WANT TO SEE GOD WORK?
JESUS SERIES VI: THOSE WHO WANT A SIGN
INTRO: Before we look into what makes God work (and there is really no exact way, there is no way God will fit into a box), we will take a look at what does NOT make God work.
A SIGN: I was chatting a way back with a friend on facebook. The gist of his message was he was seeking a sign, and essentially if God would only give him a sign, then he would believe in Christ. But the problem with that thinking is that God is not a genie granting wishes for our convenience, and more than likely had already shown himself in this mans life and he missed it.
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 12:39
12:39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Two points makes this clear. First, God does what He wants to when He wants to, not what we want him to when we want. Second, who asks for a sign? Who? Read the passage of scripture again.
TRANSITION: No signs are need, but there are some things highly recommended…
1. GO
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 4:19-20
4:19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.” 4:20 They left their nets immediately and followed him.
EXPLANATION: Give some brief detail on how amazing this actually would be. I mean, if a man walked into my school and said follow me, I hardly think I would turn off the overhead, walk out of the HS, leave my family, and spend the rest of my life learning from him. Would you?
IF YOU WANT TO SEE GOD MOVE, THE FIRST STEP IS TO GO!
EXAMPLE: CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH
When it comes to “GOING,” there might have never been a larger time of people going than when gold was discovered in California. Here are some odd stats:
Cost of Items: Would you spend $100 for a glass of water? Some 49ers on the California Trail did. Because of poor planning, many western-bound 49ers were unprepared for the hot, dry deserts of Nevada. A few sharp businessmen in California knew this and took advantage of the situation. They traveled eastward with barrels of water. Extremely thirsty, many 49ers paid $1, $5, even $100 for a glass of precious water. But water was not the only expensive item on the Oregon-California Trail. For example, at the start of the journey, flour could be purchased for $4.00 a barrel, but further along the price rose to a sky-high $1.00 per pint. Other staples could also be quite expensive:•Sugar $1.50 per pint •Coffee $1.00 per pint •Liquor $4.00 per pint. Surprisingly, there were other staples that were amazingly cheap. For example, at Ft. Laramie, bacon could be had for a penny per pound. Those who had excess bacon often considered it worthless and dumped it by the side of the road. One emigrant reported seeing ten tons on one pile.
The Stinky Trail: Imagine the sunburn you’d get from being outside from sunup to sundown every day for six months. No sunblock. No lotion. That was reality for the California-bound 49ers--most wound up with leathery, sunbaked skin. But that was just the beginning. Imagine sweating profusely in 90 degree heat day after day--but never taking a bath or shower. That too was typical of life on the trail. And remember, this was before the days of t-shirts and shorts. Women wore long dresses for the most part, and men wore long pants. And there wasn’t even much changing of clothes. They wore the same clothes day after day. Could it get any worse? Yes. They often had no choice but to drink rancid water, which had the inevitable result: diarrhea. For many, it was a chronic condition. All these factors combined to create some rather deplorable hygienic conditions. Even the native tribes were repulsed by the smell. The Native Americans, who bathed regularly, thought the emigrants were uncivilized because of their poor hygiene.
Going Thru Antarctica: Not every 49er used the Oregon -California Trail. There were other routes to gold country--one came perilously close to Antarctica! Those who did not want to endure a four month walk across the west, traveled to California by ship. Trouble was, there was no direct water route to the west coast. So a ship leaving New York had to travel all the way to the tip of South America--skirting the edge of the the Antarctic continent--before heading north to California. It was a difficult trip that sometimes took a complete year. So it was inevitable that several shortcuts were developed for the gold-crazed 49ers who were in a big hurry to get west. The most popular cutoff involved taking a ship to the Isthmus of Panama, then trekking overland to the Pacific side (remember, there was no Panama Canal then) where another ship would pick them up--hopefully. When the 49ers got to the Pacific side, they waited and waited for weeks, or even months. When a ship finally did arrive, passage might cost $500 or $1000, and sometimes there was no space at any price. Even worse, many of the Pacific-side ships were unseaworthy and sank en route. In the end, many regretted not taking the overland route.
2. OBEY
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 14:29-31
14:28 Peter said to him, “Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the water.” 14:29 So he said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus.
