What if?
Illus. From sermon central
A certain king needed a faithful servant and had to choose between two candidates for the office. He took both at fixed wages and told them to fill a basket with water from a nearby well, saying that he would come in the evening to inspect their work.
After dumping one or two buckets of water into the basket, one of the men said, "What is the good of doing this useless work? As soon as we pour the water in, it runs out the sides."
The other answered, "But we have our wages, haven’t we? The use is the master’s business, not ours. He is a wise King, and must have his own purpose that we do not understand."
"I’m not going to do such fool’s work," replied the complainer. Throwing down his bucket, he went away.
The other man continued until he had drained the well. Looking down into it, he saw something shining at the bottom - it was a diamond ring.
"Now I see the use of pouring water into the basket!" he exclaimed. "If the bucket had brought up the ring before the well was dry, it would have been filtered out in the basket. The King was looking for his diamond. Our work was not useless."
The King found his most faithful servant!
We're all a diamond in the rough aren't we? As the old song goes; " i'm just an old chunk of coal but I'm going to be a diamond someday."
Faith? What an awesome concept!
Faith defined; 1. belief and trust in and loyalty to God 2. firm belief in something for which there is no proof, complete trust. 3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction.
Hebrews 11:1-3 MSG
11 1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
3 By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see.
If the world, which is about the most difficult challenge imaginable to create, was called into existence by faith in God's spoken word. Then we who are Christians, should realize that nothing is out of the realm of God's possibilities, in any area of our lives. Amen??
However, Man likes to think that mankind has evolved a long way from the beginning. Almost to the point to where man doesn't have to be so dependent on God, or have faith in God.
Makes me think of a funny story I heard one time...
God is sitting in Heaven, when a scientist says to him, "Lord, we don't need you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing, in other words, we can do what you did in the Beginning."
"Oh, is that so? Tell me," replies God.
"Well," says the scientist, "we can take dirt and form it into the
likeness of you and breathe life into it, thus creating man."
"Well, that is interesting, show me."
So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil.
"Oh no, no, no," interrupts God.
"Get your own dirt."
Faith appears 458 times in the New International Version, 389 in the New King James Version, 378 in the New American Standard Bible and 521 in the Good News Bible.
With the word faith appearing so many times in scripture, we can clearly see that it is something that God wants us to get a hold of and to use in our daily walk, life and relationship that we have with him!
It's kind of funny, but we can remember life lessons our elders taught us when they thought we weren't listening. You know something that someone told us maybe one time. And in that one time what they told us, affected us and had a great and significant impact on us, our whole life through.
I personally, have had people come to me and tell me something that I had said, had affected them in a Greatway, in their life. And in telling me, I could tell they had never forgotten what was said, even though I could not remember the event ever happening.
And yet I found it pleasant and pleasing that something I had said, had meant so much to them!
That's kind of how it is with God. And by that I mean when we get a hold of something that his word tells us and we do it, it is pleasing to him. And it moves him to do things for us when we ask him to do them.
Hebrews 11:6 NKJ
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.
Faith is our key, to experiencing everything that God has for us, through our walk and relationship we have with Him, through His Son Jesus!
What if we believed that statement to be true a 100 % of the time? According to scripture life would be full of God's reward wouldn't it? Jesus referred to it as the "Abundant Life!"
Let's look to the word today for some what if's and see if the word is true!
What if we were to lay our burdens down at the possibilities Jesus in capable of and leave them there? What do you think would happen?
Matt. 9:20-22 MSG.
20-22. Just then a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, "If I can just put a finger on his robe, I’ll get well." Jesus turned—caught her at it. Then he reassured her: "Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you’re well." The woman was well from then on.
Now did Jesus heal her when she was just thinking to herself about touching His robe,
Cause believe me, I’m sure she had thought about being healed and set free from her affliction for 12 long years,
or did He heal her, she released her faith and reached out to Jesus capabilities, instead of her own.
12 long agonizing yrs., 4,380 days of maybe I‘ll find an answer or solution tomorrow,
Why had she waited so long? Why does anyone wait so long to turn to God?
Her healing happened when she stopped wondering why and began to change her thinking and believe, "what if it's true?"
Because TBS. the very moment she did that, the very moment she changed her thinking from her capabilities to His, she was made whole!
We can’t do anything on our own, but through our faith in Jesus and His finished work on the cross, nothing is impossible!
Matthew 19:26 MSG
26 Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”
Did you notice the if's? If you think you can, no chance of your request ever happening! But if you think God Can, every chance in the world for it to happen it will just trust him and believe!
To many focus on their circumstances, instead of the one who can change their situation, if they will have faith and believe!
A lot of people continually focus on their circumstances! They think their job is a dead-end job and life is hard. TBS. If we can believe, circumstances are not forever, circumstances are only temporary and are subject to change at any moment!
Psalms 30: 4-5 NKJ
4 Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.[b]
5 For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.
Human nature continually wants us to get lost in our circumstances! What we should get lost in, is the possibility of God moving us past and through our circumstances into His plans that He has for us.
Remember, If we will believe He can He will Reward us for Believing!
