Resilient People - 2

Resilient People - 2

Subject - Joseph Teaches Us to Deal with Our Rockies 

by Rick Welborne

Genesis 37:18‑28 (NLT) 

18 When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. 

19 “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. 

20 “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!” 

21 But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said. 

22 “Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.” Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father. 

23 So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. 

24 Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. 

25 Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm, and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt. 

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? His blood would just give us a guilty conscience. 

27 Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother—our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed. 

28 So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt. 

–As we begin this message Joseph is captured by his brothers of whom he had gone to check on, they throw him in a pit, and eventually sell him into slavery.

–He is carried off into a foreign land, no money, no friends, no power, no home or daddy to take care of him...No beautiful robe…He is looking at the Rocky Mountains.

Ortberg: Your heart is revealed and your character is forged when life does not turn out the way you planned.

–Sooner or later we all see the Rockies...it may be in your marriage, your work, your ministry, your finances, or maybe in your health.

–It is in the act of facing the Rockies that you discover what lies inside you and decide what lies before you.

What important decisions do resilient people make when they face the Rockies.

1. Resilient people exercise control rather than passively resign.

–Something what surprises us about resilient people is how they exercise so much control in a stress filled situation.

–Many POWs or hostages share that the single most stressful aspect of their situation was that they had lost command over their existence.

–A study of those in Korean war camps found a group who had what they called “give up itis”...these were the ones who were least likely to survive and recover.

–Amazingly losing control of their daily lives was worse psychologically on them than threats, hunger, beatings, and isolation.

–In contrast, those who triumphed over adversity share a common trait...they managed to have a sense of command over their future.

Luke 18:1 (NLT) 

1 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.  

–To take command some would exercise, they would memorize stories, figure out ways of communicating with one another, some kept a census of the bugs around them.

–Some used tapping to communicate or sweeping a broom a certain way...the POWs encouraged one another by reminding themselves and their friends that their bodies had been captured but their spirits had not, they prayed.

–Joseph was a prisoner...far from home, separated from his father, betrayed by his brothers, surrounded by strangers who bought him and sold him. The robe is gone and what it meant...his privileged life is gone but:

Genesis 39:2 (NKJV) 

2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 

–There is nothing more awesome or more important than knowing that when you are looking at the Rocky Mountains...The Lord is with you!

–Even though Joseph had lost his freedom he refused to look at himself as powerless...What have you lost that has made you feel out of control...The Lord is with you!

–You may have never thought of this but the Scriptures have many accounts of POWs and hostages who refused to be just victims. Daniel, Peter and the apostles arrested, Paul and Silas, the three Hebrew young men.

Ortberg: Faith believes that with God, we are never helpless victims.

–This is really amazing...Joseph began to serve his new master with all his heart:

Genesis 39:3‑6 (NLT) 

3 Potiphar noticed this and realized that the LORD was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. 

4 This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. 

5 From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the LORD began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. 

6 So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! Joseph was a very handsome and well‑built young man, 

2. Resilient people remain committed to their values when tempted to compromise.

–You are making the best of a bad situation...things are getting better...God is giving you favor with your master...God is with you! Potiphar’s wife is attracted to Joseph because he is well built and handsome.

–Most preachers when they tell this story make her out to be like a super model because it makes for a juicer story so because of her persistence and his loneliness we will assume that he was tempted but did not give in.

Hebrews 4:15 (NKJV) 

15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 

–Joseph could have taken the attitude of a victim and could have given in but he did not! He tells her of his master’s trust...honoring relational commitment.  This is a classic case of resilient thinking.

–When John McCain’s biography came out in his presidential campaign of 2000 people were fascinated by the account of how he could have been released by Hanoi but refused unless his comrades were freed also.

–Loyalty to values even when it means suffering is a powerful catalyst for character formation...what values do you cling to? Look at how sin and temptation works:

Genesis 39:9‑10 (NIV) 

9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" 

10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.  

