THE MESS: THE LADDER UP: OPPORTUNITY.
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
WE TEND TO SEE OBSTACLES AS A MESS? THE PLAN OF GOD CAN SEE THIS OBSTACLES IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. THERE IS A LADDER THAT WILL GET ME OUT OF THIS MESS… CAN I SEE THE LADDER? THIS DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY SEEMS TO BE A TRAP.
You know the story… ABRAHAM is married to Sarah. They make a big mess by bringing HAGAR into the picture. This then makes the mess even messier. Hagar has a son by the flesh not by the promise. ISHMAEL then becomes a threat to the promise of God. ISAAC becomes the type of the SPIRIT MAN. The battle still exists to this day. The flesh and the promise of the spirit of God.
ISAAC is married to Rebekah. The dysfunction grows. Rebekah has two sons. ESAU and JACOB. They are opposites and fight from the womb. ESAU is the DADDY’S BOY. JACOB is the MOMMA’S BOY. There is parental favoritism from the started. Rebekah loves Jacob and will make a BIG MESS, she lies and cheats her husband and ESAU. WHAT A TERRIBLE MESS HUMANS CAN MAKE….
THERE IS A LADDER UP OUT OF THIS MAN MADE MESS… JACOB RUNS FOR HIS LIFE… BUT JACOB HAS THE PROMISE…
THE PROMISE IS BY FAITH.
Genesis 28:1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 2 Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother. 3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; 4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
LIFE IS MORE THAN THE MESS OF THE DESTINATION, LIFE MESS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CLAIM THERE LADDER OUT OF THIS MESS. LET US GO BACK TO BETHEL, THE HOUSE OF GOD.
Genesis 28:11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
GOD IF YOU CAN TAKE MY MESS AND CHANGE MY LIFE, I WILL SERVE YOU.
Genesis 28:20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
WHO E? THIS MESS? THE PROMISE OF GOD REASSURES THE DYSFUNCTIONAL MESS INTO THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT…
Genesis 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
THIS MESS COULD ERODE THE FOUNDATION? HEAR THE CRY OF THE PEOPLE: ALL I WANT IS TO BE HAPPY! THERE COMES A LEADER THAT WILL BRING HAPPINESS FOR 3 ½ YEARS… BEWARE. I AM A WINNER! ARE YOU SURE? WE HAVE APPOINTMENTS MADE… WE MAKE CHOICES.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
MAKE THE MESS BIGGER? I CHALLENGE YOU: Go into any store that sells lottery tickets. Look into their garbage cans. You will find hundreds of losing tickets… Money, big money just garbage. I saw a lady spend $21.00 on tickets. She threw them all away except one, SHE HAD A WINNING TICKET. I heard a lady bragging she won $3.00. Wait a minute? I saw her cash the ticket in she purchased $3.00 worth of tickets that she threw into the garbage can. I heard her as she going out the door, she told a friend she won $3.00. That $3.00 cost her $24.00.
THIS MESS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE AN OBSTACLE. THIS MESS CAN BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. ARE WE CHASING RAINBOWS AND BUTTERFLIES? PHYSICALLY ALIVE BUT, SPIRITUALLY DEAD…
Philippians 3:19 (Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
ARE WE SEARCHING FOR THE POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW? I heard an interview with GARTH BROOKS the famous country singer. The interviewer asked GARTH: HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE MADE IT TO THE BIG TIMES? YOU HAVE FOUND OZ! Garth said: OZ IS ONLY OZ, TO THOSE THAT DON’T LIVE IN OZ. He went on to explain Nashville is just like any other city, the dream may drive you but the achievement of the dream can be so ELUSIVE. If you are not happy here, what makes you think you will be happy OVER THERE?
MESS? WE HAVE SO MANY SPIRITUAL MESSES THEY SEEM TO BE ZOMBIES--- THEY APPEAR ALIVE, BUT THEY ARE WALKING DEAD…
1 Timothy 5:6 But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.
Life is about perspective and mental thinking patterns. Life is much more than REACTION… Some never think and ACT BY FAITH, they are like a dead fish flowing downstream.
MESSES MAY BE BIRTHED IN WONG PRIORITIES. WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME? Ever heard Joey and Rory Feek’s song, What is important to me!
