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Gideon: From the Winepress to the Warzone

Sunday, October 5th, 2003
This entry is part 2 of 15 in the series When the Heroes of Faith speak...

Read at beginning of service


John 14:1-14 (NIV)

1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

INTRODUCTION

This morning we?re continuing the series on “When the Heroes of Faith Speak”

In listing the various people in Hebrews 11, the author illustrating by their lives the definition of faith,


Hebrews 11:1-3 (NIV)1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

This morning, we?re going to look at the life of a man called Gideon.

He was a man who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, saw his potential for greatness realized.

I believe Gideon would share many things with us but I?m going to focus on four.

But, before he shares them, let me give you some background about the man called Gideon.


Judges 6:1-6 (NIV)

1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.

The kingdom of Midian was located 250 miles south of Israel, in present day Saudi Arabia.

The Midianites swept into Israel and completely conquered it.

Scripture says that their army were like locusts, devouring everything in their path. (135,000 [Judges 8:10]

This had gone on for 7 years, and Israel?s resources were just about exhausted.

Things were so bad that that verse 11 tells us that,


Judges 6:11 (NIV)

? Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

Winepresses were sunk into the ground, and Gideon was so afraid of the Midianites that he was hiding in a hole in ground while he threshed his wheat.

Israel was conquered and cowardly, and in desperation called out to the Lord.

Into this scene, the angel of the Lord comes and visits Gideon. Recalling this scene I believe Gideon would say to us this morning?

God sees our incredible Potential

here we have the picture of Gideon hiding out in a winepress while he threshes his wheat to avoid discovery by the Midianites.

The angel of the Lord first refers to Gideon as “Mighty Warrior”!

The Bible is full of examples of God seeing past the surface of individuals into the potential of who they can become:

Abram: a desert nomad becomes Abraham, the father of God?s people

Jacob: a liar and a cheat becomes the progenitor of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Moses: a murderer and an exile becomes God?s man to lead close to 1 million Israelite people from captivity in Egypt to the promised land of Canaan

David: the youngest in his family and a shepherd boy becomes the greatest king in Israel?s history and described as a man after God?s own heart.

Elisha ? a herder of oxen, a farmer becomes one of the greatest prophets of God.

That?s just a brief snapshot of some of the people in the OT but things don?t change in the NT?

Just look at some of the men who were Jesus? disciples? fishermen, a tax-collector, a doctor, laborers, Jesus saw past who they were on the surface to the potential of who they could be in Him.

And that is how God is. He looked at Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you mighty warrior!”

That is how God is with us. He looks at you and sees your potential?

But in order for that potential to be realized there is a part we have to play?

God wants our trusting Obedience

God has indicated the incredible potential he sees in Gideon by saying, “The Lord is with you mighty warrior” but notice that right away Gideon narrows in on a statement that baffles him,


Judges 6:13 (NIV)13 “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.”

I find it interesting that Gideon doesn?t have a problem being called mighty warrior ? instead, at first, he has a problem with the statement, “the Lord is with you”. For Gideon, the Lord truly would be with him if he and the rest of the Israelites were free from the oppression of the Midianites and threshing wheat in the fields instead of the winepresses. To Gideon the presence of the Midianites indicated that God had simply abandoned them.
Instead of answering Gideon?s complaint the angel of the Lord simply restates again the potential God sees in Gideon and introduces the task He has for Him which will require that potential to be realized?


Judges 6:14 (NIV)14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

I?d like to draw your attention to two things the Lord says, Go in the strength you have and, Am I not sending you? I?m going to refer to them in a moment.
Gideon?s reply indicates his misunderstanding of what God is really saying. Now, instead of focusing on who is sending him he?s focusing on what he is being asked to do. When Gideon heard the Lord say, “Go in the strength you have..” he immediately thought about his own resources?


Judges 6:15 (NIV)15 “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

But God corrects him and declares,


Judges 6:16 (NIV)16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”

What God is saying, is that the strength you have is knowing and believing that I will be with you!! Friends, the potential God saw in Gideon (to be a mighty warrior and save Israel from the Midianites) was never dependent on Gideon?s resources but on Gideon?s faith ? his trust that God would be with Him and his obedience in going/doing where/what God sent Him/asked Him to do!!!

So it is with us. God sees incredible potential in each one of you but that potential will only be realized as we trust and obey Him. This kind of faith is key to becoming what God wants us to be ? in HIM. And this is the exciting part ? In Christ there are no limits to what can be accomplished in and through your life.

God said to Gideon in effect ? you are a mighty warrior, this is what I want you to do ? I want you to save Israel out of Midian?s hand. Oh, and remember, I am with you!!”

God is always working to increase our faith in Him.

I want to quickly highlight a few things as we continue Gideon?s story?

Gideon?s first test for God (vs 19-24) ? the offering “I?m not sure I trust you”

Gideon wanted to make sure that he was hearing from the Lord. The door of faith has opened up in Gideon?s heart but before he commits he wants to know. Isn?t that how we are when it comes to the things of God? I find it funny however that?

?you go to a doctor whose name you cannot pronounce and whose degrees you have never verified. He gives you a prescription you cannot read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never seen before. He gives you a chemical compound you do not understand. Then you go home and take the pill according to the instructions on the bottle. All in trusting, sincere faith!! (quoted at Autoillustrator.com, “FAITH”)

However, it is good to want to be sure. Gideon prepared an offering to determine whether His guest was divine or ordinary. Whether the message was true or false. Notice that it was in the position of worship (via his offering) that Gideon was seeking this confirmation. It is in the place of worship, in the place of prayer that we too will find confirmation for the potential God sees in our lives as well.

With this initial test Gideon is given reason to trust God but there is still room for his faith to grow.

God?s first test for Gideon (vs 25-32) ? tear down the idols “Will you obey me?”

Now I believe there are two reasons why God asked Gideon to do this. The first reason is obvious ? God wanted to make it clear to Gideon and the Israelite people that He alone was to be worshipped. God didn?t only want Gideon to be a deliverer for the Israelites from the Midianites but He also wanted Gideon to be His instrument of restoration in Israel?s relationship with their God.

The second reasons is I believe so that Gideon?s faith would be stretched. God wanted Gideon to not only learn to obey Him but also to trust Him?

Gideon did as he was told in faith but notice the manner in which he accomplished it. He was obedient but still not very trusting! In fear of his family and the men of the town Gideon tore down the idols at night rather than in the daytime.

Yet even in the face of Gideon?s lack of trust God proved to him that He is trustworthy by keeping him from being killed (via Gideon?s father.

There is still room for his faith to grow.

Gideon?s second test for God (32-40) ? setting out the fleece “I?m not sure I want to”

There are some that would try to turn this story of Gideon setting out the fleece into a parable of faith. However, I don?t believe it is! I believe that it is a parable of faithlessness!! Gideon had already received confirmation that he had heard from God. He already knew God?s instructions for him! I believe that Gideon?s setting out the fleece was an indication of Gideon?s doubt in God?s direction. But more than that, I believe Gideon knew what God wanted Him to do but he was looking for a way out!! Why? Because he didn?t just set out the fleece once but twice!!

I?ve heard people say, “Before I ?????, I want to put out a fleece to see if this is what God really wants.” Do you know what I think? I think you already know what God wants. I think people put out a fleece to try to manipulate God?s will for their lives because they?re not sure its what they want!!

For example: let?s say God calls you to: teach, to be a deacon, to go on a mission trip, etc. So you put out a fleece. If you want to obey, you?d say something like this, “Now God, If the sun comes up tomorrow morning, then I?ll know you want me to teach Sunday School”
If you don?t want to obey, you?ll say something like this, “Now God, if two midgets come to my house at exactly 3:43 pm tomorrow afternoon, and one of them sneezes 9 times and blows his nose with a polka-dot handkerchief that he took out of his left rear pants pocket, then I?ll know that you want me to teach Sunday School.”!

Friends, when God seems to be calling you to something the first step is to pray, spend time worshipping Him until that confirmation is in your heart (as Gideon did with his offering). But when you know— don?t try to delay it by setting out fleeces! What you think you don?t want to do will actually turn out to be something you?ll never regret if you obey Him!!

