Philippians 3:10-11 My goal is to know him, and the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead
I’ve read and commented on, preached, memorized, and shared these verses more times than I can recall. These verses have been a driving force for my life. I understandably have paid a lot of attention to the process – i.e. to know the power of the resurrection, I must walk in the path of suffering and death.
But this morning, the living active word of God got my attention with something fresh. Most translations begin v10 “that I may …” but the CSB renders that phrase, “my goal is…”
There is a “that” or “so that” behind all that we experience in Christ, so that in the work of God, there is always a goal to be achieved. So, I like this wording, so I backed up behind and then looked after. Paul is giving a personal testimony, before. He talks of his upbringing in the Hebrew faith, his education and training as a Pharisee, but then he shifts in vv8-9 and says, “I have suffered … loss of everything”.
But NOW, I have always seen this as “the resurrection” and “The suffering” and “The death”, all leading to The Power of the Resurrection. But Paul says in v11, that his assumption is that He will BE resurrected, at the end… and he says, “I haven’t already gotten that”. But – “forgetting the past… reaching forward… I pursue the prize promised”.
So what is the GOAL?
Power? Suffering? Death?
NO… Look back at the common denominator… “that I may know… my goal is to know”
HIM… HIM!
Yes, I have a righteousness by faith, and I am positioned IN Christ, BUT I want, right now, to know HIM. the power of HIS resurrection… the fellowship of HIS sufferings… conformed to HIS death… Not just at the end, but TODAY… NOW
Jesus, I received you, and I know you, but I need to KNOW YOU MORE.
So, v7 everything that was a GAIN… all good stuff, but it is nothing, it is of no credit, other than and only that it brings me to and reveals Christ to me.
He is the Answer
He is who I seek
He is my Hope
I want to KNOW – ginosko – not head knowledge but experiential knowledge. Literally it translates here, “to come to know by experience” It is the fullness of knowledge
Oh, some people or things you experience and move on – been there, done that, got the hat. But Jesus, I don’t want to be satisfied in knowing a similar power, or a similar suffering, or a similar death, I want to know YOURS. I want ot know YOU
When you think you’ve learned it all you draw near and realize, I’m only just beginning to see a dim reflection – I want to know Christ MORE.
Is it tough? Yep. Is it painful? Sometimes. Is it beyond value? ABSOLUETLY
My Goal should not be a “divine experience”. My Goal is to KNOW JESUS by Experience, to participate jointly with him and his work, for his glory. He IS the goal, and everything else simply fades away as nothing more than a vehicle toward knowing Christ.
v15 Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. If you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you.
Jeremiah 1:8 says, “do not be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you to rescue you. This is the Lord’s Declaration.
Fear – seems like I have spent a good portion of my ministry talking about fear or the lack thereof. I talk with people about following the plans of God, or dealing with conflict, or addressing a challenge, and the response often begins, “Oh, I’m afraid that ______________”.
I’ve come to the conclusion that fear is based on lies we believe most of the time. We believe, “I can’t”, “I’m alone”, “No one knows”, or “No one cares.”.
Notice in Jeremiah 1; this is the call of Jeremiah. When God calls, the evil one, the Father of Lies, knows that God is at work, that God’s Word is true, and so he comes against us with lies.
Jeremiah 1:4 – the word of the Lord came to me…
Here is truth. Here is an unthwartable plan. v5 I chose you before I formed you in the womb. I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
BUT
I appreciate the honesty in Jeremiah’s testimony here. “But I protested” – Can’t you hear the great liar whispering into Jeremiah’s ear? “Oh no Lord God!” satan always calls into question the Word of God and the Goodness of God… always… that’s how he got 1/3 of the angels to abandon heaven. It’s how he got Adam and Eve to Fall, and I guess first Lucifer, the lead worshiper in Heaven, had to lie to himself. He lied that God wasn’t good and his Word, his Plans, weren’t right and so he purposed in his heart to rebel. So, here Jeremiah, “Oh no Lord… Look…” Have you ever tried to correct God’s understanding of a situation? Or is that just me and Jeremiah? “Look…” and here come the lies. “I don’t know how to speak since I am ONLY a youth.” The lies are “I’m uninformed”, “I am unable.”
v7 “Then the Lord said to me: do NOT say, ‘I’m only a youth.’” – Do not lie to yourself and say, “I can’t because I’m only________________ anything.” You are exactly who God made you to be and if he is calling, and you are where you are supposed to be, or are going where you should go, then you ARE able or you will be enabled.
Do not say, I’m only….for you will go to everyone I send… and speak whatever I tell you
The reason we need not fear is because wherever God leads he always proceeds. He has already cleared the way, opened the door. So, say what he says to whom he sends. Because, where he leads he proceeds, where he guides he provides, so do not be afraid of anyone.
