Getting Ahead of God, Part 1

Transcription

1 1 NOTE: This file contains all 4 parts of this important sermon series. QUESTION: ARE YOU A GOOD FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST? Opening Scripture(s): Micah 6:8 KJV He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8 KJV The prophet Micah said God has shown us what is good and what He requires of us. Three things: 1) do justly, 2) love mercy, and 3) walk humbly with thy God. Of the 3 things God has shown us is good and required of us, I want to talk about the third walking humbly with God. Walking humbly with God is NOT a desired attribute, but something He requires of all who walk with Him! Humble people walk WITH God proud and independent people GET AHEAD of Him and see nothing wrong with it! Getting Ahead of God, Part 1 We have a built-in propensity to get ahead of God. Why? Because by nature, we are impulsive and impatient. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way Isaiah 53:6 Well, if this is true and it is my own way will always find me ahead of God! So, learning to walk WITH God and not AHEAD of God is not easy for any of us! And even after we get saved, the urge or temptation doesn t go away! The psalmist, whom God used to pen the 119 th Psalm confessed in the very last verse: I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands. Psalm 119:176 So, God said: You re going to have a baby You re going to have a Son and He shall save His people from their sins You re going to get married I ll prosper you, give you a dynasty, and make your name famous throughout the earth I m going to make you successful wherever you go I will give the whole earth to you and make you a kingdom of kings and priests Through you, all the nations of the earth will be blessed God has a calling on your life What you do next reveals what s in your heart!

2 1. Seven reasons people get ahead of God They received an unction from the Holy Spirit. 2. Someone spoke an uncertain word over them. 3. God made a specific promise to them. 4. It feels right or it feels like something God would be pleased with. 5. Fear. Fear has a way of getting people not only ahead of God, but out of the will of God! 6. God takes too long. 7. We get ahead of God for the same reason and in the same way Israel did we refuse to wait for His advice. Psalm 106:13 The lessons of Israel in the wilderness were written to us to warn us and teach us and show us that we re no better now or different than they were then! 2. Certain questions have to be vetted and answered before acting on a word spoken over you or an unction (utterance) presumed to be from the Lord: 1. Is this biblical? 2. Is this like God? 3. Does it require faith? To walk humbly is to walk by faith completely trusting and depending on God! Walking by faith is not an experiment so that if I get the result I want, then it had to be faith! 4. Is this the Devil? 5. Is this me? To vet whether it s me, we have to ask the following questions: What s in it for me? And, how is my decision going to affect others? 6. What is the ordained timing/season, period of training/preparation, separation for it? Remember Eccl. 3:1?: There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. 3. Testing an unction or desire of the heart believed to be pleasing to God. Is it good and pleasing to the Lord? Micah 6:6-8, Psalm 40:6-10 David s had a desire to build a house for God. Remember: This was a desire of David s not a commandment to do it! 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 7:17 4. How misunderstanding or misapplying free will can get us ahead of God. Because of a serious lack of teaching or the lack of sound teaching in the Church, many if not most believers don t understand or misapply free will. Those most prone to get ahead of God are those who abuse His permissive will which we loosely call grace. People abuse grace because they don t understand the limits and consequences of free will! How much free will do we have? As much as you want as long as you understand that: Free will is not God s tacit approval or permission. Free will is not YES, NO, or OK. Man s limited free will has always come with consequences. o Adam and Eve and Ananias and Saphirra are examples of the consequences of free will! o Unrestrained free will leads to boasting and the sin of presumption. See James 4:13-17 James 1:5 If you need wisdom if you want to know what God wants you to do ask Him, and He will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.

