The Gift - 1

The Gift - 1

Subject – Recognizing God’s Gifts in Our Lives

By Rick Welborne

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NKJV)
⁷  And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
⁸  Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
⁹  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
¹⁰  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

--This portion of Scripture will be referred to quite a bit because this is the text for this sermon. We love Paul’s teaching (most of the time) until he talks about suffering.

--I have told you this many times but let me say it again. I personally heard a famous preacher say, “If Paul would have had the revelation I have, he wouldn’t have had to suffer.”

--I guess he was saying Paul did not have a close enough understanding and relationship with God to be able to confess his problems away like many try to do today. Paul’s calling from Jesus:

Acts 9:15-16 (NKJV) ¹⁵  But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
¹⁶  For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."

1. Suffering 

--Unfortunately, because of so much prosperity and blessings, we do not want to hear anything about a gospel of suffering. Remember Paul’s list in our text:

¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

--Early in the morning all these verses kept coming to my mind about suffering for Christ and how that was connected to our relationship with Him.

--I thought about poor Job who suffered the above list and probably even more. And how he looked at what he was going through. All in one day:

--Job got news the Sabeans raided and took away his donkeys and oxen and killed his servants. While this guy was still speaking another came…fire came from heaven and killed your sheep and servants.

--While that guy was speaking, another servant came and said the Chaldeans raided and took away your camels and killed your servants. All this represented his great wealth.

--Now it’s going to hit close to home. While the last guy was speaking another servant came and said your sons and daughters were eating and drinking and a great wind blew the house down. All dead.

Job 1:20-22 (NKJV)
²⁰  Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
²¹  And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."
²²  In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. 

--Job humbled himself before God (tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell to the ground) and did what? He worshiped. These gifts came from God and now they have been taken away. 

--Blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. What? How is that even possible. It was not over; his body was covered with boils from head to toe. 

--Our American version of Christianity could not have handled this kind of adversity and infirmity. I’ll just quit church if that is how God is going to treat me. Listen again to Paul:

2. Knowing Christ Better

Philippians 3:8-11 (NKJV)
⁸  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
⁹  and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
¹⁰  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
¹¹  if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

--Paul was a wealthy Pharisee with influence and power. He lost it all so he could have Christ. He wanted to know Christ and experience power. He also wanted the fellowship of His suffering. What?

--Let me go back to our title…the gift. Paul wanted to have a relationship with Christ and he also wanted to identify with Him in His suffering. Jesus was definitely a gift. The greatest!

John 3:16-17 (NKJV)
¹⁶  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
¹⁷  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

--Do you see it and comprehend it? God loved us so much He gave. God gave us the gift of Jesus Christ. Someone should praise the Lord for this great gift.

--But understand this, this gift did not come without suffering. He came to His own but His own did not receive Him. Matter of fact, they crucified Him. Prophecy about Jesus:

Isaiah 53:3-6 (NLT2)
³  He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
⁴  Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!
⁵  But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
⁶  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. 

--Yes, Jesus was a gift to a lost world but He was also obedient to the Father, He had to suffer a terrible death. But what was Jesus’ attitude toward His suffering?

Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV)
²  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

--If Jesus looked at His sufferings as joy, how should we look at what God allows in our lives…in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses? Paul said I take pleasure.

James 1:2-4 (NLT2)
²  Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
³  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
⁴  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 

Quote – Between the promise and the prize, there is a process.

--Paul says we are to count it as an opportunity for great joy. Sadly, we don’t. Back to our text:

3. The Gift

2 Corinthians 12:7 (NKJV) ⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 

Barnes' Notes on the New Testament. God was pleased to give me this thorn. The word which Paul uses is worthy of special notice. It is that this "thorn in the flesh" was given to him, implying that it was a favor. He does not complain of it; he does not say it was sent in cruelty; he does not even speak of it as an affliction; he speaks of it as a gift, as any man would of a favor that had been bestowed. Paul had so clear a view of the benefits which resulted from it, that he regarded it as a favor, as Christians should every trial. 

