Spiritual Urban Legends
God will never give you more than you can handle
Numbers 11:4-6, 10-23
Luke 10:38-42
God allows us to face more than we can handle so we learn to…
Carry each other’s burdens (Numbers 11:17; Galatians 6:2)
Rely on God’s strength (Numbers 18-23; 2 Corinthians 1:8-9; Daniel 3:16-18)
Prioritize the Best Choices (Luke 10:38-42)
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Series Introduction
Have you ever seen or heard something that looked so true or sounded so true but only later found out wasn’t true?
Big Foot
We have all probably seen pictures of Big Foot,
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the elusive Sasquatch who roams the forests of unpopulated areas.
Elusive until late in 2008 when a couple of guys found the corpse of Big Foot.
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There was a lot of hype and this was being broadcast on national news outlets, however, it turned out that the corpse of the Big Foot was a rubber costume available at high end costume stores for $499.
You know what that means, don’t you. Big Foot is not dead, he is still out there!
Cell phone popcorn
Or maybe you have heard how detrimental the energy that comes out of your cell phone can be.
People have even said that your cell phone can pop popcorn or cook food.
if you don’t think that is true, check out this video.
Popcorn video
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Is it true or is it an urban legend?
If it is true, it could be bad for us if we use cell phones.
If it is false, it could be bad for us because if we believe it to be true, because it will hinder us from using a great tool.
Transition
We will look further at the truth or falsity of the ability of a cell phone to cook food next week. But the fact that I can Google urban legends and find so many different stories shows that it does not take a lot of investigation to verify the truth or falsehood of many urban legends, but often times people don’t because they either see a picture or it supports a preconceived notion,( i.e cell phones emit bad energy to your brain), so they believe it without investigation.
In the spiritual realm there are also urban legends.
Things that sound true, or go along with a preconceived notion we may have of God, but turn out not to be true from a Scriptural stand point and if only we would do a little investigation, we would see that.
Now the problem with believing something that is not true, is that it can affect our actions.
For instance,
If we believe Big foot is out there, we may not go camping.
If we believe cell phones can pop popcorn or cook food, we may stop using them.
Now while this would not necessarily bring harm to us, this false belief
could hinder our ability to have a great tool at our disposal and even
could be detrimental to us if we were ever stranded along the road and needed to call someone for help.
The same thing is true with spiritual beliefs. If we believe something that is not true, it will affect our actions and that could be detrimental to our relationship with the Lord and our living of this life.
So, for the next several weeks we are going to be talking about Spiritual Urban Legends, things that some people have said to others or believe to be true, but it turns out that there is no Scriptural support for.
We want to consider these things so that we can
know the truth and
live according to the truth
because it is the truth that brings freedom.
This morning we are going to consider the statement
God won’t give you more than you can handle
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I have often heard well meaning Christians say this to those struggling through a difficult time.
“You’ll get through this. God won’t give you more than you can handle.”
I know the intention is to encourage a person and help them know that they can get through a difficult time, but there are 2 problems with this statement.
Not in the Bible
First, it isn’t in the Bible. It is probably based upon 1 Corinthians 10:13
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1 Corinthians 10:13 - 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
This doesn’t say God won’t give you more than you can bear. It says He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear without providing a way out.
There is a difference between being burdened with circumstances and life and being tempted to sin.
So, the statement that “God won’t give you more than you can handle is not in the Bible, it is a Spiritual urban legend.
Can be Detrimental to believe
The second problem with that statement can actually turn out to be detrimental to a person.
If a person is being weighed down with so many things and you tell a person that God won’t give you more than you can handle, implied in that is they should be able to handle all they are facing, which is not always the case because often God has placed in front of us way more than we can handle and He does that for a few very good reasons.
This morning, we are going to begin our investigation as to why this statement is not true by looking at a couple of instances in the Bible where people are overwhelmed with the circumstance they find themselves in and what God wants to teach us in those circumstances.
To start, turn with me to Numbers 11:4
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We are going to look at Moses and a situation he faced that was completely beyond his ability to deal with and look at what God does through that circumstance and see how He may be working in our lives to teach us and to help us when we are facing things that we are unable to handle.
Numbers 11:4-6, 10-17
4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost--also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!"
10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. 11 He asked the LORD, "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? 13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ’Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now--if I have found favor in your eyes--and do not let me face my own ruin."
“Don’t worry Moses. You will get through this, after all, God won’t give you more than you can handle.”
Moses had more than he could handle, so much more that he wanted to die.
Maybe there have been times you have felt just like Moses.
“God, I can’t handle this. Everything seems to be crumbling down around me!”
“I can’t take it.”
Job and life situations
Maybe your job is becoming so consuming and demanding as your bosses expect more and more from you and more from those people you are managing.