3 3 David understood God s permissive will concerning Israel s enemies, but because he was humble, he didn t presume to know what God wanted him to do in a given situation, so he asked: 1 Chronicles 14:8-10 David asked God if he should go out to fight the Philistines? And would He give Israel the victory. God said YES. 1 Chronicles 14:13-17 Again, David asked God what to do. God said YES and here s what to do. ANYBODY SEE THE VALUE OF ASKING GOD WHAT TO DO AND THE DIFFERENCE IT CAN MAKE? 5. Why getting behind God is just as bad as getting ahead of God. The ideal is to walk WITH God not ahead of Him, and NOT SO FAR BEHIND Him as in the sense of being out-of-touch with Him or out-of-season which is a recipe for disobedience and disaster. Walking humbly with God means going when God says go ; not when we re comfortable or think we re ready. Numbers 14 INVITATION ARE YOU WALKING WITH GOD THIS MORNING IN A BORN-AGAIN RELATIONSHIP? AND, IN THIS RELATIONSHIP ARE YOU AHEAD OF HIM OR FOLLOWING HIM? End of Part 1 stay tuned for Part 2.

4 Getting Ahead of God, Part 2 4 We are, by nature, impulsive and impatient. As a result, we have a built-in propensity or tendency to get ahead of God. God, on the other hand, chooses leaders from among those who have demonstrated the ability and temperance to follow! 22 But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do. Acts 13:22 NLT Part 2 starts here... So, God has a specific calling on your life or, you sense a calling on your life What you do next reveals what s in your heart. 6. Times, seasons, and biblical separation. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1 The disciples asked Jesus: Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. Acts 1:6-8 KJV Times and seasons have to do with an unspecified time, set of conditions, or course of events between a Word spoken and the fulfillment of that Word! Biblical separation has to do with an eventual setting apart and sending off an individual or group of individuals into the ministry work or calling of God. Anytime we re dealing with times and seasons, we have to ask: Is the ordained event set to occur in my lifetime? Or is God talking about something to be realized in the distant future, or in even in the next life? We re all about moving out and getting it done NOW! But, Jesus said the Father works in TIMES and SEASONS. When practiced as intended, biblical separation cultivates patience and keeps the humble child of God from getting ahead of Him. JESUS CANNOT RETURN UNTIL THE SET TIME 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. 21 For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. Acts 3:20-21 NLT CONSIDER GOD S PLAN FOR JOSEPH. 16 He called for a famine on the land of Canaan, cutting off its food supply. 17 Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 18 There in prison, they bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar. 19 Until the time came to fulfill his word, the LORD tested Joseph s character. 20 Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free; the ruler of the nation opened his prison door. 21 Joseph was put in charge of all the king s household; he became ruler over all the king s possessions. 22 He could instruct the king s aides as he pleased and teach the king s advisers. Psalm 105:16-22 NLT Between the lofty dreams Joseph had and the fulfillment of those dreams, Joseph had a lot to learn and a lot to go through that would ultimately define and shape who he was on the inside! He remained in prison until that time came! If our character (that is, our loyalty, faithfulness, trustworthiness) hasn t been thoroughly tested, enthusiasm and personal ambition will take over and move us ahead of God often with disasterous results! 2 Zeal without knowledge is not good; a person who moves too quickly may go the wrong way. 3 People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD. Proverbs 19:2-3 NLT Consider also Proverbs 14:16:

