To Handcuff the Power of God
Mark 8:14-21
(Prayer)
A recurring theme of the bible is that only those who would dare to trust God with their whole hearts will see the power of God manifested in their circumstances. Once there was a man named Moses who was called by a burning bush on the backside of the wilderness to lead God’s chosen people out of hard bondage. The Israelites were released from that bondage after a series of miracles or plagues depending on which side you were rooting for and carried the treasures of the wicked on their shoulders to the shore of the Red Sea and as they stood between the devil and the deep blue sea with the Egyptian army breathing down their back they cried out to Moses that they would have preferred to remain slaves than to have come here to this place and die. They cried out to return to the same bondage they had begged God to save them from and Moses cried out to the Lord that day standing on the seashore.
YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT GOD SAID TO HIM!
EXODUS 14:15 WHEREFORE CRIEST THOU UNTO ME? SPEAK TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THAT THEY MAY GO FORWARD!
NCV Why are you crying out to me? Command the Israelites to start moving
WHY DID GOD SAY THIS? Simple answer to it if you’re willing to listen, there’s no going back with God! NO FORREST GUMPS IN GOD’S ARMY! No spiritual armor to cover our fannies running from the enemy and Christ Jesus stands on the ramparts to issue the command CHARGE!!!!
Moses had already been told by God in Exodus 3 and 4 that he was with them and that his intention was to bless the children of Israel beyond measure and comprehension by leading them to a land flowing with milk and honey. They already had God’s word on it and they had already experienced the power of Almighty God working on their behalf yet here they stand whining in the desert about how good it used to be!
WHY DO GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE ALWAYS SEEM TO BE SO MUCH BETTER AT WHINING AND COMPLAINING THAN ACCOMPLISHING THE MISSION OF GOD? Why do we have 20/20 vision seeing the problems and we’re so much more faithful to say how something is impossible to do instead of finding the solution? Do you think Jesus ever gets tired of our belly aching? He gets to hear us moan and groan and complain and whine about our petty little problems when in Ephesians 1:3 it says that we have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing through Christ Jesus. Do you think that maybe sometimes he’d like to slap us when we get more concerned about the situation around us than trying to accomplish the Great Commission? In the word of God there was a time that the disciples wore his patience thin on a little boat in the sea.
· Jesus came to a moment in his earthly ministry that his own chosen disciples, the men he was trusting to carry out his mission, when he saw how blind they really were
"BEWARE THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES AND OF THE LEAVEN OF HEROD!" These men of God failed to see the spiritual and only looked at the physical. Jesus said that because we didn’t bring enough hot dog buns when we roast weiners on the other side! Well it’s his fault anyway! Every time it’s time to leave he’s rushing us and out in the van blowing the horn saying, COME ON, HURRY UP! He should have let us stop at the Food Lion on the way out of town if he’s going to be so worried about bread.
· I believe that Jesus’ patience wore thin at that moment at the monumental stupidity of those who said they were Christians, his disciples.
Scripture clearly says that he was tempted in all points like we are and I know from experience there ain’t nothing that’ll try your patience more than a roomful of Baptists at teaching time. Unless it would be trying to start a 5hp Briggs and Stratton engine when it’s a hundred degrees outside and the grass needs mowing! Hey, I know! I use to have a full head of hair but now it’s falling out!
First thing that Jesus did… He wondered out loud at their lack of faith!
A. WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS ABOUT BREAD?
B. HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND AND WHAT LITTLE BIT OF COMMON SENSE YOU ONCE HAD?
C. DID YOU WORK HARD TO MAKE YOURSELF THIS SILLY?
Are you so blind and unseeing that you can’t see the truth staring you in the face or are you so deaf that you can’t hear the words I’m speaking to you right now? HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN YOUR TESTIMONY!
TESTIMONY ISN’T WHAT YOU THINK GOD CAN DO, ISN’T WHAT YOU’VE HEARD GOD CAN DO BUT INSTEAD IS WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN GOD DO! They had seen God feed multitudes of people with a few fish and a couple loaves of bread and then pick up more scraps than were there in the first place with everybody rubbing their bellies they were so full.
WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN GOD DO THAT YOU’VE FORGOTTEN? I THANK GOD EVERY DAY THAT HE SAVED MY WICKED SOUL!
WHEW! I’VE SEEN GOD TAKE A MAN FROM BEHIND A BEER BOTTLE AND PUT HIM BEHIND A PULPIT. I’VE SEEN GOD PUT GAS IN MY CAR WHEN I RAN OUT ON THE INTERSTATE AND I SAW HIM SELL A HOUSE ONE TIME IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS WHEN I HAD TRIED TO UNLOAD IT FOR TWO YEARS! I’VE SEEN GOD DO MIRACLES IN MY LIFE, IN MY HEART AND IN MY FAMLY! I’VE SEEN GOD SAVE 49 PEOPLE IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS WHEN NOBODY IN THE WORLD WOULD HAVE BELIEVED IT COULD HAPPEN IN A BAPTIST CHURCH IN PODUNK LOUSIANA!