I always tell people when they come to me saying, “Pastor, I think God is asking me to do ________, but I want to be sure that is His will” I always say if you?ve prayed about it and you still feel that way then it?s time to start walking through the open doors and let God close the ones he doesn?t want you to walk through ? If you are always seeking to do His will I firmly believe you?ll be doing it!! On this point, notice that before Gideon set out the fleece he had already put out the call to his countrymen to gather into an army and they answered the call!!! That in itself is confirmation that God wanted Gideon to lead His army to conquer the Midianites!!
the beautiful thing about the story of Gideon is that even though Gideon set out the fleece ? God patiently answered Him and Gideon?s faith grew a little more ? but there was still room for more growth!

God?s second test for Gideon (7:1-25) ? winnowing the army and attacking the Midianite camp ? “Will you trust me?”

So Gideon has raised an army of 32,000 part-time citizen soldiers to face Midian?s 135,000 battle hardened troops. Doesn?t look too good for the hometown team, does it? The Midian?s had a 4:1 advantage over the Israelites, and they were trained better as well.


Judges 7:2-3 (NIV)

2 The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, 3 announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

Wow! 22,000 cowards head for the hills, leaving 10,000 to fight Midian. Things are starting to look worse for the hometown team! Now the Midianites have a 13:1 advantage. But God?s still not finished.


Judges 7:4-5 (NIV)4 But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.”

God cut the herd again, and this time only 300 men were left to fight the nation of Midian. Yikes! Things are beginning to look pretty desperate for Israel. Midian now has a 450:1 advantage over Israel. It is with this army of 300 men that God sends Gideon to face the 135,000 strong army of Midian! God wanted to make sure that He would receive glory for the victory and not anyone else. It is for this moment that I believe God has been stretching Gideon?s faith. And then at the crucial moment on the eve before the battle God gives Gideon the reassurance of His presence.


Judges 7:9-15 (NIV)9 During that night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. 10 If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. 13 Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.” 14 His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.” 15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”

Gideon and his 300 men attack the Midianite army the potential God had seen in Gideon became realized as this “Mighty Warrior” soundly defeated the invaders of Israel.

In this sequence of events I hope you noticed that all the time God was working to increase Gideon?s faith. Friend?s God sees an incredible potential for your life. It takes a faith involving trust and obedience to fulfill that potential and God is ever working in your life to increase that faith. God will often begin with inviting us to trust Him in the little things. Then, He lays bigger challenges before us to stretch our faith and make us grow.

It?s a lot like watching a baby learn to walk. We don?t pick a baby up out of a crib and tell him to walk around the block. We work with him until he can sit up by himself. We encourage him as he begins to crawl. We cheer him on as he learns to stand, holding onto the coffee cable or mommy and daddy?s finger. We challenge him to let go and take those first baby steps. We work with him as he learns to walk picking him up when he falls and teaching him to not give up. And then we rejoice as he learns to run.

That ?s what God does with us! The problem with some people is that there are still too many spiritual toddlers in the kingdom of God! Too many people who won?t let go of the spiritual coffee table and take the next step in learning to walk by faith! God wants you to trust him, he wants you to obey him and he is ever giving you opportunities to do both if you will step out in faith! If your faith in Christ is at the same level as it was a year ago, a month ago, or even a week ago, you need to let go of the spiritual coffee table and take those steps of faith!

God wants to take our faith to new levels!! He?s not content to leave us where we are. He wants to put us in positions where we trust Him more and more so that the potential He sees for our lives can be realized. Are you willing to allow God to take you to new levels of faith? Then why don?t you just let go of the coffee table and walk!

So, Gideon would tell us that God sees our incredible Potential, God wants our trusting obedience, and God is always working to increase our faith in Him. But there is one final thing I believe Gideon would say to us this morning and it is a warning?

God Alone deserves our devoted Worship!

For all his faith, Gideon lost sight of God at the end

Judges 8:24-27 (NIV)

24 And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.) 25 They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each man threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 26 The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. 27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.

How heartbreaking! This great man of God lost sight of His Lord, and began to worship the memorial rather than the maker. I believe Gideon?s original intentions were right when he wanted to make a golden Ephod (a ceremonial vest worn by the priest during worship) as a memorial to God?s victory over the Midianites. The problem with Gideon?s memorial is that he began to worship it. His focus changed from the Creator to the Creation.

God had done an amazing thing in Gideon?s life and Gideon learned a lot about obeying God and putting your trust in Him. There is always a danger in victory though. The danger is that as time goes on we may begin to treasure the victory rather than the victor, the moment rather than the moment-maker, the memory rather than the one who gave us that memory. The danger is that when we start getting to excited about what God has done we forget that God has done it!! I?d like to make a blunt statement. There are too many Christians in too many churches who are worshipping idols when they ought to be worshipping God. Whether it be a memorial plaque or a “sacred tradition” or a “hallowed memory” the only one who should be receiving our praise and worship is Jesus Christ! Let me tell you something friends, if you are here for any reason other than to worship Jesus Christ, you are here for the wrong reason and you need to repent. God alone deserves our worship.. Not a pastor, not a teacher, not a family member, not a building, not a piece of stained glass. Not a hymnal. Not a tradition. God and God alone deserves our worship!!

Always remember that with everything God does in your life ? He deserves the worship!!

CONCLUSION

Invitation to non-believers to put their faith in God

Invitation for those who think God is calling them to something (their potential).

Invitation for those who have disobeyed what they now know God has asked them to do ? to repent.

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Rahab: The Prostitute with Faith

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2003
This entry is part 15 of 15 in the series When the Heroes of Faith speak...

Read at beginning of service:

John 15:13-27 (NIV)

13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other. 18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’ 26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

INTRODUCTION

(Recap previous weeks messages/introduce series)

Read text

Today we?re going to look at a woman named Rahab. Perhaps some of you have heard of her, perhaps not. I?ve called Rahab, the woman who trusted God. Rahab is twice celebrated in the New Testament as a great believer ? in Hebrews 11:31 she is listed in the great “hall of faith” ? and is described as one whose faith proved itself by good works (James 2:25 ? read earlier).


James 2:25 (NIV)

25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

So Rahab is obviously a woman worth studying. Her story is found in Joshua 2:1-24 ? why don?t we turn there together and read it?

Pray

Context surrounding Rahab?s story:

The Bible doesn?t have a whole lot to say about the life of this woman. It seems that the only account we have of her is found here in Joshua. Initially, it seems that Rahab isn?t exactly heroine material. She is first introduced as a prostitute ? not someone you would expect to be praised in the scriptures! Yet she is?

The story of Rahab is located right in the midst of the biblical account of the launch of Israel?s military campaign to conquer the Promised Land (Canaan). The Israelites are camped by the Jordan River waiting for the orders to cross and take possession of the land they had been waiting so long for. Joshua, their new leader, sends in two spies to help in the planning of his strategy.

These spies come to Jericho, the first city in the path of the coming conquerors, and we read that their first stop was the house of the prostitute Rahab. Wait a minute here! I thought they were told to look over the land not look over the people?well anyway… The question that immediately comes to mind is, why would the spies go to a prostitute?s house? Disregarding the obvious and perhaps more immoral answers for the Bible would have mentioned these possible answers if they were true ? I believe?

It was a good place to gather information and no questions would be asked in return. No doubt Rahab?s house would have been a frequent stopping place for travelers from other parts of the land and therefore much news would have been exchanged.

It was in an ideal location for a quick escape because it was built into the city wall (Joshua 2:15)

God directed the spies to Rahab?s house because He knew her heart was open to Him and that she would be instrumental in the Israelite victory over Jericho.

The New Testament describes Rahab as a woman of great faith and trust in God. And the basis for these statements rest in this short event recorded in Joshua 2. As we zero in on this event today I trust that we will find God often uses people with simple faith to accomplish His great purposes, no matter what kind of past they have had or insignificant they seem to be! Remember, one of the slogans we use here at HPC is “ordinary people who are part of an extraordinary plan”. And that phrase was developed out of this simple belief ? God will use ordinary people for his extraordinary plans when ordinary people have simple faith in Him!

So, What is it that stands out about Rahab? What would she say to us if she was here this morning?

Her faith was based on who God is not who she is (v. 1, 9-11)

“Don?t ever, ever, ever let who you are keep you from discovering who God is?”

In other words, “Don?t finish this statement, but I?m just a _______________!”

