Which One, are you?
Illus. by Wanye Major
A church just had a change of ministers and was to be served by their first woman pastor. One of the parishioners was having a hard time accepting it, not because of any prejudice, but because his favorite pastime was fishing, and he had always enjoyed taking the pastor fishing.
He just automatically assumed a woman pastor might not know anything about fishing. And in this particular case, he was right.
But when she found out that he had always had this relationship with pastors in the past, she approached him and announced that whenever he wanted to go, she would enjoy going fishing with him.
The time came when they decided to go, and when they had gotten into the boat and anchored down, he found out very quickly that she knew nothing about baiting a hook, so he had to bait the hook for her. When she hooked her first fish, he realized she knew nothing about how to reel it in, so he had to help her reel it in. Then, of course, he had to take the fish off the hook as well.
The result was that the man really got no fishing done himself that day. Then the wind began to blow, and she was cold, so she mentioned that she should have brought her jacket from the car. When he suggested that he could pull up the anchor and take her back to get it, she said, “Oh no, don’t bother, I’ll get it myself.”
And with that, she stood up, got out of the boat, and began walking across the water to the shore. The man sat there shaking his head sadly. “Just like I figured,” he muttered, “Can’t swim either.”
What's the four words every person never wants to hear from anyone, especially their parents or siblings? "I told you so!" Thats right, right along with you should've listened huh?
How many of us, have ever had to say, or ever felt compelled to say these words to our parents or anyone else? "You Were Right, I Should Have Listened and believed what you told me!"
Those are usually some tough words to get out of your mouth aren't they? They are usually followed up with the thought...note to self, "next time pay more attention" and the whole event becomes a learning experience for us!
Galatians 3:2,3,13,14 NKJ
2. This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3. Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
Everyone wants to receive what God has for them in their lives right? You would think the answer to that question would be yes, but do they? There are far too many people in this life they have been given, not living like they want too!
Matthew 13:3-8 NKJ
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
How do we receive everything that God has for us? By being receptive and being good soil. By paying attention to what the word of God speaks into our lives!
Does the word of God speak into our lives? Sure it does, if we are willing to read it, accept it and believe it!
Here, we find the key, on how we can and do, receive everything that God has for us in our lives, that is assuming we have asked Jesus to be our Lord and Saviour.
Having faith in Jesus, is the key to our relationship with God and receiving everything that God generously has for each one of us! He is the seed that is sown into our lives. And we become good soil, when we believe and accept what He did for us in the past and what He can do for us in the future!
Vs. 13,14
3. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)
14. that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
The only way we can receive Jesus, or what God has in store for us, or anything for that matter, is by faith. So if everyone wants to receive everything that God has for them? How's come more people aren't attempting to do everything they can, (by that, I mean have faith) to ensure that they receive what God has for them in their life?
The sower (God) is constantly still sowing seed! The question is, are we doing everything (having faith in Him and believing) we can to be good soil? You would think the answer to that would be a resounding yes! But the fact of the matter is, for far to many Christians the answer is no!
Romans 10:17 NKJ
17. So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Redemption is only found by our faith in Jesus!
Healing is only found by our faith in Jesus!
Prosperity, righteousness, The entirety of our relationship and all the benefits the word promises to us! Is found in one constant thing! BY OUR FAITH IN JESUS!!!
and our faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Ill. There once was a young man, back in the late 1,800 hundreds, who wanted to be a telegraph operator and he went to apply for a job.
The applicants were so many that day and there was standing room only in the waiting area,
The interviewing was to have started earlier in the day and the man had been held up and was late arriving,
Thinking his chances were slim to none with so many fighting for an opportunity, he sat down still willing to wait for his turn.
He noticed, that all of the applicants were complaining about how it was taking to long and didn’t they know how hot it was in there.
About two minutes after arriving, he got up and went over and opened the door to the mans office, who was going to do the interviewing,
Everyone there, thought who does that guy think he is? Paying all of them no attention, he walked through the door and closed it and as soon as he did, the gentlemen inside said, what do you want?
And the young man said, there was a message that i heard in the waiting area,
and it told me to come in here, that I had the job if I wanted it.
Welcome, I thought you'd never get here, I’ve been expecting you all day, you've got the job.
He went on to tell him, that the whole day, the time everyone had been waiting in that waiting room, a telegraph had been taping out the message he had heard repeatedly;
“if you want the job, come into my office you’ve got the job”
TBS. to him who has ears, let him hear! Have you ever heard that one before?
That’s something that God wanted us to know, that exact phrase is mentioned some 51 times in the bible.
Its like He was and is still saying to all of us, “HELLO,” can you here me now!
If you want my blessings and all the trimmings that go with them, you can have them!
TBS. that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Spoken words, faith released and action applied, produces answers and our needs met! (Repeat)
Anything that Jesus states in the Bible, is a promise to him who believes, Praise God!