As far as dead-end jobs. The Bible says that one of the most dead end jobs,
one of all the lowliest of jobs, was the job of shepherding the sheep! But yet one
of the greatest Bible heroes everyone loves to hear about, got his start as a
shepherd.
Now you would think with such a lowly job, that David would've been very
disgruntled and unhappy doing what his father had asked him to do!
The story of David the shepherd boy, depicts David as someone who took his job very seriously. For the Bible makes mention that he actually killed a lion and a bear, while tending his fathers sheep.
David started at a young age by taking the attitude that many people don't. He decided to take the attitude that God could make him shine right where he was.
And that God's favor on his life is not limited to his circumstances at the time!
We pick up on the story of David, after he had just left his sheparding responsibilities and went to take his brothers something to eat on the battlefield.
That’s when David hears Goliath defying God, These are the first words as far as I know that David spoke, not just in the battle, but in the Bible.
Its no wonder, God said he was a man after his own heart.
1st Sam. 17:26
Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
What is the reward for someone who is willing to believe that the one true God, the Great God of Israel, can help defeat this monster!
All of Israel is only talking about what they can’t do!
David shows up and the first thing he says is, if we can believe
God Can help us be victorious!
The soldiers mentioned nothing of God, his brothers never spoke his name, the whole nation was in fear!
but David takes one step into the arena and first thing that he does, is raise the subject of the living God! Amen?
I know what it looks like he says...but have you forgotten who you are and that you are chosen people! And the God you call your God, is the one true God!!
It seems as if everyone is in a daze, No one else is thinking about God’s capabilities!
You know, the;
*set you free red sea splitting,
*feed you everyday for 40 years,
*make the walls fall down flat at Jericho, miracle working capabilities of God!
Sad thing is, they knew all these things,
But they couldn’t even see God's capabilities, because they were letting the circumstance of Goliath block their view.
David however, is thinking about nothing else but, God’s capabilities!
David knows he can’t beat this giant of a man himself, but he also knows,
Its not about what he can do, its all about and only about what God Can Do,
if and that's the keyword once again! If someone will just have faith and give Him the opportunity to do it!
There are situations in everyone’s life, that God is just waiting to respond to, the moment someone is ready to call out in faith! Amen?
The story concludes with not a question of if, but the fact that David answered and stepped out of if, into faith!
1 Samuel 17:45-51 MSG
45-47 David answered, “You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel’s troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day God is handing you over to me. I’m about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there’s an extraordinary God in Israel. And everyone gathered here will learn that God doesn’t save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to God—he’s handing you to us on a platter!”
48-49 That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine. David reached into his pocket for a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine hard in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply. The Philistine crashed, facedown in the dirt.
50 That’s how David beat the Philistine—with a sling and a stone. He hit him and killed him. No sword for David!
51 Then David ran up to the Philistine and stood over him, pulled the giant’s sword from its sheath, and finished the job by cutting off his head. When the Philistines saw that their great champion was dead, they scattered, running for their lives.
And not just good news! But the fantastic over the top news is...God is willing to do the impossible for you as well, when you step out of if it might happen into the faith it not only can happen but will happen the moment I believe God can make it happen!
Are you receiving everything you want from God? I think we could all say no to that, but I still must ask..Why not? Because He is always willing give as much as we can believe Him for!
Isn’t about time Christians, came to God and believed, He is who He says He is,
And that He can do, what He says He can do??
And that if you will diligently seek Him, He will reward you for doing so!
How much time are you spending seeking God?
Do you want an hours worth on Sunday morning blessing, or a lifetime of it?
Get into the word, the word is life and will bring and can resurrect life to any situation!
Truth be told, we all have the same opportunity and have already had many opportunities in our lifetimes;
To step up to challenge and do as David did, as the woman with the issue of blood did and you will do as well. When you realize the potential of the faith that you have so generously been given!
The accuser will try his best, to make a Goliath out of every trial you will ever come up against,
Circumstances will always try to dictate the outcome of every situation in our lives, if and that's the keyword, if we let them.
Its only when we take ourselves and the word if out of the equation and trust God to do the impossible. Does He have the opportunity to bring it about and get the glory that He truly deserves.
God is so good to us, so patient, so kind, just waiting for the moment for us to lay it down and let Him bring about the plans He has for us!
This is God’s Word on the subject,
I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised, I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out, plans to take complete care of you your whole life long, from now throughout eternity!
And He not only wants to but He's willing, ready and able to deliver every promise He has ever made to us. When we are willing to call out in faith and believe! Amen??
Jerm. 33:2-3 NKJ
2. “Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name):
3. ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
God wants to do so much in our lives and were only limited by how much we are willing to let Him be a part of.
Eph. 2:10 NKJ
10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
The Amplified Bible says it Bests,
For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
God has prearranged a good life for you to live, its your heritage as a child of God. Which means it's your God Given Right!
Step out of the old and into the new and He will take you places and do amazing things in your life, when you do!
Step out of only thinking what if it's possible, into the realm of believing it is possible.
Because God's word has declared it is and that's enough. God's word is always enough in every situation, or any circumstance we will ever face!
Do you believe it? Then receive it and apply it to your life forevermore from this day forward!
Amen, let's pray!
