sad when so many Christians live like this. When an unmarried person asks a question like, “How far can I go and still be a virgin?”, or others ask “Have I prayed enough to look spiritual?”, “Should I tithe off my gross income or my net income?”. The Pharisees and Sadducees in Jesus’ day became experts at drawing the line. The thing is, no matter where you draw the line, God sees right through to your heart. And your heart is what matters to God.

What roof is in your way?
My heart aches, when I think of how much of God’s blessing we miss out on because we draw a line of minimum responsibility and effort. When instead, we should be looking at the limitless gifts God has already given us - gifts equipping us to pass on His blessing to others in fulfilling the greatest commandments: Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind - and to love your neighbor as yourself.

CONCLUSION

In some ways, the actions of those men taking friend to Jesus is a prelude to the very action of Christ in bringing the lost to his Father. Imagine, God Himself, in Christ choosing to leave the comfort and limitless pleasure of His eternal throne to take on the humble mantle of humanity. Not only that but what was the roof Jesus broke through? Jesus dug through the roof of sin which kept a poor and crippled world from the presence of the Father.

In the ultimate pain of the cross and the ridicule of the very men and women he came to save - in the pain of being rejected by those who called Him master and friend, Jesus clawed his way through that roof and in doing so granted every single one of us access to the great blessings of the Father. Through Him we are blessed and Him through us is the opportunity to be a blessing to others.

This thought brings new meaning to the passage in Hebrews,

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)

What was the joy set before Him? I believe it was the same joy set before the men hanging over the edge of the tattered and broken roof, gazing upon their friend who they loved, receiving healing and forgiveness from the lips of the master.

What roof is in your way? Have you detected any self-worship in your life this morning? Have you become aware of the pursuit of comfort, the pursuit of pleasure, or the pursuit of self-righteousness in your life? I invite you to allow the Holy Spirit to help you break through that roof this morning.

As a church, if we are going to fulfill God’s purpose for us - then there are a few roofs that are going to be torn down along the way. There are times where God may ask us to do things that don’t seem to bring any benefit - but it is the doing that matters.

What roof is in your way this morning?

One night a father heard his young daughter speaking, although she was alone in her room. The door was cracked open just enough so that he could see that she was kneeling beside her bed in prayer. Interested to find out what subjects a child would bring before God, he paused outside her door and listened. After tuning in to her prayer he was puzzled to hear her reciting the alphabet: “A, B, B, D, E, F, G …” She just kept repeating it. He didn’t want to interrupt her, but soon curiosity got the best of him and he broke into prayer, “Honey,” he asked, “what are you doing?”

“I’m praying, Daddy,” she replied.

“Well, why are you praying the alphabet?” he asked.
She explained, “I started my prayers, but I wasn’t sure what to pray. I decided to just say all the letters of the alphabet and let God put them together however he thinks best.”

When it comes to prayer have you ever felt that way? You knew you needed to pray, but just weren’t sure how you should go about doing it. Maybe the words escaped your mind or you were uncertain about what would be the best way to go about doing it.

Don’t feel bad! You’re not the first person to think that! In Luke 11:1, Luke records, “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.” When you look at the prayer life of Jesus you find that he set’s a rich example of what prayer is all about.

Luke 11:1b-2a (NIV)
…. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say…

Jesus’ best friends and closest followers watched Jesus ministry and observed his rich prayer life and obviously noticed how he spoke to the Father with ease. He seemed to always have the right words to say and his prayers were powerfully answered. So, they asked him, as we can too, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Jesus granted their request. He gave them a guide for how they can pray. The writers of the Bible recorded it and today we call it, “The Lord’s Prayer.” Perhaps a more appropriate title would be “The Disciple’s Prayer” because it was given to Jesus’ followers so that they could pray with power!

So, tonight, I want to take a closer look at this particular prayer. The words in this prayer are not necessarily what should be repeated ritualistically in prayer but more of an outline of how and what to pray for. I believe that Jesus was giving His disciples a model for prayer that they could base their prayer life on.

begin with praise

Praise happens when we talk about or sing about who God is. It’s verbalizing certain things that we know about His character. It is speaking about the great things he has done in the world and in our lives. Jesus put it like this…

Matthew 6:9 (NIV)
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

Notice that Jesus first describes God as “our Father in heaven.” He’s our father, not some uncaring, unnoticing deity. This was a concept that must be understood.

The writers of the Old Testament had a much different concept of their relationship to God than we do today. When the scribes who copied the Old Testament scriptures wrote the word for God, Yahweh, they would throw away their pen, never to use it again. They reasoned that once it had written the word, Yahweh, the pen was disqualified to write anything else. (David Jeremiah, Prayer, the Great Adventure p. 84)

The Jewish people couldn’t conceive of God as Father. It was very hard for them to think of Him in relational terms, but that’s exactly the thing Jesus wants us to recognize in our prayer.

He is the God who is near

He is a present help in times of trouble. He is Emmanuel, God with us. Still there is another aspect of God’s person that we should not forget.He is the God who is Most High

Hallowed means “holy,” or “set apart.” It’s the recognition that the Creator is distinct from His creation. God is totally pure, far wiser than we are, and more powerful than the largest exploding supernova. We begin in prayer by getting our mind right with regard to whose presence we’re entering into.

When John F. Kennedy was President of the United States, Life magazine published photos of his children, John Jr. and Caroline, playing with their toys on the floor of the Oval Office. Those images captured the hearts of the American people like nothing before or since. Why? I think it’s because it bridged a gap between two thoughts: Kennedy was the President of the United States, but he was also a father. He held ultimate political power in the Free World, but playing at this feet were two little kids who called him Daddy. I don’t think your kids would have been allowed to do that. Nor mine. But his kids were. Why? He was their father. He was not only President of the United States; he was also their dad.

