PAY ATTENTION! CAN GOD GET OUR ATTENTION AND GET US TO
EXPECT GOOD THINGS?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I do this lesson in two parts, if you try it in one part you must move to the next point quickly.
I. CAN GOD GET OUR ATTENTION TODAY?
THERE ARE SO MANY DEMANDS, WE HAVE TO PLACE A PRIOIRTY SYSTEM ON OUR TIME. OUR PRIORITY SYSTEM IS BASED UPON WHAT WE VALUE.
HAVE WE ESTABLISHED A PRIORITY SYSTEM?
Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
A. WHAT YOU VALUE YOU WILL SET A SYSTEM TO GUARD.
B. WHAT YOU LOVE YOU WILL FIND TIME TO DO!
C. WHO OWNS WHAT?
Most know my Dad is a pastor. Once I went with my Dad to a house of a couple that were both lawyers. Their house was a museum. There were guns from the Revolutionary War, in another room were muskets from the Civil War.
We went into another room and there were art pieces worth multiple thousands of dollars.
The lawyers told us the place was insured for a huge sum of money.
They then showed my Dad they had a state of the art electronic security system to protect their investments.
My Dad asked them about attending church?
They said they could not attend church, they could not leave all their valuable goods unattended. If they went on vacation they paid a bonded person to baby sit their goods.
They were prisoners in their own home. They could not go out to eat together, because they had to watch their stuff.
How sad? The earthly materialism dictated their life?
There was no concern for the eternal? There was no missionary giving?
II. CAN GOD GET OUR ATTENTION TODAY?
GOD MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO GREAT THINGS IF HE COULD GET THE ATTENTION OF THE CHURCH to EXPECT GOOD THINGS?
A. ATTENTION:
The art of applying one’s mind, energy, and effort to a purpose.
A condition of readiness.
Narrowing of focus to consciousness and receptivity.
Consideration with a view of action.
B. A POSITION ASSUMED BY A SOLDIER WITH HEELS TOGETHER, BODY ERECT, ARMS AT THE SIDES, EYES TO THE FRONT.
C. THERE ARE SO MANY DEMANDS, WE HAVE TO PLACE A PRIOIRTY SYSTEM ON OUR TIME. OUR PRIORITY SYSTEM IS BASED UPON WHAT WE VALUE.
D. There were some believers going to church to pray.
This was a habitual act for them.
God was going to use them, but God needed their attention.
KJV
Acts 3:5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
NIV
Acts 3:5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
LB
Acts 3:5 The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting a gift.
III. TAKE TIME TO SHARPEN YOUR TOOLS.
Eccles. 10:10 If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.
A. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to keep sharp things sharp, hot things hot, and joy in all things?
B. Have you heard the story of the young man that hired on with a logging firm.
He was so strong, and as he started cutting trees, he and his chain saw worked as one. The young man could cut more trees than anyone.
An old man cut trees, but would stop several times a day to sharpen and adjust his chain saw.
The young man would keep cutting, and he would surpass the old man. After several days, the young man’s production was so reduced that he lost his job.
He could not understand how the old man could stop and rest and beat him. As he was leaving, he approached the old man and said, I just don’t understand I out worked you when you rested I continued cutting, yet you out produced me? How can this be?
C. The old man said, I learned a lesson many years ago from the Bible. If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. ( A dull ax requires more work, be wise and sharpen your blade.)
D. The old man said, I was not resting, I stopped to sharpen my chain and adjust my chain saw. He went on to explain, because the young man never stopped to sharpen his edge the greater his labor the less he accomplished.
E. This is a story about ministry, we must KEEP A SHARP EDGE. The sharpest tools today can become very dull tomorrow. We need Godly wisdom to apply our hearts and work wisely.
IV. WHAT WILL GOD HAVE TO DO TO GET OUR ATTENTION?
ABSALOM TOLD JOAB, I HAVE TO SEE THE KING, MY FATHER!
JOAB WAS BUSY? ABSALOM HAD TO GET JOAB’S ATTENTION!
2 Samuel 14:29 Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.
30 Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
A. WHY DID YOU SET MY FIELDS ON FIRE?
TO GET YOUR ATTENTION!
2 Samuel 14:31 Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?
B. I TOLD YOU JOAB I MUST SEE THE KING! DID I GET YOUR ATTENTION?
2 Samuel 14:32 And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king’s face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me.
V. DO WE UNDERSTAND WHAT LOSING THE CUTTING EDGE WILL DO TO THE CHURCH? GOD WILL USE RESTORATION AS HIS DIVINE PLAN.
2 Kings 6:5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
A. They were remodeling and enlarging the Preachers’ School. One young man was working with all his effort. He had borrowed his neighbor’s ax to use as he was working for the Lord. As the young man was felling trees near the water, the ax head came off and flew into the water.
B.Wow, how broken hearted this young man must have been.
1) It was a borrowed ax.
2) The work was being hindered.
3) The work could not advance.
C.See, God knows some times as we work for him we will lose our cutting edge. While this is sad there is an answer, if you go to the right source. The young man had enough sense to not just cry and cry, he went to the old man of God.
He told the Preacher his sad story, and the Preacher had a "DIVINE PLAN."
He showed the Preacher where the ax head fell off.