My Father never directly quoted this verse to me, but he lived it and taught it as he lived. He was fearless. He taught me to be fearless when I was in the plan of God. I’ve done my best and been successful, I believe, in passing that down to my sons.
do not be afraid… FOR 1)I will be with you – We are never alone, and 2) to rescue you. Someone cares, someone knows, someone is able, and if needed, He is my rescue, so do not be afraid
v9 – the Lord reached out… touched my mouth and told me… Listen, I’m a firm believer in hard work and preparation, but we will never do that alone. If God is calling, he will touch you, has touched you, in the exact realm where he will use you. I have filled your mouth with words… The best way to get rid of bad water in a fixed container is to fill it with good water until all the bad has flowed out. If I want to empty myself of MY words and wisdom, I must let God fill my heart, my head, my mouth with HIS Words.
And then God comes again with the fear eliminating word, “See” – ra’ah = access, become aware, consider – I have appointed you today – That word “appointed” = to root and tear down, to destroy and demolish, to build and to plant
God has a plan – He has called you, he has charged you, he has commissioned you, he has conditioned you – So GO, without fear. You CAN, you Know How, God Loves you, You are NOT ALONE!
Do not be afraid of anyone, anything, anywhere, anytime.
If God is for us, tell me who can be against us
Isaiah 51:16 (CSB) — 16 I have put my words in your mouth, and covered you in the shadow of my hand, in order to plant the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, “You are my people.”
Job 42 – Whew… what a story… and if you have read about his “friends” Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar (sound like Tolkien characters) they thought they knew a lot, but weren’t really great friends. A lot to be said for just sitting quietly with your friend in misery. But bottom line is Job was blameless, more was happening in his life than any of them knew. They were faithless, faulty in their understanding of God, and Job could have written them off, as could have God, but instead, God was at work and invited Job into the story regarding his friends.
v10 says After Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and doubled his previous possessions.
So, let’s back up and take a run at this in the way my mind wrapped around it in my devotion today –
Antecedent
there are several things I see, in that the prayer for Job’s friends was antecedent to the blessing for them and for Job himself. And that says that care, concern, and compassion was antecedent to the prayer, and finally antecedent to all of THAT was his knowledge of God
v2 I know you can do anything – stop for a minute, if God is Sovereign over all, then he can do anything he deems is right, holy, just, and proper. But, the idea that he MUST, from our human understanding, is faulty. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours, so we cannot fully understand, so we cannot dictate to Him anything. But, he CAN do anything that does not violate his Sovereignty, Holiness, and Righteousness. And if he CAN do anything, then…
no plan can be thwarted – batsar = to cut off, make inaccessible, enclose, impossible – Not MY plans, but HIS plans. So, first, they must be FROM him, and FOR him, and BY him. If God plans it… it will happen. We sometimes ask, “why didn’t God _______, and I have to answer 1) We did Not Ask – you have not because you ask not 2) Our Sin got in the way 3) It is not in God’s plans, because God WILL do what he purposes to do, but he may do it with someone else if it is his plan, but we don’t want in or our actions disqualify us. v3 says who is this who conceals my counsel with ignorance? Job 38:2 says who… obscures my counsel with ignorant words – Oh, how often we are in the way because of what we say. No plan of his can be THWARTED – I love that old style word. Matthew 29:26 says with God all things are possible. Genesis 18:14 says Is anything impossible for the Lord? At the appointed time, I will come. Nothing is impossible for God, so it must be HIS WILL, and then in HIS TIME. At the appointed time.
Assessment
v3 Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wondrous for me to know – “wondrous” – pala = surpassingly extraordinary – My yes, so often we bring our ordinary understanding to the EXTRA-Ordinary things of God and wonder why it doesn’t go our way. We act wrongly, we pray wrongly, and we respond wrongly. – “I’m sorry, Lord… I’m ignorant of this stuff… it is beyond my ability to even know.”
Engagement
Now, understand Job got here by engaging God. He wrestled with what he knew. He wrestled with God. And he listened and learned
v4 you said, “listen now, and I will speak, when I question you, you will inform me?” We often want to question God, but we aren’t willing to be still and listen as he question us. In a previous chapter God says “brace yourself like a man and I will answer you” Oh we think we are so grown, and we question God, but are we grown enough to take the answer?
v5 I heard reports about you…” Other testimonies about God are good, but we need firsthand knowledge
“but now” – do you have some “But Now” realizations about God? Have you engaged him?
“now my eyes have seen you…” To See we have to be seeking. To see, we have to be looking. To see and understand, we must be willing. Psalm 123:1 I will lift my eyes to you like a servant on his master’s hand… eyes on the Lord until he shows favor
Exchange
v6 “therefore I reject MY words and I am SORRY for them” – I have to exchagne my plans for his, my knowledge for his, my desires for his, my hope for HIM. He IS my HOPE. Don’t focus on having something, focus on having HIM.
Empathy and Identification
Now I don’t believe we can receive or obtain salvation FOR someone else, but there is plenty of scripture where intercession FOR people has caused God to stay his temporary judgment because of the empathetic identification and Intercession of a faithful one for another.