Joshua 2:1 (NIV)

1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

Joshua 2:9-11 (NIV)

9 and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

Let?s think for a moment what would have been going through Rahab?s mind as these spies entered her “inn” and she found out whom they were and where they were from? We already know that the city (and the surrounding countryside) was trembling in fear at the prospect of the Israelites knocking on their doorstep. No doubt there were some rather exaggerated stories floating around about this people from the desert but as exaggerated as they were there were too many collaborations from different sources to attribute it all to myth or legend.

It seems as though Rahab wasted no time in befriending these men and providing cover for them when her fellow countrymen came to arrest them. Perhaps as Rahab saw these spies she saw her chance for escape ? what is important to recognize in this story is the fact that Rahab believed Jericho was doomed. It was not a question of whether it would happen but merely when.

Rahab was placing everything she had at risk for these complete strangers! This is an important point ? Faith involves an element of risk. Rahab might say, “It is worth the risk to put your faith in God -= but sometimes it is scary?” These spies weren?t from a land or people known to Rahab. All she had heard was stories. How was she to know that these two men would help her in any way? By hiding them and aiding in their escape ? Rahab clearly drew her line of loyalty. If any of the people of Jericho found out about what she had done then Rahab would lose everything. And yet, Rahab believed that if she didn?t side with the Israelites and their God then she would definitely lose everything. And therein lies the crux of the matter ? Rahab wasn?t trusting in these spies for her salvation ? she was trusting in the God of these spies!

Joshua 2:12 (NIV)

12 Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign

Everything that Rahab had heard reinforced the fact that this God of the Israelites does what He says He will do. It was her hope that if she could somehow come under His people?s protection that she would escape the coming destruction of Jericho.

Rahab knew that the only way she could obtain this protection from destruction was to risk everything about herself. In order to have faith in God, she had to lose faith in everything else! Rahab could have turned the spies in and then benefited from the reward of being the one who captured them. She could have discounted the many stories she heard about the Israelites and their God. But Rahab based her faith not on who she is, a woman of Jericho, a prostitute, a woman living on the outside of the city walls ? Rahab based her faith on who God is ? the God who does what He says He will do, who keeps His promises, and who protects and saves His people. And in doing so, Rahab willingly surrendered everything she had to His mercy!

This is why Rahab?s faith was honored so much later on in the New Testament ? for this is the kind of faith that moves the heart of God. When a person surrenders everything, places everything they know, love, and trust on the line and at the mercy of God. When a person willingly trusts God with their very life ? not trying to control it in any way themselves. Then God marvels at and rewards their faith. This is the kind of faith that can move mountains.

Why do people resist surrendering themselves to Christ? For many, the reason they give is that they don?t really trust God to handle their lives to their suiting. They?re afraid of the outcome ? God will make me do something I don?t really want to do?

A young lady stood talking to an evangelist on the subject of consecration, of giving herself wholly to God. She said, “I dare not give myself wholly to the Lord, for fear He will send me out to China as a missionary.”

The evangelist said, “If some cold, snowy morning a little bird should come, half-frozen, pecking at your window, and it lets you take it in and feed it, thereby putting itself entirely in your power, what would you do? Would you grip it in your hand and crush it? Or would you give it shelter, warmth, food and care?”

A new light came into the girl?s eyes. She said, “Oh, now I see, I see. I can trust God!” Two years later she again met the evangelist and recalled to him the incident. She told of how she had finally abandoned herself to God ? and then her face lit up with a beautiful smile as she said, “And do you know where God is going to let me serve Him?” And there was now a twinkle in her eye ? “in China!” (Autoillustrator.com, “FAITH”)

The point of this story is not to get you thinking that whatever you fear most about trusting God will become a reality in your life if you abandon yourself to Him! The point is that when you abandon yourself to God the things He ends up doing in your life will be things you?ll end up wanting to do.


Psalms 37:4 (NIV)

4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

I believe there are many Christians who are not experiencing the abundant life Jesus talked about in John 10 because their faith is still based on who they are rather than on who Jesus Christ is, who God is, who the Holy Spirit is. Oh yes, they believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour but they still don?t trust Him with their life!

Rahab not only believed that the Israelites were coming to conquer and destroy Jericho and that God would fulfill what He told His people He would do, but Rahab placed her trust in this very same God and had faith that she could place her life in His hands.

Her trust in God arose out of what she had heard about Him, not what she had personally witnessed (v.9-11)

Joshua 2:9-11 (NIV)

9 and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

Notice that Rahab had not personally witnessed any of the miracles of God ? she had only heard of what happened. Yet she was willing to trust Him. This too is another reason for why her faith was celebrated in the scriptures. She could have said, “How do I know these stories are true ? sure the Israelites have conquered two kings and escaped Egypt -? but they could have just had some excellent people in charge. When they crossed the Red Sea it probably was during low tide and they only had one foot of water to wade through. There is no way they can cross the Jordan River during flood season?” But Rahab didn?t say this.

A man once told this story about some time he spent with his daughter:

The day was warm and sunny, and after lunch I took Tricia into the woods behind the house to explore with her the places I remembered from my own childhood. A dark stream ran through the woodland, and leaves were yellow-green against the fast-moving clouds and blue sky. I pointed out, as my father had to me, the warblers darting among the oaks and maples. The stream swirled lazily over rocks and sodden logs, and for a while we sat upon a boulder and watched the water flow. “Did you know there are tiny creatures in that water?” I asked. “Animals that you can?t see?”

Tricia lowered her face toward the pool beneath us. “Are there?”

My father had demonstrated the existence of the invisible teeming life by taking a sample of creek water and showing me slides under a microscope. I remembered the elaborate bulbous forms of protozoa and the bizarre wriggling cilia that waved in the droplets of water. “How do you suppose we could tell whether such creatures were there?” I asked.

Tricia continued to stare into the water. “By the fish,” she said.

“The fish?”

“I can see fish, and the fish have to eat something smaller than they are, and those things must eat something smaller?”

I nodded and laughed at what seemed so logical, and at myself for thinking I should believe only what I could see with my own eyes.

Even though her own eyes had not seen what God had done ? Rahab trusted in what she had heard about Him. Why? Because she simply put two and two together. “No matter what anyone says, there is no way the Israelites could have gotten this far and lived so long in the desert by chance ? they had to have God with them.”

Sweeping across Germany at the end of Word War II, Allied forces searched farms and houses looking for snipers. At one abandoned house, almost a heap of rubble, searchers with flashlights found their way to the basement. There, on the crumbling wall, a victim of the Holocaust had scratched a Star of David. And beneath it, in rough lettering, the message: I believe in the Sun ? even when it does not shine; I believe in love ? even when it is not shown; I believe in God?even when he does not speak. (Autoillustrator.com, “FAITH”)

The kind of faith that Rahab had and the kind of faith that this unknown victim had is the kind of faith that gives rise to hope no matter what circumstance you find yourself in. It is the kind of faith that lifts you up and carries you through the darkest and bleakest times. For, it is during those times that it isn?t always easy to see the light, feel the love, or hear the voice of God! But that doesn?t mean that He isn?t there!!!

That?s why Jesus said as recorded in John,

John 20:29 (NIV)

29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

You are blessed (as Rahab was!) when your faith allows you to believe what your eyes have not seen, or are not seeing! When you are able to trust God because of what you have heard about him, not necessarily what you have personally experienced!

Her faith led to action

James 2:25 (NIV)

25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

Rahab?s faith stood out because it motivated her to actually do something. But we need to remember something very important here. It was her faith in God that motivated her to action ? not in herself or anyone else.

What did she do?

?she hid the spies (v.4-6)

Joshua 2:4-6 (NIV)

4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)

?she identified with God?s people (v. 11,18,21)

Joshua 2:11 (NIV)

11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

Joshua 2:18 (NIV)

18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house.

Joshua 2:21 (NIV)

21 “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.” So she sent them away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

The way she identified with God?s people was by her confession that she believed in the Lord, and the hanging of the scarlet cord in her window. Isn?t it interesting that on the night of the Passover when the Israelites were saved from Egypt they were to wipe the scarlet blood of a lamb on the threshold of their doors and windows and that would be a signal to the angel of the Lord to pass-over their homes and thus save the lives of their firstborn. Here we have Rahab required to hang a scarlet cord that would signal the Israelites to pass over her home which would save the lives of the people within. I don?t think the comparison is coincidence. There is a connection between the blood of the sacrificial lamb and the scarlet color of the cord Rahab was to leave displayed. In a similar way, as Christians, it is the blood of Jesus Christ and our identification with Him through faith that brings our salvation.

