TOPIC: WHAT TRUST LOOKS LIKE.
(Berea Youth Programme –from the pulpit January 2004)
BIBLE PASSAGE: Psalm 25:1-5
What does trust look like when we cannot explain our troubles or see beyond it? Listening to others as they try to show faith in crisis can be confusing; some say they are “believing God” for a job, restored health, a reconciled marriage, or for a future partner or for a child. Others say, trust in him means accepting that His ways are not necessarily our ways.
In the waiting room of prayer and helplessness, we know that the question about what it means to trust God can be almost as troubling as a problem itself. But we should also know that it is for those struggles that the wisdom of The Bible has been given to us.
The godliest men and women of the past we are deeply disturbed by the crisis of their lives, King David wouldn’t eat or be comforted as he pleaded with God for the life of his dying child; even though David was a man after God’s heart, the songs and the groans of his life reflect recurring fear and despair. Job’s experiences were similar, in the dark night of his loss, his first expression of trust to bitter anguish. Then there was a childless Hannah, her prayers for a baby were so deep and emotional that her Priest accused her of being drunk. Even apostle Paul had great heaviness and continual grief for the unsaved family and friends. Together they show us that trust can cry and groan and even doubt.
In times of profound loss or concern, expect to be misunderstood by others, even our best friends will try to make sense of what has happened to us. They may forget that people do not suffer in proportion to their wrongs; some pay quickly for their mistakes, others do not, some suffer for being foolish while others are punished for being wise. Such irony complicated the ancient tragedy of Job when his friends heard him express bitterness and despair, they wrongly assume he was suffering from a secret sin, although they came to his side to divide his pain they ended up multiplying it.
Let us not be afraid to be honest to God: an elderly Abraham and Sarah laughed at the unclear nature of God’s promise to make him the father of many nations. Jacob wrestled with his Lord over the uncertainty of what lay ahead, David openly expressed his despair and helplessness in circumstances beyond his control. Job accused God of being unfair. All these saints, when heaven seems to be ignoring them they say so, when they thought they had an argument they expressed it but they learn to trust God in the dark valley of the other doubts.
Let us learn to take one step at a time, sometimes it helps to break the journey down into small steps. Jesus encouraged us not to worry about tomorrow since today has enough of its problems. In The weakness of turbulent and unstable emotion we may need to settle for short steps, the wisdom of the moment and the present reassurance of the one who says “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. We need to avoid quick action that are harmful or self-destructive, we also need to ask God to help us avoid taking out our anxiety, anger or despair on those around us or blaming others for our problems.
Let us not underestimate God, one of the great truth of the Bible is that when we are helpless God is not. If God does not answer our prayer in the time and manner that we asked, it is because he can see what we cannot. Joseph learnt to trust God after being sold into slavery by his older brothers, when he was reunited with them later in life he was able to say ‘as for me you, you meant evil against me but God meant it for good’.
Let us learn to ask God but don’t demand, let us not set condition for the solution. In desperate circumstances we are to led to think we know what we need from God, God knows the felt need and the real need, in those moments God understand our weakness and fear. So let us in trust beg him for what we want, when we want it, when you’re in the presence of God it seems unbecoming and foolish to demand anything. Let us doubt ourselves, our receiving capacity more than doubting God and his capability.
Let us pray to God to please forgive us for wanting answers so that we don’t have to trust Him. Let us pray that God will open our hearts to wait and understand that His plans and timing are better than our own. What does it mean to you to trust in God and when it is most difficult to trust Him? Amen.
TOPIC: LOOKING FOR SIGNS AND WONDERS.
(Berea Youth Programme –from the pulpit January 2004)
BIBLE PASSAGE: John 4:48
A desire for miracles and wonders was a symptoms of a sickly condition of people’s mind in our Lord’s days; they refused solid nourishment and go after mere signs and wonders. The gospel which they so greatly needed they did not ask for; the miracle which Jesus Christ did does not always choose to give they eagerly demanded.
Many nowadays must see signs and wonders, or they will not believe. Some have said in their heart; I must see feel deep fear or I will never believe in Jesus. But if it didn’t happen like that, will you go to hell because God will not treat you like the other person? Others said, “if I had a dream or if I could feel a sudden shock or deliver from sudden dead then I would believe.
In that way, we undeserving mortals think that God is to be dictated to. We are beggars at His gate, asking for mercy, and you dare draw up rules and regulations as to how He shall give that mercy. Do you think God Almighty will submit to your dictates? God is our master and is of a generous spirit, but He has a right royal heart, He rejects all dictation, and maintain His sovereignty of action.
Beloved- do we crave for signs and wonders? Is not the gospel its own signs and wonder, is not this a miracle that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whosoever believe in Him might not perish? Surely the precious word ‘whosoever will’ let him come and take the waters of Life freely and that holy promise ‘him that cometh to me I will not wise cast out’. Are these not better than signs and wonders?
What do you want to see to prove to you that God exist? What is that thing that will prove to you more deeply of the power of God? Will God change his nature or style of operation to prove a point to you whom He created? Is the gospel and His transforming nature- that a sinner can come and confess with tears not a sign enough to be believed, and a wonder that sciences and philosophers cannot perform? Is there any formula that when it is calculated properly, a sinner will feel guilty? The gospel according to our Lord Jesus is a sign and wonders to souls.
