The man without a past...
Does anyone remember the episode of The Andy Griffith show, when a complete stranger came to town? And even though he was a complete stranger, he seem to know everyone's names and everything about everyone.
And the fact that he knew everything about everyone, seemed very mysterious and strange. And it literally drove the people of Mayberry crazy, almost to the point they wanted him thrown out of town!
Does anyone remember the old Hymn "God moves in mysterious ways?" Would anyone care to know the story behind the song?
Illus. By Paul Fritz, God Moves in a Mysterious ways
The hymn God Moves in a Mysterious Way has been a source of great comfort and blessing to many of God’s people since William Cowper wrote it in the 18th century. Yet few people know of the unusual circumstances that led to its composition.
William Cowper was a Christian, but he had sunk to the depths of despair. One foggy night he called for a horsedrawn carriage and asked to be taken to the London Bridge on the Thames River. He was so overcome by depression that he intended to commit suicide.
But after 2 hours of driving through the mist, Cowper’s coachman reluctantly confessed that he was lost. Disgusted by the delay, Cowper left the carriage and decided to find the London Bridge on foot. After walking only a short distance, though, he discovered that he was at his own doorstep!
The carriage had been going in circles. Immediately he recognized the restraining hand of God in it all. Convicted by the Spirit, he realized that the way out of his troubles was to look to God, not to jump into the river. As he cast his burden on the Savior, his heart was comforted.
With gratitude he sat down and penned these reassuring words: "God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm. O fearful saints, fresh courage take, the clouds you so much dread are big with mercy, and shall break in blessings on your head."
Colossians 2:1-5 MSG
2 I want you to realize that I continue to work as hard as I know how for you, and also for the Christians over at Laodicea. Not many of you have met me face-to-face, but that doesn’t make any difference. Know that I’m on your side, right alongside you. You’re not in this alone.
2-4 I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we’ve been shown the mystery! I’m telling you this because I don’t want anyone leading you off on some wild-goose chase, after other so-called mysteries, or “the Secret.”
5 I’m a long way off, true, and you may never lay eyes on me, but believe me, I’m on your side, right beside you. I am delighted to hear of the careful and orderly ways you conduct your affairs, and impressed with the solid substance of your faith in Christ.
TBS. (The Bible says)
"Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else."
You see, when you hear the title of this message it sounds somewhat mysterious. And the mysterious is always somewhat intriguing to everyone. Human nature though, Through its quest to figure out the mysterious somehow always brings the focus back to itself.
And the search for the mysterious, when it is unable to be figured out and completely understood. Somehow always changes the focus of the mysterious, to our Version of the mysterious which is my story is.
Illus. By Philip Harrelson
Once in his dream a man was haunted and thwarted by a mysterious, veiled figure. As soon as he had gained a fortune, the veiled form snatched it away from him.
*When he was about to enter into peace and joy, the veiled figure attacked his mind with fear and anxiety.
*When he was hungry and sat down to eat, the veiled figure snatched the food away from him.
*When he was weary and bone-tired and lay down to sleep, this enemy of his life filled his mind with thoughts which ripped away his sleep.
*When he stood at the open door of a great opportunity and was about to enter, the hand of the veiled one slammed the door closed against him.
*When he stood at last at the marriage altar and was about to say his vows, the veiled figure burst into the chapel and loudly protested the marriage.
Enraged, the man cried out to his adversary, “Who are you?” In a move of violence, the man leaped forward and ripped the veil from the face of his tormentor and surprise turned to anguish when the face of the intruder was actually his own....
Self, is the only thing that can keep you from receiving everything that God has for you.
Self, is the only thing that stands in the way of your miracle that you're praying for.
Self, is the only thing that stands in the way of the abundant life that God wants you to live and enjoy.
The relationship with Self, even though one may never want to admit. Is the one who continues to cry foul, but refuses to admit to the violation!
John 3:16 says for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that who so ever would believe on him would never perish, but would have eternal everlasting life.
God gave the most costly gift of all time, with the most amazing benefits to be enjoyed. And the way to enjoy what God has freely given to us, is when someone partakes of and accepts the gift!
TBS. At that moment we become a new creation, through the personal relationship that we establish with his son Jesus.