The Lord tells these three faithless friends, who have given false testimony about Job and about God, to now “ASK JOB” to intercede for them. So, they went to Job, humbled themselves, and Job felt it. He empathized with them, and he interceded for them. I believe some places don’t have God’s blessing because 1) people rejected God who didn’t know God 2) the people of God did not pray for them and intercede for them.
v8 my servant Job will pray for them… the people of God, serving God, will pray FOR people who do not know, do not believe, because that IS the heart of God. God’s heart beats for intercession, for reconciliation. That is the response of a grateful heart, gratitude for what God has done for US, we intercede for someone else.
v9 “and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer”. What will happen if WE, the servants of God, will pray for the faithless people who are our neighbors and friends
v10 “after Job prayed… the Lord restored… v12 the Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the first – OH my, will God make us twice as wealthy? Oh I don’t know, but that’s not the point. I don’ t know about in this short lifespan, but my eyes are on eternity. This lifespan is only the beginning. And I know that Ecclesiastes 7:8 the end of a matter is better than the beginning. I know, with Job, that My Redeemer lives and will stand again on this earth and so I know that one day, for eternity, the last part of my life will be blessed more than the first!
2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (CSB) — 16 Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Faithful folks, pray for your neighborhood and your community. Take everything you’ve experienced and learned about God, let it drive you to pray for your neighbors, your naysayers, you “no-way” people, that they may see the way, and be reconciled to God. And even if not, know that the Lord’s blessing for you at the end is better than at the first!
Several years ago, living in USA military community in Germany, I was invited to participate in physical training (PT) with the Chaplain Corp of the army. So all the chaplains and assistants, commissioned and non-commissioned. The Command chaplain gave me my own PT uniform. Shorts and a T-shirt – he didn’t give me socks. They had just changed from light color to black. So I wore Black Socks. I was the only one, in about 50 with Black Socks. I was “out of uniform”. And everyone was asking, “who’s the guy in black socks?” They all wanted to be able to wear black socks but couldn’t
Philippians 2:12 Paul doesn’t say “work it in” but “work it out.” Jesus told us we are a City on a hill that can’t be hidden, a light meant to be visible, not covered. Then in v13 Paul continues, God is working IN us to both will and do what pleases him. I know some days we don’t WANT to “work it out”, but keep it in, yet God in You, the Holy Spirit, in the will of the Father, with the message of the Son’s Gospel, makes you WANT to, and creates the opportunity while giving the power to work it OUT.
Then Paul tells us HOW to work it out.
V14 – cut out the grumbling and arguing … Hello Somebody, Hello Church.
V15 Why? So you may be blameless, pure, and faultless.
The challenge for the church of Jesus Christ is great and we need not make it worse by ruining our reputation with our grumbling and arguing. Paul reminds that we are in the midst of a crooked and perverted Generation, and we need to be different in the best ways. Oh my have you read “Christians” on social media, come on. We are to SHINE like STARS
V16 “BY”… see here is the thing. The people of God WILL stand out… we ARE different… One BLACK Sock in a sea of WHITE will stand out. The Question is “by what will we be known?”
Will they say, “there are those people of God, always complaining about something, always fighting with someone”. Is that how we are to be known? No
V16 “by holding firm to the word of life” – what is the word of life? John 1.4 “in him (Jesus) was life and that life was the light of men 5 that light shines in the darkness and yet the darkness did not overcome it.”
If we would be known for being people that shine light, offer life, give hope in the darkness, oh my if only that is what we were known for. Love where there is no love, life where there is no life, hope where there is no hope.
I don’t have to argue with darkness just shine light. I don’t have to put down darkness, make fun of darkness, just shine the light.
And if I give my life to be a pure, faultless, blameless giver of light, then I, like Paul, v17 “I am glad and rejoice” why because it was an act of worship on the altar of God, a gift of life to a dying world. And Paul closes as do I v18 “and you should also be glad and rejoice with me.”
By the way, a few weeks after my PT with the chaplain corp the army changed the “uniform” to black socks to match the rest of the uni and I was then known jokingly as the “civilian pastor who got our socks changed.”
In my daily reading I was directed to John 2:17 – The disciples saw Jesus turn over the tables in the Temple and they quoted David’s Psalm 69 and noted “zeal for your house will consume me” – It’s nice that they noticed that, but they missed the point of Psalm 69. I turned there, and just walked through it. For me the focus of Psalm 69 is that service to God is hard, people don’t like it, and what do we do in the midst of that kind of trouble?