In the same way, God is both our Father and the Lord of Glory. We can approach Him confidently in prayer because we are His dearly beloved children, but we must never forget that He is also the Sovereign of the universe.” (David Jeremiah, Prayer the Great Adventure pp. 89-90)

An ancient Orthodox writer wrote, “God cannot be grasped by the mind. If he could be grasped, he would not be God.” We are profoundly different God and I, which explains why friendship is not the primary model used in the Bible to describe our relationship. Worship is.” (Philip Yancey, Reaching for the Invisible God, p 110)

Prayer recognizes the proper relationship between us and God.

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
10 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

If you’ve crossed the line of faith you don’t have to come to God trembling in fear. You have access because you’ve been forgiven and adopted as his child. On the other hand, you don’t treat God as your good buddy, “Bubba”. He is a friend but He is not like the guy or the girl next door. No, He is our holy, heavenly Father. It is praise and worship that ushers us into His presence.

Psalm 22:3 (KJV)
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.

surrender to God’s priorities

Matthew 6:10 (NIV)
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We will only see powerful prayer when we approach God with the right attitude. Here Jesus calls us to submit ourselves totally to God. In asking that His kingdom come we’re essentially giving up control of our lives and handing it over to God. In a kingdom, there are only two classes of people, the ruler and those who are ruled over.

There must be a recognition of our place within God’s kingdom and a surrender to His rule before he’ll answer our prayers in a powerful way. He won’t entrust His stuff to us if we’re going to misuse it to selfish ends.

Richard Baxter, a great Puritan thinker and writer, well understood the real truth. He used to write these words whenever he was asked to sign one of his books: “Lord, what Thou wilt, where Thou wilt, and when Thou wilt.” In the old Puritan manner of speaking he was saying, “Lord, whatever you want, wherever you want it, and whenever you want it, that’s what I want.” (David Jeremiah, Prayer, the Great Adventure p. 106)

Does it scare you to pray like that? Well it should! But that’s where faith comes in! If we believe that God is good and on our side we understand that he’ll only tell us to do that which is for the best.

This then, is also why we need to seek the mind of the Father when we pray. How many times do you being praying by asking God how He would have you pray? One of the reasons Jesus sent the Holy Spirit is so that we would have access to the mind of the Father. It is important friends that we speak out loud and vocalize our prayer when we pray, but it is more important to open your ears first to what the Spirit of God may be directing you to pray for.

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)

ask for God’s provision.

After we’ve focused on who God is and submitted to his rule in our lives we can then go on to ask for His provision. Jesus said to simply ask…

Matthew 6:11 (NIV)
11 Give us today our daily bread.

Obviously, this was intended to move us beyond a request for food. Here we simply ask God for our needs, not our wants. Notice what’s really being asked for here, “daily bread.” And we’re to ask for today’s only, not tomorrow’s. God will meet our legitimate daily needs, but not necessarily the luxury things we ask for.

Indirectly, this single verse clues us into how often we should pray and bring our needs before God. We’re to seek him daily. People who seek him consistently each day are the one’s who experience his powerful answers to prayer. Those who are most dependent on God tend to be those He uses in significant ways.

Whatever your needs are, bring them to God on a daily basis. Even if you think they’re petty, go ahead and ask. Our heavenly Father delights in giving us good gifts the same way you delight in giving your children what they need. Ask specifically. Ask confidently. Ask persistently. Ask with faith. Just don’t give up.

Dr. Helen Roseveare, missionary to Zaire, told the following story. “A mother at our mission station died after giving birth to a premature baby. We tried to improvise an incubator to keep the infant alive, but the only hot water bottle we had was beyond repair. So we asked the children to pray for the baby and for her sister. One of the girls responded, ‘Dear God, please send a hot water bottle today. Tomorrow will be too late because by then the baby will be dead. And dear Lord, send a doll for the sister so she won’t feel so lonely.’ That afternoon a large package arrived from England. The children watched eagerly as we opened it. Much to their surprise, under some clothing was a hot water bottle! Immediately the girl who had prayed so earnestly started to dig deeper, exclaiming, ‘If God sent that, I’m sure He also sent a doll!’ And she was right! The heavenly Father knew in advance of that child’s sincere requests, and five months earlier He had led a ladies group to include both those specific articles.” (Our Daily Bread, March 18, 2002)

examine your personal relationships

Here come one of the toughest parts of the Lord’s Prayer. When you realize the magnitude of what Jesus recites in the next verse it makes you think carefully before you say it.

Matthew 6:12 (NIV)
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Think of the person who has done you the most wrong recently. Now pray, “Lord, forgive me of my sins the way I’ve forgiven so and so.” God wants us to reflect on our relationships with people because they can be an indicator of our own relationship with God. If we harbor unforgiveness we’re not right with God. Don’t expect answers to prayer if you’re holding out on forgiveness. Now hear me here. I am not talking about going to others and asking for their forgiveness. Though that is important that is not what Jesus prayed in this prayer. I’m talking about your willingness to go and forgive others.

Jesus was so serious about this point that at the end of His prayer He elaborated on this verse.

Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV)
14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

This stuff is serious business, if we’ll use the same mercy towards others that God has extended to us our prayers will take on a whole new character and power. Implied in this part of the prayer model is that we pray for the needs of others. I mean that’s what is assumed we do. But then this statement takes things one step further - we have the opportunity to go beyond forgiveness and prayer for the needs of others and allow God shape us to be like Him!

seek God’s protection

Next is what could be one of the more puzzling verses of the Bible.

