Where’s The Bench?

WHERE’S THE BENCH?

Texts: Matthew 7:26 & James 1:22

Matthew 7:26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand (NRSV).

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves (NRSV).

“ Gayle Grinds lived with a man who tried to get her up off the couch. But she got comfortable, She had plenty to eat, plenty to watch—-everything she needed at arm’s distance. This went on for six years. She sat so long that she literally could not get up.

One day rescue workers were called to the scene. They were horrified by the scene and the stench. They had to wear protective gear. She sat on that couch so long that she became one with it as her skin had literally grafted with the fabric. The end of the story is that she died still attached to that couch”. (Arron Chambers. Go. Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing, 2009, p. 11). Being constantly stationary and comfortable for six years had cost Gail her life. Certainly, God knew the plans with a future and a hope that He had for Gail (Jeremiah 29:11) but she never accomplished those plans because by her own choice she never made it past that couch.

One of God’s biggest problems with the church is complacency. It has been a problem in every age. One of biggest the problems of complacency is wanting someone else to do it. That was Gail’s problem. How much is complacency a problem for us? Do we think complacency is someone else’s problem?

If the Church had not been complacent in the last six decades, then Madolyn Murray O’Hare would not have succeeded in taking prayer our of the public schools. If the Church had not been complacent, then Roe versus Wade would never have been successful in being passed by SCOTUS. How many Christians in both instances thought “Somebody else will do it?”

Today we will explore dreams, obedience and kingdom building against the background of complacency.

DREAMS

Do you or did you have dreams for your children?

1) Parental dreams: Did you dream that your children would grow up to be a success? If you are raising children right now, are you dreaming of the future successes of your child or children? What parent(s) would not want the best for their children?

2) Potential: Wouldn’t you want your children to do all that they can to unlock potential? Did your parents expect the best from you when you were growing up?

Do you believe that God has dreams for His children?

In his book Dream, Discovering God’s Purpose for Your Life, Dutch Sheets, describes how Abraham was a dreamer. “Abraham was a dreamer, maybe one of the greatest ever. God liked that about him - at that time in history, He desperately needed a dreaming friend. The Lord had been waiting for just the right dreamer to come along, one He could partner with to recapture His dream. These two friends walked together for many years, enjoyed a special covenant with one another, and modeled for all of us the power and beauty of divine-human partnership. Their story begins in Genesis 12, where God initiates His plan by instilling a dream in Abraham”. [Dutch Sheets Dream, Discovering God’s Purpose for Your Life (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2012), pp 85-91.]. Do you believe that God has dreams for His children today?

Do you believe that God has plans and dreams for this church?

1) God’s Dream for this church: Did God’s dreams for this church ever die? Doesn’t God have plans for this church with a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11)? If God’s dreams for this church seem impossible, is it because we gave up? Aren’t all things possible with God? If God started with seventy-five year-old Abraham, then why are we surprised that God calls us to participate in this dream in our time?

2) Linking arms with God: We have to work with what we have and all we have to work with is what we have until we link arms with God and follow where God leads us to bless us!

OBEDIENCE

Did Abraham always obey God?

1) Obedience and God’s promise: Abraham obeyed God and followed God. God called Abraham and promised him three things---- a great nation, land and a lineage. God promised Abraham that he would be a blessing---- the father of many nations who would be blessed through the ages(Genesis 12: 1 – 7). God told Abraham he would possess the land. (According to Genesis 15:18 and Joshua 1:4 the land God gave to Israel included: everything from the Nile River in Egypt to Lebanon (south to north) and everything from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River (west to east). https://www.nationalwarcouncil.org/2019/12/29/original-land-promised-to-abraham-genesis-1518-and-current-boundaries/. In the New Testament, we know that the blessing of Abraham continues through Jesus Christ would came from his family tree to save the world! The lineage promise was the greatest of these promises and Paul explains the connection. Paul tells us that if we belong to Christ then you are Abraham's seed, and [are] heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29 NIV).