Walk through it with me
v1 Save Me, God – (well that’s certainly always a good place to start)
v2 I have sunk in the deep mud and there is not footing. I have come into deep water and a flood sweeps over me – (Been there? OH we are just getting started)
v3 I’m weary from crying, my throat is parched (why? from crying out to God) My eyes fail, looking for God (Oh my, you ever been looking for God so long, you can’t see anything?)
v4 those who hate me without cause are… numerous… enemies… are powerful
v5 God you know my foolishness (most everyone else does too)
v6 do not let those who put their hope in you be disgraced because of me… Lord of Armies (oh know who you are praying to. David is praying for himself, but he is in a battle inside and out, and so he prays to the Commander of the Armies of the Lord)
v7 I have endured insults because of you(not an accusation just a statement of reality, all been there)
v8 I’ve become a stranger to my brothers (serving is a lonely place)
v9 (here it is from John 2:17) Zeal for your house has consumed me the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me (oh the Lord’s house is a great place to be, and defending her can be a blessing and a curse)
v10 I have mourned and fasted (isn’t that what I’m supposed to do) but it brought insults (even doing the right thing can bring attacks
v11 sackcloth… and I was a joke (whew)
v12 those who sit at the city gate talk about me and drunkards make up songs about me – (wow, if this wasn’t serious it would be hilariously funny – I’m just serving and I’m becoming a city joke)
v13 But, as for me, LORD (he is STILL Lord, in the midst of it all) my prayer is for a time of favor… abundant faithful love, God, Answer me with sure salvation (Oh now we are getting somewhere, Lord just give me a little glimmer of favor, love, and an answer, but the answer I seek is CERTAIN SALVATION)
v14 (he calls back to the problem of vv2) Rescue me from the Mud… From the Deep water
v15 don’t let the floodwaters sweep over me (I wonder if Isaiah was thinking of Psalm 69 when God spoke in Isaiah 42:2,3 “when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and the rivers will not overwhelm you… For I am the Lord your God”
v16 Answer me… for your unfailing love is GOOD (Oh we must know that God’s answers and provision are about HIS Goodness, and His Love for us, but that should still make us feel not entitled, but overwhelmed with gratitude and confidence that he would love me)
v17-28 – these verses are basically a series of verses that can be summed up “let justice roll…”
v29 but for me… let salvation protect me (oh man if I would just trust that the Salvation and Deliverance of God will take care of all things and tip the scales and all we have no comparison to the joy that waits for us… So)
v30 I will Praise God’s namewith song and exalt him with thanksgiving (if we can let praise be lifted, sing in our challenges, praise in our problems
v31 that will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with horns and hooves (the greatest worship we give God is to praise him in the midst of distress, challenge, struggle, service)
See my title People, Person, and Praise – The People of God (zeal for the house of the Lord) in the Place that bears his name, will be the object of our service zeal. They will also get us through the mud, mire, deep waters, give us a place to stand when we can’t feel the bottom
The Person – Jesus – who is our Hope and Salvation will come, will judge, will provide – I will set my hope on HIM, not for the things I want or even need, but HIM – He is our hope, our light, our song
So let the Praises RISE
Let the Praises Tell the Humble who will hear, let them see and they will rejoice and take heart as they seek God – somebody is looking somebody wants to know v32
v33 For the Lord listens to the Needy and does not despise his own who are prisoners (sometimes we are imprisoned by the very call we are in, but he will set us free in due time)
v34 let Heaven and Earth praise him
v35 For God will save Zion (Zion is the place that bears his name. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the Church is the building he is building, he will save the people and the place where his name dwells)
v36 The descendants…will inherit it and those who love his name will live in it!
Yes You Lord… from the miry mud to the streets of gold
I will trust in you
I will wait for you
I will hope in you
FOR YOU are Faithful, YOU are Good
Oh do you see the common denominator in the People, Person, Praise – YOU LORD – Make it about Jesus, Make it FOR Jesus, and Jesus will be enough, the answer, and our Inheritance
I know it’s hard today servant of God, but oh Jesus is enough
I’ve written in line with this theme many times, but as we advance toward Resurrection Sunday, I was reading Romans 6 again this week.
v5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection
Paul talks much in his writings about what is coming for those of us who believe. Ephesians 1 comes to mind that the power of the resurrection is for us who believe or toward us who believe. Chapter 2 tells us we are seated with him in heavenly places. Paul says in Philippians 3 that he will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.
We like the concept of what we WILL BE. Amazingly often even self-proclaimed atheists will speak of deceased family members as “looking down on us.” I heard a prominent sports figure this week talk about his Father as “looking down and watching”. But this person is an atheist, yet we like the concept of a better world to come.
But Paul says IF…
Some folks don’t like conditional statements, but you can’t get around it. You can’t fly, unless you are in an airplane. You can’t breathe underwater, unless you have scuba gear. Conditional is part of our life.
We certainly want the likeness of the resurrection, but it doesn’t come by accident, it comes as we are united with his death
if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death
Paul says in Philippians 3:10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection… Oh it would be great to stop there, but he continues …and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death…
Everybody wants the resurrection, but not everybody wants to die. So then, two things must happen. TWO? Yes TWO. “But I only see one pastor, united with him in death. Yes, I must die to self, surrender in faith to the work of Christ, and be united with his death, but THAT WORD, alludes to more.
“united”– symphytoi = united. But the primary definition of that word is congenital. Oh, do you see it taking shape? You know that word right? It means a disease or physical abnormality present from birth; a particular trait from birth. Do you see it? We, because of Adam, have a congenital disease called “sin”, which leads to death. I, you, we are born dying sinners.
BUT
v4 says that we were buried with Christ in Baptism in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too walk in newness of life.