Matthew 6:13 (NIV)
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

You see this verse is hard to square with another portion of the Bible that says:

James 1:13 (NIV)
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

So how do we square off those verses? Here’s how. First of all notice the location of this particular verse. It follows, “Father forgive us…”. Temptation is an enticement to sin. It is only natural then that following the prayer seeking the forgiveness of sin that we ask for deliverance and protection from the things that lead us to that sin in the first place! God never leads us to sin. Never. He does test us, however. He allows trials in our lives that are intended to draw us nearer to Himself and strengthen our faith and dependence on Him. Often, within the midst of trials and struggles we encounter a temptation to sin. That temptation comes from either ourselves - our own evil desires - or Satan, the enemy.

Another way to read this verse then is, “And keep us from those places, situations, circumstances where we experience temptation and rescue us from the evil one.” In other words, if I can avoid testing and still be close to you, please let it be, but if not help me to overcome temptation with your power. We have a promise in the scriptures that God will bring us through those times. Our part is to pray and ask for wisdom to see it coming.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

CONCLUSION

Friends, prayer can change your life. Take this model of prayer given by Jesus and build your own daily time with God. You’ll find that not only does God consistently answer your requests, but He’s changing you in the process.

The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.
(C.S. Lewis)

INTRODUCTION:

Pray:

Envy… I’d like begin today by reading to you a couple of interesting stories I picked up while surfing the Internet a few weeks ago.

Story #1: “The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypisalanti, Michigan at 7:50am, flashed a gun and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn’t open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren’t available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.”

Story #2: “Karen Lee Joachimmi, 20, was arrested in Lake City, Florida for robbery of a Howard Johnson’s motel. She was armed with only an electric chain saw, which was not plugged in.”

Story #3: “Three guys decided, late one night, to rob a petrol station. Taking in baseball bats and knives they entered and demanded money from the station clerk. But they weren’t aware of a couple of rather important things:
(1) The clerk was an ex-Israeli.
(2) The clerk was an ex-Israeli Army officer.
(3) The clerk was an ex-Israeli unarmed-combat instructor.
Needless to say they ended up in hospital. For a long time. (No charges were pressed by the petrol station owner, and the police decided that there wasn’t much point following through.)”

Story #4: “When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find an ill man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his hose into the motor home’s sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges, saying that it was the best laugh he’d ever had.”

Story #5: “Burglars in Larch Barrens, Md., tried to cut through a safe using a Laser Tag gun.”

Story #6: “Germany: Oil of Olay no longer turning the trick for her, a woman decided that she would bathe in the milk of a camel (a modern-day Cleopatra). So she stole a camel from the local zoo (where *else* can you find a camel when you need one?) and transported it back to her house - where she realized that the camel’s name was “Otto.”

Story #7: “(Location Unknown): A man successfully broke into a bank’s basement through a street-level window, cutting himself up pretty badly in the process. He then realized that (1) he could not get to the money from where he was, (2) he could not climb back out the window through which he had entered, and (3) he was bleeding pretty badly. So he located a phone and dialed “911″ for help.”

Needless to say the name of the site where I got these stories shouldn’t be much of a surprise to you. The Internet site was called “Stupid People”. The reason I shared these stories is because I thought it would give you a slightly humorous look at stupid things people will do when they envy something. For most of these criminals, they went after money - they probably envied the “easy” life that people with lots of money live. The woman with the camel - she envied the smooth skin and good looks that the “aging” women in Oil of Olay commercials portrayed.

What’s not funny, are some of the following excerpts from various articles that I found…

e.g. “Leo Wilson, Jr., 16, was shot to death for his Nike sneakers and satin sports jacket, police say.” Or how about this one, “Wheatley High School junior Adam Joseph Martin, 18, gave haircuts to neighborhood kids to earn enough to buy his new $125 Nike athletic shoes last week. Saturday night, staring down the barrel of a 9mm pistol on a Houston street, he handed over his prized possessions to two robbers, who fatally shot him anyway.”

The people that committed these murders were after a pair of shoes made by Nike. Hmmm….Envy…what will it drive people to do…?

What is envy?

James 3:16 (NIV)
16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

Galatians 5:21 and Romans 1:29-32 list envy as one of the acts of a sinful nature.

Romans 1:29-32 (NIV)
29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

I would venture to say folks that one of the principal causes of evil and sin is the dangerous feeling called envy. Envy left unchecked, becomes a primary instigator and propagator of every other evil thought and action imaginable. Envy is a characteristic of the wicked, it is selfish ambition, greed, malice, murder. It is no wonder that James attributes the cause of fights and quarrels among his readers as being “…your desires that battle within you?” (4:1) And he goes on to describe this disturbing characteristic to be when “…you want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight…” (4:2)

Webster’s Dictionary: Envy: “a feeling of antagonism towards someone because of some good which he is enjoying but which one does not have oneself || a coveting for oneself of the good which someone else is enjoying…”

Vine’s: “envy, is the feeling of displeasure produced by witnessing or hearing of the advantage or prosperity of others; this evil sense always attaches to this word…envy desires to deprive another of what he has,

Dr. Gary Collins (Homemade, July, 1985): To envy is to want something which belongs to another person.

In other words…ENVY is saying… “I like what you’ve got, I don’t like the fact that you have it, and I want it”!!!

How many of you have ever had this feeling? It is the emotion of a child who throws a temper tantrum when his/her sibling has something they want. It is the emotion of a woman when she sees someone in the clothing store trying on clothes three sizes smaller than her size - clothes that don’t even come in her size. It is the emotion of a man when after a fruitless daylong attempt at catching “the big one” a boat pulls in to shore with a 7 yr old kid holding a 10lb Rainbow. It’s the emotion of us all when we hear on the news the latest winner of the 500 million dollar jackpot. For some us this feeling is fleeting - it is an emotion that we feel for only an instant - but for others it is a feeling that sticks in our heart - that irritates us and grinds away at us.