5 The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with great confidence! 5 SEE MOSES AS AN EXAMPLE. Moses murdered an Egyptian. It was murder because it was not self-defense. Exodus 2:11-15 Why did he do it? Was he simply responding out of anger, deep-seated racism, or what he perceived as social injustice? Neither! He was acting on something we talked about last Sunday called unction. In Exodus 3, Moses has a divine encounter and gets a word directly from the LORD at the burning bush. It was a good word the kind of word we like to receive from the Lord or His messengers! Here s why he did it: When Moses killed the Egyptian, he was acting on something already in his spirit although he had no specific word from God! How do we know? Acts 7:20-30 Moses got ahead of God because he assumed this was good and what the Lord required of him. After all, Moses saw himself as the people s savior and the one God would use to deliver His people out of Egyptian bondage! By the way, it was 40 years between the murder of the Egyptian and the time God called him from out of the burning bush! NEXT, CONSIDER DAVID AS AN EXAMPLE. Concerning David, God said: I will make you a dynasty I will make your name great. God said this in 2 Samuel 6:9, 6:11. What are your thoughts and plans upon hearing this? Would the natural, prideful impulses take over? Would you start making plans? We know from Scripture that David was the youngest of Jesse s sons (some estimate he was around 15 years old at the time) and we know from 2 Samuel 5:4 that he was 30 years old when he began to reign. So, from the time Samuel anointed David king of Israel until the time he actually ascended to the throne was at least 15 years! 15 years is a long time and a lot can happen in 15 years. What would you have been doing in the meantime? Cutting covenants? Rallying the people to call for Saul to step down? Looking for opportunities to undercut Saul and prove you could be king? Would you have been Building your executive team? Assembling your army? Interviewing potential bodyguards? But, David waited on the Lord and did it God s way. We know from 1 Samuel 18:5 that Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander in his army, an appointment that was applauded by the fighting men and officers alike. Let s see what happened when the time came for David to take the throne READ 2 Samuel 2:1-2, 2 Samuel 5:1-5. All these men came in battle array to Hebron with the single purpose of making David the king of Israel. In fact, all Israel agreed that David should be their king There was great joy throughout the land of Israel. 1 Chronicles 12:38 Read 1 Chronicles 12: And, what was the nature of David s reign? David became very famous 2 Samuel 8:13 and David reigned over all Israel and was fair to everyone. 2 Samuel 8:15 David responded to God s kindness with a Prayer of Thanks. 2 Samuel 7:18-29 LASTLY, CONSIDER THE SEPARATION OF PAUL AND BARNABAS. Go to Acts 13:1-4 Paul and Barnabas was called for a special work. Acts 13:1-4 Notice: They were dedicated first, and then were separated, released, or sent out. Continued on next page One reason we don t see or talk much biblical timing and separation these days is two-fold:

6 6 1) our experiences with spiritual abuse of authority, and 2) refusal on the part of so many to submit to authority and walk humbly with God while waiting on His season and timing! INVITATION ARE YOU WALKING WITH GOD THIS MORNING IN A BORN-AGAIN RELATIONSHIP? AND, IN THIS RELATIONSHIP ARE YOU AHEAD OF HIM OR FOLLOWING HIM? End of Part 2 stay tuned for Part 3.

7 Getting Ahead of God, Part 3 7 God chooses leaders and people for ministry from among those who have demonstrated the ability and temperance to follow! The reason people never feel secure in their salvation is because they are insecure in their relationship with God. They start off in the beginning not knowing what God requires of them and unless they are humble, they never get on track! So, IF we want to have a closer walk with God, and especially IF we want to be used by God, it would benefit us to reflect and carefully absorb what is required to have close fellowship and communion with God. Hear the Mind of God (the will, sentiment) towards those who walk with Him: 1. We can t leapfrog the subject. Those who walk with God MUST be humble! Although I m going to give you a definition of humble, I don t want to bore you with a definition, I want to show you what humble looks like not from my viewpoint, but from God s viewpoint! Go to Definition of Humble: having a modest or low opinion of your own importance, not large or important, submissive, unassertive, unassuming, of low rank. Go to Romans 12: NOTE: This is not something most of us are taught, teach our children to be, or who we typically are when we get saved! a. God shows us how HE interacts with people who are humble and humbles those who are not! Numbers 12 b. Under the new covenant, Jesus shows us the very first test of humility BEFORE anyone gets to walk with God. Matthew 11:28-29 KJV, Matthew 16:24-26, Luke 14:25-27 NLT (I must deny myself, what I want, other people who are important to me, what I think is best) c. Solomon shows us what humility looks like and God s response to humility in 1 Kings 3:7-10. d. Paul shows us what humility looks like and God s response to humility in Philippians 2:5-9. e. James shows us what humility looks like and God s response to humility in James 4:7, 4:10 End of the first of part 3 in which we discussed the mind of God towards those who walk with Him. Stay tuned for the second part of Part 3. In it, we ll continue our discussion. INVITATION ARE YOU WALKING WITH GOD THIS MORNING IN A BORN-AGAIN RELATIONSHIP? AND, IN THIS RELATIONSHIP ARE YOU AHEAD OF HIM OR FOLLOWING HIM?