--Pastor, are you saying that the list Paul gave should be viewed as a gift from God? Infirmities (physical and emotional), reproaches (criticisms), need (lack), persecutions, and distresses (sorrows)?

--Let’s look at a few benefits from our text that would lead us to believe it was a gift.

A. It was given lest I be exalted above measure. Learning humility. An amazing gift.

--When we have a cross-less Christianity we begin to think we are all that. Pride seeps in.

B. It was given to teach me dependence on the grace of God. A valuable gift.

--My grace is sufficient for you. We have all we need in Christ.

C. It was given to make me stronger. Maturity in Christ is such a wonderful gift.

--My weakness has a way of teaching me Who is Lord and who is the servant.

D. It was given to me to teach me to take pleasure in suffering for Christ. Joy is a priceless gift.

Romans 8:18 (KJV) ¹⁸ For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

--Maybe what you are facing now, maybe the latest diagnosis from the doctor, maybe the persecution at work, or the turmoil at home is not a curse but a gift from God. 

James 1:17 (NKJV)
¹⁷  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Give Us Today – 1

Give Us Today – 1

Subject – Finding the Strength to Live Today

By Rick Welborne

Matthew 6:6-15 (NLT2)
⁶  But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
⁷  “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.
⁸  Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
⁹  Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
¹⁰  May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
¹¹  Give us today the food we need,
¹²  and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
¹³  And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
¹⁴  “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
¹⁵  But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. 

--Today we start a new series that I truly believe is going to be a big help to many who need help with discipleship. With living a disciplined life.

--I believe Christians should be the example to the world, to young believers, and to new converts what it means to live a disciplined life.

--We have a tendency to be extremely judgmental toward those outside and inside the church who break the rules as we judge them. Yet we do not see the obvious right in front of us. We don’t see our own mess.

--We judge the world for their excessive drinking when we eat excessively. We judge those addicted to illegal drugs when many in the church are addicted to legal drugs. We all need to be disciples. 

--So how can we become Christ’s disciples and be able to overcome the day of endless distractions and ceaseless change? Listen to these words from a self-proclaimed average man, the Father of Modern Medicine:

Sir Walter Osler – So many people are so overwhelmed by so many things. We’re paralyzed by things we cannot change—the past. We’re crippled by things we cannot control—the future. The solution? Let go of “dead yesterdays” and “unborn tomorrows.”

Philippians 3:13 (NKJV)
¹³  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

--If yesterday is history and tomorrow a mystery, pray a simple prayer that can totally change your life. Give me today. When you win today, tomorrow will take care of itself. Do it every day and nothing is impossible.

--So how do we do that? We have to look into the Word of God and see what winning looks like. We establish daily rituals that make us better, we break bad habits, and establish new ones. We become disciples.

--If I were to ask you today, “How long have you lived?” Most of you would give me your age. But is that truly how long you have been alive? Listen to Mark Batterson:

Batterson – How long have you lived? I mean really lived. It’s easy calculating age. It’s more difficult quantifying life. Why? Because time is measured in minutes, while life is measured in moments. When was the last time that time stood still? And if you turned those moments into minutes, how long have you lived?

1. One Decision Away from a Totally Different Life.

--Show me the size of your dream and I will show you the size of your God. If you are going to dream big you are going to have to pray…Give me today. You arrive at your dreams one day at a time. 

--Discipleship is so important to the believer and the daily decisions we make will either project us into a better future or continually keep us in the mire of a disappointing life.

--The only moment we ever really have is now—it is now or never. We need to learn like we will live forever but live like there’s no tomorrow. Pray “Give us today” and learn God’s ways.

Hosea 4:1&6 (NKJV)
¹  Hear the word of the LORD, You children of Israel, For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: "There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land.
⁶  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 

--A word as you start this journey…if you attempt to make too many changes in your life at one time, your chances for success goes way down. 

--Take on one habit at a time. You know what you are battling inside so pick one of those habits and go to work on it. God, give me today what I need to overcome this thing in my life.