–Ok, Joseph, let’s don’t sleep together...let’s just be together...just hang out and talk, right! He still refuses and she becomes angry...

Genesis 39:11‑12 (NIV) 

11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 

12 She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. 

–What is it with Joseph and garments? He ran to get away! Many think people are most tempted to sin when they are partying and having a good time but most of us are most vulnerable when we are sad or lonely.

Carl Jung: Sin is always a substitute for legitimate suffering. It is an attempt to obtain the pleasure that does not rightly belong to me or evade the pain that does. 

–Discouragement is the blue light that makes sin appear irresistible. All of us in one way or another know the temptation of Joseph...the temptation that comes when life does not turn out the way we expected...Rockies.

–If Joseph would have given in here he would have betrayed the one who trusted him, would have betrayed God, and would have probably never known his destiny. He ran!

–It is good that he ran...it is great to run from sin but sin can be very persistent so run to God.

–Joseph stands firm, he is loyal to his master, very honest with his seductress, and true to his values. Surely God will have to reward him...right?

–Mrs. Potiphar stands there with his cloak in her hand and then she does so much we hear today...she plays the “race card” before those in the house...this Hebrew who was brought here has done this.

–We think...this cannot be...this floozy cannot get away with this...Joseph is right and righteous...He must be rewarded...not yet...more mountains! God’s ways…not our ways.

–Potiphar goes on the war path and has Joseph thrown into prison and his wonderful wife goes home and waits for a more compliant servant.

–Keep in mind...the story is not over yet...Joseph goes to prison...bad things happen to good people....Key:

Genesis 39:20‑21 (NIV) 

20 Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 

21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 

–The Lord did not spare Joseph from prison...The Lord often does not spare his children from the Rockies or from adversity. But the Lord was with Joseph just like He is with you in your situation. 

–Joseph decided he would rather face life with the Lord and have nothing than face life without the Lord and have everything...what about us?

3. Resilient people find meaning and purpose in their mountains.

–Victor Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning he shares how he discovered that the imprisoned person who no longer had a goal was unlikely to survive the Nazi death camps.

–He said that even though there were few...He could remember those who walked thru the camps encouraging others and giving them their last piece of bread.

Frankl: Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms–to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way. The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the sufferings that it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross gives him ample opportunity to add a deeper meaning to his life.

–Joseph was able to find purpose and meaning even in prison...even looking at the Rockies...The Lord was with Joseph.

–God shows up on the mountain (transfiguration) but He also shows up in the storm and when we find something bigger than we are.

Genesis 39:21‑23 (NLT) 

21 But the LORD was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the LORD made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. 

22 Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. 

23 The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The LORD was with him and caused everything he did to succeed. 

–What could your purpose be in a prison when you were not supposed be there anyway? He had a couple of cell mates...a baker and a butler who needed him. Look what adversity taught him about his beautiful robe. 

Scott Peck: It is in this whole process of meeting and solving problems that life has its meaning...It is only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually...it is for this reason that wise people learn not to dread but actually to welcome problems and actually welcome the pain of problems.

Key: 

A. As long as he was wearing the Robe, Joseph could never move into community with his brothers.

B. As long as he was wearing the Robe, Joseph would never know what he was capable of under pressure.

C. As long as he was wearing the Robe, Joseph would never understand that God is enough even when you have lost everything.

Resilient People - 1

Resilient People - 1

Subject: Joseph Teaches Us to Face Our Rockies

by Rick Welborne

Genesis 37:1‑10 (NLT) 

1 So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner. 

2 This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing. 

3 Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. 

4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him. 

5 One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. 

6 “Listen to this dream,” he said. 

7 “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!” 

8 His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them. 

9 Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!” 

10 This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?” 

–In his book Undaunted Courage Stephen Ambrose shares of Lewis and Clark’s expedition across America.

–For two years they battled hunger, fatigue, desertion, hostile enemies, severe illness, and death but finally reached the head waters of the Missouri River. 

–The information they had led them to believe that once they reached the continental divide, they would face about a half day trip and then reach the Columbia River.

