“Seven Dwarfs in the Church”
TEXT: Numbers 13:25-33
“And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, ‘We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.’ 30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.’ But the men that went up with him said, ‘We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.’ And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, ‘The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.’”
INTRODUCTION:
There is a medical condition that affects the normal growth pattern of the human body…
Dwarfism
1. A genetic condition resulting in short stature.
Dwarf
1. A diminutive human being.
adjective -- A reference to anything much below the usual or average size.
Midget
1. An extremely little person who is of proportionate stature.
2. A small or miniature version of something.
World Population as of (6/6/2002) = 6,250,000,000
195,313 Little People (Worldwide)
However, there are 7 SPIRITUAL dwarfs that are found in today’s CHURCH…
These are Christians who live beneath their calling…
They are unable to attain EVERYTHING that GOD has for them…
They feed on the milk of babes, and never reach out for the MEAT of the spiritual things of God.
So when difficulties arise in their lives, they are among the first to quit…backslide…stop coming to church!
In 1937 Walt Disney released the first full-length animated movie: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
“SLEEPY” (It was always hard to keep him awake!)
Spiritual discernment (1 Corinthians 2:14)
“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
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Genesis 28:16
JACOB:
“And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.”
Judges 16:20
SAMSON:
“Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I’ll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.”
John 11:1-11
LAZARUS:
“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 11 He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
The Spirit of God is wanting to SHAKE US out of our Spiritual Slumber! WAKE UP!
2. “SNEEZY” (He was always fighting a head cold…his head was always stuffy… always trying to fight off a sneeze!)
Sneeze: “To make a sudden violent spasmodic audible expiration of breath through the nose and mouth.”
2,000 years ago, it was believed that when a person sneezed,DEMONS were expelled from that person.
These are people who are always under the attack of Satan!
They are fighting a losing battle! (Testimony/Test-a-moan)
They have convinced themselves that their goal is unattainable.
THE GIANT GOLIATH & THE ARMIES OF SAUL:
1 Samuel 17:10-11
“And Goliath said, "I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together." When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.”
3. “HAPPY” (A big bundle of bountiful bliss!)
“Happy” -- enjoying or characterized by well-being and contentment. SATISFIED!
Revelation 3:17 (Laodicean Church)
“Because you say, ’I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ -- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”
“Happy” is in the Church and is satisfied with “BUSINESS AS USUAL”
Please don’t disturb his COMFORT ZONE! Don’t rock his boat!
“HAPPY” lives beneath the level that God wants him on!
He is SATISFIED with only milk & baby food!
4. “GRUMPY” (This little dwarf is in a BAD MOOD, all the time!)
Popular sayings about someone in a “BAD MOOD”:
“Who put salt in his coffee?”
“Who rained on your parade?”
“He woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”
What happened to PUT YOU in a bad mood?”
“Grumpy” is a VICTIM of his circumstances!
It’s someone else’s fault that he’s in the spiritual condition that he’s in!
5. “DOC” (He’s the “brains” of the group.)
In the church world, this is the Christian who knows it all, has seen it all, read it all, and claims to be more spiritual than anyone else in the church.
1 Samuel 16:1
KING SAUL
“The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
Samuel told Saul, “Here is what God says…”
Saul did it HIS WAY! He disobeyed God…
“This is a better way to do it.”
God removed His Spirit from Saul
It’s God way, or NO WAY! It is NOT ABOUT YOU!
It is all about HIM!
6. “BASHFUL” (This dwarf is socially shy or timid)
“Bashful” has a problem with self-esteem!
“Bashful” feels that he is NOT WORTHY to go any higher with God.
Too many times, he focuses on his past failures…
Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Isaiah 54:17
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn.”
CONCLUSION:
7. “DOPEY” ( Fun, Fun, Fun!)
Webster’s Dictionary has a few words to describe, “dopey”:
STUPID
IDOIT
In the story, “Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs”, DOPEY was the one who was CAREFREE, with not a care in the world…
He was the dwarf that didn’t have a clue what was going on!
Ephesians 4:11-15
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ.”