8 Getting Ahead of God, Part 3 continued 8 AS A GENTLE REMINDER We have a built-in propensity to get ahead of God. Why? Because by nature, we are impulsive and impatient. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way Isaiah 53:6 My own way will always find me ahead of God! So, learning to walk WITH God and not AHEAD of God is not easy for any of us! And even after we get saved, the urge or temptation doesn t go away! People who think and believe it s easy to walk with God should pay close attention to the Scriptures and the testimonies of real people who walked with God! If someone were to say to you YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO WALK WITH THE LORD what would be your response? Would you be able to mount a strong defense in truth to your favor? Hear the testimony of Joshua in (Joshua 24:11-27): Then Joshua warned the people, You are not able to serve the LORD Joshua 24:19 Hear the testimony of the psalmist (Psalm 119:67): I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your commands. Psalm 119:67 Hear the testimony of the psalmist again in (Psalm 119:19): I am but a foreigner here on earth, I need the guidance of your commands Psalm 119:19 So, with that in mind, what is the mind of God (the will, sentiment) towards those who walk with Him? 1. No one can walk with God unless and until they come into agreement with Him! Can two walk together except they be agreed? Amos 3:3 KJV Or, more plainly: Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? Amos 3:3NLT The reason a vast majority of marriages fail is because the two principals in that marriage the husband and wife did not come into agreement on things like: How much to spend on the wedding Or, they can t agree on whether or not to have children or, on how to discipline their children Or, they can t agree on where to attend Church or how best to serve the LORD Or, they can t agree on finances whether they should give or how much to save Or, they disagree on who should lead or, how much influence their families should have on the marriage, etc In the same, but even more significant way, no one can walk with God unless they agree with Him on His direction for their lives! This first point is what makes possible the second 2. Those who walk with God MUST become followers of Jesus first and agree to submit to Him as their LORD and Shepherd. Go to John chapter 10:1-14. [Read the Message first.] Twice in our text, Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd. (10:11, 10:14) We ll talk about the significance of that in a minute.

9 3. The Good Shepherd calls His own sheep by name AND LEADS THEM OUT. John 10:3 With God, the emphasis is always on Him leading and us following HE WALKS AHEAD OF THEM and THEY FOLLOW HIM. John 10:4 Again, this is where proud and independent people struggle. Why? Because proud and fiercely independent people tend to see themselves as leads and not followers! 5. MY SHEEP FOLLOW ME...because they know (recognize) My voice. John 10:4 6. MY SHEEP WILL NOT FOLLOW A STRANGER because they don t recognize His voice. John 10:5 People who follow strangers and teachings different from what Jesus taught do not recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd! 7. FOLLOW ME and I WILL MAKE YOU fishers of men. Matthew 4:19 KJV I like the KJV rendering I WILL MAKE YOU because the best we could ever hope to be in this life is what God has and is making us to be! It is better to let God MAKE US than to be SELF-MADE! We ve talked about the mind of God towards those who walk with Him...Now, let s discuss the other side of it What MUST be the Mind (mindset and attitude) of the those who walk with God: Let s look first beginning at Psalm 23:1-3 KJV. 1. The LORD IS MY SHEPHERD. Psalm 23:1 In order to walk with God, He MUST first be my Shepherd! 2. HE LEADS ME besides still waters. Psalm 23:2 HE LEADS ME in the paths of righteousness for His name s sake. Psalm 23:3 NOTE: Emphasis is on He leads me! Or, He leads and guides me 3. The question though, is what is my position to Him as He leads me? This is important because it s possible to mentally agree to let someone lead you, but not follow them! I FOLLOW CLOSE BEHIND YOU; your strong right hand holds me securely. Psalm 63:8 NLT I see four things in this verse that underscores the mind of true disciples: 1. I follow close is a statement of intimate proximity to the one they re following. 2. I follow behind you is a statement of position or the humble and proper place of one who respects and reverences the one they are following. 3. Your right hand your right hand as opposed to your left hand. The right hand is set forth in Scripture as a symbol of fellowship. In the early Church, it was called the right hand of fellowship symbolizing one whose life and faith profession was in right-standing with the Church. Galatians 2:9 Jesus is often pictured as seated in the place of highest honor at the right hand of God in heaven. 4. Your strong right hand identifies first with the power of the one who holds me, and second, I am secure so long as I remain close to Him! TWO ADDITIONAL NOTABLE OBSERVATIONS: He holds my hand I don t hold His hand! If we re not walking close behind Him it could be because we re way out in front of Him! 4. We can follow Him because the relationship is based [not initially built, but based] on trust! (1) He is good. Twice (10:11, 10:14) Jesus referred to Himself not as a good shepherd, but the Good Shepherd! We can trust Him to always do what s right and do good on our behalf!