--As you make the daily decision to ask God to give you today, this day will turn into a week, a month, and even a year. As you begin to overcome this habit faith grows for the next.

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) ⁶  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

2. The Twenty-Four-Hour Rule.

--Most of us remember or have heard of Emmitt Smith (NFL Hall of Famer) having the record for all-time rushing yards…18,355. He had what he called the “twenty-four-hour rule.”

--Win or lose, Emmitt gave himself a 24-hour window to celebrate the win or lament the loss. Sounds like Osler. After the 24 hours it was back to basics. 

--I remember playing tournament tennis. After playing 5 or 6 matches in just two days (full matches), more times than not (win or lose) on the way home I would go to a court and work on my weaknesses. 

--Why would I do that? I knew what I did today (that one decision) would make a difference in my future tennis and in future matches. 

--Interesting about Osler who was obviously a very smart man, he was the son of a pastor who had ingrained into his mind the Lord’s prayer. 

Matthew 6:10-11 (NLT2)
¹⁰  May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
¹¹  Give us today…

--That one decision to pray “Give us today” is much easier said than done. We probably wish it said, “Give us this week.” Or “Give us this month.” Or “Give us this year.”

--That would be so much easier, wouldn’t it? That way we wouldn’t have to depend on God every day. But that, of course is the point of the Lord’s prayer.

--Our one decision to pray the prayer, “Give us today” is to remind us of our dependency on God every day.

2 Corinthians 3:5-6 (NKJV)
⁵  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
⁶  who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

3. Do It for a Day

--Mathew Barnett is the co-founder of the LA Dream Center which has helped tens of thousands of people who find themselves at the end of their ropes. An amazing complex. Tricia has worked there.

--Many of the people who go there are trying to overcome life-controlling addictions or rebuild broken lives. No matter what habit they are trying to break, Matthew always ask them this question:

Can you do it for a day?

Batterson- There is a simple kind of genius to that question. Why do so many problems remain unsolved? Why do so many bad habits remain unbroken? Why do so many goals remain unachieved? Nine times out of ten, we are so overwhelmed by the size of the problem, the habit, or the goal that we give up before we ever get started. 

--You can ask a lot of people who are facing lots of challenges but no one has ever said no to the question, “Can you do it for a day?” Not one. Why? Because anyone can do anything for a day. 

--Can you do it for a week? Probably. Do you think you can do it for a month? Maybe. Or a year? I am not so sure. The longer the timeline, so are the odds for success. How about the rest of your life? No answer.

--Can you do it for a day? Now, that I can do. The odds of success get greater as the time slots get smaller. When we get our problems to a day slot, anything is possible. 

--This shows us the wisdom and the genius of Jesus in the Lord’s prayer. This truth is so Biblical.

Matthew 6:11 (NLT2)
¹¹  Give us today…

--Remember the expiration date on manna? One day. What is our deadline on being angry? One day at sundown. When are God’s mercies made new? Every morning. Every day. 

--How often are we to take up our crosses? Daily. When are we told to rejoice and to be glad? Today. The twenty-four- hour rule is everywhere you look in God’s Word.

Genesis 1:5 (NIV)
⁵  God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day. 

--I have no idea what problem you are trying to solve or habit you are trying to break or build, or what God-sized goal you are going after. I am not sure what a win would look like to you.

--From someone who loves you, just win the day that is in front of you now. If you put two days together, you’ve got a streak going. 

Can you do it for a day?

Matthew 6:11 (NLT2)
¹¹  Give us today…

Learn to Listen - 7

Learn to Listen - 7

Subject – The Importance of God’s Voice 

By Rick Welborne

1 Samuel 3:9-10 (NIV)
⁹  So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
¹⁰  The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." 

--We have been speaking quite some time about the importance and the power of hearing God’s voice. It is difficult to do His will if we cannot hear His voice.

--I have appreciated and am thankful for so many telling me how hearing God’s voice has changed their lives and many times given them direction when they did not know what to do.