EXPLANATION: Provide some brief description here about a man walking on water. Seriously ham it up a bit, maybe even have a youth walk on water staring at another youth who is symbolizing Jesus (imagine how great that would have been).
IF YOU WANT TO WALK ON WATER, YOU WILL HAVE TO OBEY!
EXAMPLE: KING XERXES
It is said that on his retreat from Greece after his great military expedition there, King Xerxes boarded a Phoenician ship along with a number of his Persian troops. But a fearful storm came up, and the captain told Xerxes there was no hope unless the ship’s load was substantially lightened. The king turned to his fellow Persians on deck and said, "It is on you that my safety depends. Now let some of you show your regard for your king." A number of the men bowed to Xerxes and threw themselves overboard! Lightened of its load, the ship made it safely to harbor. Xerxes immediately ordered that a golden crown be given to the pilot for preserving the king’s life -- then ordered the man beheaded for causing the loss of so many Persian lives!
3. RISK
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 15:22-26
15:22 A Canaanite woman from that area came and cried out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is horribly demon-possessed!” 15:23 But he did not answer her a word. Then his disciples came and begged him, “Send her away, because she keeps on crying out after us.” 15:24 So he answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 15:25 But she came and bowed down before him and said, “Lord, help me!” 15:26 “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” he said.
EXPLANATION: Did I hear that right? Did Jesus just call that woman a dog? Really? There’s got to be more going on there. What’s going on is the differences between the Jews and the Canaanites. To the Jews, the Canaanites were the lowest of the low, a dirty race of people who should not be counted on to do anything right. To the upper class Jews, those from Canaan were dogs. So when Jesus is stating he shouldn’t throw the food to the dogs, he was speaking as if he was an upper class Jew (in fact, most of the people in the room were probably in full agreement with him as he spoke).
The only thing though is that Jesus was actually teaching them a lesson. Seriously folks, here is a woman crying out for help, the disciples have already casted out demons, and the disciples reaction is to SEND HER AWAY? What. Jesus was showing them how calloused their hearts really were.
BUT FOR HER TO SEE GOD MOVE, SHE HAD TO TAKE A RISK!
EXAMPLE: IS IT REALLY RISKY
Flying an Airplane: Some things that appear dangerous are actually much less hazardous than their safer-looking alternative. Commercial airline travel, for instance, is 30 times safer than transportation by car. It may not seem that way to the person who would rather fight rush hour traffic on the ground than ride a solitary Boeing 747 at 35,000 feet. But out of 5 million scheduled commercial flights in 1982, only 5 resulted in fatal accidents. Being carried by tons of metal thrust through the air by huge jet engines is actually safer than being pulled along in an 8-cylinder machine that never leaves the ground.
Skiing: When Jean-Claude Killy made the French national ski team in the early 1960s, he was prepared to work harder than anyone else to be the best. At the crack of dawn he would run up the slopes with his skis on, an unbelievably grueling activity. In the evening he would lift weights, run sprints--anything to get an edge. But the other team members were working as hard and long as he was. He realized instinctively that simply training harder would never be enough. Killy then began challenging the basic theories of racing technique. Each week he would try something different to see if he could find a better, faster way down the mountain. His experiments resulted in a new style that was almost exactly opposite the accepted technique of the time. It involved skiing with his legs apart (not together) for better balance and sitting back (not forward) on the skis when he came to a turn. He also used ski poles in an unorthodox way--to propel himself as he skied. The explosive new style helped cut Killy’s racing times dramatically. In 1966 and 1967 he captured virtually every major skiing trophy. The next year he won three gold medals in the Winter Olympics, a record in ski racing that has never been topped. Killy learned an important secret shared by many creative people: innovations don’t require genius, just a willingness to question the way things have always been done.
More on Risk in the Glossary if Necessary.
4. LOSE
BIBLE VERSE: John 12:24-26
12:24 I tell you the solemn truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain. 12:25 The one who loves his life destroys it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards it for eternal life. 12:26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
EXPLANATION: When it comes to our loving the Lord, it really comes down to two options, either loving ourselves and seeking how Christ fits into our lives, or loving Christ and seeking His will. We must die to ourselves.
PASSIONATE CLOSE: Here’s the deal.
