MINI-SERIES: SEASONS OF SPIRITUAL & PHYSICAL EXPANSIONS - THE JABEZ FACTORS TO EXPANSION (AN INTRODUCTION)
1 Chronicles 4:9-10: 9 Jabez was More Honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I Gave Birth To Him In Pain.” 10 Jabez Cried Out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would Bless Me and Enlarge My Territory! Let Your Hand Be With Me, and Keep Me From Harm So That I Will Be Free From Pain.” And God granted his request.
INTRO: THE PRINCIPLES OF ENLARGEMENT – THE JABEZ FACTOR (AN INTRODUCTION)
Bruce Wilkinson’s book, The Prayer Of Jabez Was An Unexpected Best Seller - a Christian book on the New York Times & USA Today’s Best Sellers List for months. He turned this obscure short passage into a phenomenon. It gave rise to the Jabez Prayer Book, The Prayer of Jabez for Women, The Prayer of Jabez for Teens, The Prayer of Jabez for Kids, The Prayer of Jabez Devotional, The Prayer of Jabez Journal, not to mention Leather Edition, Jabez music, T-shirts, hats, posters, coffee mugs, calendars, mouse-pad for computer. Many say this book caters to the health & wealth gospel. Jabez may have been praying for personal things, yet, there was something more in that prayer which led God to answer yes. The Prayer of Jabez is about the sovereign, holy, wise, faithful, & gracious God who answered Jabez’ prayer. And the message about God that this text proclaims is good news for every believer, not just Jabez: The Lord God is still in the blessing business!
In The 1st 9 Chapters Of 1 Chronicles, There Is A List Of 500 Names. We don’t remember them. The names make up the family tree of the 12 tribes of Israel. Most are listed without any comments at all, but there are a few that stand out. In 1 Chronicles 1:19, one was named Peleg (which means division – he brought division in Israel). 1 Chronicles 2:3, one was named Er (was very wicked). 1 Chronicles 2:7, another named Achan (who brought disaster). Among those 500 names, nothing stands out. In 1 Chronicles 4, suddenly a face stands out in the crowd. May that camera shine on you, in Jesus’ Name. Four very ambitious prayer points he prayed. Jabez Asked God To Bless Him. Jabez Asked God To Enlarge His Territory. Jabez Asked That God’s Hand Would Continue To Be Upon Him. Jabez Asks God To Keep Him From All Harm.
BEFORE WE LOOK AT HIS PRAYER, WHAT STANDS OUT ABOUT HIM? Quick Outline
1. Jabez Was A Pain To His Mother. His mother named him “pain”. Why would you name a child “pain?” Verse 9 gives us some insight: “I gave birth to him in pain.” Examples: 1 Samuel 4: Philistines attacked Israel. Killed sons of Eli. Take the Ark of God. Eli hears it, falls, breaks his neck & died. Phinehas wife in labor, overcome and gives birth calling child Ichabod – the glory is departed from Israel. Ichabod’s mother died in childbirth. Genesis 35: Rachel son Benoni (son of my pain) as she died – Jacob changed to Benjamin. Jabez’ name indicates that something was troubling his mother. She was discouraged. The only thing she could see in her future was difficulty so she named her baby pain. Only God knows what her pain was. Only God knows your pain. Pains are personal - Sickness. Loneliness. Disappointment. Deception. Failures. They are real and they happen. They can lead to loss of zeal for life. Unforgivingness. Withdrawal from society. But “Pain doesn’t just show up in our lives for no reason. It’s a sign that something needs to change.” “One of the main ways we move from abstract knowledge about God to a personal encounter with him as a living reality is through the furnace of affliction. Romans 8:18 As heirs, if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. Deut. 22 and 2 Samuel 13 about rape.