Listen up church, “to him who has ears, let him hear”
There’s a lot of people, waiting on an answer or a need to be met, just like in the story, in the waiting room of life! Most are complaining, maybe not outwardly, but certainly inwardly, about how long it is taking,
All the while they need to just stop what their doing looking to themselves, look to Jesus and listen to what He has already said repeatedly He would do, and start living like it's already happened by faith and receive it as being already been taken care of!
All of the promises to us in the bible, comes by hearing and receiving them by faith, that has already been measured and given to you! (Rpt)
Whether you believe it or not we all have faith!
Romans 12:3 NKJ
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
It's Like He says, Im the one who gave you a measure of faith, don't forget who gave it to you. We need to remember to rely on God, who makes all things possible, not our self effort.
When we rely on God, that makes us good soil! When we rely on our self effort, that makes us anything but good soil! And wastes all the seed that is sown!
Concerning the promises of God that are available to you! Whether or not you are receiving them, doesn’t change the fact that they are available to you!
You see, so many have made up their mind, that’s all fine and dandy preacher! But it's just not the way I was brought up to believe. Then maybe it's high time, you thought about changing the way you believe!!
Let me tell you;
*Your birthright
*Your upbringing
*Where you attended school or church growing up for that matter,
has nothing to do with and does not change the availability you have to the goodness and promises of God!
Only the distance between your ears, is affecting what you are receiving from God!
Gal. 4:4-10 NKJ
4. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5. to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
7. Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
8. But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. (the world)
9. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?
10. You observe days and months and seasons and years.
There are a lot of people who have been set free by Jesus Grace that He gave us all at Calvary. But far to many are still convinced that their not worthy of it and chose to live their lives,
If not all, at least partially condemned still by the law, Jesus abolished so long ago!
This is one of those moments, I believe the Lord would have me say to you, Listen up church, “to him who has ears, let him hear”
All of the promises to us in the bible, comes by hearing and receiving them by faith, that has already been measured and given to you!
How do you determine a measure?
A measure is determined by the way you hear it and the way that you receive it, into your life.
Ill. There was a famous golfer who had been invited by the king of Saudi Arabia to play in a tournament. He accepted and was flown there by the King in his own private jet. They played golf, had a good time and the golfer went home.
But before he left, the king offered the golfer anything he wanted because he had made the time so special. The man was polite and said nothing except that he'd also had a wonderful time himself and that the King didn’t owe him anything.
But the king was persistent and insisted, so the man said "Fine, I collect golf clubs. Why don't you give me a golf club?"
So the man got on the plane and went home.
The golfer was trying to picture the new club for his collection, Would it be a driver, or a putter, he imagined it would probably be solid gold, or a sand wedge studded with diamonds, One thing he was sure of, that it would definitely be a great gift, after all it would be from an oil-rich king from Saudi Arabia.
The man waited and every day looked forward to the mail, but no golf club. Several weeks went by when he got a certified letter from the king—-odd he thought—but where's my golf club?
To the man's surprise when he opened the letter, inside was a deed to a five-hundred acre golf course--a Golf "club"--in America.
TBS. Seek ye first, the Kingdom Of God and all these things will be added unto you!
Would you agree with me this morning. That the word “all” encompasses a lot of things? God has given us "ALL" the measure of faith with which to believe, How much are you believing for today?
Matthew 13:23 NKJ
Talking about the parable of the sower here
23. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
Which number do you hear, God pouring out a blessing into your life?
30, 60 or a 100?
And if your hearing it this morning, what are you hearing?
30 what, 60 what, 100 what?
Coffee cups, or dump trucks?
Houses, buildings?? There is no limit as to what God is capable of!!
You know what? God wants that number to be a 100 for you!
He has more than enough resources to make it happen in not only your life,
but the life of every believer who is willing to step out in faith and believe Him for it!
Say, “I have ears, let me hear Lord” Let Me Hear!
Start today and begin to make a proclamation in and over your life!
Remember, Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God!
“I have what Gods word says I have, I can do what Gods word says I can do, I’m an heir to His throne, Praise God!
I challenge you this morning! As your thinking about receiving from God, start to think about giving the same way!
I haven't even received yet, and you want me to start thinking about giving it away? Yes that's exactly the way God's law of reciprocity works.
TBS. Give and it shall be given, pressed down, shaken together and running over! For the same way that you give, you shall receive!!
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 MSG.
6-7. Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.
8-11. God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,
He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.
This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.
Did you catch it there? Where it says giving produces great praise!
Let's read that last part again;
"This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God."
And that’s what it is truly all about, sharing what we have been given, in the end, it’s the only thing that is going to matter!
The only question is now, what are you going to do with what you have been given?
Why not let it really take root, and become the good soil you were always
meant to be?
Let's pray!