If an old man was in the road and a car was coming, I suppose I would try to save him. I mean there is some risk there, but I would like to think that I may do what the Bible says and save him, but then again, we never really know. Perhaps, in that instant, I might think, “hey that guy has lived a great life, I am younger, its his time to go,” and then not save him. But we really don’t know.
Now if one of you guys who is in the street and a car was coming, I can honestly say I would try to save you. I think. I mean on paper I would say absolutely, but would we really. In that moment I may actually back out, but I really hope and believe that I would jump in the way of the car and save you.
Now, if my child were in the road and a car was coming. I can absolutely, positively tell you that I would jump in front of the car. I would risk my life in a heartbeat to save my child. Yes I would, and nobody could tell me different.
But, I can honestly tell you something that I would not do (pause), and I can honestly say I know for a fact I would not do this.
If you were in the road and a car was coming to kill you, I would NOT send MY CHILD to save you. But that is exactly what God did for us! God is worth losing myself too. For doing this for me, God is worth it all.
Sources:
Fritz, Paul. Why Jesus Taught People If They Want to See God Work in New Ways They Must Be Willling to Do New Things, Trinity College, Florida, October 18, 2000.
Reader’s Digest, Oct, 1991, p. 61.
Sermonillustrations.com. Keyword: Risk, Our Daily Bread.
The Gold Rush, www.isu.edu/~trinmich/funfacts.html.
Today in the Word, July 11, 1993.
Glossary:
The things we most fear--crashing in an airplane, being killed by a burglar, dying on the operating table--are unlikely ever to happen to us. "We are risk illiterate," one safety expert says. "We have a completely distorted view of life’s real perils." The chance of dying in a commercial airplane crash is just one in 800,000. You are more likely to choke to death on a piece of food. You are twice as likely to be killed playing a sport as you are to be stabbed to death by a stranger. And the chance of dying of a medical complication or mistake is tiny (one in 84,000). You take a far greater risk riding in a car. One in 5000 of us die that way. The next time you buy a lottery ticket, bear in mind that you are at least 13 times as likely to be struck by lightning as you are to hit the jackpot...In helping to set insurance premiums, actuaries know that this year approximately 765,000 people in America will die of heart disease, 68,000 of pneumonia, 2000 of tuberculosis, 200 in storms and resulting floods, 100 by lightning, another 100 in tornadoes, and 50 of snakebites and bee stings.
Other experts can tell you that, on average, being 30 percent overweight knocks 3.5 years off your life expectancy; being poor reduces it two years; and being a single man slashes almost a decade off your life-span (unmarried females are luckier--they lose just four years off their lives.)...It has been calculated that for every cigarette you smoke, you lose ten minutes off your life expectancy...The grim predictability of mortality rates is something that has long puzzled social scientists.
A few years ago, in fact, Canadian psychologist Gerald Wilde noticed that mortality rates for violent and accidental deaths throughout most of the Western world have remained oddly static all through this century, despite advances in our technology and safety standards. Wilde developed a controversial theory--risk homeostasis--postulating that people tend to embrace a certain level of risk. When something is made safer, they will somehow reassert the original level of danger. If, for example, roads are improved with more and wider lanes, drivers will feel safer and go a little faster, thereby canceling out the benefits that the improved roads confer. Other studies have shown that where an intersection is made safer, the accident rate invariably falls there, but rises to a compensating level elsewhere along the same stretch of road...As the story goes, an American businessman named Wilson, tired of the Great depression, rising taxes and increasing crime, sold his home and business in 1940 and moved to an island in the Pacific. Balmy and ringed with beautiful beaches, the island seemed like paradise. Its name? Iwo Jima.
Bill Bryson, Saturday Evening Post, September, 1988, "Life’s Little Gambles".
NAME: ______________________________________
WANT TO SEE GOD WORK?
JESUS SERIES VI: THOSE WHO WANT A SIGN
HOW NOT TO SEE GOD WORK.
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 12:39
12:39 But he answered them, “An __________________________l and _________________________ asks for a _____________________, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
1. ________________________________________
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 4:19-20
Example: California Gold Rush
2. _________________________________________
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 14:29-31
Example: King Xerxes
3. _________________________________________
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 15:22-26
Example: Flying an Airplane (and Others)
4. __________________________________________
BIBLE VERSE: John 12:24-26