2. Was He A Product Of Abuse (Mother Raped Or Assaulted)? The question is not far-fetch. Child Sexual Abuse Statistics (2015): 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18. Over 58,000 children were sexually abused last year. 34% of people who sexually abuse a child are family members. 12.3% of girls were age 10 or younger at the time of their first rape / victimization. 27.8% of boys were age 10 or younger at the time of their first rape / victimization. 96% of people who sexually abuse children are male, and 76.8% of people who sexually abuse children are adults. 325,000 children are at risk of becoming victims of commercial child sexual exploitation each year. The average age at which girls first become victims of prostitution is 12 to 14 years old, and the average age for boys is 11 to 13 years old. Judges 11: We see traces of what Jabez is going through in Jephthah. He was the son of an illegitimate relationship. John 8: Woman caught in adultery to be stoned. Where is the man? Look, most of us carry stuff in our heads that only God can help us.
3. There Is No Mention Of A Father. I can’t help but notice also that there is no mention of his father. In all of the other listings the father is named - but not this one. I can only guess that he was out of the picture. What is wrong with our societies today? US Census Bureau of 2015: 23.6% of US children (17.4 million) lived in father absent homes in 2014. Results into school dropouts, crime, suicide, child abuse, early pregnancy, drug, gangs, alcohol, poverty, etc. Fathers have children and step away. It is not that often with women. Never a time in the history of the world where more fathers are absent than present in their lives of children. Illustration: Searching For Someone & Found Out They Had Been Arrested In A State. Having children is not the end result, it is the beginning. Where was his father? Jewish children and their genealogy are mentioned alongside fathers – not here. Only the mother.
4. Jabez’ Family Was Likely Very Poor. It seems obvious there is financial struggle going on here. Jabez asked that God would increase his possessions – whatever he had was nothing. Look, I understand poverty in developing or 3rd world countries, I do not understand it in America. Statistics: In 2013, UNICEF found that the relative child poverty rate in the United States was 20 percent. This placed the United States 33rd out of 41 rich countries. The U.S. child poverty rate was twice that of Australia (9.3 percent), three times that of Ireland (6.9 percent), four times that of Denmark (4.8 percent), and five times that of Finland (3.7 percent)—the country with the lowest rate. The United States essentially chooses to have such high child poverty rates because we have among the weakest anti-poverty programs found in rich countries. How can few people have so much and more people have so little? We you talk about it, they say you preach socialism. And these are the people forced to pay taxes. Most of the rich escape paying taxes. Whatever Jabez had meant nothing. He had to pray for a shift and work toward it.
5. Jabez’ Future Was Bleak. Jabez means pain - so he had an uphill battle from the start. Who would invest in him? His mother and others did not forget to remind him of who he was. Imagine when playing outside at the age of 5 - It’s time for dinner and his mother yells out the back door: “Hey you who causes me pain, you source of grief you, you little loser! It’s time for dinner”. Mothers often refer to their children as their pride & joy but not this one. He was a disdain. Look: If you know who you are and who your God is, he will turn that pain to prosperity. We are also limited by what people think about us. People may not call us a particular name in our presence, but they do in their heads and in our absence. With all this talk about character, it matters. Strive to have a good reputation as a Christian. It will bring you before men. You may have had a bad start, made few mistakes, but God can clean you up and place you on high. Proverbs 22:1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.
6. Jabez Was Under A Curse. Something About His Life Had Produced A Curse. When you are living under a curse, nothing works or some things will work for awhile but will stall. Curses come in many forms – what you have done or what someone else who is connected to you, whether in your past or present has done. Some action legitimizes a curse over your life because you became subservient to the placer of the curse by virtue of what you may have or may not have done. Curses must be broken in order for lives to be free.