--I listened to a retired missionary tell me the story of how God took him and his wife from a very successful career to having a home for children overseas. 

--With tears in his eyes he shared how the opportunity was presented to him and how he felt there was no way until he heard that still small voice saying this is My will for your life.

--Maybe you have never considered what I am about to share with you about the beautiful Christmas story. How important was it for the characters in this story to hear the voice of God?

1. Mary Hears from God.

Luke 1:26-38 (NLT2)
²⁶  In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,
²⁷  to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
²⁸  Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
²⁹  Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
³⁰  “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
³¹  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
³²  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
³³  And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
³⁴  Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
³⁵  The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
³⁶  What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month.
³⁷  For nothing is impossible with God.”
³⁸  Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. 

--We can learn so much from Mary and how God communicated with her. God’s Words through the angel Gabriel was about to change her life forever.

--What can be more wonderful than a message from God letting you know that God is with you? Because she is afraid, the angel tells her to not be afraid because she had found favor with God.

--You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 

--If you are listening, God is speaking the same words to you. What is conceived in you is the Son of God and He will set up His throne in your life. And Holy Spirit will come upon you!

--Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So what is born inside you born will be the Son of God. We want Jesus glorified in our lives.

--One of the greatest words from God ever…For nothing is impossible with God. Mary’s response to Gabriel must be our response whenever God speaks to us. Willing to serve and obey.

Luke 1:38 (NKJV) ³⁸ Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. 

--How would this story have changed if Mary could not hear from God and be an obedient servant?

2. Joseph Hears from God.

Matthew 1:18-25 (NLT2)
¹⁸  This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
¹⁹  Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
²⁰  As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
²¹  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
²²  All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
²³  “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
²⁴  When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.
²⁵  But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. 

--Again, we can learn so much from this encounter with Joseph. Notice with Mary, God spoke to her through an angel, probably a vision while she was awake. 

--Gabriel speaks to Joseph in a dream. God can use a vision, a dream, or an angel to speak to us. And, God can speak to us in many different ways. Why? Because He is God.

--What can we learn. We can learn how to treat people respectfully. Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before they are married she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Right!

--Joseph was a good man. He did not want to disgrace her publicly. Why do we get such joy from destroying people publicly? Joseph was a good man and good men hear from God.

--“Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus.

--How would this story have changed if Joseph could not hear from God and was not willing to be obedient to the words given to Him?

--Joseph new the Word of God and he knew the prophecies of the Messiah said that a virgin would conceive. Men of God, obedience becomes easier when you know God’s Word! 

--When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. A good man.

3. The Shepherds Hear From God.

Luke 2:8-20 (NLT2)
⁸  That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
⁹  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
¹⁰  but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
¹¹  The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
¹²  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
¹³  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
¹⁴  “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
¹⁵  When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
¹⁶  They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.
¹⁷  After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.
¹⁸  All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,
¹⁹  but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
²⁰  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. 

--We learn, as it says in the Book of Acts, that it is for certain that God is no respecter of persons. Shepherds were not known to be the best of society but the lowly of society.

--God is still wanting to appear and to speak to those of whom many (even in the church) have given up on. What a sight for the angel of the Lord to appear in the sky and to speak. What?

--“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 

--Everyone say “Good news.” Everyone needs to hear the good news. Everyone needs the opportunity to hear the Savior has been born. That’s why we do missions.

--It’s not enough to just have a lovely church and an exciting service for those of us who are already benefactors of the good news. Everyone needs to hear. Go shout it on the mountains!

--Can you imagine hearing the armies of heaven (the heavenly host) praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth?

--I love the phrases that were said about the shepherds…they hurried…they found…they told everyone…they praised and glorified God for all they had seen and heard.

--Again, how important was it for Mary, and Joseph, and the shepherds to hear God’s voice and then, to do what He commanded them to do?

--How important is it for you and me to hear the voice of God, and then, to do what He commands us to do?

Jeremiah 11:4 (NKJV) ⁴ 'Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,'