#1 GIVING? WATER! FINDING BLESSINGS IN SEASONS OF TROUBLE!
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes) This is a 3 part lesson.
LOVE GIVES THE BEST IT CAN AFFORD. GOD GAVE THE BEST HEAVEN HAD…
TEXT: John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 (MSG) "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.
NO ROOM… THE SAD STORY CONTINUES…
In the early 70’s Linda and I were at my Mom and Dad’s for Christmas. We had no children. My Dad pastored 65 years, 42 in Frankfort, Ky. There were 5 of us children. We had a traditional spot where we all sat around the tree. Mom, my wife and my sister distributed the gifts to each person. The gifts accumulated at each persons’ feet. Dad had a prayer of thanks for God’s bountiful love and blessings. Then we all opened our gifts. We were very careful about throwing away the wrapping paper. Each person thanked the givers.
When it was all over and I got alone to thank God for the GIFT OF HIS ONLY SON. My eyes were opened. There were gifts for Mom, Dad and each person in the crowded room. Wow! WHERE WAS JESUS’ BIRTHDAY GIFTS. I was a school teacher at the time. I thought and even cried THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR JESUS IN THE INN. THE SAD CONTINUES. The was not one present under the tree for Jesus. THE LIGHT CAME ON IN MY HEAD… IT IS NOT MY BIRTHDAY, IT IS JESUS’ BIRTHDAY. I did not mean to disappoint Jesus and I quietly repented. I SAID NEVER AGAIN WOULD OUR TREE NOT HAVE A BIRTHDAY PRESENT FOR JESUS.
I do not do vows. But I said: GOD IF I EVER HAVE THE CHANCE TO TEACH THE LAST SUNDAY OF NOVEMBER I WOULD TELL ALL TO PREPARE A SPECIAL GIFT TO LAY AT JESUS’ FEET FOR HIS BIRTHDAY. I have kept that promise to this day. I have pastored 44 years and I have been truth to my promise. I would like to pour out my heart to you this day and ask each person to have a GIFT UNDER THEIR TREE FOR JESUS’ BIRTHDAY.
The next year I was teaching school I asked my students to prepare on purpose a gift for Jesus. I had a jail ministry, I promised the Lord with his help I would make an effort to win 10 souls for the cross. The was a hard task, but Christmas morning there were 10 names under the tree. One year we had two sons and we practiced for a month on a song, we picked out “UNTIL THEN.” One Christmas we practiced an instrumental song. We went to the rest homes and some old people’s house. One year we went “WASSILING” and caroling with the young people, we sang and shared WASSIL, apple cider. One year I promised to read the entire Bible in the Month of December, on December 31 I completed the Bible.
MY LESSON IS NOT ABOUT MY GIVING… MY LESSON IS WILL YOU THINK ABOUT GIVING SOMETHING TO THE LORD. Some have been blessed to give a special offering? Others can cook and for the month of December you can cook several times and share a meal, cookies or something? There are lonely elderly people all around. Maybe you could visit in the rest home several times?
Want to hear the most memorial time we had with our family. We pastored a small mission work in the mountains of east Kentucky. We saved our money. We wanted to buy a banana for each patient in the rest home. Well, we tears we could not afford the bananas. We found a special deal on yellow apples. As we were going to the rest home my two sons asked to eat an apple. We had to say no, that would short us. So Linda and I took knifes, we peeled the apples and cut them up and watched the old people eat the soft apples. My two sons ate the peelings. My sons are in their mid 40s now. Every now and then my sons will remind me… DAD WE REMEMBER HOW HAPPY THOSE OLD PEOPLE WERE, BUT WE REMEMBER HOW DELICIOUS THOSE YELLOW PEELINGS WERE.
JESUS SENDS HIS DISCIPLES IN A BOAT TO GO TO THE OTHER SIDE. JESUS DISPERSES THE CROWD AND CLIMBS A MOUNTAIN TO BE ALONE AND PRAY…
They that wait on the the Lord shall renew their strength. THERE IS A TIME TO “COME APART” OR “YOU WILL COME A PART!” So the BOYS were on their own in a boat out in the waters of the SEA OF GALILEE…
GOD LOVES PURPOSED GIVING… MY MOTIVE IN GIVING? DOES THIS GIFT HAVE STRINGS ATTACHED… NOT COMPLUSION… TO BE GENEROUS… CHEERFUL HEART.
2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
** Cheerful means joyous, hilarious, ready, --- GOD GAVE HIS ONLY SON!
There are promises to those that give. Real love gives…
Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
I HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION: MY OPINION: THERE ARE ARE 4 KINDS OF GIVERS.
• NO GIVING ONLY TAKING… I HATE TO GIVE… YOU GIVE ME… RESENT GIVING…
• GRUDGE GIVING… STRINGS ATTACHED,
• DUTY GIVING… I GUESS I HAVE TO GIVE… OBLIGATION
• LOVE GIVING… FREELY GIVE…
There are several gifts that keep on giving : MEMORIAL GIFTS…
THE WIDOW WOMAN GIVE AND WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED. THE WIDOWS MITE!