At that moment we become a man, or a woman without a past.
At that moment we become a man, or a woman with only a future!
At that moment, it changes from my story is to the mysterious things that A relationship with Jesus offers us!
And how is that possible? Through faith, through your faith! The same faith that it takes to accept Christ as your Savior, is the same level of faith it takes to activate every promise He went to the cross to obtain for you!
But you say, that didn't take very much faith I just believed and it happened! That's exactly right, you just believed it and it happened. You used a mustard seed amount of faith and it happened. A mustard seed amount of faith is all that's required for any request made of God!
TBS. The faith of a mustard seed can move a mountain!
Matthew 17:14-20 NKJ
14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic[c] and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
20. So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Thing is, most people try to and usually end up making their needs bigger than a mountain! They fail to see the enormity of the example that Jesus was not only qualified to make, but was instructed by God to speak into existence for everyone who would ever believe, could happen for them in their situation!
Even the smallest amount of faith, activates the hand of God. Because at that moment, it becomes Belief...the opposite of unbelief!! Amen??
If you want to activate God's abundant life in your life, then start by believing that it's possible for it to happen!
Colossians 2:6-7 MSG
6-7 My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
God would have me tell you the same thing Moses told the children of Israel on their way to the promised land.
That you have been where your at long enough, it's time to move forward. It's time to step into a new level of commitment in the relationship you have with Him!
Deuteronomy 1:6 NKJ
6 “The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain.
You see they have been circling that mountain for 40 years. He was saying I promised that mountain to you 40 years ago and it's about time you believed what I said. On the other side of that mountain was the promise of the abundant life, everything they would ever want or have need of!
They knew it was there, they had even seen and tasted of the fruits of it. The only thing that was keeping them from possessing it, was their unbelief!
They continually focused on the past, what God was saying was, "focus on the future, not the past!" And the moment they believed and looked toward the future of what God had already promised them. God rewarded them with the promise!
Hebrews 11:6 NKJ
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
God would have me tell you again you've circled the mountain long enough. And that whatever the mountain is, it's time to move it!
Luke 23:39-43 NKJ
39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ,[a]save Yourself and us.”
40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord,[b] remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
When you read this, it's easy to see the both of them had heard about Jesus Life and and the miracles of what He was capable of. Both men's past actions had led them to where they were at that very moment.
One of them was unwilling to let go of the past, even with the result of death staring him squarely in the face.
The other man knew that he had a past, but also knew Jesus was capable of giving him a future. And the moment that he accepted what Jesus could do for him, is the moment he became a man without a past and only a future!
And that's exactly who we are when we believe in and except Jesus as our savior! We become men and women without a past, we become men and women with only a future!
If you can believe, truly your best days are not behind you in the rear view mirror, their ahead of you in the future!
Illus.
Television interviewer and journalist Larry King describes three farmers who gather daily in a field during a horrible drought. The men are down on their knees, looking upward, and praying the skies will open and pour forth a much-needed rain.
Unfortunately, the heavens are silent, and the petitioners become discouraged, but they continue to meet every morning to lift up their request to God.
One morning an uninvited stranger approaches and asks the men what they are doing. They respond, "We’re praying for rain."
The newcomer looks at each of them and shakes his head, "No, I don’t think so."
The first farmer says, "Of course we’re praying. We are down on our knees pleading for rain. Look around; see the drought. We haven’t had rain in more than a year!"
The outsider continues to nod his head and advises them their efforts will never work.
The second farmer jumps in and says, "We need the rain; we aren’t asking only for ourselves, but for our families and livestock." The man listens, nods, and says he still isn’t impressed. "You’re wasting your time," he says.
The third farmer can’t take any more, and in anger he says, "Okay, what would you do if you were in our shoes?"
The visitor asks, "You really want to know?"
The three landowners answer, "We really want to know! The future of our farmlands is at stake."
The guest announces, "I would have brought an umbrella!"
SOURCE: Praying in Faith, Citation: Larry King, Powerful Prayers (Renaissance Books, 1998), p. 243.
What does your future hold? How much can you believe God can deliver? Do you have umbrella faith? Because if you do God has umbrella worthy showers of blessings headed your way!
Amen? Let's pray!
