When You Hit The Wall
Powerpoint 1 Sermon title
Illus: how much can you fit in the jar?
Big Rocks
Smaller Rocks
Sand
Water
Is the jar full? Yes.
If you don't put the big rocks in first you will have a hard time doing it later. Stephen Covey
There is room for more. You can become a bigger jar.
Powerpoint 2 Scripture
Mark 2:22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.
We learn from this parable, it is not your ability that matters as much as your expandability.
Jesus is looking for stretchable people.
In the illustration above when asked if the jar was full people responded with the language of the lid.
We all have lids in our vocabulary.
Moses spoke the language of the lid. I am not a good speaker.
Gideon spoke the language of the lid, my family is the least in Israel.
The language of the lid speaks of our pedigree.
Our past performances, our lack of opportunity, our lack of natural endowments. Our comparisons to others.
Saul was the tallest and best looking, David was the shortest and overlooked.
satan is a capacity thief and he recognizes that we will not rise above the dominant voices in our head. What are you privately saying amen to?
Let me list a couple of area's that talk about capacity, and then I am going to show 4 instances from the life of David where he exceeded his capacity and hit the wall of his ability, and finally I want to give some quick advice on what to do when you hit the wall. Next year we will discuss among other things increasing your capacity.
Areas of life that we understand in terms of capacity: (All these can be increased)
Capacity to handle stress. I have learned something first hand that I have always known intellectually, your ability to handle stress is both a spiritual and a physical truth.
We all have relational capacity.
Introverts and extroverts.
Expressive and non-expressive
Some people are sociopaths, incapable of having a conscience in regards to their relations with others.
We have intellectual capacity.
We all have a forgiveness capacity.
We have common sense capacity.
We have physical dexterity capacity.
Etc
4 Areas where David hit the wall in terms of his capacity to deal with things.
(Explain what it means when we say we have, "hit the wall.")
1. David hit the wall and reached his capacity when he faced personal betrayal.
PPT 3 Scripture
Ps 55:12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear [it]; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him.
Ps 55:13 But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend.
We all have a capacity for dealing with betrayal, truth be told none of us are very good at it. Betrayal is one of those things in life that when it happens you will find the limits of your endurance much sooner than you would like, and you will be pushed past your limit much further than you would have believed you could survive.
BTW Jesus never taught adulterous marriages must continue. Forgive yes, reconcile that is up to your understanding of the will of God for your life. Jesus understood the severity of the pain of betrayal that adultery brings and said that it was a legitimate cause to end a marriage. Our prayer is that forgiveness and reconciliation would come, but God Himself made it clear that it causes series and sometimes permanent damage to a marriage.
Examples of betrayal:
Betrayal in a relationship
Betrayal in a confidence
Betrayal in a business dealing
2. David hit the wall and reached his capacity when dealing with family members.
PPT 4 Scripture
2Sa 3:39 And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!"
He spoke of no such weakness dealing with Goliath, or his men speaking of stoning him at Ziklag. Nor even when his own son Absalom started a rebellion. There are certain people that can get under your skin more than others. That is relational capacity. He could deal with Absalom, but with his nephews he couldn't. Even with the same problem we have different capacities to deal with it depending on the person in whom the problem is showing forth.
3. David hit the wall and reached his capacity when he saw no end in sight for his trial.
PPT 5 Scripture
1Sa 27:1 Then David said to himself, "Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines...
If God told him he would be king, how could little old Saul kill him, and thwart God's plans?
We all have a capacity to endure trials. David had reached his limit. He threw in the towel and headed to the land of the Philistines, seemingly abandoning the call of God on his life.
Now let me tell you a revealing secret about all of us. When we reach our limits we usually don't pray for increased capacity, but for our troubles to be manageable by our capacity. IOW only give me what I can handle, is our prayer. Or Lord, please reduce this to a manageable level. Sometimes that won't fit with God's plan He is taking us to a new level that will stretch us in some very uncomfortable ways.
4. David hit the wall and reached his capacity when he saw Bathsheba bathing.
He had probably met her on other occasions, but this one was different temptation got the better of him. Recognize your limits and run when you get near them.
Practical advice for those who have hit the wall in terms of their capacity to deal with a certain issue/person:
When you hit the wall of temptation look for the exit sign.
When you hit the wall remember he remembers.
He remembereth our frame that we are but dust. He never expects more of us that what we are. He is a very present help in the time of trouble.
When you hit the wall ask God to lead you to the rock that is higher than I. (Ps 61:1,2) In any stormy sea the rock (Christ) is always there and always higher than the storm.
PPT 6 Scripture
Ps 61:2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock [that] is higher than I.
Study group suggested questions: Some people say that God will never allow us to be tested above what we are able to bear. What does 2 Cor 1:8 have to say on the subject.