So then, the CONDITION is, if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly alsobe in the likeness of his resurrection
What has to happen then is REBIRTH. I need a new birth, and that new birth gives me a new congenital condition called:
The Resurrection Life – Hallelujah! Yes Lord, Thank you for the Cross, The Empty Tomb, and the Opportunity for Salvation by Grace through faith, into LIFE.
2 Corinthians 6:2 – At an acceptable time I listened to you, and in the day of salvation I helped you
My, my, there is a simple and profound word there, quoting from Isaiah 49:8, “I will answer you in a time of favor, and I will help you in the day of salvation. I will keep you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to make them possess the desolate inheritancesv9 saying to the prisoners “come out” and to those who are in darkness, “show yourselves” v10 they will not hunger or thirst, they scorching heat or sun will not strike them; for their compassionate one will guide them and lead them to springs. v11 I will make their mountains into a road and my highways will be raised up… v13 shout for joy, you heavens! Earth Rejoice
WOW WOW…
So, some observations about how God works, and how God seems to hear us at time, and raise his hand to assist at times, and other times seems silent and passive.
First, if God seems to be “not listening”, not answering, then either it is not his will, or it is NOT the Appropriate Time. Everything has a time. And If he is NOT Helping, then either we are working on our OWN Project, or it isn’t the Right Day. Because God WILL hear and he will help, but always at the right time and on the right day.
Paul is speaking of Isaiah 49. And verse 7 reminds us that The Lord is Faithful. It says in v8 I will Answer in the time of favor, I will Help in the day of salvation.
Stop there for a second. Yes, we are talking about the day of the Messiah coming. The Grace of Jesus. We NOW live in that day. Now IS the day , now IS the time for salvation. Since the Cross, it is always that day and time, while it is still called “today”.
But there is a principle here that God is Faithful always to do what he says. So, it is important for us to Trust Him in the Meantime, until the right day and the acceptable time.
Isaiah 49:8b says I will keep you and I will appoint you.
In the Meantime, while we wait for the right time, for the right day, trust the Lord who keeps US and Keeps his PROMISES.
He will fulfill. He will restore. He will call prisoners to “come out”. He will give light to those in darkness, pastures to the desolate. He will provide for those who hunger and thirst. Your hardest climb on mountains will still be a road to him. Why? 49:9 for our Compassionate Onewill guide and lead
I’ve heard it said, “where God Guides He Provides” and I’ve added, “Where he leads, he Proceeds.”
I’m not sure what you THINK this is going to be about, but let me say right up front, it is NOT about gossip and other useless whispers. This is about the Whispers of the Spirit of God. This is about the Quiet Words that prepare us for the Loud Battles. This is about the things in the secret, that prepare for the public.
Matthew 10:26-30 – Jesus speaking says therefore, don’t be afraid of them since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered… nothing hidden that won’t be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light, what you hear in a whisper, proclaim on the housetops. Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body… aren’t 2 sparrows sold for a penny? Not one falls without the Father’s consent… Don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.
So much beauty here, but this is our Savior speaking real to us about the struggles of ministry. This is our King and General sending the 12 out into battle and telling them the reality of going on Mission for God.
So, let’s start with the Sparrows first. Matthew tells us that Jesus said, “aren’t 2 sparrows sold for a penny?”. But when Luke tells the story he records, aren’t 5 sparrows sold for 2 pennies? These are NOT conflicting accounts they are 2 tellings of the same event. Can’t you see Jesus walking with his disciples in the market? There a sellers selling little sparrows perhaps for those who can’t afford something better. “2 Sparrows for a penny” “2 Sparrows for a penny”. And then another says “5 sparrows for 2 pennies.” They are just throwing in the 5th one to sweeten the deal. I used to preach a sermon titled, “The Forgotten Sparrow”. Sometimes we feel like that don’t we, and Jesus says, “you are worth more than many sparrows. Oh he loves his sparrows. He does not let one fall without his consent. And so WE know that he loves us MORE than a flock, more than all the flocks of sparrows, so if he cares for them, you, do NOT BE AFRAID, especially out there on the battlefield. You will not fall without his consent.
Don’t be afraid, I cannot control fearful circumstances, but I CAN Combat Fearful Feelings, and Counter Fear with TRUTH.
You perhaps have heard me said, and one day I will finally write this book, but I believe fear is based on a combination of 4 Lies or False Perceptions.
We believe 1) I’m alone 2) I’m Unloved 3) I’m Unable and / or 4) I am Uninformed. In other words, No one knows, No one cares, I can’t, or I don’t know how. All of those assumptions are false for the child of God. You are never alone, always loved, able, and instructed, if you are of Christ.
Don’t be afraid because you think no one knows, or no one cares, or you can’t survive this, don’t know how, because it will be uncovered, revealed.
In the meantime, seek the whispers of your loving God and Savior in the dark. It’s like a parent soothing a child at night, haunted by nightmares. Our God quiets us with singing, he whispers “peace be still”. He tells us, “I know child, I’m here, I care, I love you, you can do this.”