–They were on their way to becoming heros or at least that is what they thought.  They assumed the hard part was behind them...smooth sailing after this.

–Lewis left the rest of the party to climb the bluffs that would enable him to see the other side hoping to see the waters that would carry them the rest of the way.

–Imagine how he felt, rather than seeing what he expected, he was the first non-Native American to lay eyes on the Rocky Mountains?

1. What do you do when you think your biggest problems are behind you, only to find out you have just been warming up?

–How do you rally the troops who are following you looking for good news?

–I can imagine Lewis turning to see some of the party coming to the top of the bluff wanted to see their wonderful victory.

–Hey guys, don’t come up yet...what will he say...I have just a little surprise for you.

–Have you ever thought you have finally defeated the giant (the sickness, the family crisis, the marriage problem, the financial issue) just to be faced with yet another giant.

–A few years ago...Economy goes south, people go south, family issues, church issues, H-plori, broken foot, melanoma on the back, chest, head,...the ear...really.

–Major problems with the back...surgery...another giant defeated...smooth sailing and a time of peace and rest...surprise...no cartilage between the bones in your feet...ok!  

–What do you do when you think your biggest problems are behind you, only to find out you have just been warming up?  We will get to Joseph.

–Lewis and Clark would eventually see that crossing the Rockies would be the greatest accomplishment of the whole trip.

–This new revelation and new challenge would call forth from them creativity and perseverance that they never knew they had.

–They would create memories and see sights that would be spectacular...taking on the Rockies would build into them tremendous confidence because if you could take on the Rockies you could tackle anything.

–On this side of the Rockies, of course, they could not know any of this.  When they thought the trip was about to get easy they had to face their highest challenge.

–Hear your pastor, whether you have walked for God a short time or for many years...

Unexpected mountains can throw you for a loop.

–We launch into a great adventure, start a new job, take on a new ministry assignment, start a family...there seems to be so much promise and we are filled with so much hope.

–Then it happens, we endure some stuff and face challenges that stretch us to what we thought were our limits and there it is...not just the mountain but a whole range.

John Ortberg: Reality sets in.  We face the obstacles.  Unexpected conflict saps our spirit.  Plans go awry.  People we were counting on let us down.  The economy zigs when it should have zagged.  Just when we were hoping for easy portage and smooth sailing, we are looking at the Rocky Mountains.  What happens next?

2. This is where being resilient servants of God becomes our survival. 

–There is a field of study in social sciences known as resiliency...Researchers study people who have survived traumatic ordeals...when life did not turn out the way they had planned.

–Prisoners of war, hostages, those in consecration camps, victims of crippling accidents

were studied to see how they responded to their trauma. 

–These studies found that people responded in two ways: Many are simply defeated by such adversity and are defeated by their difficult situations...basically give up!

–Others are marked by resiliency, a condition whereby they actually enlarge their capacity to handle problems, and in the end, they not only survive but grow.  

–What makes the difference?  How do you endure when you face a mountain so big that it seems un-cross-able?  Why do the Rockies energize some people and defeat others?

–The researchers found:

–Resilient people continually seek to reassert some command and control over their destiny rather than seeing themselves as passive victims.

–Resilient people have a larger than usual capacity for what might be called moral courage–for refusing to betray their values.

–Resilient People find purpose and meaning in their suffering.

–We can add to this list as believers in Christ is that - Resilient people have a deep dependency on God. 

3. Let’s look at Joseph in the light of good news/bad news.

–It has always been fun to look at stories that were good news/bad news and actually back to good news before the story was over.

–Two friends agree that whoever dies first will get word back to the other one whether or not there is baseball in heaven...The good news is there is baseball in heaven.  The bad news is that you are pitching on Friday.

–Joseph’s life was definitely one of those good news/bad news stories.

–Joseph is daddy’s favorite...that’s good news...His brothers hate his guts...that is bad news!

