Part 4:“Touch Me” Series

As is the case with all my messages, I am glad to provide my Power Point slides so you can use them as a help for your own.

This sermon series was “Team Preached” by my wife (Becky) and I

The Salvation Army Herkimer, NY

The Prayer of Jabez Part 4:“Touch Me”

1 Chronicles 4:9 & 10

9:Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10: And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.

NKJV

To Review:

• From the first two weeks

– Jabez = Pain/Misery

• We all have burdens/pain/etc

– He was also

• “Most honorable”

– Because of … the attitude of his heart as reflected in his prayer

– His prayer made him memorable

• Bless me

– Sounds selfish

– Passionate (indeed!)

– No ‘rule book’ for God

» Left the particulars up to Him!

– Last week we looked at “Enlarging Our Territory” it depends on our perspective ….

(Here I used the photos from last week (see Sermon #3) followed by a short video clip of The Doors performing “Touch Me”)

Touch Me?

Various translations

Be with me (CEV)

that thine hand might be with me (KJV)

please be with me in all that I do (LB)

Help me (NAB)

Stay with me (NCV)

Let Your hand be with me (NIV)

that Your hand would be with me (NKJV)

that Your hand might be with me (NRSV)

In trying to summarize what Jabez was asking I merged them all into “touch me”

Touch is sooo important!

Romanian orphanages

Us …. All of us! (just different levels of need!)

God’s Hand

In the Bible we often read about the hand or arm of God… $100 word …

Anthropomorphism

(An-thro-po-mor-phism)

a human physical term that is used to describe God;

It is a human attribute or characteristic that is used to describe God so that man can better understand Him and relate to Him

It is God’s way of revealing Himself to mortal men - using physical attributes that we can understand

•What this particular anthropomorphism symbolizes is God’s presence and God’s power.

The The Arm of God

Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus. The third stanza says:

“Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

stand in His strength alone;

The arm of flesh will fail you –you dare not trust your own;

Put on the Gospel armor;

each piece put on with prayer;

Where duty calls, or danger,

be never wanting there.”

Jabez is asking for God’s hand to do the work – not his own;

–He is relying on the all-powerful hand of God for the fulfillment of the “enlarging of his borders”;

–He was depending on God’s strength – rather than on his own. He wants his enlargement to be accomplished through God’s empowerment.–Jabez sets a great example

–kneeling in humility to receive a blessing;

–making a “Declaration of Dependence” for the enlargement of his borders

–Not my power/way God … Yours!

Have you ever noticed?

Too often we want God to “bless us” and “expand us” – but then we want to…

–Take over… or

–Be in control… or

–Make the decisions… or

–Call the shots… or

–Be in the driver’s seat… or

–Receive all of the credit… or

–Get all the glory!

Doing it God;s way

•Let’s follow the example that Jabez shows us … after all, his life must have been rather remarkable to be mentioned in the midst of all the ‘begats’!

–Bless Me–Enlarge my ‘territory’

–Be with me … let me experience

Your touch

Your presence

Your power

At this point I used photos of “Touch of the Master’s Hand” while I sat down and watched the lyrics (with the congregation) while listening to an MP3 of the song.

Here are the lyrics:

’Twas battered and scarred and the auctioneer thought

it hardly worth his while

To waste much time on the ol’ violin

but he held it up with a smile

"What am I offered good folks?" he cried

"Who will start the bidding for me?

A dollar, one dollar, two, only two

Two dollars who will make it three

Three dollars once three dollars twice going for three

But, no from the back of the room

a gray haired man came forward

And gently picked up the bow

And then wiping the dust from the ol’ violin

tuning the loose strings,

He played a melody as pure and sweet

as the caroling angel’s sing

The music stopped and the auctioneer

with a voice quiet and low said