SPEAK TO GOD’S POSSIBILITIES:
DYING IN A RUT OF UNFORGIVENESS!
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
We are studying Divine Possibilities:
1. Climb into God’s Envelope; 2. Accept the Mantle; 3. Starving at a feast; 4. Let God!
5. DYING IN A RUT! When an unforgiving preacher preaches 6. Rising above the Minimum;
7. Rising above the scars; 8. Every miracle starts with a problem! 9. Walking in Divine blessings;
10. Importunity/Determination
We are still treading in the realm of Divine Possibilities and we approach a very important
area for those that follow Jesus. Today we seldom reach above our potential and accept there is
more, there is the realm of Divine Possibilities! We must speak to this spiritual realm and reach
for God’s plan.
It is high time within the church that we speak blessing and release the Divine possibilities
that bring release. This is serious and we need to learn the power of blessing from the
Biblical point of view.
I want to tell you that I studied and typed 6 hours on this sermon, and was signing my name to the last line, when something happened to my work and it was all erased, it was all lost. What a heartache and frustration. I had moved in such an anointing and then it was all gone. What shall we do? Do it again!
TEXT:
Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him: IF THOU CANST BELIEVE, all things are possible to him that believes.
24. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said WITH TEARS, Lord, I believe; HELP THOU MINE UNBELIEF.
I. THE PROCESS OF METAMORPHOSIS. GOD HAS A PLAN.
HIS PLAN IS PROGRESSIVE AND MOVES US TOWARD GROWTH AND MATURITY.
WE CAN NEVER REACH OUR DIVINE POSSIBILITIES BEING STUCK IN A RUT!
A. Many years ago my oldest son had advanced from Little League and was playing baseball in a biggerleague. The ball field was bigger and on the other side of the park.
You had to park in the lot and walk a little distance to get to the field.
I was watching the team practice and noticed thousands of little caterpillars crawling across a muddy area on the side of the ball diamond.
Well, I love nature and I watched the caterpillars crawl across the mud.
As I watched, I projected ahead and thought someday these little fellers crawling in the mud, will ride the wind and fly, --- to never again remember the cold, damp mud.
The little caterpillars were enjoying the sun and crawling a distance.
As I watched I noted these ruts in the mud, and I saw some of the caterpillars crawl into the mud ruts and just seem to stay in the rut.
A little later, a city pickup truck came around and drove through the mud ruts.
Every little caterpillar stuck in the rut was trapped, and the pickup truck’s duel wheels smashed hundreds of the caterpillars.
The poor little caterpillars dyed smashed in the mud.
The poor caterpillar would never know the wind and the freedom and beauty of being a butterfly. God’s plan for the caterpillar would not be accomplished because the little worm died in the rut in the mud.
B. God had a plan for the caterpillars, it is called COMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS, or simply change.
Complete Metamorphosis has four stages:
1. EGG --- One day a Momma butterfly would lay her eggs on the underside of a leaf, and she would fly away and trust the plan.
2. LARVA --- The sun would warm the eggs until one day they hatched and they became ugly, crawly caterpillars. The caterpillars will crawl on the cold, wet ground.
But God has a plan that will lift this caterpillar into beauty and the wind.
The caterpillar eats and waits, waits and eats.
3. PUPA --- One day the plan makes a hugh change, the caterpillar will quit eating, and spin for itself a silk like cocoon. If you watched the cocoon you would think the caterpillar was dead. But in the cocoon, unseen by human eyes there comes about a CHANGE!
All those little legs and the worm like creature. There is great struggle going on with in that cocoon.
4. ADULT --- One day the struggling in the cocoon will stop, and out will emerge a beautiful adult butterfly. The butterfly will stand a brief time in the mud, but soon this new beauty will not feel the cold, damp ground, but the wind will call, and THE PLAN OF GOD IS
RELEASED.
C. THE CATERPILLAR NEVER CRIED, I KIND OF LIKE THIS DIRT?
The caterpillar submitted to change, and the butterfly developed because of God’s plan.
Not a one of the caterpillars stuck in the rut ever knew the wind.
I will tell you God has a big plan for you.
God’s plan for you is Divine possibilities, not what you can do in the dirt.
D. RUT: --- TO BE IN OR ENTER A HABITUAL PASSAGE. --- A groove in which something runs.
--- a usual or fixed way of doing something.
--- A monotonous routine.
--- To plow under.
MONOTONOUS:
TRAP OF SAMENESS, sameness, monotone tone,
--- provoking boredom, dusty, tiresome.
Galatians 6:9 And let us not BE WEARY in well doing: for in DUE SEASON WE SHALL REAP IF WE FAINT NOT.
We find the trap that kills many of God’s wonderful releases of Divine possibilities to be sameness.
E. You are an absolute idiot if you can keep doing things the same old way, and expect a different outcome.
F. Let me insert another story here.
I attended Lincoln Memorial University from 1970 to 1974. One of my loves was Science.
I worked as a lab assistant to one of my Biology professors my Junior and Senior year.
We had some hugh caterpillars that were shipped to us from Africa.
