Sermon Central
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Yielding Your Rights
Contributed by Yuen Woh Voon on Feb 28, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon encourages Christian not to quarrel with those who offend us but to yield up our rights, fully trusting the Lord to act on our behalf.
YIELDING YOUR RIGHTS
Introduction
1. God allows “famines” in order to test our obedience to His word.
1 Now there was a famine in the land-- besides the earlier famine of Abraham’s time-- and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar.2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
2. God wants to bless us.
Gen 26:3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws."
Bless you – 45X in Bible
3. When we sin, it affects others around us.
6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister," because he was afraid to say, "She is my wife." He thought, "The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful."
Abraham’s failure to conquer this area of his life, discouraged Isaac to the extent that he also did not attempt to obtain victory himself. He probably believed that victory was not possible since his hero, his dad had failed.
8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, "She is really your wife! Why did you say, ’She is my sister’?" Isaac answered him, "Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her."10 Then Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us."11 So Abimelech gave orders to all the people: "Anyone who molests this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."
4. God always keeps His promises to bless us.
12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him.13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.
Firstly, his harvest grew 100X and he became rich. His flocks, herds and servants also. Finally the envy of others also grew.
5. Not everyone is happy that God is blessing us.
15 So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us."17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
6. Remove the blockages to allow God’s blessings to flow.
18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there.
7. Don’t waste time and effort fighting for your rights. Use your energy to dig new wells to receive God’s blessings.
20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him.21 Then they dug another well, but they quarrelled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.
2 Timothy 2:24 And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
8. Eventually, God will get you to the place He has destined for you.
22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no-one quarrelled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land."23 From there he went up to Beersheba.24 That night the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham."