Jesus spoke some hard words that are still ringing down through the ages to speak to us today, don’t handcuff God and forget his power in your life! He can still do the impossible! In the book of Revelation Chapter 2 verse 4 Our risen Lord said an amazing thing to the people of the church at Ephesus…
A. He knew about all their efforts and hard work to serve him and how hard they had tried
B. Yet he spoke to them about a matter of the heart!
"NEVERTHELESS, I HAVE SOMETHING AGAINST YOU, BECAUSE THOU HAST LEFT THY FIRST LOVE "
Jesus won’t be satisfied until he has your heart! All the intelligence of human wisdom and service sitting in that little boat could only elicit some harsh words from the Master. He wanted to speak to them about a deep spiritual thing that could destroy their faith and their relationship with him but all they could think about was their belly. Do you think that just maybe they tried his patience that day the same way some of us do when our minds stray during worship? Oh, oh you did it now Brother Mike, you done gone and tried to make this about me and my relationship with the Lord…
1. Jesus wanted to give them strength to overcome, spiritual meat, so that they could continue to see greater and greater things. He wanted to sound a warning, to blow the trumpet, so that they would know to take heed and beware of certain things
a. Unbelief or doubt
b. Contrary questioning, let’s make the preacher sweat
c. Pride
d. Religious attitudes
e. Money lovers
f. Control freaks
1. They only thought about their belly and their immediate physical needs
Maybe they had become too consumed with the business and administration part of Christianity. Too busy worrying about how everything appeared… Didn’t someone else have that problem in the Bible? Yes, I believe someone did whose name was Martha and she got so busy with the work involved and the arrangement of things that she despised her sister. Nothing in this world worse than a gossip! A tattletale! She went and told on her sister for not helping her with all the work and just sit around at his feet hanging on every word. Mary just sat there soaking him in, enjoying the fellowship. Jesus said that she had chosen the better thing and that it would not be taken away from her, and it wasn’t. She chose with her heart to stay close to Jesus and she enjoyed the blessing of his protection from her sister.
WHAT’S KEPT YOU FROM FELLOWSHIPING WITH HIM? WHY DON’T YOU SIT AT HIS FEET ANYMORE? HAVE THE WORRIES AND CARES OF THE WORLD OVERWHELMED YOU? HAS THE STORM RAGING IN YOUR LIFE CAUSED YOU TO PUT JESUS ON THE BACK BURNER OR THE BACK SEAT OR JUST PUT HIM DOWN? OH MY FRIEND, HE WANTS TO KNOW BECAUSE HE LOVED THOSE TIMES YOU SPENT WITH HIM. He still shows up everyday at that appointed time, your time, to love you but you haven’t been there in so long. He wants you to return to your first love.
Second thing that Jesus did was remind them of the power of testimony…
He hadn’t been able to give them what he wanted to give them so he just gave them what they demanded. He wanted to give them spiritual meat and they just wanted day old bread… I wonder how many times that’s happened to us.
· Thimbleful of prayer sent up when He wanted to give us a washtub full of answer
· New bike in the garage but we just keep trying to fix the old one
He reminded them in 19 and 20 of the great things he had done in their lives before. They had eaten that manna from heaven, the supernatural increase that defies the laws of physics. He wasn’t worried about one loaf of bread folks, he wasn’t even worried if they had no bread at all. He could have opened time and eternity to get all of them a double beef whopper on a sesame seed bun with a chocolate milk shake chaser to help with the order of Biggie french fries.
JESUS IS THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA! HE’S THE BEGINNING THE MIDDLE AND THE END. HE HAD SPOKEN THE WORLD INTO EXISTENCE FROM NOTHING SO HE COULD HANDLE THE PICNIC BASKET. HE SAVED A WIDOW WITH THE OIL OF HIS MERCY SO THAT SHE WOULDN’T LOSE HER SONS TO THE BILL COLLECTORS AND HE COULD SPEAK INTO EXISTENCE A BANQUET FIT FOR A KING. He sent ravens to feed Elijah at a brook during famine and then sent him to a widow with nothing but a little meal and a little oil but he fed them for years and it was never depleted. God’s mercy is never depleted folks! He still has mercy in abundance for you today just don’t handcuff him from blessing you!
He rained down manna for the millions in the wilderness with Moses, shut the mouths of lions, poured out the heat blocker for shadrach, meshach and abednego in a fiery furnace one time and even went fishing to pay a tax.
HOW IS IT THAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND???????????????????????????????????????
JESUS IS STILL ABLE TO MEET THE OVERWHELMING CIRCUMSTANCES OF YOUR LIFE, THEY MIGHT OVERWHELM YOU BUT THEY’LL NEVER TIE HIS HANDS IF YOU DON’T TIE THEM YOURSELF. DON’T DEMAND DAY OLD BREAD WHEN HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU SPIRITUAL MEAT TO STRENGTHEN YOU FOR HIS PURPOSE. HE’S THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER AND HE HAS PROMISED YOU GOOD THINGS AND ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS. HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU GOOD MEASURE, PRESSED DOWN, SHAKEN TOGETHER AND FLOWING OVER SO DON’T YOU HANDCUFF HIM AND DEMAND A DAY OLD HONEYBUN.
DON’T SEND UP A THIMBLEFUL OF PRAYER WHEN YOU NEED A WASHTUB FULL OF ANSWER HERE TODAY! IF YOU DIED TODAY WOULD YOU GO TO HEAVEN? EITHER YES OR NO NOT MAYBE OR I HOPE SO. YOU CAN BE SAVED TODAY!
BACKSLIDER, WITHDRAWER YOU CAN BE PUT RIGHT BACK INTO THE GLORY OF GOD THIS MORNING IF YOU’LL ONLY LET HIM. HE’S SPEAKING TO YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW TELLING YOU THAT YOU NEED ME AND I’LL HAVE MERCY ON YOU TODAY!
INVITATION….