10 (2) The basis for our trust is not blind or mystical it is based on knowledge (10:14): I know my own sheep, and they know Me. Now, it s one thing for the ego to boast I know Him, but it s far more comforting to the heart and soul to know that He knows me! (3) David shows us what this trust looks like in Psalm 131: He charts the path ahead of me Psalm 139:3 Read verses He knows the path that I take. Job 23:10 7. The LORD directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? Proverbs 20:24 8. If I let Him, the LORD will do what He promised in Psalm 138: The LORD will work out His plans for my life Psalm 138:8 NLT 10 IF WE EMBRACE THE TRUTHS WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT AND THEY FRAME OUR MINDSET AND HOW WE SEE GOD, TWO THINGS WILL BE THE RESULT: (1) WE WILL NEVER WALK ALONE, AND (2) WE WILL SELDOM WALK AHEAD OF HIM! End of part 3 Stay tuned for Part 4. In Part 4, we will be coming to you live talking about some of the ways we get ahead of God in everyday life! You don t want to miss it! INVITATION ARE YOU WALKING WITH GOD THIS MORNING IN A BORN-AGAIN RELATIONSHIP? AND, IN THIS RELATIONSHIP ARE YOU AHEAD OF HIM OR FOLLOWING HIM?

11 11 Getting Ahead of God, Part 4 To walk with God is to have fellowship with Him in a close relationship. And not everyone can this kind of relationship with God. A man named Enoch did. About Enoch, it is written: 18When Jared was 162 years old, he became the father of Enoch. 19After the birth of Enoch, Jared lived another 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 20Jared lived 962 years, and then he died. 21When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 22After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 23Enoch lived 365 years, 24walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him. Genesis 5:18-24 NLT It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying he disappeared, because God took him. For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. Hebrews 11:5 NLT In this close and personal fellowship, God reveals His ways to people as he did with Moses and Enoch so they can please Him! He made known his ways (His character, what He Is really like) unto Moses, his acts (works or deeds) unto the children of Israel. Palm 103:7 KJV The best way to learn about God, what He is like is, and how to walk with Him, is to read about Him in the Scriptures and meditate on His interactions with real people who had a real relationship with Him. Through their stories and our own experiences, we ll learn how to walk humbly with God. Introduction I don t believe we struggle too much with getting ahead of God on Sunday or at Church it s the rest of the week in everyday life that we tend to get ahead of Him! That s why in this 4 th and final installment we re going to look at how we get ahead of God in everyday life 8. Getting ahead of God in everyday life. God said or God has said to someone somewhere: You re going to have a baby You re going to have a Son and He shall save His people from their sins You re going to get married I ll prosper you, give you a dynasty, and make your name famous throughout the earth I m going to make you successful wherever you go I will give the whole earth to you and make you a kingdom of kings and priests Through you, all the nations of the earth will be blessed God has a calling on your life What we do next reveals two things: (1) How well we know God, and (2) What s in our heart! First example, YOU. - So, God said: I m going to give you a husband or a wife... - What are your thoughts and plans going forward? Would the natural instincts take over? Would getting married become your consuming priority? - Would focusing on your appearance and getting into shape all of a sudden become your top priorities? What would you do next?