?she intervened for the salvation of her relatives and friends (v.12)

Joshua 2:12 (NIV)

12 Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign

Notice that Rahab?s faith wasn?t selfish, but instead selfless. She was not only concerned for her own salvation but she worked to obtain the salvation of her family and friends as well. That is the nature of faith or trust that is placed in God. When someone trusts God and abandons their life to His mercy then God opens their eyes and their hearts to those around them who need the love of God as well.

Friends as Christians, does your faith motivate you to share God?s love with your relatives and friends ? indeed anyone that God brings across your path? I mean, do you plead in prayer for their lives before God that somehow their hearts would come to Him? Do you take the opportunities as God presents them to share the love of Jesus with them and the testimony of what He has done in your life? Do you invite them to church, to the place where they may receive the invitation to a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ ? and where they can experience the power of the Holy Spirit at work in their lives? Do you model the love of Christ in your relationship with others? This friends is working for the salvation of others. It is simply allowing the life of Jesus Christ to work through you into the lives of everyone you encounter. And begins with total and complete trust in Him!!!

A man was walking along a narrow path, not paying much attention to where he was going. Suddenly he slipped over the edge of a cliff. As he fell, he grabbed a branch growing from the side of the cliff. Realizing that he couldn?t hang on for long, he called for help.

Man: Is anybody up there?

Voice: Yes, I?m here!

Man: Who?s that?

Voice: God

Man: Lord, help me!

Voice: Do you trust me?

Man: I trust you completely, Lord.

Voice: Good. Let go of the branch.

Man: What???

Voice: I said, “Let go of the branch”

Man: {after a long pause] Is anybody else up there?

Bill was sitting in his house during a torrential downpour. As the floodwaters reached the bottom of his front door, some friends came along in a rowboat and called to him to climb in. But Bill said, “No, I?m trusting in the Lord. I?ll be O.K. I?m staying here.” The rain kept coming, and the floodwaters kept rising, until Bill was on the second floor, and then he was soon sitting on the roof. Along came a helicopter. The pilot dropped down a rope ladder and called to Bill to climb aboard. But Bill said, “No, I?m trusting in the Lord, I?m staying here.” The waters kept rising, and old Bill drowned. Arriving in heaven, Bill said to the Lord, “Lord, I just don?t understand it. I trusted in you, and I still ended up drowning.” And the Lord replied, “Well, Bill, I don?t understand it either. First I sent you a boat, and then I sent you a helicopter, and you didn?t take either one!”

Friends, with Rahab, her faith, her trust in God, led to action!! Trusting in God is something that is not only said but practiced!

CONCLUSION

So these three things stand out about Rahab?s faith in this story. Her faith was based not on who she is but on who God is, her trust in God arose out of what she heard about God not necessarily from what she personally experienced, and Rahab?s faith led to action!!

It is interesting to note that Rahab is one of two women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 1:5. Imagine, Rahab, a prostitute, listed as an ancestor of Jesus? And then twice she is praised in the New Testament. A woman who didn?t even initially belong to God?s people. A woman that initially belonged to the people that God told the Israelites to destroy in their conquest of the Promised Land. And yet, this same woman received so much honor among God?s people and in the scriptures because of her FAITH, her TRUST in God.

Friends, I believe that this is the kind of trust God would have us place in Him this morning. Remember, I said earlier that in order to have faith in God Rahab had to first lose faith in everything else. I believe that there are many people in this world today who have not placed their faith in God because they have faith in anything but Him. Maybe even some of you here today! Don?t you know that unless you trust Him with your life then everything and anything else you do trust in will fail you ? even in leading to the destruction of everything you hold dear?

Washing my son?s hair in the bathtub has been a bit of a problem sometimes. He will sit in the bathtub while I put shampoo on his hair. Then, when I pour on the water to make a lather, he will tip his head down so that the shampoo runs into his eyes, causing pain and tears. Of course this makes it that much harder to rinse the soap out of his hair!

I kept explaining to him that if he just looked straight up at me, he could avoid getting the shampoo in his face. He would agree; then, as soon as I start to rinse his hair, his fear will overcome his trust, and he?d look down again. Naturally, the shampoo runs into his face again, and there are more tears.

During one of our sessions, while I was trying to convince him to lift up his head and trust me, I suddenly realized how this situation was like my relationship to God. I know God is my Father, and I?m sure he loves me. I believe that I trust Him, but sometimes, in a difficult situation, I panic and turn my eyes away from Him.

This never solves the problem; I just become more afraid, as the “shampoo” blinds me. Even though my son knows I love him, he still has a hard time trusting me in a panicky situation. I know I can protect him but convincing him of that isn?t easy, especially when all he can see is water coming down. His lack of trust hurts me, but it hurts him more. He?s the one who has to suffer the pain.

I?m sure my lack of trust hurts God very much, but how much more does it hurt me? Often in the Bible, we are told to lift up our head to God when problems come. He knows how to protect us if we remember to listen to Him.

Now, when I find myself in a situation where it would be easy to panic, I picture my son sitting in the bathtub, looking up at me, learning to trust me. Then I ask God what I should do. Sometimes the answer may seem scary, but, one thing I?m sure of ? He?ll never pour shampoo in my face!

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Moses: From Prince to Pauper and Back Again!

Sunday, September 7th, 2003
This entry is part 14 of 15 in the series When the Heroes of Faith speak...

Read at beginning of service

Psalm 31:1-8;14-24

INTRODUCTION

For the last couple of months, we?ve been looking at the Heroes of the Faith that the writer of Hebrews described in Hebrews 11.

In Hebrews 11:1, the faith is defined.


Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

A working definition of Christian faith is “Believing and trusting that our God is in control, even when we can?t see it.” (Paul Black in the message, “Moses ? God?s Mighty Man for the Moment”)

After he defines faith, the writer of Hebrews goes on in verse 2 to state that Godly faith is the only way to be acceptable to God.

Hebrews 11:2 (NIV)

2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

It?s faith that allows Christ to come into our hearts and forgive our sins.


Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

After defining faith, the writer of Hebrews goes on to give a short list of godly men and women who had lived their lives with faith, and held unto God even through their failures.

During the last few months, we?ve looked into the lives of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph

We?ve placed them on a microscope and peered into their actions and attitudes, looking for wisdom that we can apply to our own lives.

I don?t know about you, but I want to learn from the heroes of the faith.

I want to know what it was that made them so cherished in God?s that he put them in the book.

I want to know where they failed, so that I can learn from their mistakes

I want to learn from their successes as well.

What was it about them that drove them to faithfully seek/follow Jehovah God?

I want that passion for God in my life.

So, as we continue to look at the lives of the “Heroes of the Faith”, let?s use their examples, both good and bad, to guide us as we seek to serve the one who died for us.

This morning, we?re going to look at the life of Moses.

Considered by the Jewish people to be the greatest man in history, Moses was a man of incredible faith.

Moses was a man who went from being a prince to a pauper and back again ? all in the plan of God.

God wanted a man to lead the people from bondage in Egypt to peace in the promised land.

Moses was the man that God called through a fiery bush to lead a faithless people to a fabled land.

For 400 years, they had heard about the Promised Land.

Moses was God?s man to lead them there.

If he were here today, what would Moses say to us?

What struggles would he share?what stories would he tell?

If he were in this pulpit, what words would he utter to encourage you and me?

As a pastor, I literally could preach an entire sermon series on advice that Moses could give to us.

However, I want to focus on just 3 spiritual nuggets of golden wisdom that I believe Moses would share with you this morning.

PRAY

First, I believe that Moses would challenge you to:

1. Put God First in Your Life (Verses 24-26)


Hebrews 11:24-26 (NIV)

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

Moses is the penultimate example of a man giving everything up to follow God.

We all know the story of Moses.

Pharoah had ordered all the Hebrew boys murdered.

They were to be thrown in the river and drowned.

Moses mother made an ark out of bulrushes, daubed tar inside it, and put her baby boy into the backwaters of the Nile.