Maybe on top of that, you are running into situations at home that are requiring your attention: a leaky roof, the Christmas decorations need to come down, the kids have their activities they have to get to and to top it all off, one kid is sick and you have not been feeling the greatest either. You find that everywhere you turn seems to be more demands made of you that you can’t seem to fulfill.
“God, I can’t handle anything more! Why are you doing this to me?”
Stay at home mom
Or, maybe you are a stay at home mom and you are striving to do your very best to stretch the limited dollars that are coming into your home to make ends meet but all the appreciation you seem to be getting is the kids complaining that there is nothing to eat when they open the fridge.
You are feeling overwhelmed and worn out spending more time going to different stores for the sales while continuing to do the laundry, the cleaning, and trying to get the kids to their activities. And to top it all off, your husband wants some attention from you too and you feel like you have got nothing left to give.
It seems to you that even though you are trying harder, nothing seems to be good enough and you feel like you just can’t handle anymore.
And just as you feel that, there is one more thing to handle and you just want to scream and run away!
Then some well meaning Christian will come along side you and says,
“Don’t worry, God won’t give you more than you can handle. Just keep going.”
You can’t keep going.
Moses couldn’t keep going.
Why does God allow us to get to this point?
I believe God allows us to face these overwhelming circumstances sometimes to grow us and to teach us.
Let’s see what God teaches Moses through these circumstances.
Look at
Numbers 11:16-17
16 The LORD said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.
One Reason that God allows us to face more than we can handle is so we can learn to
Carry each other’s Burdens
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Look at that end of verse 17 again.
“They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.”
God wants us to carry each other’s burden’s.
Paul writes in Galatians 6:2
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that we should “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Sometimes we are going to face circumstances and burdens that we need to have others help us carry. God has not designed us to be able to handle everything by ourselves. This is why He wants us to be in community with other people.
And when we are in community, in relationship with others, we grow closer by helping to carry each other’s burdens.
Right from the very beginning God said it is not good for man to be alone. He said, “I will make a ‘helper’ suitable for him.”
God wants each of us to be in community and to help carry each other’s burdens.
For the person that is burdened, however, this implies that you must be willing to let others carry some of your burden.
This is where it gets hard for us sometimes.
It is hard, because we are a prideful people and society has taught us to be self reliant. We feel like a failure if we have to rely on someone else.
Not only that, but what if someone else takes on some of what we can’t do and does a better job than we could. That too, could hurt our pride.
We need to repent of that pride and keep the bigger picture in mind.
Allowing others to carry some of our burden is not only beneficial to us, but it also helps prepare others for greater use by the Lord.
One of the men that Moses shared some of the burden of leading Israel with was Joshua, the man who would eventually take Moses place and be the next leader of Israel.
If we are going to get through this life without being completely overwhelmed and lacking in joy, we have got to be connected to others and let others help carry our burdens.
I want to tell you that these principals are not only beneficial to the spiritual realm, but in probably every area of life as well.
In the business world, sharing the burdens and letting others take on responsibilities will allow your work to be better as you can focus on doing the things that only you can do.
In the home, get your kids to help with some of the responsibilities.
Perhaps have them go shopping with you if they are complaining about the food situation.
Let them know how much you have to spend and look at the list and have them help you buy your groceries for the week. Then they can learn that it is more difficult than just opening the fridge and getting what you want, which will help them be more thankful for what they have and prepare them for when they need to shop for themselves.
Share the load of the household chores. You don’t have to do everything and your attempts to are probably only hindering your overall family life, not making it better like you think.
So one of the reasons that we will face more than we can handle is so that we learn to carry each others’ burdens to
grow in community and relationship and
help others grow in their ability to be used by the Lord.
Another reason that the Lord allows us to face more than we can handle is so we learn to
Rely on God’s Strength
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Look at verse 18 through 23. Moses was feeling overwhelmed because he couldn’t provide what the Israelites were asking for (meat) even when other people were helping to carry the burden. In those cases we need to learn to rely on the Lord’s strength and work in the situations we face.
Numbers 11:18-23
18 "Tell the people: ’Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The LORD heard you when you wailed, "If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!" Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month--until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it--because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?" ’"
21 But Moses said, "Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, ’I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ 22 Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?"
23 The LORD answered Moses, "Is the LORD’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."
Moses has seen the Lord do some pretty powerful things and yet, he seems to forget that the Lord is strong and that he can rely on Him.
We suffer from the same thing as Moses, forgetfulness, and the Lord has to remind us sometimes that He is strong and we need to rely on Him.
We need to rely on the Lord’s strength to do the impossible and change the circumstance
or
we need to Rely on the Lord’s strength to work in us to be able to stand strong and endure the circumstance.