2 Kings 6:6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
D. The old Preacher used someone else’s cutting edge and cut a stick and threw the stick into the water in the area where it had flown off the handle.
To the young man’s excitement, the ax swam to the surface and to the shore.
E. The young man had to put forth effort and bend down, pick it up and return to his job.
Can you imagine, I would say, he cut down more trees than anyone else, for he personally saw God’s plan for restoring the cutting edge.
His FAITH was excited and he returned with enthusiasm.
G. If you lose the cutting edge, don’t keep cutting with the ax handle. Come to the Father and ask HIM to help you with the return of your cutting edge. THE DIFFERENCE IN EXISTING AND LIVING IS: --- EFFORT!
VI. HOW SAD THE DAY WHEN WE LOSE OUR ABILITY TO SHARPEN OUR EDGE!
1 Samuel 13:20 But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.
A. 1 Samuel 13:20 tells of a sad day in history, God’s people paid other people to sharpen their tools. Through the camp of God, the skill to sharpen tools was lost and God’s people learned to trust the enemy to sharpen their tools.
B. The danger of DEPENDING AND TRUSTING others to keep your spiritual edge sharpened can be very costly. When war arises the Philistines will not sharpen your tools.
C. God wants you to keep your skills so polished that you can sharpen your own tools to accomplish His work. I fear losing the ability to sharpen your own tools is worse than losing your cutting edge. This is spiritual sleep!
VII. GOD HAS SOMETHING AGAINST US.
A. We must serve God with ALL, with zeal, with feelings, with passion, with great intensity. Is it possible to get more excited at a ball game than worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth?
B. The sad story goes on ... Ear dullness, spiritual dullness ...
Rev 2:4 (KJV) Nethertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
(LB) ---Yet there is one thing wrong, you don’t love me as at first.
VIII. WE MUST IDENTIFY WHAT IS DULLING OUR SPIRITUAL EXPECTATIONS?
GRACE KILLERS!
A. Seems there are not enough crutches to cover all of our lame excuses. The sooner one identifies cancer, aids, COPD, TB or any other diseases --- the greater the chance of a full recovery.
B. We must have a diagnosis? Can you see the signs or symptoms of losing the cutting edge? Do we have a prognosis? God help us develop a plan of recovery! The church is doomed, without vision to see, the cutting edge is under water and will rust beyond repair, unless we develop a Divine Plan to restore and sharpen the edge of God.
IX. YOU CAN NEVER BUILD MUCH WITH A SPIRIT OF SLEEP OVER TAKING THE CHURCH.
Luke 9:32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.
A. Peter was sleeping through prayer meeting, when he awoke Peter saw the glory of God and in verse 33--- Peter boldly proclaims ... Let us build THREE CHURCHES ...
I warn you right now, if you have lost the cutting edge of prayer, and a slumbering spirit grows, you cannot be depended upon for anything.
Matthew 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
B. Be warned the cutting edge is lost because we do not know the Bible and the power of the Bible.
X. AN UNSUBMITTED CUTTING EDGE?
Romans 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
A. Today submission is a dirty word? Ever wonder why?
B. An unsubmitted sharp ax might just cut down fruit trees and let lumber trees stand?
XI. GOD RETURN THE PASSION TO THE LOCAL CHURCH!
A. Many attend great TV evangelist crusades expecting to see and hear something from God. We need the expecting spirit to return to the local church!
Matthew 22:5 But they MADE LIGHT OF IT, AND WENT THEIR WAYS ...
B. We must have growth.
C. We must get serious. Nothing great ever is achieved without enthusiasm.
D. Giving does not seem like sacrifice where love thrives.
E. Many have allowed Christianity and Ministry to become a hobby, an interest ---
GOD GIVE US OUR PASSION AND COMMITMENT BACK!
XII. A SPIRIT OF "AT EASE"-- WHEN ZION TRAVAILS SONS AND DAUGHTERS SHALL BE BORN.
Amos 6:1 Woe unto them that are AT EASE in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria!
ISA. 66:8 --- FOR AS SOON AS ZION TRAVAILED, SHE BROUGHT FORTH HER CHILDREN
XIII. THE COLD WITHIN KILLS
This poem was written in the 1920’s by James Patrick Kinney.
It is thought provoking...
The Cold Within By James P. Kinney
Six humans trapped by happenstance in black and bitter cold.
Each one possessed a stick of wood (or so the story’s told).
Their dying fire, in need of logs, the first woman held hers back,
For on the faces around the fire, she noticed one was black.
The second, looking across the way, saw one not of his church,
And couldn’t bring himself to give the fire his stick of birch.
The poor man sat in tattered clothes, he gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log be put to use to warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought of the wealth he had in store
And how to keep what he had earned from the lazy, shiftless poor.
The black man’s face bespoke revenge as the fire passed from his sight,
For all he saw in his stick of wood was a chance to spite the white.
And the last of this forlorn group did not accept for gain:
Giving only to those who gave was how he played the game.
The logs held tight in deaths’ still cold hands was proof of human sin.
They didn’t die from the cold without,
They died from the cold within.
A. We must love and serve God and others with ALL our hearts, with ALL our soul, with ALL our mind, with ALL our strength, this is the first command.
B. Keep the cutting edge sharp!
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
You could join my team and help me spread the message? Pass it on to at least one,
and you have doubled my reach!