In our labs we would watch the caterpillars grow and spin their cocoons and go into a death like change. I noticed my cocoon having great struggles within the cocoon.
Several others had already emerged as butterflies.
So I decided I would help my cocoon, I disinfected a surgical knife, and I proceeded to very carefully cut the butterfly free from its cocoon.
Right after I intervened and saved the butterfly it died. It never flew one time.
I had a discussion with Doctor Ziegler and Doctor Bailey about why my cocoon was the only one that died.
Doctor Ziegler told me, it was the struggle within the cocoon’’s developing wings, the resistance and the struggle that force the fluids through the veins and brought life to the butterfly.
By exempting the butterfly from the struggle, I weakened it, and it could not fly or grow.
G. God never promised the cross would be easy, or that the hills would be easy to climb.
God takes the negative to RELEASE THE DIVINE POSSIBILITIES FROM THE THRONE ROOM ON HIGH.
God desires his people to get out of the mud and ride the wind.
H. What you are going through is not to kill you, it is to build you. We know muscles are built by repetitive resistance. God is building a man, a woman, a family to arise out of the mud and move in the
REALMS OF FAITH AND RELEASE THE DIVINE POSSIBILITIES FOR YOU.WHY STAY IN THE MUD LONGER THAN IS NEEDED?
Step to the launch pad of faith!
Quit asking "CAN GOD?"
"BELIEVE GOD CAN!"
II Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, TO SHOW HIMSELF STRONG in behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards
Him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
II. WHEN UNFORGIVENESS RULES: LET ME TELL YOU A SAD STORY OF A PREACHER
IN A RUT. THIS PREACHER PREACHED FORGIVENESS BUT HE WOULD NOT FORGIVE.
A. Nineveh was in Assyria.
The Assyrians had a history of being cruel and mean to God’s people.
The Ninevites were the ring leaders in the terror and killings of many people.
Seems the Ninevites hated and mocked God’s people.
B. Thus the Preacher knew the HISTORY of the past.
The Preacher could not forgive the Assyrians and the Ninevites.
Jonah 2: 1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah saying:
2 Arise, go to Nineveh ----
C. GOD HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY? I HATE NIVEVEH AND I HATE
ALL NINEHITES ....
JONAH WAS PREJUDICE.
JONAH HAD A GOOD REASON TO HATE THE NINEVITES, JONAH KNEW THE HISTORY OF THE PAST AND THE PRESENT.
D. JONAH GOES TO HIS LOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY AND BUYS A TICKET: BUT NOT FOR NINEVEH.
JONAH WOULD NOT SUBMIT TO CHANGE, JONAH KNEW THE PAST HISTORY, AND JONAH WOULD NOT FORGET, NOR WAS HE GOING TO FORGIVE ...
E. JONAH DEMANDED JUDGMENT ON THE NINEVITES.
JONAH WANTED TO SEE FIRE AND BRIMSTONE COME JUST AS IN SODOM AND GOMORRA.
Jonah 1:3 And Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish,
( DOING THINGS YOUR OWN WAY CAN BE VERY EXPENSIVE!)
FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD.
F. I USED TO SAY THAT AT LEAST THE INNOCENT GOT TO SLEEP WELL. BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE, BECAUSE THE GUILTY CAN REST IN THE STORM.
Jonah 1:5 --- But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; he lay, and was FAST ASLEEP!
Jonah 1:6 So the shipmaster came to Jonah, and said unto him, WHAT MEANEST THOU O, SLEEPER? ARISE!!! ---
G. JONAH’S HATRED AND PREJUDICES WOULD EFFECT/ AFFECT
HIS MINISTRY. GOD MAY MAKE JONAH GO, BUT GOD WOULD NOT MAKE JONAH CHANGE.
Jonah wakes up a very bitter man, JONAH WAS A CATERPILLAR, BUT HE WOULD NEVER KNOW THE WIND ON A BUTTERFLY’S WINGS.
H. THERE ARE TWO SINS OF PRIDE!
JONAH PUT OTHERS DOWN AND HE LIFTED HIMSELF UP.
Jonah could not get past his pride and unforgiveness.
I. WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED IF JONAH HAD LAID ASIDE HIS STUBBORNNESS AND UNFORGIVENESS?
J. JONAH WAS UNFORGIVING YET HE WAS PREACHING A FORGIVENESS MESSAGE.
K. Years ago, I had a dear friend that sold Rainbow Vacuum Sweepers.
The Rainbow system pulled the dirt through a tank and water and was supposed to clean the air.
I went to the salesman’s house, and he opened the closet and out fell a Hoover Sweeper. I asked him about this?
He said, O, I would never buy a Rainbow, but they have a good selling program, but I own a Hoover.
Do I need to tell you the rest of the story?
He quit selling Rainbows, he was not sold on the item.
Well, Jonah was not sold on his mercy program, he wanted mercy, but he was unwilling to give mercy.
L. ANGER IS AN EXTERNAL SYMPTOM OF AN INTERNAL PROBLEM.
Jonah 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceeding, AND HE WAS VERY ANGRY.