Proverbs 14:30 “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”

Folks, if envy rots the bones then it’s going to cripple you! A person with envy is a person with a troubled heart, a troubled mind and a troubled life. How does envy cripple us?

1. Envy cripples our ability to examine ourselves.

The Story of Cain and Abel

When God accepted the offering given to him by Abel and rejected the offering given by Cain it made Cain very angry. Envy began to stew and broil in Cain’s heart

The Lord warned Cain of this brooding emotion -

Genesis 4:6-7 (NIV)
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

Instead of heeding God’s warning and examining himself Cain let his envy consume him until he killed Abel, “I like what you’ve got, I don’t like the fact that you have it, and I want it”

Envy cripples our ability to examine ourselves.

How many of you have ever said, “Gee, how come God answers their prayers but not mine?” Zoom, envy has planted its seed in your heart. If you are not careful it will blossom and consume you. You’ll fail to realize and examine the motives of your prayers -

James 4:3 (NIV)
3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

There are those that envy the perfect family in the midst of the breakdown of their own family. “Get off your behind, stop envying what others got and examine yourself — take a close look at what you are doing in your own family!!!”

There are those that envy the fortunes of the rich - when you should be asking yourself, “If I had that much money what would I spend it on, how would it change me,” I’ve heard story after story of what happens after the “big winner” cashes the check and the destruction their wealth brought to their lives.
The reason why envy is so dangerous is because it leads the person in an ever downward spiral and because it cripples our ability to examine ourselves - everything wrong, or hurtful thing we do seems justified by, “I like what you’ve got, I don’t like the fact that you have it, and I want it”

2. Envy cripples our security. ENVY CRIPPLES OUR TRUST IN GOD.

Joseph and his brothers

Genesis 37:11 (NIV)
11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

One of the saddest thing that happens to a person is when their envy leads them to feel insecure. With envy you start taking things into your own hands instead of letting God take control of things.

“I like what you’ve got, I don’t like the fact that you have it, and I want it”

3. Envy cripples our relationships.

Not only did envy cripple the security of Joseph’s brothers but it also crippled their relationship. Not only was there strain placed on the relationship between Joseph and his brothers but also among the brothers themselves as they would have to live with their actions for the rest of their lives. And not only among the brothers themselves but on their relationship with their father, Jacob. This burden was only broken by Joseph’s willingness to forgive many years later.

Envying others leads to a bitterness in our talk, an abruptness in our actions, back-biting, gossiping, slander. Envy can take you from being a close friend with someone to being a bitter enemy. It can break up families, tear apart churches and ruin communities.

Greek proverb: As rust corrupts iron, so envy corrupts man.

The saddest thing however is that not only does envy cripple the relationship you have with others but envy also cripples the relationship you have with God. I’ll be speaking more on this a little bit further on.

4. Envy cripples our ability to enjoy what we have.

Haman

Esther 5:11-13 (NIV)
11 Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. 12 “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. 13 But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”

Princes of Babylon envy Daniel

Daniel 6:3-4 (NIV)
3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.

ILLUSTRATION: Dwight L. Moody once told the fable of an eagle who was envious of another that could fly better than he could. One day the bird saw a sportsman with a bow and arrow and said to him, “I wish you would bring down that eagle up there.” The man said he would if he had some feathers for his arrow. So the jealous eagle pulled one out of his wing. The arrow was shot, but it didn’t quite reach the rival bird because he was flying too high. The first eagle pulled out another feather, then another - until he had lost so many that he himself couldn’t fly. The archer took advantage of the situation, turned around, and killed the helpless bird.

Envy not only cripples our ability to enjoy what we have but also to be thankful for what we have. How many of us have ever said, “If only I had…” and you can fill in the blank. Yet, in saying this we forget that the living standards we are privileged to enjoy in this country are considered luxurious to someone living in countries like Zimbabwe, the Sudan, or Maramar.

5. Envy cripples our spiritual growth.

1 Peter 2:1-2 (NIV)
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, The implication made in this passage is that if you don’t rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind, you will not grow up in your salvation - that is you will not grow spiritually.

For some who have not even experienced the rebirth that comes from Christ’s salvation this growth will not even get started because of envy.

Envy is a worldly and sinful emotion. It is one of the most prevalent characteristics of today’s society and hence it is no wonder that James writes to the envious,

James 4:4 (NIV)
4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

An envious spirit sets you against God, “ouch”!

One of the outward reactions and results of envy in our heart is a proud spirit. I hope you are noticing that in this summer series on Fatal Flaws there is an obvious connection weaving it’s way throughout all the flaws. Notice how Moses is described…

Numbers 12:3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

James 4:6 (NIV)
6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

We are to crave spiritual milk - that is crave God’s will, God’s plan, God’s desires not OUR desires. When we see others who are being blessed, PRAISE GOD! Don’t let envy set its footmarks all over your soul.
In James 4:7 we are told to “Submit to God” and to “resist the Devil” By now you probably get the picture that envy is not a Godly trait!! It isn’t - it is one of the biggest tools the enemy has in his arsenal to drag a person further from God. But James affirms that if you resist the devil he will flee form you!!

When you feel , “I like what you’ve got, I don’t like the fact that you have it, and I want it” resist it, say instead “I like what you’ve got, I want it, but I LOVE GOD MORE” Positively confess where your heart is. Don’t allow envy to take root!

James goes on further to write that if you come near to God he will come near to you. FOLKS IF YOU HAVE ENVY IN YOUR HEART TODAY I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO WHAT JAMES SAYS IN THE NEXT TWO VERSES!!! In vs 8-9 James tells us that in order to Come near to God we must…

1) Wash our hands

that is we must come to God with repentance, faith , and reformation. We are all sinners and in order to come near to God we must be cleansed. Remember that it was God who provided the wash basin! It is with Jesus sacrificial blood that we have the opportunity to wash our hands. We must lay our envious thoughts bare before God and say Lord forgive me.