12 12 - Would you begin to look at every man or woman who smiled at you, were friendly, and didn t have a ring on their finger as potential mates? - What would you do next? Although there are no potential mates and no marriage proposals on the table, would you go ahead and start planning the wedding anyway? Would you secretly start making plans to leave the Church where you are because all the men there are either married or just don t measure up. What do you do next? Here s a second example. It s also YOU. - God said: You are going to have a child a son or a daughter - What are your thoughts and plans from that moment forward? Would the natural instincts take over? Would having a child all of a sudden become your top priority and obsession? - Would you begin to look at every man or woman with certain physical attributes as a potential father or mother for your child? - What do you do next? Would you start picking out the colors for the nursery? Would you start making plans to move because you re going to need more room? - Would you secretly start making plans and looking for an excuse to leave the Church again, because all the men or women there are well past the age of conceiving children? What do you do next? Third example is also YOU. - So, God said: I m going to downsize or close the factory or plant where you live... - What are your thoughts/plans going forward? Would the natural instincts take over? - What do you do next? Start looking for another job? What would you do next? - Would you start planning to leave the area? Or, start thinking to yourself, now might be a good time to go into business for yourself? What do you do next? GOD CALLED FOR A DROUGHT AND A FAMINE ON AHAB AND SAMARIA There s a semblance here to your factory downsizing or closing down altogether, but you have to spiritually discern it! 1 Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives the God I serve there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word! 2 Then the LORD said to Elijah, 3 Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. 4 Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food. 5 So Elijah did as the LORD told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land. 8 Then the LORD said to Elijah, 9 Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you. 10 So he went to Zarephath. 1 Kings 17:1-10

13 13 Our fourth example is not you it s a young couple named Mary and Joseph. - So, God said: And she shall bring forth a Son for He shall save His people from their sins Matthew 1:21 - God also said: Behold this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign shall be spoken against, yea, a sword shall pierce your own soul. That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Luke 2: What are your thoughts and plans now for this child? Would the natural, protective instincts kick in and take over? - Would you home school the child to shield Him from the world? Or put the child in an exclusive private school although you can t afford it? - Would you become overprotective? Would you move far away from Israel? Would you hire bodyguards although you know you can t afford it? Would you send the child off to live with unsaved relatives who live far away? - What did Mary say or do next? Mary said to the angel: I am the Lord s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever He wants. May everything you have said come true. Luke 1:38 NLT Our Fifth example is King Saul. King Saul was someone who always acted impulsively often out of fear. Consequently, he was either walking ahead of God or altogether out of step with God! God rejected Saul in 1 Samuel chapter 15:10 saying in part: I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command. Translation: He has not demonstrated the ability to walk with Me! And saying of David in Acts 13:11 I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do. Translation: Now, there s a man that can walk with Me! Our sixth example is Abraham and Sarah. - Concerning Sarah, God said to Abraham: And I will bless her and give you a son from her!... Genesis 17:16 - God also said to Abraham: 2I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.. Genesis 12:2-3 NLT - What are your thoughts and plans not only for this child, but also your future influence and prosperity? Would the natural, prideful instincts take over? - Would you start making covenants with the nations based on God s specific word and promise? Would you let everyone know that you have the power to bless and curse? - What did Abraham do? Concerning Abraham, the Bible says: He was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything He promised. Romans 4:21