7. He Was Honorable - His Character Was Strong – Had Integrity. In spite of his name, Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. Such description applies to Daniel, Joseph, Joseph, Nathaniel, etc. Jabez is a very upstanding as an individual since he is viewed as being more honorable than any of his relatives. His brothers were dishonorable. A Jewish reader would have found it quite ironic that a person named “pain or sorrow” would be the most honorable in the family. This description is usually attached to a person who is upright before God in comparison to others. To be honorable did not mean he was a man of great riches or great courage & strength. We definitely know that a great deal of his honorable life was because he was a man who knew who His God was. Honor by the world’s standards is based on achievement, prestige, or accomplishments. People are given honor & awards for all sorts of reasons – their political clout, celebrity status, athletic victories, economic power, or intellectual prowess. E.g. Honoring rebels in Buchanan. But biblical honor is granted to those who humbly seek the Lord & His ways. Honor comes to us when we are not seeking it but are earnestly seeking the Lord. It comes when we consider others better than ourselves. It comes when we are striving to be the husband we ought to be, the wife we ought to be, the parent we ought to be, the son or daughter we ought to be. Honor comes when we live with the attitude that John the Baptist voiced in John 3:30 when he said about Jesus, “He must increase; I must decrease.” Honor comes when we are loving God with all our heart, soul & mind & loving others as we love ourselves. Living in obscurity doesn’t matter to us when we are living to honor God. Jabez was not greedy, selfish or materialistic. He was not seeking to fill up his pocketbook or his storehouses as some did. He was in fact pleading with the Creator of all things to multiply him, to increase his influence and to expand his ability to do good and provide for the needs of others. He did not want others to go through the pains he went through. Illustration: Man With Secret Room – Shabby And Dirty Boy. A Reminder. 1 Peter 2:12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Timothy 3:2-7 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
8. He Realize That He Had Problems: Note: 1st - When he was young, not after he had gotten old. Being young means there was chance and hope. 2nd: He realized he a problem. Two notable things – When he made the decision and about what he made the decision. Some make good decisions but late. If you are dealing with an emotional issue or a habit – seek help. Do not let pride overcome you. Seek help in a timely manner. Illustration: Teen who died from opiate overdoes this week refused help from his parents. Once you cannot admit that you have a problem, you cannot be helped. People who move from selfishness to pride to arrogance to haughtiness had this developed over a period of time. Jabez knew just how weak and insufficient he was. Remember he was a man marked as one whose life was filled with pain or one whose life would cause great pain to others. But despite what men thought of him or said about him he knew that God’s helping hand was readily available to all who would ask.
9. Jabez Refused To Stay Where He Was. He is ready to live large. Jabez could have just changed his name. Or maybe add a little title before or after his name, e.g., Dr. Jabez, Pastor Jabez, etc. He could have just given up and started causing pain to others. Blame it to his name. Blame it to the circumstances that he was born into. Blame it to the expectation of the people. Blame it to his mother. Yet, Jabez took the challenge head on and rose above the name he had been saddled with. Our text tells us he was more honorable that his brothers. Defined, that term means trustworthy, respected, worthy of glory and honor. Jabez decided to live a life exactly opposite of what his name called for. He excelled in the good things, the pleasant things of life. He gained honor, respect, even love by the way he conducted his life and the manner in which he served his God. Our difficulties and circumstances could make it harder for us to succeed but they can never prevent us from succeeding. How did Jabez do it? Right attitude. Right tool – Prayer. Right source – God. Right petition and request.
10. Live A Life Of Prayer & Reliance On God: The thing that set Jabez apart from everyone else here is the passionate prayer expressing his faith in God. He knew that without God he could not make it. One writer said that Jabez had “an audacious prayer life” – 1. extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless: 2. extremely original; without restriction to prior ideas; highly inventive: 3. recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like; insolent; brazen. 4. lively; unrestrained; uninhibited. Jabez knew that God was the source of all blessings, the source of all strength & the source of all protection. While his prayer is not some sort of magical formula that makes God bless us, it does give us a sense of the passion with which we can & should pray, knowing that the God of heaven & earth is hearing us. Jesus said: Matt. 7:7 “Ask & it will be given to you. Seek & you will find. Knock & the door will be opened to you.” John 15:7 “If you remain in me & my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, & it will be given you.”