2) You must purify your heart (you double-minded)

Double-minded refers to those who are wavering between God and the world. Purifying ones heart involves a resolving in mind and purpose to follow the ways of God - to crave spiritual milk - not an envious craving for things of the world. It involves having a sincerity in coming before God. Our single aim must be to place God before anything else in the world - to place God as our only aim. The next time envy begins to sink its creeping tendrils into our spirit we must say “I like what you’ve got, I want it, but I LOVE GOD MORE!”

3) Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.

This is not a command stating that you can’t be happy or laugh! It is merely a caution that this subject matter that has been talked about is one of utmost sincerity. The cleansing of hands and purifying of your heart is not frivolous in nature but is one of utmost sincerity and importance. Likewise the spirit of envy is one that cannot be ignored. Yes we can rejoice at God’s forgiveness but we must first grieve at our sinfulness, we must mourn our broken relationship with God because of that sin, and we must wail at our demise due to our broken relationship with God. It is in this trio of grief, mourning, and gloom that you’ll find the proper submission to God. When we realize our need for God and our lostness apart from Him then we begin to understand that in order to be a friend to God we must also be an enemy of worldliness. We must pull envy’s roots from our souls and cast it aside.

James wrapped up his treatise in verse ten when he states that if you “Humble yourselves before the Lord…” “…he will lift you up.”

Matthew Henry wrote, “Before honour is humility. The highest honour in heaven will be the reward of the greatest humility on earth.”

Are you envious of someone today? Is your heart steeped in pride? Let’s pray.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NIV)
26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God–that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

These days we here a lot of talk about investments. Now when I mention that word I could be referring to a lot of different things. I could be talking about things of a financial or material nature - that is investing in RRSPS, savings, stocks, a house, or mutual funds. When used this way, “investments” often refers to preparing financially for retirement. Then, too, investment can also be used in the context of time or relationships. Wherever it is used however the definition of investment always carries with it the understanding that you’re giving into something in order to gain something down the road. In other words, what I invest in now will eventually pay out dividends in the future. Whether it’s an investment of money, time, or talents - we hope that it will pay off!

Now have you ever wondered what investments God makes? I mean is there some celestial savings plan that allows God to plan for his retirement? No that couldn’t be, after all He owns everything and He can create whatever He needs! What about investments in time? Well, that’s kind of a moot issue as well since God is eternal and time has no effect on Him! That leaves us with one other area, and that is relationships! All through the Bible we find a clear indication that God invests in relationships. He invests in people. But then there is something else we find in the Word of God - He doesn’t just invest in anybody…it is clear that he chooses who He will invest in.

That leaves us with the question, “What kind of people does God invest in?” And the answer brings us to our text this morning. Paul’s words here in this passage might well come as a bit of a shock. They’re shocking because they are contrary to many of the ideas that we’ve all been raised with. Our society values those who have the right looks, wear the right clothes, and flaunt great talents and abilities. That’s the kind of people that the world invests in. And isn’t that right? After all an investment is supposed to pay off, right?

But listen to what Paul says in verse 28,

1 Corinthians 1:28 (NIV)
28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not…

Paul writes that God chooses the seemingly foolish, weak, and insignificant (as the world sees them). They’re the ones He calls. In fact Paul began in verse 26 by elaborating that God calls not many wise, not many mighty or influential, not many noble! It’s not that God doesn’t ever invest in the wise, the mighty, the influential or the noble but rather not many - that doesn’t’ tend to be where He goes first. Now certainly in the view of the world this is a bad investment! It is strange that God would do this…so why would God make these strange investments?

Paul writes in verse 29,
1 Corinthians 1:29 (NIV)
29 so that no one may boast before him.

God is looking to invest in people who, when everything is said and done - and He’s used them, and they’ve been successful - will say, “It was only by Your Grace LORD that we made it. We couldn’t have achieved one bit without You!”

That’s the message of these verses. Isn’t that an encouragement this morning? God reveals His glory through ordinary people like you and me. In spite of this, there are many Christians who are intimidated by their feelings of inadequacy. Of course we all know our own weaknesses and limitations better than anybody else, don’t we? And so we think that because our resources are so small, we could never do anything for God. We’ll say, “Leave it to those talented people; those ‘Super-men and women’ who have it all together!”.

But then, I’ve found out something in reply to that - those so-called ‘super-people’ don’t really exist! If you get close enough to one of those really talented, seemingly ‘all-together’ people, you’ll discover that they’re just human beings like the rest of us, with the same feelings of inadequacy about themselves that we all share to some degree.

Gladys Aylward was a missionary to China more than 50 years ago (her story was made into a film called “The Inn of the 6th Happiness”). She was forced to flee when the Japanese invaded Yangcheng, but she would not abandon the orphans that she had been caring for. With just one assistant, Gladys Aylward led more than 1200 children over the treacherous mountains toward Free China.

Along the harrowing journey she grappled with despair and, at times, a feeling of utter hopelessness. One morning on that journey, after Gladys Aylward had a sleepless night, a 13 year old girl reminded her of Moses and how he had led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the Red Sea. To which Gladys replied: “But I am not Moses”. Then the little girl said, “Of course you aren’t, but JEHOVAH IS STILL GOD!”

(quoted in The Kind of People God Invests In by Phil Morgan)

When Gladys Aylward and those orphan children made it through the mountains to safety, they proved once again that no matter how inadequate we may feel, God is still God, and we can depend on Him.