Jonah 4: 4 Then said the Lord, DOEST THOU WELL TO BE ANGRY?
M. JONAH HAD A CONFLICT WITH MAN WHICH CAUSED A CONFLICT WITH GOD. ARE YOU STUCK IN A RUT?
HOW DOES ANGER EXPRESS ITSELF IN THE DAILY LIFE OF INDIVIDUALS?
*** JONAH WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT IN HIS OWN EYES.
*** Jonah justified his hatred by remembering the past.
*** Jonah knew his SIT DOWN STRIKE was good and proper.
*** Jonah thought sitting in the shade was a perk of the ministry.
*** Jonah was a very angry man.
*** Jonah did not care what man or God thought, for he was right in his own eyes!
N. THE WORM REVEALS THE TRUTH OF BLOCKING THE REVIVAL AND THE DIVINE POSSIBILITIES NOT ONLY IN JONAH BUT ALSO IN NINEVEH.
Jonah 4:7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that withered.
The comfort zone of the shade was gone.
O. Even after a direct message from God, Jonah is going to be satisfied to hate and not forgive.
Jonah 4:9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd, AND JONAH , " I DO WELL TO BE ANGRY, EVEN UNTO DEATH."
P. THE LACK OF RIGHTFUL PRIORITIES WILL ALWAYS STOP THE POSSIBILITIES OF REVIVAL AND HINDER A SUSTAINED MOVE OF GOD.
About 70 years later Nineveh will be destroyed, because the Preacher could preach truth, and not practice the same.
III. IF??? ---- THEN!!!
II Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
A. IF: ----
CALLED --- To speak out, communication, to make a visit, to announce.
HUMBLE --- Not proud, not assertive, submission, lowly, not excessive, modest.
PRAY --- Request, plea, to address God.
SEEK --- To look for, to apply effort, to search, to try hard, to go toward a goal.
TURN --- Change, move around, to alter, change position, to dig or plow.
B. THEN: ---
HEAR --- To understand, to perceive, to listen with attention.
FORGIVE --- To give up resentment, no claims of requital, pardon, give relief, to release from guilt.
HEAL (Individual and collective) To make whole, Restore, to overcome, sick free, sound, to make better.
C. Do we know our potential? Have we reached into the realm of Divine Possibilities?
I think not, we have dreamed, but our dreams are so small that we miss the potential of God.
Could our BA, bad attitudes, stop Divine Possibilities in our daily walk?
Is God’s possibility beyond our hope? Keep your hope alive and well!
Will we reach beyond the mud and the dirt?
Faith can enlarge us beyond our limitations, faith knows today I may be in the dirt, but maybe tomorrow I will fly.
Sometimes our dreams and visions have not been accomplished and we quit dreaming and
then we allow our menial daily life to dictate to our dreaming ability.
God does not want us to limit our possibilities because we have tasted defeat, and have
not forgiven others.
Unforgiveness and defeat and failure must drive us to a greater dream,
God wants us to see what He can do.
CAN GOD? OR GOD CAN!!!
Can we walk to the fiery furnace and trust God while we are feeling the heat?
D. My spirit man cries loud, “GOD, I KNOW THERE IS MORE THAN THIS.”
I am very thankful for this, but can we all agree there is MORE?
E. SOMEONE HAS TO SEE THAT GOD KNOWS OUR CASE, AND GOD HAS A PLAN THAT WILL LOOSE A DIVINE POSSIBILITY, DELIVERANCE.
You are not doomed to be a caterpillar with your face in the cold, wet ground!
I desire more than God with me, I desire to be WITH GOD!
F. DO WE ACCEPT GOD’S WORDS AS TRUTH?
THERE ARE TWO POWERS AT WORK IN A CHRISTIAN MIND:
BELIEF
UNBELIEF
You will loose one power today.
Each day you will make a daily choice. You are a sum total of your daily choices.
IV. DARKNESS VS. LIGHT:
Did you hear about the story of the cave and the sun having a talk?
The cave seemed to enjoy talking with the sun.
Seems the cave had always lived underground and had never seen light?
All the cave had ever knew was total darkness.
One day, the sun invited the cave to come see the light.
The cave said, I don’t know what light looks like?
All I have is darkness.
So the sun warmed the ground, the ground opened and the sunlight came into the cave.
The cave was so surprised.
Though the cave had never seen the light, it appeared there was light everywhere the cave looked.
The cave then said, My dear friend, the sun, come into my deepest place, I will show you darkness.
The sun asked the cave what is darkness?
The cave said, I will show you my friend.
One day the sun decided to go deep within the cave.
As the bright sun entered deep within the cave, the sun said, Now show me the darkness. But to the caves surprise, there WAS NO DARKNESS!
God has Divine possibilities for you!
If you will invite Jesus the light, into your deep dark places, you will soon find there is no darkness.
Change your thoughts and you will change the world. A positive attitude may not change things, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth while.
Continue to get more. Acts 2:41
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
This is #5 of a 12 part series!
