How To Lose An Argument With God
(Part 2, The Call)
Introduction:
These past two weeks, we’ve been talking about Vision, God’s Calling, and these things are somewhat abstract. I hope you understand the direction God is asking you to go. If you don’t, then don’t worry-you are not alone. Many Christians don’t know what God wants from them, not because aren’t trying to figure it out, but because they are trying and they are missing the message in the process. God has an agenda, God has a plan, God has a purpose and a vision, and God is calling. On the other hand, we often times have agendas, we have plans, but we lack God’s purpose and vision, and we can’t hear God’s calling. Does this make sense? When we allow our personal agenda and our plans for God’s kingdom to take priority over what God wants to do, we get in God’s way and we stop being effective for Christ; we start hindering God’s work. We start to argue with God about His purpose for us. What we are going to look at today is “How to lose an argument with God” and allow Him to take the priority in our lives, to allow Him to direct our plans, and to allow Him to set our purpose in line with His. Doesn’t that sound like a great way to live? Let’s look at our text.
Text: Exodus 3:11-4:17 (READ)
Two cows were grazing alongside a highway when a tank-truck of milk on its way to the distributor happened to pass. On one side of the truck in big red letters was a sign that read,
"Pasteurized, homogenized, standardized, Vitamin A added."
One cow turned to the other and remarked,
"Makes you feel sort of inadequate, doesn’t it?"
Step 1: Don’t make yourself FEEL INADEQUATE.
God understands our weaknesses, but He also knows His many great strengths.
I am not good enough to do such a thing! What did I ever do to deserve this? (Paraphrase Ex. 3:11)
We have become “3:11” Christians! As long as we allow ourselves to think of our roles in God’s kingdom as mediocre, we will never be able to do the great things God wants done in the church. If we forget who makes up the church, the church will become like a head of wilted lettuce. David Headley had a great lesson on the “lettuce” church last Sunday evening. In Hebrews 10:19-25, we find five ways can build up each other in the church, and through this we eliminate the “3:11” factor. We cannot expect to have great things happen in our church if we don’t believe we have the greatness in Jesus Christ to do so. Stop being a “3:11” Christian and become a student of God’s Word, because doing so will bring you in line with God’s agenda, His plans, and His purposes. This is our responsibility and our correct response to God’s call. There are other ways we can argue with God, and this one is probably the most familiar to all of us.
Step 2: Get your “BUT” out of the way.
God wants to use us to accomplish His good work. Don’t let your “other half” get in the way!
“But, but, but, but, but.” You’d get sick of it too!
(Ex. 3:11, 4:1, 4:10, 4:13)
There is a story about a farmer who was continually optimistic and seldom discouraged.
He had a neighbor who was just the opposite. Moody and gloomy, he faced each new morning with a heavy sigh.
The happy, optimistic farmer would see the sun coming up and shout over the roar of his tractor, " Look at that beautiful sun and clear sky!”
With a frown, the negative neighbor would reply, "Yeah! But, it’ll probably scorch the crops!"
When the clouds would gather and a much-needed rain would start to fall, our positive farmer would smile across the fence, "Isn’t this great! God is giving our corn a drink today!"
Again, the same negative response, "Oh! But if it doesn’t stop before long, it’ll flood and wash everything away."
One day the optimistic farmer decided to put his pessimistic neighbor to the test. He bought the smartest, the most expensive bird dog he could find. He trained him to do things no other dog could do. Then, he invited the pessimistic neighbor to go duck hunting with him.
They sat in the boat, hidden in the duck blind, and the ducks started flying in. Both men fired their guns and several ducks fell into the water.
“Go and get them!" ordered the dog’s owner.
The dog leaped out of the boat, walked on the water, and picked up the birds one by one.
“Well, what do you think of that?" The pessimist said. "He can’t swim, can he?"
What makes us respond most often with an excuse for not being able to do whatever it is we might be asked? Is it our lack of self-esteem? Is it our knowledge of ourselves so well that we know beyond the shadow of a doubt what our limitations are? Or is it that we have a habit of passing the buck when it comes to taking responsibility for the needs presented to us. Some of us are so quick to point out a problem that so desperately needs to be solved for fear of the church being destroyed, yet we will cower and run and put up our “but, but, but’s”, and make someone else fill the void.
If God chose to wait for all the “but’s” in the world He would be a little behind.
