Courageous – 2
Subject – Life is Uncertain/God is Complex
By Rick Welborne
2 Samuel 23:20-23 (NLT2)
20 There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.
21 Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.
22 Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors.
23 He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.
--One thing that Benaiah found out in all of these situations is that life is uncertain and that God is complex. Make sure you get this: Life will always have a measure of uncertainty.
--I heard one family’s uncertainty principle was this: “You can’t never always sometimes tell.” With my kids it was this: “We are all going to die if we live long enough.” Dad, you are crazy.
--Think about Benaiah, I am totally convinced that he had no idea that the above events would be on his calendar the day they happened. He had to trust God each day.
1. Stop trying to Figure God Out.
--Just when we think we have God figured out, we discover a new dimension about Him that blows our mind. Theologians call this the “Incomprehensibility of God.”
--I have coined a phrase with my daughter, especially in the area of dating, that I believe has added wisdom to her life and it is this. This has to do with the guys she dates:
“You don’t know what you don’t know.”
--The more I think about these words I find that they are applicable in so many areas. In our finite minds, we simply do not know what we do not know. We are blind in so many areas.
--This uncertainty principle definitely applies to God. We will be learning for eternity things about Him that we simply don’t know.
Psalm 145:1-3 (NKJV)
1 I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.
Isaiah 40:28 (NKJV)
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
--So if life is infinitely uncertain and God is infinitely complex, then all we can do is accept our lives the way they are and embrace uncertainty. Stop thinking that your faith reduces uncertainty.
--Nothing could be further from the truth. Faith doesn’t reduce uncertainty. Faith embraces uncertainty. Simply put, we will never have all the answers.
--Some people never come to terms with this truth. They feel like something must be wrong with them because they cannot figure God out.
--Maybe, just maybe, faith has less to do with gaining so much knowledge about our lives and our future, and more to do with embracing the surprises or wonders God sets us up for.
2. Our Lives are Complicated.
--Think about this: Maybe a relationship with God doesn’t simplify your lives the way you think it should. Maybe it complicates your lives in ways they should be complicated.
--I don’t know about you but I believe it would be extremely complicated to fight two Moabite warriors, and Egyptian giant with a spear, and a lion in a snowy pit.
--Stay with me, how many of you know being in love complicates your lives. I am sure you have heard the phrase, “There is a fine line between love and hate!” Love complicates our lives.
--Children complicate our lives. They are definitely high maintenance, they are extremely expensive, they can be very aggravating, they can break your hearts but they can bring you great joy.
--Pastoring a church with three campuses and supporting 220 missionaries is extremely complicated. But without those complications how would I ever fulfill my calling and destiny.
--Wealth can complicate our lives. Having to manage your employees, taxes, and investments. Constantly watching your schedule and the bottom line is stressful. Thank God for complications.
--When you study the parable of the talents (money), the reward for good work was more work. Complications are or can be the by-product of blessings. More work and responsibility.
Matthew 25:20-21 (NKJV)
20 So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'
21 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
--A relationship with God will complicate your life but it will complicate your life in ways it needs to be complicated. How so?
--Being a disciple carries with it a lot of responsibility and complications. That is why, I believe, in the Great Commission, He says to “Make disciples.”
Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
--As a disciple you have to study to show yourself approved, you have to be a good steward, you have to be faithful, you have to share your faith. Complicated but complications are good.
--Sin will complicate your lives in ways they should not be complicated. One way or the other our lives will be complicated. Good complications or bad complications…it’s your choice.
Psalm 37:1-5 (NLT2)
1 Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.
2 For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
5 Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.
3. Sensitivity to Holy Spirit.
--The longer I live, the more I think that spiritual maturity is less about figuring everything out and having all the answers. I believe it is more about a moment by moment sensitivity to Holy Spirit.
--Obviously, I am not against planning our lives. Many leadership gurus will tell you, you have to have a 5, 10, 15, and 20-year plan laid out and that sounds good on paper.
--Did I mention earlier that we can’t figure God out and our lives are extremely complicated? If we can figure out and plan our own futures, where does that put the lordship of Jesus?
Proverbs 19:20-21 (NLT2)
20 Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.
21 You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.
--If you want to make God laugh, give Him a detailed description of where you will be and what you will be doing twenty years from now.
--Though you may have plans for the future, the reality is, you have no idea what life will look like ten years from now. But that’s okay because God does.
--I just don’t believe that spiritual maturity equates in higher degrees of predictability in our lives. Being spiritually mature should mean that we become more sensitive to Holy Spirit.
--In Revelations 2&3 Jesus says something seven times to the churches that we should hear:
Revelation 2:7 (NCV) 7 “Every person who has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
--I am totally convinced that Benaiah did not have a detailed plan laid out about killing a giant, killing Egyptian warriors, and a lion in a snowy pit. This led him to be commander of Israel’s army.
--Some of our most memorable events were unplanned. Vacation to Williamsburg. Fairfield Glades. Looking at stained glass. A police officer. Fairfield…Fairfield Glades. Sorry, officer, she has a drinking problem.
--Sadly, we want control of our lives. Being a follower of Jesus means you are relinquishing control. Just like kids on a trip…are we there yet?
--We never outgrow the desire to want to know exactly where we are headed and when we will get there. We are control freaks. But faith involves giving up control.
--With loss of control comes a lot of uncertainty (possibly a five-hundred-pound lion) and complications. But again, that’s ok because if we are sensitive to Holy Spirit may lead to our destiny.
2 Samuel 23:20-23 (NLT2)
20 There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.
21 Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.
22 Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors.
23 He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.
--Look what uncertainty and complications led to in Benaiah’s life. Captain of David’s body guard and eventually, captain over Israel’s army.
--If we are sensitive to Holy Spirit through all of our challenges, who knows where God will lead us?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.