11. Jabez Had Great Faith In God. It is obvious by the way he approaches God in prayer. Actions speak louder than words and it is obvious that Jabez’s faith is revealed in his actions - he called on the God of Israel to hear his prayer believing that He would answer it. People wanted him to stay in his place – he refused. Jabez prayed in faith and we’re still talking about his simple prayer thousands of years later. He was a simple man - There’s no mention in the Bible of Jabez having any special ability or talent or gift. The Bible doesn’t say that he was wealthy or educated. He was not a great prophet or a great preacher. He was not a wise ruler over some great nation. He was not famous for being so great warrior who could almost single-handedly win battles. He is not remembered for his great wealth. He is remembered – because he prayed to God in faith and God heard him and answered his prayer. It’s his prayer that sets him above the norm. A simple prayer made him stand out in the Bible. Our prayers could help us stand out too – to live above the norm. Jeremiah 33:3: 'Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know. So why don’t we call on Him? That’s what Jabez did – he asked in faith – believing that God would answer his prayer and guess what – God answered him.
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT PRAYERS & FAITH
1. Misconception#1: God Is Responsible For My Life’s Results, Not Me. No, God will hold you responsible for your life’s Productivity. We are responsible before God to grow our church, to enlarge our ministry, to go coast to coast for God. Matt. 25: Jesus Parable of Talents: A King gave talents to his servants and went away. When he came, he expected results, not excuses. Faithful people got more. Lazy people with excuses got nothing. Faithfulness is a responsibility to multiply 10 times what God has given you. God expects results in your life - unfaithfulness is lack of productivity. Look at what happened with the one man who took no responsibility to invest or multiply what the Master had given him. What does the parable say to you? It says to me as a leader I am responsible before God to make my ministry grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6 “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gives the increase.” It means you must do your part.
2. Misconception #2: God Is Interested In Spiritual Things, Not Numbers! The Lord desires your life to have both Quality & Quantity! What did Jesus instruct in the Great Commission: Go into ALL the world! God wants all of it - the entire world. John 15:16: You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last. True disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to God. Acts 2:41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church - about 3000 in all. But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so that the number of believers totaled about 5000 men, not counting women and children. Yes God is interested in numbers. There’s a book called Numbers.
3. Misconception #3: If I’m Doing God’s Will, I Won’t Be Afraid! Oh yes you will. In fact the first sign that you are doing God’s will is fear. What was Moses’ first reaction to God’s call? The Lord with you even when you face Fear. Jeremiah faced fear. Joshua faced Fear. Joshua 1:9 I command you - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Hebrews 13:5b-6 For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never forsake you” That is why we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Jabez isn’t asking for something ordinary or mundane. Jabez is requesting something extraordinary, something big, something special. He won’t be satisfied with something mediocre; he wants something great! And you know what? I think God loves that kind of prayer. God is no fan of timidity, of hyper-caution, of people who never commit because they’re afraid of making a mistake. We fear but put the fear in God’s hand.
4. Misconception #4: If I Am Doing God’s Work, People Will Always Love Me And I Will Succeed At First Touch: To both I say “No”. God’s work attracts enemies even from within. Amny will try to keep you down.
HARD PRINCIPLES OF THE JABEZ PRAYER TO OVERCOME THE OBSTACLES
1. God Will Enlarge Your Territory But You Must Break Through Your Comfort Zone. Comfort is staying where you are. It is the will of God that you move. Comfort is an internal state, it’s inside of you, it is an inhibition. Moses is the classic example of someone wanting to stay in his comfort zone. Exodus 4:10-14a But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m just not a good speaker. I never have been, and I’m not now, even after you have spoken to me. I’m clumsy with words.” 11 “Who makes mouths?” the Lord asked him. “Who makes people so they can speak or not speak, hear or not hear, see or not see? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go, and do as I have told you. I will help you speak well, and I will tell you what to say.” If the Lord begins to pull you in a certain direction, you feel uncomfortable. Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send someone else.” Then the Lord became angry with Moses. You have a choice - run away or break through your comfort zone.
2. God Will Enlarge Your Territory, But You Must Overcome Your Border Restrictions. What is a border Restriction? That’s the temptation the evil one presents to us - to be an obstacle. So I want you to evaluate yourself - not the person sitting next to you - but look at yourself. Do you ever hear yourself saying: “We’ve never done it that way before!” “We don’t have the money.” “We don’t have the people.” “They aren’t capable of doing it.” Border Restrictions exaggerate the threat. If you’re a border restrictor, you gang up on others if they start messing with your comfort zone. Numbers 13:32-33 So they spread discouraging reports about the land among the Israelites: “The land we explored will swallow up any who go to live there. All the people we saw were huge. 33 We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. We felt like grasshoppers next to them, and that’s what we looked like to them! Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” Every spiritual advance we read about in the Bible is opposed by a restriction in some way. We will not be restricted this year 2017.