God won’t wait too long for us to overcome our little idiosyncrasies, He expects us to be healthy, growing Christians, ready to do the work of a child of God. In fact, He insists on it. God says that if we sit on our “but’s” too long, He will spit us out of His mouth. (Rev. 3:15,16) God would rather have a non-Christian that has potential, than a “Christian” that won’t do anything with the potential they have been given.
So what are we left with? As I see it, we have one choice. We must listen to God’s call and answer it. We have to GIVE IN.
Step 3: Give in, GIVE IN, and finally, GIVE IN!
This is God we’re talking about, and who are we to be arguing about what God wants us to do!
The captain on the bridge of a large naval vessel saw a light ahead on a collision course. He sent out a signal, "Alter your course ten degrees south." Almost immediately the reply came back, "Alter your course ten degrees north." The captain then signaled, "Alter your course ten degrees south. This is the Captain speaking." Very shortly the reply came back: "You must alter your course 10 degrees north. This is a seaman-third class." Furious, captain signaled, "Do you realize you are talking to a United States Naval Captain from the bridge of the US Battleship? Now alter your course ten degrees south or face the consequences!" The reply came back, “Alter your course ten degrees north. You, Captian, are talking to a lighthouse."
Consequences of refusing God’s instruction:
Jonah: Get thrown in the deep end
Saul: Position of authority gets rejected
Moses: Goals will not be reached or obtained
(In case of the Captain: Run the boat aground)
Results from obeying God’s instruction:
Daniel: You won’t be eaten alive!
Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego: You won’t be burned!
David: You become humbled!
Joseph: You are able to accomplish more than you ever imagined!
If you drive through large cities you know the frustration of dodging non-yielding motorists while trying to exit from the freeway. On the frontage road there are yield signs to remind drivers that the exiting freeway traffic has the right of way to any lane on the frontage road. Technically, you can exit from the freeway and take out any car that fails to yield. Unfortunately, though, such vindication brings damage to your car too.
Moses asked God to send someone else to do it. (Ex. 4:13) Moses wanted to “pass the buck” to someone even though he saw the need. He expected God to just look past him and use someone else. God was intent on seeing Moses work for Him, so in order to get Moses to work He had to get Aaron involved as well. This became a doubly hard mission for Moses now. Now instead of just relaying God’s message to Pharaoh, he had to go through Aaron and then still you can read for yourself, he did a lot of the talking anyway. He had twice the job he started out with. How futile and utterly useless it is to argue with God. Yet, we still continue to do it. We often fake the role. Remember I said last week, many of us play “Christian” throughout our lives? God speaks out against those who preach one thing yet live another. We cannot let our lives show the outward appearance of Godliness, while our hearts and motives are pushing us further from God than any excuse ever could. It is a heart condition that we must fix. We cannot serve God effectively by doing so only when it is convenient for us. Yeah, yeah, that sounds like your typical, average Sunday school sermon. I am not the one warning against failure to give into God’s instruction. God is.
True faith is not lip service. Our Lord himself pronounced condemnation on those who worshipped him with their lips but not with their lives (Matthew 15:7 - 9). He does not become anyone’s Savior until that one receives him for who he is--Lord of all (Acts 10:36).
A. W. Tozer said, "The Lord will not save those whom he cannot command. He will not divide his offices. You cannot believe on a half-Christ. We take him for what he is--the anointed Savior and Lord who is King of kings and Lord of all lords! He would not be who he is if he saved us and called us and chose us without the understanding that he can also guide and control our lives.”
Conclusion:
ALL WE ARE IS A HEARING AND A RESPONSE.
When God calls, are you ready to listen, or are you full of replies and retorts that might make God look elsewhere for someone to do His work? Our response to God’s calling first, makes us His children. Second, it allows us the opportunity for service to Him. It is not in God’s nature to be a second-rate employer and likewise He doesn’t want second-rate employees. Consider it a compliment when God asks you to do something for Him. It means He likes what He see in you. It means that God expects you as His pleasing child and obedient servant to do great work for Him.
God, the boss, posted some instructions for us with a reminder, “These are just suggestions, follow them only if you want to keep your job.”
If you are here this morning, you have no obligation to follow God’s instruction. Just don’t expect Him to keep you on His team. The life of a faithful and obedient servant is one that requires the best we can give and the willingness to give it. Will you argue with the Lord even now? If you want to change your life and stop fighting this losing battle, come here today and join the ranks of the Savior. If you are already a Christian and your life has been lived out in complete frustration because of your constant arguing with God, you need to stop feeling inadequate, if you do, get your “but” out of the way, and give in to God. You’ve heard the Word of God, what is your response?