Pharoah?s daughter found Moses, and he was raised as an Egyptian, living in the house of Pharoah.

He was a man of education, power and privilege.

He was a part of the government that enslaved and oppressed the Hebrews.

He was an enemy of the Hebrew people.

He was an enemy of God.

Now here?s a beautiful principle that I want you to see.

Even when we?re unfaithful.

Even when we?re thinking about anything but God.

Even when we?re enemies of God, God is faithful to us.

He was faithful to Moses, and began to draw Moses to His side.

Look back with me to Exodus 2:11

Exodus 2:11 (NIV)

11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.

Look carefully at what?s happening here.

Look carefully at what God?s doing in Moses? life.

He had no reason to care about the Hebrews.

He had no reason to feel compassion for them.

Remember, Moses had been raised in the court of Pharoah.

Hebrews were slaves.

Hebrews were 2nd class.

Hebrews were cheap labor to be used to build the grain cities, monuments and palaces of Pharoah.

Yet, look what God was doing in Moses? heart, even before he had placed faith in God.

Scripture says that Moses deliberately went out to look at the Hebrew?s burdens.

What do you think made Moses look with compassion on the Hebrew slaves?

The same God who later hardened the heart of Pharoah was now softening the heart of Moses.

This was before Moses? salvation, before he had trust/faith in Jehovah God.

How do I know this?

Exodus 2:12 (NIV)

12 Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

Now I want to make something clear – that?s not an act of a man who has faith in an all powerful God to handle any situation.

That?s the act of a man who feels that he has to handle every situation himself.

Pharoah heard about the murder, and Moses was forced to flee into the desert.

He met Jethro, married Jethro?s daughter, and settled down to a life of exile herding sheep.

40 years passed, and still Moses was not a faithful follower of God.

Then, Exodus 3 tells us that Moses was tending the flock one day when he noticed a burning bush that would not go out.

God was in that simple bush, and spoke to Moses in Exodus 3:6.


Exodus 3:6 (NIV)

6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

I believe that it is in this moment that Moses has the seed of faith sown in his heart. I believe it is in this moment that Moses realized that he was in a dangerous place! His fear was genuine ? it was a righteous fear born out of respect for who God is and the power He has!

There is a bit of a shaky start ? but from that moment on, Moses? faith and trust in God grow as he confronts Pharaoh and leads his people out of Egypt and into the promised land.

This morning, Moses would urge you to put God first in you life.

I?ll talk about this more in a minute, but where would Moses have been if God was not first in His life when he stood before Pharaoh, demanding the release of the Hebrews?

Where would Moses have been if God was not first in his life when the death angel took the firstborn of every home not marked by the blood of the lamb?

Where would Moses have been if God was not first in his life when the Hebrews were backed up against the Red Sea by Pharoah?s army?

Where would Moses have been if God was not first in his life when the people rose up against his leadership in the desert because he was taking them to a new, unfamiliar place, and it was difficult/uncomfortable?

Where would Moses have been if God was not first in his life during the 40 years of wandering in the Sinai desert.

May I tell you where Moses would have been?

He would have been nothing, no where, dead!

He would have spent the rest of his life herding smelly sheep in a barren desert.

He would have died a murderer and an exile, unable to even visit his family.

The name Moses would have died along with him.

Hebrews 11 tells us that Moses was smart enough to realize that all he was, and all he ever hoped to be lay in following Jehovah God.

He knew that he couldn?t do it on his own?he?d tried that when he murdered the Egyptian.

All that brought was ruin.

Moses hitched his heart to God, and vowed to follow him no matter what lay ahead.

Brothers/sisters, I don?t know what you?re facing this morning.

I don?t know what turmoil/heartache you?re carrying behind that face that smiles and tries to pretend everything is “Fine, Just fine”.

I don?t know what pressures you?re under, what temptations you fight.

But I do know one thing.

The same God who loved Moses loves you this morning.

The same God who gave Moses the courage to face down Pharoah can give you the courage to face down your enemies.

The same God who parted the Red Sea and move any obstacle in your life.

The same God who led Moses by cloud and by fire can lead you.

The same God who delivered them to the promised land can take you where you need to be.

How about some faith this morning?

How about putting God first in you life today?

How about trusting Him to take care of all the hurts/pains/struggles?

How about trusting Him to lead you to a better place?

Jesus said it this way.


Matthew 6:31-33 (NIV)

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Moses would say, “Put God first in your life. You just can?t do it all alone.”

2nd, Moses would tell you to:

2. Put God First Even When the Outcome is Unclear (Verse 27)


Hebrews 11:27 (NIV)

27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

Moses knew what it was like to live his life with uncertainty about the future.

He made a stand against the most powerful man in the world.

He went head to head with the most influential man on the planet.

All Moses had going for him was a conversation with a bush that burned in the desert.

God even told Moses that Pharaoh would refuse to let the people go.

When Moses really pressed God about the danger of confronting Pharaoh, God told him in Exodus 4 to take his staff and “Cast it to the ground”.

It became a snake, and I know that Moses was a man just like me because verse 3 says that “Moses ran from it” ?

Then, God had Moses stick his hand into his coat, and when he pulled it out, it was leprous.

He stuck it back in, and when it came out, he was healed.

Then God told Moses that if those two miracles didn?t work then He was to take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water Moses would take from the river would become blood.

Now take note that even after God showed Moses the miraculous signs that He would do through Moses in support of his message ? Moses still doubted ? because the future was still uncertain. In verse 10 Moses makes the excuse that He is not a man of words?(expand on)

God?s answer is Aaron ? and notice that God said in vs 14 that Aaron was already on his way to meet his brother!

God made provision for every excuse of Moses but the greatest hope he gave Moses was this ? God was certain to go with him and before him!!

Exodus 3:10 (NIV)

10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Exodus 3:12 (NIV)

12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

Exodus 3:20 (NIV)

20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.

Exodus 3:21 (NIV)

21 “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.

Exodus 4:11-12 (NIV)

11 The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

So Moses and Aaron went off to see the Pharaoh?

Exodus 7:10-12 (NIV)

10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.

If you were Moses and Aaron, How would you be feeling at that moment?

“911, can I help you?”

“Yes, we?ve got a situation here! The leader of the world is about to kill me for standing up to him. Could you send the police, and ambulance, and a hearse to Pharoah?s palace??!!”

Moses went through a lot of times where the outcome was unclear.

He never knew if his next visit to Pharoah?s court would be his last.

What do you think was running through Moses? mind when he stood with his back to the Red Sea, facing all of Pharoah?s horsemen and chariots?

Do you think that he really knew with absolute certainty that when he lifted his arms, the waters would part?

Friends, we all face those times of uncertainty in our lives.

We sit before a pile of bills, wondering where the money will come to pay them.

We sit beside the bed of a loved one, not knowing whether the next breath they take will be their last.

We sit beside the telephone, wondering where that child is when it?s long past curfew, or wondering if we got the job or not.

The list goes on and on, and it seems that uncertainty is always there, looking over our shoulder.

It is crucial that you hear me this morning?

You and I are not in control of one single area of our lives!

We work like little ants, thinking that we control our destiny.

We don?t control anything.

There?s no savings account that illness/accident can?t drain.

There?s no retirement account that can care for every need we?ll have in our old age.

There?s no doctor that can keep death from knocking at our door.

There?s no airbag that can keep us totally safe when we leave this place.

Moses would tell you this morning that we need to pout God first in times of uncertainty.

There is nothing beyond His knowledge/control.

There is no problem He can?t handle.

There is no illness He can?t cure.

Moses Put God first in times of uncertainty, and God blessed Moses.

God took care of Moses.

The rubber of our faith meets the road during times of uncertainty.

You can determine how much faith you have in God by how you handle uncertainty!

Do you have certain faith that a certain God can handle an uncertain future.

I pray that you do!

Last, Moses would say to us:

3. Put God First in Times of Fear. (Verses 28-29)


Hebrews 11:28-29 (NIV)

28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

Wait a minute pastor ? you may ask – isn?t that the same point that you just preached?

These points are similar ? after all uncertainty is a fuel for fear. However?

It?s one thing to hold onto God during times of uncertainty, it?s an entirely different matter to hold on to Him through times of panic.