He will give us revelation in the dark, in the quiet place to get us through the battle in the daytime. Are you rising early in the darkness? Are you spending time in the late dark hours? Are you pulling away to spend time listening to the Lord? It’s that only idea of a “quiet time”. I’m NOT telling you when it needs to happen, or even HOW to do it, but it NEEDS to HAPPEN. Are you spending time crying out to him, listening to him, learning from him?
Too many people want to stand and proclaim, but they haven’t spent time with the Savior in the dark so they don’t have anything to say. But if we are listening to the whispers alone, then we are ready to speak in public. We will know what to say, and when to say it.
Then we understand in the hard times that he knows, he has consented though perhaps not caused your circumstances. And we know that YOU are WORTH His Time. You are Worth His Effort. You are Worth the Death of the Son of God. So, don’t be afraid, draw near, listen, then speak boldly, and survive the struggle, and thrive in it.
Why is this important? You go back to v16 and he says “I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves… beware… bear witness… you will be given what to say… the Spirit of your Father is speaking through. Yes, we understand betrayal, and death threatens, but you are NOT above your masters, if it happened to him, guess what may happen to us? But don’t be afraid.
Listen to the Whispers of the Savior and Go on Confident Mission
Do you ever wonder if maybe you heard God wrong? Or maybe you were slow in getting started, or unexpected obstacles arose, or uncontrollable circumstances arose. Maybe you’ve gone too far the wrong way. Now, you feel like perhaps you’ve lost your chance? Well Abram knew that feeling.
God gave him a clear call and a clear promise in Genesis 12: The Lord said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; … 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land”…
But a lot had happened since then. Abram had been through famine, war, faced Pharaohs and Kings, he had lied and cheated to protect himself. He had worshipped the Lord, had displeased the Lord. 20 years had passed, and Abram wondered, “Is the Deal still on?” “Have I missed my chance”? “Have I Disqualified myself”?
READ Genesis 15:1-7
The Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision…Do not be afraid, I am your shield, Your reward will be very great.
There are some important truths for us to consider, First:
1. Don’t Settle for Less than the Vision of God
Don’t Be Afraid
Don’t Let Fear make You impatient
Don’t in impatience make your ownway when the promise seems “slow” in coming to pass. God does not delay, he is not slow, that’s what 2 Peter 3:8-9 teaches. God’s clock runs differently from ours, and it also runs PERFECTLY. Fear is often the issue and is manifested in Lack of Trust
God says, “do not be afraid, I am your shield, and great reward“
We talked about fear a few weeks ago. Fear is based on lies we believe:
I’m alone – no one knows
I’m unable – I can’t
I’m uninformed – I don’t know how
I’m unloved – no one cares
Those are lies, but we think they are true… Yet God says: DO NOT BE AFRAID
God says here: “DON’T be Afraid.” How do we fight fear? With FAITH!
Make Sure the Path Leads you to God’s Vision
God had promised him a “great nation” and “offspring”. Abram thinks that he must have “heard God wrong” or “missed his chance”, so he needed to find another way. I don’t think he was mad at God, but just resigned himself to doing things a different way.
You have given me no children… So a servant … will be my heir
He was going to make Eliezer his “son” and heir. Eliezer was a good man, Abram’s most trusted and faithful servant. This was a “good plan”, but Eliezer, good as he was, was no more than a SUBSTITUTE for God’s Best!!
In his book, “Good to Great“, Jim Collins says “Good is the enemy of great.”
“We don’t have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority of companies never become great, precisely because the vast majority become quite good — and that is their main problem.” Collins writes, “That good is the enemy of great is not just a business problem. It is a human problem. If we have cracked the code on the question of good to great, good schools might become great schools. Good newspapers might become great newspapers. Good churches might become great churches.”
God’s path is always GREAT
Be Honest About Your Reservations
Sometimes we get Stuck because we won’t be honest about where we are. We say the right thing. Make appearances of doing the right thing, but aren’t honest with God about our reservations, frustrations, fears, anger, with others and even with God.
V2 – Abram says, Lord God, what can you give me, since I am childless… Look, you have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir.
Abram doubts his ability not God’s ability. “Lord I’ve been willing, I left my hometown, I’ve come with you on this journey, but here we are, 20 years later, and we are past the opportunity. You didn’t give it and I can’t do it.”
If you’ve come to the end of your rope… if you’ve tapped out your resources… if you no longer have anything to offer… Then maybe God has your right where he needs you.
2. Take a Second Look at God’s Vision
I Am Your Shield
15:4 now the word of the Lord came to him… this one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.
When God gives us a word, it may seem impossible, but if it is God’s word, he’s not looking for our help, or a different plan. He’s not looking for our permission to change the process.
If it seems unbelievable, that’s what God does.
Step Outside The Tent
Sometimes it’s hard to see from INSIDE. It’s hard to see past the “reality”.
Abram looked around the tent and all he could see was no children, no blessing, no fulfillment of the vision. Inside the tent, you can only see so far. Inside the tent our view is limited, our imagination is limited. Inside the tent you are blinded from seeing the beauty of the vision.