LET US CONSIDER THE ROOT OF MESSES? ASKED ANY WHERE AND YOU WILL BE TOLD BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT… WE PUT IN FIRST PLACE THE BODY… NOT SO IN THE WORD OF GOD, GOD LIST SPIRIT AS FIRST… LIFE IS ABOUT CHOICES AND APPOINTMENTS.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
SEEMS THE WHOLE WORLD IS A MESS. NOAH WAS 500 YEARS OLD… NOAH’S NAME MEANS REST… NOAH HAD AND APPOINTMENT WITH GOD…
HE LIVED TO BE 950, HE LIVED 350 YEARS AFTER THE FLOOD…
Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
There is debate over how long it took to build the ark. Some say 95 years, others say 120…
Genesis 6:18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
One thing we know Noah had an appointment beyond the mess and he knew God can.
THERE WAS A HUGE MESS… THE SOLUTION WAS IMPOSSIBLE. JOSEPH WAS THE 11TH OF 12 SONS. JOSEPH HAD AN APPOINTMENT… 17 YEARS OF BAD STUFF…
Genesis 37:4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. 5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
LOOK AT THIS MESS. JOSEPH DREAMED OF SHEAVES IN THE FIELD… they all bowed to him, the 11th sheave… not in Israel? Joseph complicated the mess with his big mouth.
ADD MORE TO THE MESS? Another dream? The sun, moon, 11 stars: all bow? NEVER?
A BRAGGART’S MOUTH ENLARGES THE MESS. Joseph had some bad attitudes BUT HE HAD A GOD THAT TAKES MESSES AND DOES A GREAT WORK.
1st run of the ladder was with a WELL! That looks down to me?
2nd run up the ladder was: THERE JUST HAPPENED TO BE SOME CAMELS AND PEOPLE DRIVING BY?
3rd run of the ladder was at a SLAVE MARKET, BUT GOD MY DREAM? This mess gets messier.
4TH run of the ladder seems down again? A slave sell, just happens to have POTIPHAR that that day looking for a good slave. CAN WE GET ANY DEEPER IN A MESS? CAN IT GET ANY WORSE? WHERE IS THE DREAM NOW? 5TH RUN is in a bedroom, JOSEPH knew God and ran away. Passed the test.6th YES, IT CAN GET WORSE… PRISON…
7TH run of the ladder seems to be another step down. Joe is to be locked up with BUTCHER AND THE BAKER.
8th run is still has the appearance of down? Joe is the promise to be forgotten laying in a prison.
9th run seems to take a turn for the better: He was remembered.
10th God is making a mess a V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! Joe clean up and GO MET PHAROAH…
Years later 10 brothers come knocking on his door. 17 long years.
GOD’S LADDER MAY NOT BE VISIBLE UP STEPS? TAKES TIME.
OFTEN IN OUR DAILY MENIAL PROBLEMS WE FIND THE LADDER OF GOD MAKES NO EARTHLY SENSE. THE GOOD OLD BOYS ARE WALKING WITH JESUS. JESUS TAKES A DIRECTIONAL CHANGE. WE ARE GOING TO SAMARIA?
WHY? JESUS YOU KNOW BETTER? JESUS HAD A LADDER TO CLIMB… WITH AN FAILURE IN LIFE… THE WAS A LITTLE WOMAN… JESUS HAD A PLAN TO RESCUE HER.
John 4:4 And he must needs go through Samaria.
There came was a woman in Sychar, Samaria
John 4:29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
LORD STAMP ETERNITY ON MY EYE LIDS, HELP ME FEEL A SERMON I COULD NEVER PREACH…
MAY I SEE THE MESS AS AN OPPORTUNITY. MAY THE MESS OF HURTING, LOST AND DYING MESSES ---
THEY ARE RACING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED TOWARD ETERNITY…
Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
CONCLUSION: GOD CAN TURN TEST INTO TESTIMONIES… GOD CAN MAKE OUR MESSES POWERFUL MESSAGES. We can climb the ladder to more. Gooder? Maybe gooder ain’t a word? Maybe better is the word? There are many what seems to be an eternal mess. Do you know God has a ladder to climb up and reach higher. Grow a current, today relationship with the LIVING SAVIOR? You are a pencil and you are writing a book with your messes? Turn the page. Start a new chapter. ARISE MY LOVE, REACH HIGHER!
Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