–His daddy gives him a beautiful coat...that’s good news...his brothers rip it off, cover it with blood, pretend he’s dead, sell him into slavery in a distant land...that’s bad news.

–He get’s a great job with Potiphar, a wealthy not to bright boss who likes him. He empowers Joseph to run his house...he is handsome...things going well..that’s good news.

–Potiphar’s wife thinks he is handsome and tries to seduce him...that’s bad news.  Joseph resists the temptation...that’s good news!

–The wife is furious and lies about him and has him arrested...he ends up in prison...that is bad news.

–In prison Joseph meets Pharaoh’s butler, interprets his dream that predicts he will be paroled, arranges for the butler to get him released...this is good news.

–The butler forgets and Joseph languishes in prison...that’s bad news.

–As you read Joseph’s story you have to wonder how will it all end.  (Of course we know but he didn’t). What matters in a good news/ bad news story is how it all ends.

–If it ends with bad news, all the good news that went before was just a cruel farce that raises false hopes. If it ends with good news, the entire story gets redeemed. 

–All the bad news is seen in a new light...With Joseph, let’s go back to the beginning.

4. When you speak of Joseph it is almost impossible to not talk about his fancy coat and his dreams.

–Joseph wore the robe...the robe said he was the chosen one by his father...the golden boy

–Any of you ever feel that another sibling was the golden one in your family...the oldest!

–He never had to worry about whether daddy loved him or not...the robe declared it.

–When his brothers walked in the room their dad might ask how the flocks were doing but when Joseph walked in Jacob would light up.

–Parents may not think their kids can see it when they have a favorite but your kids can see it a mile away.  Comedian...we have two great kids and then this other kid!!!

–The robe definitely let the cat out of the bag...a long coat with sleeves...coat of many colors...a hand tailored coat from Nordstrom while yours came from Target.

–Price did not matter for this son...what made this so explosive was that in that day clothing was an expression of status...dad’s pet...in your face favoritism. 

–When Joseph wears the robe it makes him feel special but every time the brothers saw it

...it made them die a little on the inside.

–The brothers can’t take it anymore...they tear the robe off of him and sell him into slavery...Joseph thinks this is bad but the Rockies are still ahead.

–Joseph’s dreams did not help his relationship with his siblings either...dreams in that day were considered to be prophetic...even though the author of Genesis never says they are from God.

–These dreams are about Joseph’s future and you would think he would have enough sense to keep quiet:

Proverbs 17:28 (NLT) 

28 Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. 

–Joseph does not keep silent...he gathers his brothers...who don’t have a special robe...

Who have been hurt deeply by their father...who hate him and tells his dream to them.

–There was a field of sheaves...mine stood up and yours bowed down to mine...I guess this means one day I will rule over you and you will bow and submit before me...let’s play

Genesis 37:8 (NKJV) 

8 And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.   

–Joseph must be a SH...he tells them another dream about the sun, moon, and stars bowing before him...

–It never dawns on him to keep quiet...all he can see is he is going to accomplish great things, he is going to be famous, he is going to make his father proud, he is wearing the robe and he is dreaming great dreams.

–What he does not know is that he is about to see a mountain range that looks a lot like the Rockies and life is not going to be easy!

Walking On Water - 8

Walking On Water - 8

Subject: Our Greatest Example of Getting Out of The Boat

by Rick Welborne

Matthew 14:22‑33 (NKJV) 

22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 

23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 

24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 

25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 

26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. 

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." 

28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 

29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 

30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 

32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 

33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." 

–Tonight I want us to look at our greatest example of courage and willingness to get out of the boat...Jesus Christ.

–You see, none of us would ever have the privilege or opportunity to get out of the boat if it were not for Jesus.

1. Jesus was an example to us of stepping out of the boat when He stepped out before the foundation of the world to save us.

1 Peter 1:17‑21 (NKJV) 

17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 

20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 

21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 

–The decision had already been made.  He has been ordained since the beginning of time that Jesus would step out of the boat (out of heaven) to save us.

–What kind of King would lay aside His royal robes, forfeit His throne, and leave His glorious Kingdom to redeem people who did not know Him...what love is this!

Romans 5:6‑8 (NKJV) 

6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  

–Just meditating on this thought...you would think God would change His plan with mankind knowing He would have to come and give His life...but He did not!  Wow!

2. Jesus was an example to us of stepping out of the boat when He entered the city of Jerusalem knowing what fate awaited Him.

--During His triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem people waved palm branches and shouted for Him. Listen to Jesus after Mary sister of Martha anointed Jesus feet with costly perfume...wiped his feet with her hair.

–She was saying...the most uncomely part of Jesus (His feet) was more precious than anything beautiful about man...He is worthy of our worship!

John 12:7‑15 (NKJV) 

7 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 

8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always." 

9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 

10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 

11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. 

12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 

13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!" 

14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 

15 "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt."

–Jesus knew He was stepping into the city (out of the boat) to die for the salvation of mankind...for you and me! 

The crowd cried:  "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!" 

–Truly their King was stepping into what God had planned for Him...how tough it must have been to know they would soon be crying “crucify Him!” How quickly things can change. 

3. Jesus was an example of stepping out of the boat when He submitted to the will of God.

–I hope you see how Jesus was tested like us and how difficult it was for Him to get out of His boat...His humanity.

Hebrews 2:18 (NKJV) 

18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. 

Hebrews 4:14‑16 (NKJV) 

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 

15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 

16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

–Was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin...see His struggle...He not only was facing the pain and suffering thru His abuse but also becoming sin for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) 

21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

Matthew 26:36‑39 (NKJV) 

36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there." 

37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 

38 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." 

39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." 

–Matthew says he was sorrowful, deeply distressed, exceedingly sorrowful even to death.

Luke 22:44 (NKJV) 

44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 

–Doctors indicate that this is the most extreme stress a person could be under. "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." 

–What was He saying? I am struggling to get out of the boat but, Father, if You want me to...I will!

4. Jesus was an example of getting out of the boat by not reverting back to His divine power.

–Never under estimate what Jesus could have done:

Mark 15:29‑31 (NKJV) 

29 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, 

30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!" 

31 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. 

–When we are faced with the trial of our lives we have a tendency of reverting to whatever brings us comfort ...sadly it is not always good or godly.

–We cannot even imagine how tough it would be to have been the Creator God…At Your spoken Word everything that exists was created, and have that creation mocking you, torturing you, rejecting you...kids.

–They did not take Jesus’ life...He laid it down:

John 10:18 (NKJV) 

18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."  

–You see, the Bible says Jesus could have used His position as Son and His divine power to escape or crush…

John 10:39 (NKJV) 

39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. 

Matthew 26:53 (NKJV) 

53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 

John 18:5‑6 (NKJV) 

5 They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am He." And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. 

6 Now when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. 

Philippians 2:5‑8 (NKJV) 

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 

6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 

7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 

5. Jesus was our example of getting out of the boat by His death, burial, and resurrection!

Luke 24:1‑7 (NKJV) 

1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 

2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 

3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 

4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 

5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? 

6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 

7 saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' " 

–“Why do you seek the living among the dead?   He is not here, but is risen! 

Acts 2:22‑24 (NKJV) 

22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know‑‑ 

23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 

24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 

–So why stay in your tomb...your boat?

Romans 8:11 (NIV) 

11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 

–The Spirit of God can bring you out of your tomb or your boat!!!

Ezekiel 37:12‑14 (NKJV) 

12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 

13 Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 

14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.'  

I Can’t Stay Here - 6

I Can’t Stay Here - 6

Subject – Distortions of Truth

by Rick Welborne

--The Lord had told Abraham to leave Egypt and go to a country the Lord would show him. His nephew Lot was with Him. They both were very wealthy and growing larger. 

Genesis 13:5-13 (NKJV)
⁵  Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
⁶  Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
⁷  And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
⁸  So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.
⁹  Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left."
¹⁰  And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
¹¹  Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
¹²  Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.
¹³  But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.

--This may be one of the more interesting series that I have done in all my years being here at Life Church. We are looking at conditions or attitudes that can get us in trouble and why we can’t stay there.

--Except for those of you who can confess everything away the rest of us have to deal with the 90/10 syndrome of life being tough sometimes. 

--There are times that life just throws things at us that we probably were not expecting and because of that we become weary, dried out, and, as a believer, attempting to run on empty.

--As we attempt to run on empty, we find ourselves neglecting time of intimacy with the Lord which in itself is a design for disaster. Trouble is on the horizon. 

--When we get that way we always have an impact on others. Paul said it best when he said none of us live until themselves alone and none of us die until themselves. When we go down, we take others with us. 

MacDonald – It is action without heart, oratory without power, doctrine without love. People who are dried out within can often be, for a while, the hardest workers. But they can also become the harshest critics and the most negative teammates. Inside they experience a rising turbulence—confused goals and motives and inconsistent, unexplainable patterns of personal performance. 

--Last time we looked at David and how he got off track…he wasn’t where he needed to be, he was not spending time in God’s presence like before, he commits adultery, has a man killed, hurts an entire nation. 

--I shuttered the other day talking to a professional in our city telling me that kind of situation (adultery) could never happen to him because he was above all that. Take heed when you think you stand. 

--When we get bombarded with life, when we get weary and tired, when we allow our spirits to dry out, we can be among those who have fallen. David thought he had escaped until the prophet Nathan came.

--This is free but it is important: If you have shepherds who love you enough to confront you with an issue (not easy for us), please understand the gravity of the situation.

--You keep going your own way and you keep doing your own thing, that thing will take you further than you want to go and you will pay a price higher than you want to pay. Remember those around you watching. Kids.

--Today I want us to look at what can happen when this world (this cosmos) can begin to distort our lives and the truth of our lives. Our verse that goes with our name. You have two choices:

John 10:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--We can choose to serve Christ faithfully and find life or we can go down a road of bad choices and end up wondering (like David) how we got here. Forgive me and take not your Spirit from me.

1. Our spiritual passion is under attack.

--We are continuously bombarded with advertisements that tell us everything we really want to hear. If you drink a certain beverage you will be cool and everyone around you will be fit and beautiful.

--Mike Mindale has convinced us that My Pillow is the best pillow on the planet. And now, you can get a mattress topper that will help you sleep better too. We may never get out of bed. 

--If you have ever used any of the products they advertise you may find yourself extremely disappointed. Because of pain, I have tried Blue Emu, Australia Dream just to be disappointed and greasy.

--In the 1940s there was a convincing tobacco commercial that convinced so many about how good a certain cigarette could be. Listen to it:

Commercial – According to a recent nationwide survey, more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette. Three leading independent research organizations asked this question of 113, 597 doctors: “What cigarette do you smoke, Doctor?” The brand named most was Camel. Now you probably enjoy rich full flavor and cool mildness in a cigarette just as much as doctors do, and that’s why if you are not a Camel smoker now, try a Camel on your T-Zone, (that’s T for taste and T for throat, your true proving ground for any cigarette…etc.

--Why would I bring this up? Can you imagine, back then, how persuasive this must have been. After all, doctors and experts were saying these things. If they smoke, why not me? 

--I can tell you why not, millions of people who have gotten cancer as a result of these professionals endorsing such a terrible addictive product. Both of my parents died of lung cancer. Raleigh – coupons.

--Our spiritual passion is constantly under attack by the distortions of truth that pervade our time. Think about the thousands of persuasive messages pressed upon us each day. 

--These attacks on our spiritual passion come through commercials (TV, Internet), direct human encounters, signs all around us. Stop here, stay off the grass, no food or drink. Endorsements by famous people.

--Hopefully, we automatically filter out most of these messages like an executive secretary might sort thru the junk mail for their boss. Our minds are having to say no over and over again.