14 - About the child He promised, would you start looking into the adoption process right away? Would you, in light of both your ages, seek artificial insemination or fertility treatments to make it happen? - What did Abraham and Sarah do? About the child His wife Sarah got them both ahead of God in that she sought the help of someone who could speed up the process for her a much younger and fertile surrogate slave girl named Hagar and sent Abraham to her. But, God said NO! The surrogate child is not an acceptable alternative to my plan! In spite of your ages and in spite of the medical odds, your own wife Sarah is going to have a baby! And so it was! Our seventh and last example: Sometimes, we get ahead of God while waiting on our healing. Consider Asa and his foot disease. His story is found in 2 Chronicles 16. It reads: 1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa s reign, King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from entering or leaving King Asa s territory in Judah. 2Asa responded by removing the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace. He sent it to King Ben-hadad of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, along with this message: 3 Let there be a treaty between you and me like the one between your father and my father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone. 4Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa s request and sent the commanders of his army to attack the towns of Israel. They conquered the towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah and all the store cities in Naphtali. 5As soon as Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he abandoned his project of fortifying Ramah and stopped all work on it. 6Then King Asa called out all the men of Judah to carry away the building stones and timbers that Baasha had been using to fortify Ramah. Asa used these materials to fortify the towns of Geba and Mizpah. 7At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the LORD your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram. 8Don t you remember what happened to the Ethiopians and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and charioteers? At that time you relied on the LORD, and he handed them over to you. 9The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war. 10Asa became so angry with Hanani for saying this that he threw him into prison and put him in stocks. At that time Asa also began to oppress some of his people. 11The rest of the events of Asa s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a serious foot disease. Yet even with the severity of his disease, he did not seek the LORD s help but turned only to his physicians. 13So, he died in the forty-first year of his reign. 2 Chronicles 16:1-13 NLT What should we learn and take away from Asa s story? First and foremost, he was a godly king. And, he walked in the ways of the LORD most of his life until near the end. Second, it was not a sin to seek the help of physicians the woman with the issue of blood went to doctors. About her, this is written: 25A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. 26She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. Mark 5:25-27 NLT Nowhere was this woman condemned or rebuked for having gone to doctors. Her story is about her faith. Her faith became evident when she heard about THE ONE WHO HEALS! When she heard about THE HEALER, she made her way to where He was. And, weak as she was, she worked her way through a great crowd of people to get to the One who heals and makes whole! In the case of Asa, his story is not told to us to suggest it is wrong to go to a doctor. His story warns us that it is both faithless and sin to seek help only from physicians and not seek help from the LORD! 14

15 15 9. Because of pride, only the most humble recover from the error of getting ahead of God. When people fall down, don t they get up again? When they start down the wrong road and discover their mistake, don t they turn back? 5 Then why do these people keep going along their self-destructive path, refusing to turn back, even though I have warned them? Jeremiah 8:4-5 Read 8:4-8 for context. He leads the humble in what is right, teaching them His way. Psalm 25:9 NLT Again, only the humble recover from getting ahead of God. Moses is an example of someone who did. Moses killed a man assuming he was fulfilling God s purpose and plan for his life. It had serious consequences for Moses. But, because he was humble, Moses recovered in time and submitted to God s plan for his life. He went on to enjoy a special walk with God. But, what if we and our church leaders drag our feet when it comes to walking with God and all of a sudden wake up and decided to declare our allegiance to Him what hope do we have? 1 Hear this, you priests. Pay attention, you leaders of Israel. Listen, you members of the royal family. Judgment has been handed down against you. For you have led the people into a snare by worshiping the idols at Mizpah and Tabor. 2You have dug a deep pit to trap them at Acacia Grove. But I will settle with you for what you have done. 3I know what you are like, O Ephraim. You cannot hide yourself from me, O Israel. You have left me as a prostitute leaves her husband; you are utterly defiled. 4Your deeds won t let you return to your God. You are a prostitute through and through, and you do not know the LORD. 5 The arrogance of Israel testifies against her; Israel and Ephraim will stumble under their load of guilt. Judah, too, will fall with them. 6When they come with their flocks and herds to offer sacrifices to the LORD, they will not find him, because he has withdrawn from them. 7They have betrayed the honor of the LORD, bearing children that are not his. Now their false religion will devour them along with their wealth. Hosea 5:1-7 NLT CLOSING THOUGHTS, SCRIPTURE(S), EXHORTATIONS, AND INVITATION Our walk with God is a lifelong journey of wonder and discovery where we come to know the ways of the One who knows us completely and our thoughts afar off! All who are wise will carefully consider these things. The Lord has spoken! End of part 4 and our sermon series GETTING AHEAD OF GOD. INVITATION ARE YOU WALKING WITH GOD THIS MORNING IN A BORN-AGAIN RELATIONSHIP? IF SO, IN THIS RELATIONSHIP ARE YOU WALKING WITH HIM OR AHEAD OF HIM? ARE YOU FOLLOWING CLOSE BEHIND HIM OR LAGGING SO FAR BEHIND HIM YOU CAN T EVEN SEE HIM OR HEAR HIS VOICE?