Message from Sunday, June 30, 2024
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 4:10
10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.
I. Let Your Hand Be With Me
a. Ever come to the end of your rope? If you come to the end of your rope, it means you have exhausted all the options.
i. You are at the end of your resources, your individual sufficiency.
ii. You don’t know what to do.
iii. Many will tell you just to tie a knot at the end of the rope and hold on for dear life until things change.
b. Bruce Wilkinson says, “It’s a frightening and utterly exhilarating truth, isn’t it? As God’s chosen, blessed sons and daughters, we are expected to attempt something large enough that failure is guaranteed…unless God steps in.”
c. At the end of the rope you sense your need. Often, we think we can just be the energizer bunny and keep on going without taking the time to recharge our inner battery. Life circumstances can wear us down, can take its toll after time if left unchecked. There are times when just a simple nap in the middle of the afternoon makes a difference. Or perhaps a day when you just shut off all electronic devices and just revel in the quiet that results from it.
d. (Landrum) “In Jabez’s prayer, the sequence of these petitions is significant. His prayer for God’s hand to be upon him was not his first request. He began praying for blessings—a lot of blessings. He then asked God to expand his borders, to make his life fuller than possible. Perhaps he thought that he could manage well at first. But when God begins to pour out his blessings and expand your ministry, you need supernatural power. If that is the case then “Blessed are you when you come to the end of your rope.” That is because there is less of you and more of God in the situation.”
e. Have you ever been in a situation where all you had was your dependence on God?
i. Dependence goes against all that which we cherish. We desire to be truly independent people. We want to do things “all by myself.” We find it difficult at times to ask for help because in our world today, that would seem like a sign of weakness, of an inability to cope etc.
ii. The amazing thing is this—dependence on God is the way to victory and success. Allowing others to come alongside in times of stress and difficulty is God’s way of the Body of Christ to flow together and to love one another.
iii. Through dependence upon God, he gives us real independence and does extraordinary things through us.
iv. So we pray like Jabez…Oh that your hand would be with me. What does that really mean?
II. