“Honey from The Rock”
Psalm 81:11-16
U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris
CP Walker, Taegu, South Korea
BIG IDEA: GOD PROMISES GIVE REASONS TO EXPECT SUCCESS.
REFERENCES: Luke 14:11 (For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted); Ps. 81:16 (I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you); Heb. 13:8 (Jesus chrust is the same yesterday and today and forever); Ps. 19:7-19 (God’s word is “... seeter than honey and the honeycomb); Deut. 32:13 (... honey out of the rock); Rom 1:2 (Promises contained in Scriptures
I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: Psalm 81:11-16
II. READ THE PERICOPE: PSALM 81:11-16
III. READ THE TEXT: PSALM 81:16b (... and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee).
IV. PURPOSE: To motivate the hearers to affirm to others that God promises are SIGNS THAT give reasons to EXPECT SUCCESS.
V. SERMONIC THEME: “HONEY from the ROCK”
VI. Protaganist: Signs, Symbols, and Promises
INTRODUCTION:
In my readings, I came across a a short story written by Reverend John Beehler which says that ...” A small boy riding a bus home from Sunday school was very proud of the card he had received, which had a picture and a caption that read: “Have Faith in God.” Then to his
dismay the card slipped from his hand and fluttered out the window. “Stop the bus!” he cried. “I’ve lost my ‘faith in God!’”
The driver pulled the bus to a stop, and as the lad climbed out and went to retrieve his card, one of the adult riders smiled and made a comment about the innocence of youth. A
more perceptive adult observed, “All of us would be better off if we were that concerned about our faith."
I
****************TAKE 5 BEATS***************
MOVE 1: True FAITH in God relys on God’s promises.
A, So, the question is ... what is a promise?
B. Well, in exploring what a promise is ...
C, I discovered that someone once said that your WORD
IS YOUR BOND.
D. IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT YOU HAVE PROMISED TO DO IS
GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL DO IT.
E. SOMEONE ELSE HAS SAID THAT A PROMISE, BASICALLY, IS
A COMMITMENT TO SHARE YOURSELF.
F. IF YOU give a promise to someone, you are
committing something of your time, your energy, and
your resources to that person.
*******************TAKE 5 BEATS************************
MOVE 2: For example, at many weddings when two young
HETEROSEXUAL (MALE AND FEMALE) STAND AT THE
wedding altar and promise each other,
A. ...they are COMMITING THEMSELVES TO GOD, AND TO
GIVE OF THEMSELVES TO EACH OTHER.
B. FOR WHO can ever forget the “MARRIAGE OF SAMSON” (in
Judges 14:10-20) and how at the beginning of his
WEDDING FESTIVITIES,
C. SAMSON PROPOSED A JEOPARDY TYPE RIDDLE TO HIS
GUESTS IN WHEICH HE OFFERED ...
D. ...A prize to be given at the end of his bachelor
party (if you will) to those who correctly guess
the riddle.
E. AT ANY RATE, THE ENEMY CHOSE TO ATTACH SAMSON’S
HEART AND HIS PROMISE TO BE LOYAL TO HIS WIFE ....
F. BY CAUSING HER TO DECEIVE HIM ( by threathening to
burn her and her father’s house) ...
*******************TAKE 5 BEATS********************
MOVE 3: ... THROUGH HER TEARS AND importunity cries of
IF YOU LOVED ME, YOU WOULD SHARE THE JEPOARDY
ANSWER WITH ME.
A. NOW, MY BROTHERS AND MY SISTERS ... you may
recall Samson , indeed, shared THE JEOPARDY
ANSWER WITH HER
B. WHILE SHE SHARED HIS WORDS WITH THE PHILITINES.
C. HER WORDS WAS NOT HER BOND OR GUARANTEEE (to her
husband).
D. Instead, HER WORDS CAN BE SEEN AS A BROKEN PROMISE.
*****************TAKE 5 BEATS**********************
MOVE 4: NOW ... WEBSTER’S NEW WORELD DICTIONARY ...
defines a promise as a sign that gives reason
for expecting success.
A. In other words, IF YOU SAY, “I’LL MEET YOU AT THE FIRING RANGE ON THE CORNER OF SUCH AND SUCH
B. ...AT SUCH AND SUCH TIME,” you have comitted yourself to that person for a certain length of time.
C. LIKEWISE, THE GREAT PROMISES OF THE BIBLE ARE THE
EFFORTS OF GOD TO SHARE HIMSELF WITH US.