I want you to imagine for a moment the scene that played out over Egypt on the night the death angel passed through and took every firstborn son of Egypt?Imagine for a moment the trauma that was upon the Israelites trapped between a vengeful Egyptian army and a raging Red Sea?

Friends, that?s a time of total panic.

Mothers, all of the firstborn whose doors are not marked with the blood of a sacrificed lamb are dying horrible deaths.

Are you absolutely certain that the death angel will pass you by?

Didn?t you sin yesterday?

Will he still pass you by?

Moses, you got these people into this mess by challenging Pharoah.

Will they all die?

Did you do everything that you were supposed to do as their leader?

Will their blood be on you hands?

Friends, Moses knew what it was like to be afraid.

He knew what total panic was like.

He had to know, because he was human!

You can?t hear the screams of the dying without feeling the panic yourself.

You can?t realize that you?re pinned between the ocean and Pharoah?s army without feeling the terror rise up in your throat.

May I ask you a question this morning?

What are you most afraid of?

What haunts your nightmares?

What makes you shake with terror?

Now, let me ask you another question.

Do you trust God with that fear?

Do you trust that God is able to handle that situation?

Do you trust that God cares enough about you to handle that situation?

Do you trust that God is on duty to handle that situation?

ALTAR CALL

May I ask you a question this morning?

Have you put God first in your life? (EXPOUND)

Have you made Him Lord over your uncertainties? (EXPOUND)

Have you made Him Lord over you fears? (EXPOUND)

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Joseph: The Dreamer

Sunday, August 31st, 2003
This entry is part 13 of 15 in the series When the Heroes of Faith speak...

INTRODUCTION

Recap previous messages in series? “Last week we looked at Jacob, the man who had his name changed from a name that meant “deciever” (an accurate description of his character) to Israel which means “God prevails”. Jacob is proof that God can change the most corrupt heart!

Today we?re going to look at a man who spent a lot of times in the “ditches” of life. The man I?m going to talk about today probably was the first who exclaimed, “If life is a bowl of cherries, why am I in the pits?” Yet if there ever was a guy who knew how to take lemons and make lemonade, it was this man?

Hebrews 11:22 (NIV)

22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

The write of Hebrews lists Joseph as a hero of faith. Why? What is it about this man that makes him worthy of making the list?
Not only did he make the list, but Genesis devotes more than 8 full chapters to the life of the servant of God named Joseph. If Joseph burst through our doors this morning, strode to this pulpit, and began to preach, what would he say to you? What nuggets of wisdom would he share with you? What things would Joseph maybe have done differently?

From some observations I?ve discovered about Joseph?s life, I believe that there are 3 things Joseph would say to us if he were here this morning.

PRAY

Before I get into the statements that I believe Joseph would speak, there are I few things I?d like to establish first.

Joseph was a favored son?

One of the first things we are told about Joseph when we are introduced to him in Genesis 37 is that he was a favored son among many brothers.

Genesis 37:3 (NIV)

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.

Joseph?s dad, Jacob, loved him so much that he made for him a special robe for him. Joseph was loved so much by Jacob because he was the first of two sons born to him by Rachel ? the love of Jacob?s life [elaborate]?

What is significant here is that because Joseph was favored he had a rather easy beginning to his life! Life was pretty rosy for him for the first seventeen years! However?

Joseph was a hated brother?

Genesis 37:4 (NIV)

4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Joseph was a dreamer?

In his young age Joseph was given a pair of dreams by God that prophesied about his future. A future that, for Joseph at least, was a very interesting and blessed one.

Genesis 37:5-11 (NIV)

5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Needless to say, when Joseph?s family heard his dream they weren?t exactly enthused! Joseph wasn?t the only one in the Bible who received a God-given dream?

Moses & Israelites ? freedom from slavery and then promised land

Joshua ? victory over inhabitants of promised land/a nation serving God

David ? a kingdom united under God, a temple for God

Nehemiah ? the kingdom and temple restored/rebuilt.

Jesus ? the reconciliation between God and man. This is God?s dream!

2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Then there are dreams that God has given great men down through history ? men like?

Abraham Lincoln ? the America would be a land of freedom

Martin Luther King Jr. ? his famous “I have a dream” speech

Or more modern day “dreamers” like Dr. Dobson ? Focus on the Family.

Then there are dreams that God bestows on everyday people like you and me. Dreams for your family, dreams for your future, dreams for your church. One of the dreams he has given many people here for HPC ? myself included ? is that our church would have an incredible impact on our community and that we will see our sanctuary full of new believers in Jesus Christ. I have a dream to be in a new church building in five years. I have a dream to see our community in the midst of a revival. What is your dream? What dreams has God given you for your life, your family, your home, your church? Do you have a dream? What are the “palaces” that God has placed in your mind? What kind of mountaintops are capturing your heart? What are the blessings that you yearn for?

So Joseph was a dreamer ? now, what would the dreamer say to us today if he were here?

THERE ARE SOME PIT-STOPS ON THE WAY TO THE PALACE?

The journey to your God-given dream?s destination will mean walking through some valleys?

Look what happened to Joseph?

His own brothers sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:12-28)

He became the slave of an Egyptian official (Genesis 39:1)

He was falsely accused of sexual molestation (Genesis 39:11-18)

He was thrown into prison (Genesis 39:19-20)

His hope to get out of prison was dashed when a man he helped forgot about him and he spent another two years in the dungeon. (Genesis 39:20-23)

There were definitely some pit-stops or valleys on Joseph?s journey to his dreams? destination! We too will face some pit-stops on the road to our palaces! The path to the fulfillment of a dream is always filled with valleys?

Some valleys may be of your own making?

Sometimes we will walk right into the valleys that God would rather we didn?t ? but he has given us free-will and will not interfere. Folks sometimes we just do plain stupid things when we take things into our own hands! Look at Joseph?

IF you were the runt of the litter?

If you were a Daddy?s boy who got special treatment?

If your brothers already hated you and scorned you?

Would you go and share the dream Joseph had been given with your brothers?

God never told Joseph to share those dreams.

God never instructed him to tell his brothers that he would rule over them.

If that wasn?t enough, He decided to tell the whole family about another dream that he?d had that indicated they all would bow down to him.

Or what about when Joseph was accused of molesting his master?s wife. Notice what Genesis 39:11-12 says? (expand)

Genesis 39:11-12 (NIV)

11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

Some valleys may be of God?s choosing?

Sometimes God allows certain things to happen in our lives so he can make the preparations in your life and in the lives of others for the fulfillment of the dream He?s given you.

Sometimes we go through valleys that just defy explanation and we simply have to trust that God is doing a work in our lives through those valleys (this will be important to remember when we come to the second point).

For instance, the question that sometimes comes to my mind when I read the story of Joseph is why did God wait two full years to pass before giving Pharaoh his dream that would lead to the release of Joseph from prison (see Genesis 41:1-14)?

Some valleys may be caused by Satan?

John 10:10 (NIV)

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

More often these valleys are simply a combination of all three?

The thing we need to remember about our Lord is that He is all-knowing and all-powerful. Don?t think for a moment that He doesn?t already know about some of the dumb decisions, or choices you will make when He gives you a dream. Yet, He still does. Don?t think for a moment that God isn?t aware of the enemy?s plans and schemes to derail you of the track to God?s dream for your life. I believe that sometimes the valleys we go through are a combination of our choosing and His allowing so that we will not only learn a lesson but also so that He will be glorified.

Maybe Joseph made his own valley by spilling the beans on his God-given dream to the wrong people. But God used that opportunity to get Him on the road to Egypt.

Maybe Joseph shouldn?t have placed himself in a dangerous position with Potiphar?s wife. Or maybe Satan was doing his best to get Joseph to sin. But God transformed the valley into an opportunity to meet the king of Egypt.

One of my most favorite verses in the Bible is found in Romans 8:28;

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.

Certainly this was the case with Joseph.

Friend?s I believe Joseph would tell us that the journey to your God-given dream?s destination will mean walking through some valleys?.BUT when you persevere you WILL get there!!!

Moses & Israelites ? freedom from slavery and then promised land

Joshua ? victory over inhabitants of promised land/a nation serving God

David ? a kingdom united under God, a temple for God

Nehemiah ? the kingdom and temple restored/rebuilt.