--What we end up with is a small set of decisions in response to a large number of messages…the ones that cannot be left to our subconscious secretaries. 

--So what’s the point…choices make us weary and we do it every day. I remember talking to one of our missionaries coming back home after being on the mission’s field for four years.

--They went to Walmart and were completely overwhelmed by all the choices of everything. Just the chip isle was crazy…so many flavors, salted, unsalted, ribbed or un-ribbed. One choice where they came from if that.

MacDonald – Even though we are not aware of the relentless barrage of messages coming at us, the combined force of them is doing a number on us. They quietly sandblast the soul, the seat of conviction and value, threatening our ability to make and implement priority decisions. 

2.  The choices made by Lot…he listened to his eyes.

Genesis 13:7-13 (NKJV)
⁷  And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
⁸  So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.
⁹  Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left."
¹⁰  And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
¹¹  Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
¹²  Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.
¹³  But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.

--It is hard not to think about Lot because his inner life had become so distorted by the realities around him. He was living as a parasite off his uncle Abram and was in no place to make major decisions about his destiny.

--He and Abraham shared a business of sorts which had reached a place where it seemed best to split the assets and move in different directions. 

--The supply of resources was inadequate for the flocks and herds they had built up, and tension was increasing between their staffs. It is possible that it was no longer enjoyable for them to work together. 

--One of the most powerful lessons for me personally was how the magnanimous Abraham did not allow this split to be open for discussion. 

--Rather he gave Lot the first choice to go in whatever direction he wanted to go. Lot was only too willing to seize the advantage…Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan…he took that quickly.

--All kind of messages poured into his mind suggesting that he should grab the green grass and the lush valleys to the south while they were available as long as Abraham was stupid enough to give him first shot. 

--Lot listened to his eyes…Lot looked with his eyes and saw the beauty of Sodom. He did not look from an inner spirit of values and convictions that would have permitted him to see moral rot and filth. 

William Blake’s Poem – This life’s dim windows of the soul…Distort the Heavens from pole to pole…And lead you to believe a lie…When you see with, not through, the eye.

--Pastor, you talked about a lesson, please share. Being here 30 years has given me quite a bit of history to study. We have seen people come and go. Some left well and others, not so much.

--With much criticism, I have taken Abraham’s approach and decided to bless whoever worked with us and left for whatever reason. What are you doing and what are you thinking? I am thinking God is going to bless me.

Genesis 13:14-15 (NKJV)
¹⁴  And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are--northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
¹⁵  for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.

--At least from my perspective, God never allowed any of those people to hurt me or to hurt Life Church. I told my critics it is more important for me to think about God’s Kingdom more than teaching that person a lesson.

--Lot looked with his eyes and Abraham looked with the eyes of his spirit and God blessed him. Lot’s choice would ultimately cost him his family, his dignity, and any sense of credibility he had ever had. 

--We can get so distorted by all the messages coming at us from the world but, hear me, not all of the negative messages are coming from the world. The Christian community has its share.

--When we preach a gospel of “I”…I can have it all, I can just say it, I can live in prosperity financially, I can confess anything negative out of my life. We sound like Lucifer…I will ascend above the most high. Danger.

3. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.

Ephesians 1:16-19 (NIV)
¹⁶  I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
¹⁷  I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
¹⁸  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
¹⁹  and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,

--I pray that the eyes of our hearts are opened or enlightened. Yes, we are bombarded with all kinds of messages every day but we have a choice.

--Lot listened to his eyes…not the eyes of his heart but the eyes of his flesh, his desires. I am sure it was good for a while but consider the cost. The sin of Sodom so infected him that he was willing to give up his daughters.

Genesis 19:7-8 (NIV)
⁷  and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing.
⁸  Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof."

--His wife’s heart was so attached to the sin there that she looked back and became a pillar of salt. God open the eyes of our hearts so we can see the price we are paying. Stop listening to your eyes and listen to God’s Word.

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You
To see You high and lifted up
Shinin' in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love                                                                                                                                

As we sing holy, holy, holy