D. And if we understand the promises, we also
understand the nature and character of God.
E. For every promise is a commitment on God’s part to
give of HIMSELF.
F. IN OTHER WORDS, GOD PROMISES GIVE US (AS
BELIEVERS) REASONS TO EXPECT SUCCESS.
G. GOD SHARES HIS PROMISES WITH US BY SPEAKING T
HROUGH 16 GREAT PROPHETS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
(Rom. 1:2).
******************TAKE 5 BEATS*****************
MOVE 5: FOR DON’T YOU REMEMBER ... GOD PROMISES
THROUGH THE “BOOK OF ISAIAH” IS A PROMISE OF A
NEW BEGINNING.
A. ... AND IN THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH ... WE HAVE EXACTLY
THE OPPOSITE OF ISAIAH. FOR IN JEREMIAH WE FIND
THE PROMISE OF THE ABSENCE OF GOD.
B. YES ... GOD PROMISES TO BE ABSENT FORM OUR LIFE
UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS. HE PROMISES TO LEAVE
US WITHOUT ANY SENSE OF HIS FELLOWSHIP.
C. ALL OF WHICH, IS THE MESSAGE OF JEREMIAH.
D. FOR JEREMIAH WAS SENT TO DECLARE TO THE PEOPLE OF
GOD THAT THEIR CITY WAS LOST AND AS A RESULT OF
their DISOBEDIENCE .... THEY WERE GOING INTO
CAPTIVITY FOR 70 YEARS.
E. GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES. FOR THE BIBLE TELLS
US THAT GOD IS FAITHFUL; AND HE CAN NOT LIE (Titus
1:2 & Heb. 10:23)
*******************TAKE 5 BEATS*****************
MOVE 6: FOR WHO CAN EVER FORGET THE PROMISES GOD
MADE TO David (in Psalm 89:3,4,35,36 & 2 Sam.
7:12) FOR GOD WORD SAYS ....
A. “I HAVE MADE A COVENANT WITH MY CHOSEN.
B. I HAVE SWORN UNTO DAVID MY SERVANT.
C. THY SEED WILL I ESTABLISH FOR EVER,A ND BUILD-UP
THY THRONE TO ALL GENERATIONS ...
D. I HAVE SWORN BY MY HOLINESS THAT I WILL NOT LIE
UNTO DAVID. HIS SEED SHALL ENDURE FOREVER... AND
HIS THRONE AS THE SUN BEFORE ME.
*****************TAKE 5 BEATS**********************
MOVE 7: THEREFORE ... IN OUR TEXT TODAY TODAY ... WE
FIND A PSALM THAT SAYS (IN ESSENCE) WHEN WE
ARE WEAK ... OR STRONG ... THE LORD IS OUR
ROCK ...
A. HE’S OUR ROCKY WALL, BLOCK OF STONE ... HE’S OUR
STRENGTH, ...
B. THE PSALMIST ENDS ON A SWEETNOTE ... by saying GOD
IS MY HONEY FROM THE ROCK....
C. Now ... my brothers and sisters ... it’s
impossible to think of HONEY WITHOUT THINKING OF
BEES. MOST OF YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE 3 TYPES OF
BEES (20-8000 per hive)....
D. QUEEN BEES (one per hive and her main function is
to produce bees),WORKER BEES (do all the different
task needed to maintain the hives), AND DRONES
(male bees which don’t have stingers)
E. BEES FIND CREVICES TO BUILD THEIR HIVES AND TO
MAKE THEIR HONEY.... THEY ARE SO CREATIVE ... THAT
THE WORKER BEE CONTRUCT THEIR HOMES EVEN IN A ROCK
....
F. ON LAST EVENING ... MY WIFE GOT THIS GRAND IDEA TO
WALK APSAN MOUNTAIN ... I HAD RUN IT BEFORE WITH MY
UNIT ... SO I DECIDED TO ACCOMPANY HER.
G. WHILE ON THE WALK IN THE MOUNTAIN, AT ONE POINT, WE
HAD TO FIGHT OFF BEES THAT THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO
DO HARM TO their HIVES.
H. FOR YOU SEE .... THE BEES HAD BUILD A HIVE IN THE
CREVICE OF THE ROCK IN THE MOUNTAIN ...
********************TAKE 5 BEATS**********************
CELEBRATION:
GOD’S WORD IS THE HONEY IN THE ROCK... AND HE’S THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION... WHAT HE PROMISES, HE ABLE ALSO TO PERFORM.