Today I want to take a brief look at three stories from the Old Testament, in which God asks three questions. I believe you’re going to see that God invests in ordinary people, and despite our feelings of inadequacy, if we will just give God what we have (even though it might not seem like much at all), He can take it and work wonders for the glory of His Name.

TRANSITION:
The first of these questions that we are confronted with was asked of Moses , and you’ll find it in Exodus.

You may recall how Moses was rescued from death as a baby - when Pharaoh was having all the Jewish infant boys slaughtered - he was hidden in a basket in the reed banks of the River Nile. And in the providence of God, Moses was found by Pharaoh’s daughter who adopted him as her own. And so Moses was raised amongst the royalty of Egypt - given the finest education and every advantage in life at that time.

As a young man he found himself perfectly positioned to be able to help his people - the Israelites. He had the ear of Pharaoh himself. He had been delivered from death, and brought by the hand of God to this incredible place of opportunity. Surely he was born to be a man of destiny.

But then it all went sour! Moses, in one rash moment of anger, seemed to throw it all away. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew - one of his people - and he lashed out and killed the Egyptian, and as a result he wound up having to flee for his life into the wilderness.

Moses spent the next 40 years tending another man’s sheep in the wilderness. The dream was smashed. Destiny lay in ruins. He was a young man when he fled Egypt; 40 years is the best part of a lifetime - seemingly wasted because of one rash act!

But then one day Moses came upon a bush, a bush that was on fire but not burning up and Moses decided to take a closer look at this weird bush.

For 40 years Moses had been living day to day, just maintaining the status quo. And sometimes when we get locked into the status quo, believing that this is our life’s lot and nothing’s ever going to change - God has to step in dramatically and get our attention. And that’s what God did with Moses at the flaming bush. He got Moses’ attention!

Moses encountered God at that bush - after 40 years in the wilderness. And God said the most outrageous thing to Moses: “Go back and bring My people out of bondage in Egypt.”

The answer that Moses gave to God’s call is understandable, don’t you think?! I can sympathize with him. He says, “Lord, it’s too late! Surely! Now if you had asked me 40 years ago it would have been a different story - I was well positioned then - I had youthful energy then - I was well-spoken. Lord, most of my conversation over the past 40 years has been with SHEEP. I don’t conduct myself very well around people any more - and I’ve almost forgotten how to speak Egyptian! How am I going to talk to Pharaoh?! And what about the Israelites - why should they listen to me? Lord, it’s too late. I had my chance and I blew it! I have nothing left to offer. Find someone who has the ability.”

And it’s then that God asked Moses this wonderful question - a question that He may also be asking YOU tonight…

Exodus 4:2 (NIV)
2 Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” …

“What have you got in your hand?”

Some people are always dwelling on the failures, the mistakes, the wrong decisions of the past. “If only I’d done this; if only I hadn’t done that!”

But God says: “You want to ask forgiveness for the past? Good. Fine. But then forget it! You can’t do anything about it, except learn from it. You can’t change it. It’s done! But what have you got in your hand NOW - today?!”

“Moses, WHAT HAVE YOU GOT IN YOUR HAND?”

Moses looked down, and what was in his hand? A rod. A simple shepherds staff. A walking stick, and a tool for scuffing sheep. That’s all he has in his hand. The legacy of what seemed like 40 wasted years! And God says: “That’ll do just fine - we can use that!”

“What are going to do Lord? Hit every Egyptian over the head with a stick?”

God said: “Throw it on the ground Moses. You’re in the presence of God - now cast it before ME!” Moses threw it down, and immediately it turned into a snake, right before his eyes. God said: “Pick it up again”. Moses took it and it became a rod again in his hand.

And God said: “Come on, let’s go to Egypt and set my people free!”

Can God use a simple shepherd’s rod? Of course He can. With Moses it was a rod; with David it was a slingshot; with Samson it was the jawbone of an ass. It doesn’t matter what it is - why? Because,

2 Corinthians 10:4 (KJV)
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

and

Zechariah 4:6 (NIV)
6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.

It was that ordinary, plain old rod of Moses that God used to baffle the magicians of Pharaoh’s court; it was that same old rod that God used in Moses’ hand to unleash ten plagues over the land of Egypt; it was that same old rod that Moses extended over the Red Sea to part the waters; it was that same old rod that Moses used to strike the rock in the wilderness and provide water for the Israelites.

“What have you got in your hand?” It’s not too late. God will not give up on you if you don’t give up on Him. “What have you got in your hand?” You may not feel like you have very much at all, but God wants to take what you have and show HIS strength.

TRANSITION:
Then there’s a second question that God asks. It’s found in 2 Kings 4:2. It’s a question that the prophet Elisha asked of a needy widow woman.

2 Kings 4:1-2a (NIV)
1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” 2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

“What have you got in your house?”

This story shows us how God wants to take our need and give us His supply.

This widow is in trouble. Her husband, the family provider, is dead. She can’t afford to pay the bills, and the creditors are at the door, about to take away her two sons to sell into slavery in order to redeem the debt. What is she going to do? She calls for the man of God. And he asks her this question: “What have you got in your house?”

Not very much at all she replies. Just one jar of oil left, that’s all.

2 Kings 4:3 (NIV)
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.

2 Kings 4:6 (NIV)
6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

[Tell story of miracle with the oil - note the significance of the oil stopped flowing when all the empty jars were filled. The oil stopped flowing when there was no where left to put it]

The fullness of God’s blessing was experienced in the emptiness of the woman’s need! The completeness of God’s provision was found in the insufficiency of the woman’s poverty! The oil stopped flowing when there was no where left to pour it…

“What have you got in your house?”

There is a principle here that I hope you’ve caught, the more empty we are in our needs the more God is able to invest of Himself in us! The problem is for many of us that our jars are full. Either we hoard the blessings God pours into our lives or we try to fill the “jars” of lives with our own solutions and remedies rather than seeking the guidance of the “oil” of God.

