Unusual Places God can take you!
THIS SERMON SUGGESTS THAT SOMETIMES GOD WILL LEAD US INTO PLACES THAT HE MAY GET THE GLORY. SOMETIMES GOD BRINGS US TO OUR PLACE OF TESTING. My wife and I have been in many unusual places ourselves as for the past 45 years we have traveled and ministered in over 125 countries. We have held meetings in chicken houses to the finest auditoriums of Europe. From grass fields, to some of the world’s finest stadiums. One thing certain is that He is always there. He will never send us somewhere that He will not go with us. We have slept in usual places, more than 4,000 beds. (If you can call all the places we have slept beds.) We slept in waterbeds before they invented them. The roof leaked or the children did. Water beds. We have use eaten usual food. From dog soup, lizard to the finest restaurants of the world. God has always been with us. In this sermon outline we look at a number of unusual places that saints of God found themselves.
I. God’s people during their walk of faith can find themselves in some very unusual places.
A. Marge and I have been in some very unusual places in our lives and have eaten, slept and traveled and practiced some very unusual things.
B. Being found in the Will of God is the most important place to be.
II. Men in the Bible found them selves in some unusual places when they got out of the will of God.
A. Jonah was running from God and the call of God.
Jonah 2:1 NIV) From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.
1, Great mystery here is how did the fish stand to have the backslidden preacher for three days.
2. However, the belly of the fish was an unusual place of repentance.
a. We can repent anywhere, God is ready.
B. There was David in enemy territory acting insane
1 Sam 21:10-15 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
{11} And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
{12} And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
{13} And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
{14} Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
1. Associating with the world can cause us to do unusual things. David the one who would unite Israel and Judah humbled him self. He became King. God raised him up.
(1 Pet 5:6 KJV) Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
a. It is always better to humble yourself than to have God do it for you.
2. Look at King NEBUCHADNEZZAR, He had to have God do it for him before he would recognize the Almighty God.
Daniel 4:25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eaglesEfeathers, and his nails like birdsEclaws.
34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
III. Abram in Egypt lying about his wife being his sister.
Gen 12:10-13 Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. {11}., when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: {12} Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. {13} Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
1. The real problem with Abram was that he was a jealous man and God does not like jealously, it can lead to lying.
D. There was Lot in Sodom living with the wicked.
Gen 13:12-13 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. {13} But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
1. We must be separate from the world, in the world but not part of the world.
(2 Cor 6:17 KJV) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
E. The Prophet Elijah in the desert, wallowing in self-pity
1 Ki 19:4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
1. We forget may times that He said He will never leave us.
(Heb 13:5 KJV) Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
F. How about Peter in a courtyard, denying his Lord.
Luke 22:58} A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied.
{59} About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean."
{60} Peter replied, "Man, I dont know what you are talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed.
{61} The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times."
{62} And he went outside and wept bitterly
1. Peter warmed himself at the wrong fire, but he did find forgiveness when he went out and repented. Even though he fell, God was able to restore and use him.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit will send us to places with potential but no growth.
(Ezekiel 37:11 THE HAND of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.
If God takes you to a valley of dry bones, be sure that He will go with you and will have a message for you. The message to the whole world is that today is a day of salvation and whosoever calls on Him can be saved.
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