3. God Will Enlarge Your Territory, But You Must Struggle To Occupy It. Deuteronomy 1:30, 41: The Lord your God is going before you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt. 41 We will go into the land and fight for it, as the Lord our God has told us. On one hand the Bible says: “God Will Fight For You.” On the other hand, it says: “We Will Go And Fight For The Land.” Which is right? Both statements! People who think they do it all become arrogant. People who think God does it all, don’t do much. Enlarging the territory involves both the sovereignty of God and the free-will of humans. Joshua 1:11 Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God has given you. God will bless you, enlarge your territory, but you must work to achieve what he has given you. You are a partner in ministry with God. Illustration: Man’s home is flooded. Offer to take him to higher ground - He refused saying, “the Lord will provide a rescue.” Came by in boat. He refused. Helicopter came. He refused. Finally he drowned. He got to heaven he asked God, “why didn’t you rescue me?” The Lord said, “I sent you help 3 times and you refused.” Like the man in the story we often presume on God’s help.
CONCLUSION
When We Put All The Pieces Together We Have A Picture Of A Man Who Has All The Cards Stacked Against Him. His brothers have humiliated the family. His mom calls him a pain. His father is not in the picture. He seems to have no property, no cash and no future. I suspect there are some here today who feel the same way. Maybe your family has made you feel insignificant, maybe your dad was never there for you; perhaps your siblings were an embarrassment to you. Your money is tight and you worry about the future. That’s where prayer comes in. Jabez wasn’t satisfied with a status quo kind of life. He had a vision of God doing something big in his life. Do you have the courage to pray that kind of prayer? Do we as a church have the faith to pray that kind of prayer? Do we have a vision that God would use us in ways we could never imagine to impact our community?
PRAYER TO GOD FOR ENLARGEMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WORLD
1. God, Make Me Aware. Lord, open my eyes to the divine appointments you have put in my life - engagements and encounters which God has arranged as unique opportunities for you to act as his agent. God sets up divine appointments all time - our problem is we don’t see them.
2. Lord, Make Me Ambitious: God, give me a bold, passionate, zealous, unquenchable thirst to accomplish your mission. Make me ambitious for opportunities to expand your kingdom and enlarge my territory. Somehow we’ve lost any sense of urgency. Lord, give me an ambition to see the people I love changed by your touch. Enlarge my territory.
3. Lord, Make Me Assertive: Lord, make me aggressive, uncompromising, forceful in the way I spiritually fight for souls. We’re talking about being persistent, relentless, insistent in our spiritual warfare for the souls of humanity. We don’t sit around and wait and hope that God will do something in the lives of those around us. We must become aggressive with the weaponry of prayer that Jesus gives: 2 Corinthians 10:4 “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
4. Lord, Make Me Available: Lord, make me available for what you have in mind. You are the potter, I am the clay. You tell me what we have on our plate. You tell me what I need to do. Give me a willing heart, a submissive spirit and an open mind. Jabez never prays for more capabilities, more troops, more training or more information.
CLOSING PRAYERS
We pray that you would increase our territory! Give us a vision and the will and the capacity to grow in faith, in numbers, and in mission in this community and everywhere you lead us. Shape the ministries of this church to be flexible and quick to react to the changing needs. May we be generous with our time, our resources, our talents. Help us to be welcoming to all and to minister to all in Jesus’ name. And, may we be courageous to grow and to go, as you lead. Make us aware of the people you have divinely appointed for us to meet. Father, make us ambitious to win them all, that no one would go through life without the hope and love you offer. Father God, would you make us assertive in the spiritual realm – fearless in our spiritual warfare on your behalf to see souls changed. And please God, make us available. Make us available to be your agents of conspiracy in this confused and lost world. In Jesus’ Name.