A little boy was brought to Jesus one day, and that little boy was prepared to put his lunch at God’s disposal. It didn’t seem like very much at all - especially when you consider the crowd that Jesus needed to feed. But Jesus took that little lunch - just five barley loaves and two small fish - and He fed a multitude of 5000 men, plus women and children!

TRANSITION:
The third and final question that God asks is found in 2 Kings 6:17.

The King of Syria was attempting to make war with Israel, but the problem was that every time they went to set a trap for the Israeli armies, the Israelites moved in another direction. It soon became clear that the Israelite generals knew the King of Syria’s plans in advance. So the King called a security meeting, and he said, “There must be a spy in the camp! We’ve got to find out who it is.” But one of his servants said, “No, there’s no spy. The problem is the Israelite prophet Elisha. God shows him everything. He knows every order you give - he even knows what you say in your bedroom - and he’s telling the King of Israel.”

So, the King of Syria sent a great army, with chariots and horses, to the city of Dothan to capture Elisha.

Now Elisha was in Dothan with his young servant. It was early morning, and the servant went out of the place where they were staying to begin the days work. But he looked up into the hills, and he froze. There surrounding Dothan was this great Syrian army.

He rushed back into the house to Elisha, and reported what he’d seen. He said, “Alas master! What shall we do?”

And then Elisha said the most peculiar thing to him. He said, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them”.

The servant was baffled! He looked up into the hills and took a rough estimate of the thousands of Syrian solders, and then he looked back at himself and Elisha, and he counted: “1….2…, what on earth are you talking about, Elisha?”

But then, the gracious, wise man of God prayed for his servant, and he simply said,

2 Kings 6:17a (NIV)
… “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” …

Now, son,…

“What have you got in your eye?”

That’s the question God asks. “What have you got in your eye?” “What do you see”

So the boy looked, and what did he see now? Forget the Syrians, the mountains around Dothan were filled with horses and chariots of fire - standing guard around the man of God (not around the city - around Elisha.) It was the Host of the Lord - the angelic armies of God.

You see, the Lord’s armies had been there all the time. Elisha knew it. But the boy needed to get spiritual sight.

When you’re feeling inadequate - like the situation has you beaten - you feel outnumbered and overwhelmed - God asks, “What have you got in your eye?”

You need to get God’s perspective on things. You need to get the Romans 8:28 perspective

Romans 8:28 (NIV)
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

A little boy was on summer holidays, and there was a circus in town. Every day he would hear the music of the parade coming down the street on which he lived, and he would race over to a knothole in the front fence and look out. He was so excited to see the colors of circus performers, and the little glimpses he’d catch of the animals. He could only imagine how wonderful it all must look in the street.

But then on one of the days he woke up with a bad headcold, and his mother confined him upstairs to bed and said he was not allowed outside to play. He was bitterly disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to look out his knothole to see the parade again. Later in the day he heard the music as the circus began to come down his street again. All of a sudden a thought occurred to him. If he climbed up on his desk, he might be able to see the parade from his bedroom window. Sure enough, when he climbed up he was startled by what he saw! Now he had a birds-eye view and he could take in the whole parade in full! All that time he’d been straining through a knothole in the fence to see just a little bit, when he could have been seeing it all from a higher perspective. (quoted in The Kind of People God Invests In by Phil Morgan)

So often we question God because we don’t understand our lives. Circumstances don’t make sense to us. We’re looking out through the little knothole of our human viewpoint, and we don’t see very well. But God sees perfectly. We need to trust Him, and wait on Him to get His sight.

“What Have you got in your eye?”

CONCLUSION

Let’s look once again at 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NIV)
26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God–that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

You don’t have to be an altogether, perfect person in order for God to use you. God usually takes the most unlikely candidates to use for His glory. God does make use of ability he’s given you, but what’s more important to God, what he looks for, is humble availability!!

He simply asks three questions:

• What have you got in your hand? (He wants to take your experiences, talents, abilities and show His strength)
• What have you got in your house? (He wants to take your need and pour in His supply)
• What have you got in your eye? (He wants to take your limited view and give you His sight).

INTRODUCTION

Today I want to talk about “When God calls…” I think it is an appropriate subject to talk about in light of how God has brought my wife Kerryanne and I to Waterloo and to WPA. We’re going to be looking at the story of Gideon this morning because it is a story that has popped up frequently in our journey the past few months and when I asked God what He would have me share with you today it surfaced once again.

The subject of God’s calling is one that we talk about when we want to know what God’s direction is for our life. However when it comes to God’s call, it’s important that we realize that it is not just related to the big things in life, you know like who we marry, our career, where we live, being parents, our ministry, or what we do in church. Those things, of course, are really important and it is good that we seek God’s direction for them, but God’s calling is more often related to the little things in life - the person you hear about who doesn’t have any food, or clothing; the person you work with pouring out their sad story and the Holy Spirit prompts you to offer to pray for them; the single mother you hear about who’s working three jobs to help support her and her family and her lawn is getting out of control because her lawnmower’s broken and even if it was fixed she just doesn’t have time to get it done - the Holy Spirit prompts you to get a crew together and get it done; or what about when you’re sitting down watching a television show and it takes a hard left and goes into material you just know is something you shouldn’t be watching. You see, God’s calling is often more related to the small choices we make in life that when you add up contribute to where God wants us to be!

As I’ve already mentioned we’re going to look at Judges 6 for the introduction to the story of Gideon and when God called Him to do something incredible….