Jesus ? the reconciliation between God and man. This is God?s dream!

Hebrews 12:2-3 (NIV)

2 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. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

This is where faith comes in ? having faith that the valley will eventually start sloping upwards!! Which brings me to the next statement I believe Joseph would make if He were here this morning?

WHAT YOU DO IN THE PITS INFLUENCES HOW LONG YOU?LL STAY THERE!

While it is true that there are some pit-stops on the way to the palace ? it is equally true that the length of time you spend in those valley?s depend on what you do! You see you have two choices when you come to the valley?s of life ? you can grow or you can choke! You can give up or you can give more!! The dream God has given you will either live or die in the pit-stops you face in your journey.

The hallmark of integrity is what a person does when they are in the low points of life. A person of integrity will not see defeat as an excuse for depravity but instead will see defeat as a challenge to diligence and perseverance. This was the case with Joseph?

when he became a slave of Potiphar he could have griped, he could have groaned, he could have complained, and certainly he could have been a miserable person or at least tried to run away ? after all, he wasn?t supposed to be there right? Joseph was a favored son of a prominent leader in the land of Canaan. He was where he didn?t deserve to be! Yet listen to what the Bible says about what Joseph did in Potiphar?s household.


Genesis 39:2-6 (NIV)2 The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,

Joseph chose integrity over giving up and giving in when he was at the house of Potiphar. Notice that because of his choice he ended up becoming the most important person in Potiphar?s household next to Potiphar himself! He was rising out of the pit in which he found himself because his attitude and actions reflected his integrity.

Then there came a further test of Joseph?s integrity when Potiphar?s wife threw herself at him and tried to seduce him. Certainly this young man would have been tempted to give in to the bosses wife but listen to his response to her advances?


Genesis 39:8-10 (NIV)8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

Certainly you would think that now Joseph would be rewarded somehow for his character and strength in resisting this woman?s advances and remaining a man of integrity ? but what happened? He got tossed into the pit again! And isn?t that how life is? It seems that no matter what good you do ? you just end up in the pits again!! Joseph could have thrown in the towel this time and said, “That?s it! I?m done with this nice guy bit” But he didn?t ? why? Because integrity wasn?t just a trial thing for Joseph ? it was his life because of his relationship and love for God. Even though he was in the valley again ? Joseph persevered. And once again he rose out of the pit?


Genesis 39:20-23 (NIV)20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Expand the same point with the cupbearer and the baker? (Genesis 40)


Genesis 40:23 (NIV)23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

What you do in the pit influences how long you stay there? and let me add something to that ? even the deepest valleys can turn into the highest mountains when you make the right choices?

When you?

choose to grow rather than gripe.

Choose to give more rather than give up

Choose to last rather than list.

Choose to depend on God rather than divorce yourself from him

Choose to rejoice rather than wail

The sad thing is, there are so many people who don?t get out of the valleys of life because they?ve lost sight of the mountain. Joseph never forgot his dream ? and he never forgot his God. Because he continued to act like a mountain dweller even when he was in the valley?s ? because he continued to behave like an inhabitant of the palace even when he was in the pits ? those valleys turned into mountains in Joseph?s life.

Now this brings me to the next point?

WHEN YOU REACH THE PALACE ? DON?T FORGET WHO PUT YOU THERE!!

I was struck with what Joseph said as the dreams of his youth were realized when his family had to come to him as the most powerful man in Egypt next to Pharaoh in order to get food because of the famine (expand on story]. Joseph very easily could have destroyed his brothers for what they had done to him. He could have very well exacted a fitting revenge for their betrayal of family ties. While Joseph did test them he never took revenge and when he revealed who he was to his brothers ? in face of their fear ? Joseph said these words?


Genesis 45:4-9 (NIV)4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay.

Joseph made it clear his understanding that he was only in the palace because of what God had done. When your God-given dreams get realized don?t ever forget who gave you them in the first place! Isn?t it funny that when we find ourselves in the valleys of life it?s so easy to blame God, yet when we bask in the sun of the mountaintop we forget Him! Remember to glorify God for the fulfillment of His dream for your life ? the dream he has given you?

CONCLUSION

Folks, I?d like to repeat some of the questions I asked at the beginning of this message?

What is your dream? What dreams has God given you for your life, your family, your home, your church? Do you have a dream? What are the “palaces” that God has placed in your mind? What kind of mountaintops are capturing your heart? What are the blessings that you yearn for?

On the first Day of Pentecost after Jesus? Resurrection ? the day that Christ established his church in the power of the Holy Spirit ? the apostle Peter addressed a crowd of people in Jerusalem who had just witnessed the baptism of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ. In the midst of his message Peter quotes from the prophet Joel and says,

Acts 2:17 (NIV)

17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

Folks, I believe with all my heart that God has a dream He wants to give you (if He hasn?t already done so). If you have that dream already then I want you to believe in it and pray for it and have faith that the dream will become a reality in the power of God. Remember that there will be some pit-stops on the way to the palace of your dream (maybe you are in one of those pits right now!!), and decide now what you are going to do about it! Don?t let the valley become the grave of your dream instead let it be a step to its fulfillment! If you are in that valley right now then I want to pray with you that you will have the integrity of Joseph and make the right choices.

If you are a Christian here today and don?t have a dream then I want to pray with you and for you today that the Holy Spirit will birth the dream He has for you, in you today!

If you are not a Christian then I want to share with you the dream God has for you right now [share the gospel message] Will you fulfill God?s dream for your life right now? Will you receive Christ? Will you receive the dreams he wants to give you as your own – dreams that are possible as God works in and through your life?

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Jacob: When God Prevails

Sunday, August 24th, 2003
This entry is part 12 of 15 in the series When the Heroes of Faith speak...

Read at beginning of service:

Genesis 32:22-32 (NIV)

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.” 29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” 31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.

INTRODUCTION

For a number of weeks now I?ve been preaching a series entitled, “When the Heroes of Faith Speak”(?recap messages)

Today, into the sanctuary comes a man who should be an example to us all.

A man who is living proof of the power of God to change us from what we are, into the potential for what we can be in Christ.

Up to the pulpit strides a man who is living proof of the reality of Phillipians 1:6,


Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

He is a work in progress, and man who knows sadness and success, heartache and happiness, haughtiness and humbleness, imperfection and integrity.

He is so much like us that it?s frightening.

To look into his face is to look into the mirror.

Now it?s been said that you can?t teach an old dog new tricks.

However, an “old dog” named Jacob would disagree with you.

The name of this man means “deceitful” and as we?ll discover he certainly lived up to this name. However, God taught him some new tricks, and he was so radically changed that God also changed his name to Israel, which means “God Prevails”. Certainly God prevailed in this man?s life and I believe that Jacob would speak to us with a wisdom that comes from experiencing the grace and goodness of God in spite of his shortcomings.

What does God have to do to change a heart so completely?

What will God have to do in our lives to change our hearts from the men/women we ARE to the men/women He WANTS us to be?

Friends, I submit to you this morning that a leopard can change its spots into stripes with when God wills it.

I submit to you that a “Jacob” can become an “Israel” with God?s help.

I submit to you that you can change your heart/habits and become everything good that Christ wants for you, with his work in and through you!

Let?s look at 4 pieces of advice that Jacob would give to us this morning.

1. Don?t Play Favorites with Your Children.

Genesis 27 and 28 tell us the story of Jacob (the deceiver) stealing his brother?s birthright.

The birthright was very important in that day and time.

It functioned as:

A will for material possessions.

A declaration of family leadership.

A blessing from almighty God.

Isaac?s senses were going?He could no longer hear/see very well.

Genesis 25:27-28 tells us that each parent had a favored child.


Genesis 25:27-28 (NIV)

27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

It was time for Isaac to pass the birthright to his favored son Esau.

But Rebekah wanted Jacob to have all those things, and convinced Jacob to fool his father.

Jacob cooked a stew of wild meat, dressed in Esau?s clothes, draped a skin over his arm like his hairy brother, and took the food into his father.

Genesis 27:19 tells us that Jacob blatantly lied to his father.


Genesis 27:19 (NIV)

19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing.”

Isaac ate, and then gave his blessing to Jacob instead of Esau.

And the family was nearly destroyed because of parents playing favorites.

The succeeding chapters of Genesis tell us that Esau threatened to kill his brother Jacob.