In 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, Paul tells the Corinthians about the hardships he and his companions faced. He says,
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2 Corinthians 1:8-9
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
When we rely on God’s strength, He will give us the encouragement and the strength to go through any circumstance.
Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is in Daniel 3 with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
They are facing an impossible circumstance, but they have been walking with and relying on the Lord and He has given them strength to stand in the face of certain death when they won’t bow down to an image of gold the king has made. Listen to what it says in Daniel 3:16-18.
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Daniel 3:16-18
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.
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18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
They have learned to rely on the Lord’s strength to help them stand and to do the impossible. They know He can do the impossible, but even if He does not, they rely on the Lord for His strength to face the situation in His power.
God is strong and He wants us to rely on His strength. We don’t have the strength in ourselves to endure the troubles we are going to face in this world. We have to rely on Him, so one of the reasons that the Lord allows us to face more than we can handle is just like Paul said, so we might learn to rely on God’s strength and not our own.
We find the truth of what Paul says when he says, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
We recognize that it is more than we can handle, but it is not more than God can handle and we can rely on Him.
Finally, I believe God allows us to face more than we can handle so that we can learn to
Prioritize the Best Choices
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In the story of Martha and Mary, we see a situation where Martha is completely overwhelmed with what she is doing and she wants her sister to carry some of her burden so she turns to the Lord for some help with this situation.
It seems she is doing just what we talked about in the previous 2 points.
But the Lord teaches Martha here, and us, that sometimes it is not
that we need to be strengthened by the Lord to endure through a circumstance or
even that we need to have others carry some of our load,
but we need to prioritize our best choices of what to do and not to do, even if some of those things may even be good to do, but they are just not the best at the moment.
Listen to how look records these events.
Luke 10:38-42
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Mary prioritized the best choice of growing in her relationship with the Lord.
Martha, while what she was doing was not bad, it wasn’t the best. Mary had chosen what is better, and Martha could have made that same choice. But that meant she would not be able to do the other thing, the preparations.
That may have even upset someone else there, maybe even one of the disciples.
This is where we need to Lord’s wisdom and strength as well, not to endure, but to make the best choice of what to put down, what not to do, when we are faced with more than we can handle.
Application
For families in our society, we have so many choices that are competing for our time.
What is the best choice?
Working every Sunday
Is the best choice working every Sunday when the church gathers to worship and grow and connect with the Lord and one another? Or would it be better to make a stand in the strength of the Lord and say to your employer that you can work some Sundays, maybe even every other Sunday, but you can’t work every Sunday, and then rely on the Lord to be true to His promise to provide for you as you seek His kingdom and His righteousness.
Kids Activities that Hinder Bible study
Is it the best choice to have our kids involved in activities that hinder us from being involved in a Bible study that will help us grow and stay connected?
This doesn’t mean that our kids can’t be involved in things, but it does mean considering the things they are involved in and how they are going to impact our child’s spiritual life as well as the spiritual life of the rest of the family.
Doing multiple Bible Studies but no time for family
Is it the best choice to be involved in 3 Bible studies to the hindrance of caring for your family and spending time with them?
It is certainly not all about growing in knowledge, but about growing in relationship with the Lord so we can use our knowledge of Him to live a Christ centered life.
It is only as we are living a Christ centered life, as our relationship with the Lord is growing, that we are going to have the wisdom to prioritize the best choices.
And in that growing relationship we will be able
To rely on the Lord for strength in difficult times
To know what burdens to have others carry and
To know what burdens to prioritize out of our schedule, at least for a time.
Conclusion
Are you here today and feeling overwhelmed with the circumstances you find yourself in?
For those who have never made a decision to receive Jesus as their Savior by believing in Him and what He has done,
Living a perfect life,
Dying for you sins
Resurrecting from the dead showing his power to forgive you,
Then you need to begin by receiving Him as your Savior.
I will pray in a moment and if you want to receive Him, then just acknowledge that belief to Him.
For those who have received Jesus as Savior and are facing situations that are more than you can handle, I want to encourage you by telling you that while God has given you far more than you can handle, it is not more than He can help us handle.
Today, I want to pray for you who need
the strength to endure,
the help of others and
the wisdom to make some hard choices.
Bow your heads
I am just going to ask you to bow your heads for a moment and have you acknowledge if you are in a situation where you need one of these things and I want to pray that the Lord would strengthen and guide you to take the step that he has placed in front of you to deal with this situation.
If you are facing a situation that is more than you have been able to handle, just raise your hand as a sign that says Lord, I need your help and I will pray for you.
Pray.
Stand with us as we close praising and rejoicing in the fact that our Redeemer lives!