(PRAY and then Give background of story (Judges 6:1-10))
- The Israelites had done evil in the eyes of the Lord and for 7 years they were given into the hands of the Midianites.
- The Israelites went into hiding to avoid the oppression of the Midianites.
- Whenever the Israelites planted their crops they would be invaded, and the crops and all the animals would be destroyed.
- The power and might of the Midianites was overwhelming to the Israelites.
- Eventually, the Israelites became so impoverished that they cried out to God for help.
- When the cried out the Lord sent a prophet who said (vs 8-10), he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 9 I snatched you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”
- Then in verse 11 we’re introduced to Gideon where the Angel of the Lord drops in on him…

Here we have Gideon, threshing some wheat in a winepress probably out of fear for the Midianites even discovering that he has wheat - and so he is working here in secret.

[Give brief overview of story - narrate it - highlight the transformation of Gideon from a reluctant believer to a mighty warrior.]

Today I believe the Holy Spirit wants to teach us through the story of Gideon about how God leads us into the plan He has for our lives and how calls us in not only the “big things” but also in the “little things” of life.

Let’s begin by looking at the first words the angle spoke to Gideon. He greeted Him by saying,

When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
Judges 6:12 (NIV)

Here’s the first point I want to make about when God calls…

GOD MEETS YOU WHERE YOU ARE, BUT HE CALLS YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE TO BE.

God meets you where you are…

- Notice where Gideon was - threshing wheat in a winepress to hide from the Midianites. Gideon was really not in the place we would think a significant spiritual event would occur was he? But when you think about it, not many famous Biblical characters were in some tremendous spiritual hotspot when God met them…
• Abraham’s father Terah just died when God called Him to leave his country, his father’s household, and take off for a destination unknown with the promise that God would show him it on the way.
• Jacob was fleeing for his life from the fury of his brother (whom he had cheated out of a birthright) and was asleep when God appeared in dream and called Him.
• While Joseph was a small boy God called to Him in a dream.
• Moses was an exile from Egypt, had made a new life for himself in the desert with a wife, a family, and a growing business as a shepherd. He was out shepherding the sheep when God called to Him from a burning bush.
• Saul was out looking for his donkey when God sent the prophet Samuel to Him to pronounce God’s calling Saul to be a King.
• David was taking care of sheep when God called Him to greatness.
• Esther, was busy being the queen of a mighty empire when God called her to put her life on the line and save her people.
• Elisha was ploughing a field with oxen, when the prophet Elijah came up to him and conveyed God’s call to succeed him as prophet to Israel.
• Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the King of Persia when God called Him to rebuild the temple.
• Peter and Andrew were busy cleaning their fishing nets when Jesus called them to become fishers of men.
• Matthew was collecting taxes when Jesus called out to Him to follow.
• Zechariah was up in a tree when Jesus called Him to a new life.
• A prostitute was drawing water from a well when Jesus called her to drink of the living water.
• A man named Saul was on his way to Damascus to persecute and kill Christians when Jesus appeared and called him to serve Him as an apostle to the Gentiles and a church-planter. Saul had his name changed to Paul and He became one of great instruments of God in building the early Christian church.

There’s so many more people I could draw your attention to but did you notice, that these Biblical characters are from many different “walks of life” and were called by God?

God meets you where you are when He calls you. In what you are doing, in your daily life. It is not necessary for you to be perfect, or have it all together, in order for God to call you. He chooses the time, the place, and the means of calling and meets you where you are. One of my favourite verses in the Bible is Romans 5:8,

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (NIV)

So God meets you where you are…

…but He calls you to where you are to be.
Notice how the aol greets Gideon, “The Lord is with you, Mighty Warrior” (vs12) Okay, hold on a minute, let’s recap the situation Gideon is in……is he really a MIGHTY WARRIOR? Give me a break! Master Hide and Seeker perhaps, but surely not a mighty warrior! Here’s the thing though, although God met Gideon where he was - He had in mind what Gideon could become. God does that - again we could go through the Bible and highlight different examples of that (refer to list if time). Hear me folks, God meets you where you are - He doesn’t always wait until you are in the optimum spiritual moment, He doesn’t wait until you are perfect - no, God meets you right where you are, but then, He always calls you to where He wants you to be.

Here’s the thing… God always calls us to something greater and something better. It doesn’t always necessarily mean a change of location, or a change of our career BUT it does always mean moving towards becoming more like Him. To becoming the vessel and instrument of His great purposes. Sometimes this means something huge but more often it means simply obeying and doing something small.

Gideon’s response:
- Notice at first that the name the AOL gave him didn’t even seem to register with Gideon. Why?

* Gideon knew he was a mighty warrior and it was just a restatement of fact. Didn’t mean much.
* Gideon was thinking…”if you think I’m a mighty warrior fine, ha! But I know the truth…”
* He didn’t even hear it because he was still processing the first five words… “The Lord is with You” I think this is the more likely reason, witness the next verse…

But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”
Judges 6:13 (NIV)

In other words, Gideon was looking at the circumstances of the Israelites and the situation they were in (no doubt including his position in the winepress)- He was looking at where He was - and was voicing his thoughts - “if God was really with us we wouldn’t be in the place we are right now”

Don’t you sometimes feel that way when life is throwing you a hardball and you’re in one of those places where everything just seems to be working against you and nothing is going right and then someone comes up to you and says these words, “Just remember the Lord is with you”. And we start thinking a little bit like Gideon here, “Oh come on! If he’s really with me then why am I dealing with this, why am I going through this, why am I not seeing God’s power in my life then?” Something I’ve noticed, and I don’t know any other believers here have noticed this too, but something I’ve noticed is that whenever I’m in the very beginning of transitions in my life tends to be the time where I feel like God is the farthest away. You ever feel like that?

Here’s another observation. God tends to call us when we are in the place of humility and brokenness. Or he will humble us and then call us (eg. Saul -> Paul)

Listen carefully to God’s response to Gideon