30, January 2004
Dakota Community Church
Missing the Boat
Introduction:
When we take communion I always point this out.
Jesus came to the people who were waiting for Him and yet they missed Him.
In spite of all the attention grabbing signs, in spite of healings, in spite of miracles, in spite of raising of the dead and multiplying of food; they missed Him.
Even the over 4000 years of prophetic warning did not alert them to His appearing.
Why do so many seem to miss the hour of visitation?
Why do we fail to receive the good things God has for us?
1. Many do not highly esteem their birthright.
Genesis 25: 29-34
Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom.)
Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."
"Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"
But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.
So Esau despised his birthright.
Hebrews 12: 15-17
See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
Quote:
"The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want now.’" --Zig Ziglar
How often do we choose to satisfy the flesh here and now without considering the possible consequence?
How often do choose sin over the reward of righteousness?
Do you know anyone who has chosen the rewards of sickness over their birthright?
We do not realize that small things can have eternal consequences.
That stew was Esau’s for the taking. He was the big strong hunter, Jacob was momma’s boy. Esau was the heir.
As Christians we must value the benefits of our “new” birthright.
How seriously do you take the promises of God?
Mark 4: 24-25
“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you–and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”
Isaiah 53: 5
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
1Peter 2: 25
who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.
Now how do you measure those to scriptures?
Measure # 1 – Healing is not for today it passed with the apostles.
Measure # 2 – We never know what God is going to do; sometimes it is not His will to heal.
Measure # 3 – Healing is in the atonement I need to find out how to make it mine!
2. Some miss out because they are not teachable.
Luke 4: 24-30
“I tell you the truth,” he continued, “No prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed–only Naaman the Syrian.”
All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
Don’t make the mistake of being a know it all!
If the first thing you heard preached on a topic was wrong then you could be wrong your whole life and miss out on a lot of what God has for you.
This may be a problem for you if you are often heard saying, “That’s not the way I was taught.”
Maybe you were taught wrong or maybe there is more than one way of doing it.
Here are some favorite doctrines of those who are not teachable:
(A.) The “God has favorites” doctrine.
This one is used as an excuse many times for not taking responsibility for our lives. It is used like so; “Well God just isn’t blessing me the way He is blessing brother so and so.”
(B.) The “God is sovereign / God is in control” doctrine.
Same as above it is used to blame God for all sorts of evil happenings! God is in fact sovereign however He has limited Himself. He will not lie. He will not take your free will away. He will not do evil to teach you a lesson.
(C.) The “I am not worthy” doctrine.
In fact when you accepted Christ you were made worthy.
You know there are others; you may even be falling into the not teachable trap as I am speaking to you this evening!
3. Others fall short by lounging in a comfort zone.
2Timothy 1: 6-7
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline.
Luke 12: 49-51
“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.
Jesus was a man on fire, He was distressed over bringing the shake up He was about to accomplish.
Are you taking steps in the direction you know God wants you to move in or are relaxing in the comfort zone?
Are you believing for a job but not doing a resume?
Are believing for a car but you don’t have a license?
Are you hoping for a bright future but not cracking a book?
Quote:
“They would rather be a spectator in the grandstand of life than risk the arena of conflict to wear the crown of victory.” – John Maxwell
4. Some set up camp at a place called Failure.
Failure is not an event it is an option!
Cain, Saul, Eli, and Naomi are all examples of people who gave up when they were down
We need to be like Joseph in prison.
Genesis 40: 12-15, 20-23
"This is what it means," Joseph said to him. "The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon."
Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand, but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.
The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
PowerPoint available on request - dcormie@mts.net