God took him outside the Tent
An Unimaginable vision of God.
V5 Look at the Sky.
Stop looking at what is NOT and look at what IS. Look at what God has already done, and imagine what he can do.
“Count the Stars“
– you can only get a glimpse, the gist, an idea, but you can’t even understand it. It’s imagined that IF he COULD count the stars visible they would number more than 4000, but in reality the stars in the field of vision would be more than 50,000.
If you are able to count them… your offspring will be that numerous
Abraham’s offspring included those who would be his by family birth. But they also included those spiritually who would follow his way. Those who would become “sons of Abraham”, Paul called them.
If you are able to count them…
You can count the apples in a tree. And you can count the seeds in an apple. But who can count the apples in a seed? Until the story of life is over, you never can count the apples in that one seed.
God’sways truly are higher than ours
Isaiah 55:8–9 (CSB)
8“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. 9“For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
The Vision of God will be glorious and beautiful
His Vision will inspire others who view it displayed in You
3. You Can Believe The Promise of God
Your Reward Will Be Great
The only thing that God required of Abram was
Believe and Walk in the Promise
The “currency” that Heaven recognizes is FAITH
Hebrews 11:1 (CSB)
1Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.
Then Hebrews 11, lists the “Hall of Fame of Faith”. It tells the story of those Saints of Old who were faithful to follow God. None of them were perfect, but they were full of Faith. Not full of excellence, not full of strength, not full of talent, or so many things we might list. But they had FAITH.
And then Hebrews 12 continues
Hebrews 12:1–2 (CSB)
1Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
How do we join the Hall of Fame of Faith? Were they “SUPER-SPIRITUAL”? No, they were real, they struggled, they waivered, they fell down.
“Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness”
believed – means confirm/trust
credited – parallel to a bookkeeping transfer, like an item is moved from one column to another. Abraham’s faith is moved into the column of Righteousness
Romans 4:17–21 (CSB)
17As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations— in the presence of the God in whom he believed, the one who gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not exist. 18He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be. 19He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body to be already dead (since he was about a hundred years old) and also the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to do.
He believed based on the Power and Faithfulness of the One making the promise
See it as alreadycompleted
Paul speaks of us as believers in Romans 8 and says that those he “foreknew, he predestined, called, justified and glorified” All of those things are in the Past Tense, COMPLETED. Before we ever knew, it was already true in God’s mind.
So…
Live in it untilGod brings it to fulfillment
Abraham so fully believed here; that years later when he was called to Sacrifice Isaac, he carried on without even a doubt because he believed God was going to fulfill his promise, and it wasn’t hinging on Isaac, but on God.
Before Faith flowered, Abraham saw God’s promise based on his own ability, but AFTER Faith was credited as Righteousness, he lived ACCORDING to it, then he knew That the promise wasn’t based on him, it wasn’t on Isaac, the Promise was Based ON GOD the Giver of the Promise.
Faith is what pleases God.
Everything else is a byproduct of the fact that you believe him.
John 6:27–29 (CSB)
27Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.” 28“What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked. 29Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.”
If you’re current situation doesn’t seem to fit the vision, trust the God of the vision in spite of the nature of the circumstance.
Remember what he’s alreadydone for you
Abram had to become a NOBODY before God could work through him.
“I brought you From…”
Oh my don’t forget where you have been, from wince you come
Ur was a place of false worshipers, idol worshipers, it was the area of Nimrods people.
I brought –
You didn’t get to God by anything you have done
I brought you
You didn’t leave because you thought of it
I brought – yatsa = to come, to go forth
I brought you FROM
– The heart of the message of the Gospel is “REPENT” – come FROM where you are …
I the Lord brought you from Ur… TO GIVE you this land to possess
Oh yes, Lord. The call of God is based on HIS Promise, on His Power, Based on his GRACE
To give you this land to POSSESS
Nehemiah 9:7–8 (CSB)
7You, the Lord, are the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and changed his name to Abraham. 8You found his heart faithful in your sight, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites…
God says, “I wanted to save you because I had a plan that included YOU
God says, “because of my power I delivered and continue to deliver you”
He didn’t have to do anything, but it was his GRACE, working in Abram’s life that gave him what he didn’t deserve. He brought him to a place of promise and blessed him over and over.
WillyougoOutside the Tent with God?
Jeremiah 31:16–17 (CSB)
16This is what the Lord says: Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for the reward for your work will come— this is the Lord’s declaration— and your children will return from the enemy’s land. 17There is hope for your future— this is the Lord’s declaration— and your children will return to their own territory.
Will You Believe?
Walk in Faith?