Jesus Christ is truth; why will you ask proof from a person who cannot lie? The devils themselves declared Him to be the Son of God, will you mistrust Him? The passage that makes other people to cry and confess is the same passage you read like a magazine and nothing happened to you -the fact is that; your heart need a spark from the Lord. The gospel of Jesus Christ is enough signs and wonder. Amen.
TOPIC: MARCHING AND QUICK MARCHING.
(Berea Youth Programme –from the pulpit December 2004)
BIBLE PASSAGE: Psalm 27:14
It may seem not easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns with years of teaching from the Lord. Marching and quick marching are much easier to God’s warrior than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord know not what part to take. Then what shall you do? To be annoyed and fly back in cowardice, turn to the right in fear or rush forward in presumption? As a soldier of Christ, the commander will simply say- wait.
Wait in prayer. Call upon God and spread the case before Him, tell Him your difficulty and plead His promise of aid. In dilemmas between one duty and another, it is sweet to be humble as a child and wait with simplicity of soul upon the Lord. It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own foolishness and are heartily willing to be guided by the will of God.
Wait in Faith. Express your un-staggering confidence in Him, for unfaithful, untrusting waiting, is but an insult to the Lord. Believe that if He keeps you tarrying even till midnight, yet He will come at the right time.
Wait in quiet patience. Not rebelling because you are under affliction, but blessing your God for it. Never murmur against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses; never wish you could go back to the world again, but accept the case as it is and put it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will, leave it in God’s hands and say not my will but your will be done. Tell him “I know not what to do; I am brought to extremities, but I will wait, my heart is fixed upon you alone.
As a soldier of Christ, how often do you read the guide of the commander-in-chief to hear how the battle is going and how it is to be fought. Do we go to Him to get instructions at the beginning of the day or do we jump into matching and quick matching because we have the shoes and the strength? Do we do certain things while He is telling us to wait?
Let us learn to wait for the Lord, for those that wait upon Him shall run and not faint, walk and never be weary, but shall mount on wings like eagles. The Lord will be your joy, your salvation, your refuge and strong tower. Amen.
TOPIC: A DWARF.
(Berea Youth Programme –from the pulpit December 2004)
BIBLE PASSAGE: Ephesians 4:14-16
Many Christians remain stunted and dwarf in spiritual things, so as to present the same appearance year after year. No up springing of advanced and refined feeling is manifested in them. They exist in Grace but do not grow up to Him in all things. But should we rest content with being in the ‘green blade’ when we might advance to the ‘ear’ and eventually ripen to the full ‘corn’ in the ear. Shall we be satisfied to believe in Christ and to say ‘I am safe without wishing to know in your own experience more of the fullness which is to be found in Him. It should not be so, we should as good traders in heaven’s market covet to be enriched in the knowledge of Christ. It is all very well to keep other people’s vineyard, but we must not neglect our own spiritual growth and ripening.
If we would ripen in Grace, we must live near to Jesus, in His presence- ripened by the sunshine of His smile. We must hold sweet communion with Him, we must leave the distance view, the group view, the denominational view of His face and come personal and private near as John did and he is known and described as the disciple who lean on Jesus. Let us pillow our heads on His breast, then we shall find ourselves advancing in holiness, in love, in faith and hope and in every precious spiritual gifts.
When we focus on Jesus Christ and going into the scripture to know His will and live in obedience to them, we will not run and rush to crusade, programs for anointing, laying of hands, impartation meetings or services to live in holiness, Love, faith and having of gifts. God’s heart desire for us-he has made a growth plan, it is not a duplicate or photocopy. God has no duplicating or photocopying machine in heaven to reproduce Christian qualities to His children; He believes in original and what He gives is never in copy. What the man, woman, boy or girl of God gives is a copy of what he/she has, it is not original. Let us go to Jesus, to receive what we need for growth, so that will not be a dwarf. Let us grow to Him in all things. Amen.
TOPIC: OBITUARY ANNOUNCEMENT.
(Berea Youth Programme –from the pulpit December 2004)
BIBLE PASSAGE: Philippians 3:7-11
Your Christian influence, your reputation as a worker for God and your standing or respect among the brethren maybe an idol to which you must die before you can be free to live for Christ alone.
On a printed page, the little ‘i’ has always a dot over it and it is that dot that elevates it above the other letters in the line. Each of us is a little ‘i’ and over every one of us there is a dot of self-importance, self-will, self-interest, self-confidence or something which reveals the self- life. Also in the Lord, SIN- which is disobedience to God, this ugly little ‘i’ is in the center, so ‘i’ is the center of SIN or disobedience to God.
This ‘i’ is a rival to Christ-like life and the enemy of the Holy cross and of our peace and life; and therefore God has announced its death and the Holy Spirit with His flaming sword is waiting to destroy it.
As we approach the end of the year and preparing for the New year, let our resolution be- “not ‘i’ but Christ”. Announce it to everybody the death of Mr./Mrs. ‘I’ and allow God to crown you with His glory, His righteousness and let there be a continual decrease of self.
Happy New year in advance. Amen.
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