Mark 12:41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
THE UNREALIZED GIFT FOR THE BURIAL… THE PURE NARD, ALABASTER BOX: BROKEN AND SPILLED OUT… MEMORIAL GIVING…
Mark 14:6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. 7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. 8 She hath done what she could: she is come beforehand to anoint my body to the burying. 9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
GIVING TAKES MORE THAN JUST QUE SERA SERA, WHAT WILL BE WILL BE! …THERE IS A SPECIAL GIFT OF COOL WATER? DON’T GIVE LUKE WARM WATER… FRESH, DEEP WELL.
Matthew 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
JESUS ASK THE SAMARITAN WOMAN --- WOMAN? SAMATIAN? GIVE ME A DRINK? WATER?
John 4:7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
IF YOU ONLY KNEW: I HAVE LIVING WATER…
James 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
I NEED REFRESHMENT… I NEED TO WITHHOLD MY WATER, I MIGHT NEED IT? I HAVE ASKED A QUESTION 10,000 TIMES: GOD WHO WATERS THE WATERER? I FOUND THE ANSWER…
Proverbs 11:25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
Proverbs 11:25 (NLT2) The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
CAN WE GIVE THE ESSENTIAL GIFT OF WATER TO A DYING PEOPLE? WATER? WATER? THE MAN DYING THIRSTING TO DEATH CRAWLS THROUGH THE DESERT SEARCHING FOR WATER… HE FINDS DIAMONDS AND RUBIES… AND A HUGE GOLD NUGGET… HE DIES … GOLD BUT NO WATER… WATER SPEAKS OF HOPE: LIVING HOPE..
WATER IS MENTIONED 72 TIMES IN THE BIBLE… HOW IMPORTANT IS WATER TO GOD’S CREATION? THE WATER OF LIFE IS MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE MORE OFTEN THAN FAITH, PRAYER AND HOPE…
75% of the earth is water… 70% OF THE HUMAN BODY IS WATER… 85% of the brain is water…
NEVER FORGET THE IMPORATNCE OF GIVING WATER TO OTHERS… WELLS, DEEP WELLS, COOL --- PURE WATERS IN DEEP WELLS… WATER IS A TYPE OF ACCESS AND GOD PROVISIONS… GOD MIRACULOUSLY PROVIDES WATER TO HIS PEOPLE WHEN THEY NEED IT… WATER IS A SIGN OF THRIVING LIFE. WATERS OF THE WELL SUSTAIN DURING DROUGHTS… RELIABLE LIVING WATER…
WATER IS A SOURCE TO CLEAN AND PURIFY… WATER IN THE FLOOD DESTROYED EVIL…
SPRING UP O WELL
A little girl for such a time as this… A LITTLE GIRL GIVES WATER TO A MIGHTY GENERAL: NAAMAN … SHARE THE HOPE OF LIVING WATER… Share the LIVING WATERS OF HEALING…
2 Kings 5:1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. 3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. 4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
WE HAVE THE ABANA AND THE PHARPAR RIVERS…
2 Kings 5: 10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
WE MUST OBEY AND COME TO THE WATER…
2 Kings 5:14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
THE GIFT OF WATER…
Water is first mentioned in the Bible…
Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
The last time water is mentioned in the Bible is offered to THE THIRSTY…
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
REMEMBER HOW ABRAHAM SENT HIS SERVANT ELIEZTO FIND A WIFE FOR HIS SON… ELIEZER PRAYS A PRAYER
(Genesis 24: 12-14) --- MAY THE RIGHT WOMAN TO BE ISSAC’S WIFE OFFER ME WATER AND OFFER TO WATER MY CAMELS… BEFORE ELIEZER FINISHED THE PRAYER REBEKAH BRINGS WATER AND OFFERS TO WATER THE CAMELS…
JESUS SENDS HIS DISCIPLES IN A BOAT TO GO TO THE OTHER SIDE. JESUS DISPERSES THE CROWD AND CLIMBS A MOUNTAIN TO BE ALONE AND PRAY…
They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. THERE IS A TIME TO “COME APART” OR “YOU WILL COME A PART!” So the BOYS were on their own in a boat out in the waters of the SEA OF GALILEE…
WHERE DO I FIND GOD’S PLAN FOR ME? CONTRARY WINDS? HOW ABOUT IN TROUBLE? ABOUT 4 AM A STORM ARISES, JESUS WAS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND… THE WAVES AND WINDS PUT THE BOAT AND THE LIVES IN GREAT JEORPARDY.
Matthew 14:24 (KJV) But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
Matthew 14:24 (NLT2) Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.
Matthew 14: 24 (Passion) But the disciples, who were now in the middle of the lake, ran into trouble, for their boat was tossed about by high winds and heavy seas.
CONCLUSION: WE CAN FIND GOD IN TROUBLED WATERS… BE A WATERER… GIVE LIVING HOPE. AS YOU CARRY THE WATER TO THE LOST AND THE HURTING YOUR WATER OF HOPE CAN CHANGE A LIFE. A CHANGED LIFE WITH WATER CAN CHANGE A FAMILY. THE WATER YOU CARRY CAN BRING NEW HOPE. YOU CAN CHANGE THE NEXT GENERATION BY GIIVING A CUP OF COOL WATER.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes) 3 part lesson