Don’t Be Afraid – BELIEVE
I Am Your Shield – Rest In Me
Your Reward Will Be Great –– I Have Your Reward – I Am Your Reward – Your Reward is GREAT
I was reading again this morning a favorite encounter with God in Genesis 28
Jacob came from that wonderfully dysfunctional family in Abraham’s line. They certainly put the fun in dysfunction didn’t they? Well they aren’t so much different than we are, are they? Jacob had tried to arrange his future, even though God had already declared that he would be the lead, even before he was born, but he tried to “work it out” for himself. Hmm, I wonder where he learned that from? (Abram). But after he stole his brother’s birthright, Isaac sent him to find a wife among his family relatives in Paddan-aram. Along the way to Haran, he stopped to spend the night. Genesis 28:11 says he took one of the stones from the place, put it there at his head, and lay down in that place.
On my desk, I have a little collection of stones. They are from different places where I have been, reminding me of things I have done places I have gone. There is a piece of coral I got with my wife in Tulum, Mexico, there is a stone from the place where Paul met Lydia, outside of Philippi, there is a piece of volcanic rock from a hike with my wife in Guatemala to the top of an active volcano, there is a little piece of tile from near the Inn where the Samaritan brought the man injured by thieves, and several others, even a piece of salt rock from the Dead Sea. They remind me of things that have happened in life. When our sons were little we collected a rock from ever state we’d been to, every significant place, and we would carry them home and place them in the rock garden in front of our house.
Well this stone, was just a place to lay his head. And yet v12 says and he dreamed…
Oh my my my, do you take time to dream? You should dream, we should dream more. We should imagine the things that God can do because of what Ephesians 3:20-21 reminds us. Paul said, “now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us – 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.(CSB)
We need to dream more, we need to imagine what God CAN do because he CAN do MORE than we can ask or think, dream or imagine, exceedingly abundantly, immeasurably more than … so we need to dream.
But THIS dream was more than just thinking, or imagining, but God was at work revealing himself to Jacob. Jacob needed to begin to understand who God was, and what he could do. And he saw, in his dream, a stairway from the earth reaching to heaven. And there were angels of God, that is messengers of God, and they were coming down and they were going up. Messengers of God and Messages of God, come FROM God, do his work, and Isaiah 55:10-11 tell us that things from God, do what GOD plans, and then they return to God. God is both the source and the destination. The messengers and messages of God are also for God’s intentions, that passage in Isaiah says that God’s word DOES what God INTENDS, what he purposes, what pleases him.
And seeing this amazing scene, v13 says, there above it stood the Lord (NIV) or The Lord was standing there beside him. Oh wow things are more than they seem. This is a Christophany, a Theophany. This is an appearance of God, God the Son, because John tells us John 1:18 no one has seen God (the Father). So if we see “God” in the Old Testament, it’s Jesus. So there is this beautiful revelation of the working of God, but it’s NOT about the working, it’s about The LORD! And his message for Jacob is, I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham, and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your offspring the land on which you are lying. Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out toward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for you I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised.
Wow, if you look back Isaac had sent Jacob to find a wife and told him he would receive “the Promise of Abraham.” And now, here is the LORD himself confirming that this promise is an eternal promise to the offspring of Abraham through Jacob.
And Jacob Woke up
Oh we should dream, but we have to wake up and come back to the world in which we live. And Jacob woke up and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it… What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God… the gate of heaven.
Oh folks. Do you realize the door to heaven, is right beside you? The place where you are IS the House of the LORD. That’s not just a church thing, it’s a world thing. What makes it so? The recognized presence of God. We need to recognize that God is right here. Jesus said, My father is always at work, and I too am working. When we walk into work, walk the streets of our neighborhood, we need to recognize that God is HERE, and he is Working, this is the house of the Lord, the Gate of Heaven, this is a HOLY PLACE. Our question needs to be, not, “is God working”? But, “Lord, what are you doing here, and how can I join you?”
Let’s get with God and ask him to open our eyes to see what he is doing. Ask him what he is saying about you, and what he is inviting, and then commit to join the messengers of God, coming and going From God, To GOD, FOR GOD.
And when God speaks, and when we join, and when God moves, REMEMBER. V18 Jacob took the stone that was near his head and set it up as a marker. He poured oil on top of it and named the place Bethel (House of the Lord)
Make note of the revealed presence of God in your life. Make a memory.
Then REMEMBER what God says, and speak it back as Truth – v20 If God will be with me and watch over me… That’s exactly what God had just promised to do… if he provides… if I return safely… then the Lord will be my God.
Oh we don’t have to make God prove himself, but when God gives us a promise, and we abide by the promise, and God does what he says, we need to be READY TO GO and to DO, according to his Word.
V22 this stone that I have set up as a marker will be God’s house, and I will give to you a tenth of all that you give me
Hear, Commit, Obey, and Give – Surely the Lord is in this place, and it is AWESOME!
My, my, there is a simple and profound word there, quoting from Isaiah 49:8, “I will answer you in a time of favor, and I will help you in the day of salvation. I will keep you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to make them possess the desolate inheritances v9 saying to the prisoners “come out” and to those who are in darkness, “show yourselves” v10 they will not hunger or thirst, they scorching heat or sun will not strike them; for their compassionate one will guide them and lead them to springs. v11 I will make their mountains into a road and my highways will be raised up… v13 shout for joy, you heavens! Earth Rejoice
Pastor Goforth 