Jacob ran for his life to his uncle Laban?s house.

Genesis 28:1-2 tells us that, as Jacob got ready to leave, Isaac told him,


Genesis 28:1-2 (NIV)

1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. 2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

And, as a result of parents playing favorites with their children, Esau became a rebellious son.

Over 20 years after Jacob left home, he returned to face Esau.

Genesis 32 tells us how Jacob divided his family/flocks/servants into 2 groups, so that if Esau slaughtered the first group, the 2nd might have a chance to run.

Here?s a picture of the well where Jacob and Esau met again after 20 years.

After 20 years, Esau chose to accept rather than destroy Jacob.

But look at the cost of parents playing favorites in the family!

? A wife working to deceive her husband.

? A son lying to his father.

? Another son who rebelled.

? A son separated 20 years from his family.

Friends, the cost of playing favorites with your children is always too high to pay!

If Jacob were here this morning, he?d plead with you to never, ever play favorites with your children.

(if time relate story of Joseph [Jacob?s son] Genesis 37)

Genesis 37:3-4 (NIV)

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Also, Jacob would encourage you.

He?d tell you that?

2. The Really Important Things in Life are Worth Struggling For.

Genesis 29 tells us that Jacob went to His uncle Laban?s country.
He did the first thing many young men do when they get out on their own.

He fell totally in love with the first girl that he saw.

Down the path comes Laban?s daughter Rachel, and Jacob is totally tongue-tied!

Genesis 29:11 tells us that within a few minutes of meeting this gal, he?s already smooching on her and crying because he loves her so much!

Genesis 29:11 (NIV)

11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud.

The rest of chapter 29 tells us how Jacob agreed to work as Laban?s servant for 7 years just for the right to marry his true love Rachel!

Listen to these ? oh so romantic words?

Genesis 29:20 (NIV)

20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

Awwww?

The marriage day finally arrives, the vows are spoken, and Jacob goes into the tent to consummate the wedding vows.

But, the deceiver was deceived!

Laban slipped Rachel?s older sister Leah into the dark tent, and Jacob consummated the marriage with Leah, not Rachel!

Laban offered to let Jacob marry Rachel too, if he would agree to serve him 7 more years!

Jacob had to serve Laban for 14 years in order to marry his first love, Rachel.

There?s a really important principle here, friends.

The really important things in our lives are worth struggling for.

Nothing worthwhile ever comes quickly.

It usually takes our blood, sweat, prayers, and tears to see out dreams realized.

Just ask some of our saints who have been married for a while?A good marriage takes a lot of struggling!

I?ve never met a honest couple who failed to admit to me that they?ve struggled in their marriage.

Even Ruth and Billy Graham went through hard times.

Ruth Graham was asked one time if she ever considered divorcing Billy.

“Divorce, no never! But murder, murder I?ve considered any times!”

Our families will never be what we want them to be unless we?re willing to struggle for them.

Raising our children is never easy.

They don?t raise themselves.

It takes effort to discipline our kids.

When you ground your kids, you get grounded right beside them.

In most cases, by the teen years, it?s pretty easy to tell which parents have struggled for their families.

We have a Biblical, Godly responsibility to struggle as hard as we have to in order to lead our children toward God.

Our church will never be what God wants it to be unless we?re willing to struggle for it.

Too many church members would rather run away from sin than confront it.

Too many church members would rather talk about the church rather than struggle to make her what God wants her to be.

Too many pastors would rather pack up and leave when trouble comes along than struggle to provide Godly leadership to the Body of Christ.

(Talk about my call to Hanover)

Let me saw this for the record?and when I say it?

Some of you may want to rejoice,

Some of you may want to repent,

Some of you may want to resign.

God called me to this church.

He called me to provide Godly leadership to this church.

He called me to preach God?s Word faithfully in this church,

He called me to love the hard to love as much as the easy to love.

And unless/until he “uncalls” me, you all better get used to seeing my face up here each Sunday morning.

God has called me to lead this congregation during an amazing time when He is doing great things.

And friends, God?s work here in this church is really important, and it?s worth struggling for!

Unless God leads me elsewhere, you can expect to see me here for a long time.

Jacob would tell you that the really important things are worth struggling for!

Jacob would tell you:

Don?t Play Favorites with Your Children

The Really Important Things in Life are Worth Struggling For.

And 3rd, he?d remind you that:

3. What Goes Around Comes Around ? “Be careful what you sow”

Jacob, the deceiver, cheated his brother out of the most important thing in his life, Isaac?s blessing.

Laban turned around and cheated Jacob out of the most important thing in his life, Rachel.

Friends, there?s a valuable spiritual principle here.

It?s a principle that God has laid into the very foundation of creation ? you reap what you sow!


Galatians 6:7 (NIV)

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Now, before I go on?Let me make a very important statement here.

God is one who isn?t mocked.

God is the one who deals out the consequences for our sins.


Romans 12:17-21 (NIV)

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

If you don?t hear anything else I say here this morning, please hear this.

God doesn?t need your help in making sure what goes around comes around.

He?s perfectly capable of taking care of whoever needs to be taken care of without our intervention.

And He will make it happen.

Some folks will account for their behavior here?the natural consequence of their actions.

Some folks will account for their sins in front of our Almighty God on the day of Judgment

2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV)

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

The deeds of the unrepentant heart will be laid out bare at the judgment seat and it will show that what goes around comes around!

God has made sure that whatever goes around comes around. It is the eternal balance.

? Gossips will be gossiped about?He who talks to you today will talk about you tomorrow.

? Liars will be lied to.

? Cheaters will be cheated.

? Stealers will be stolen from.

? The mean spirited will be treated meanly.

Jacob, the deceiver, was deceived!

Whatever goes around comes around.

God will take care of it, and He doesn?t need your help to do it.

Also, Jacob would plead with you to:

4. Do Whatever it Takes to Hang on to God

In Genesis 32, we see a man in turmoil.

Jacob is coming home.

Jacob hasn?t seen Esau in 20 years.

He has no idea whether he?ll be received or rejected

He sent his family across the river and camped by himself.

God appeared to Jacob that night.

Jacob must have quickly realized that he was dealing with a Heavenly force, because he demanded that the Lord would bless him.

They wrestled for hours, and Jacob?s hip was torn out of it?s socket in the struggle.

Still, Jacob demanded the Heavenly blessing.

Finally, in Genesis 32:26 “And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”


Genesis 32:26 (NIV)

26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Do you see what?s happening here folks?

Jacob is in a crisis.

The deceiver is about to face the one whom he has deceived.

The cheater wonders whether he?ll live to see the sun set.

He?s alone/afraid.

And in that hour of crisis, God appears to him.

At that moment, Jacob makes a decision.

He?s tired of being a deceiver.

He?s tired of living from lie to lie.

He?s tired of trying to survive by his own wits and strength.

All his cunning has gotten him is a brother that swore to kill him and 20 years as a servant in his father in law?s house.

In the dark of that night, alone, Jacob looked inside himself at who he really was.

And Jacob wasn?t very happy about what he saw.

Friends, God always comes to us in our time of need, or hour of crisis.

And He?s a gentleman?He?ll never force himself upon you.

He stood before Jacob, and I believe that the physical struggle with God was symbolic of the internal struggle in Jacob?s heart.

Finally, Jacob decided that it was time to let go of the past.

It was time to put his sins behind him and reach out to almighty God.

So he called upon God for His blessing.

Look at God?s answer.


Genesis 32:27-28 (NIV)

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”

God gave him a new heart, and a new name.

Friends, Jacob would have been a man in his 40?s when he laid down the title of “Deceiver” and took up the God given title of “Overcomer”.

If you don?t hear anything else here this morning, please hear me now?.It?s not Too Late for you to Change!

God is in the business of redemption.

God is in the business of change.

God wants more than salvation for you.

God wants to give you a new name.

“But preacher, I like my name!”

Well, God will someday change your name just like he changed Jacob?s


Revelation 2:17 (NIV)

17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

God wants to change your heart today.

CONCLUSION

Jacob would challenge you this morning.

He?s say?

? Don?t Play Favorites with Your Children.

? The Really Important Things in Life are Worth Struggling For.

? What Goes Around Comes Around

? Do Whatever it Takes to Hang on to God

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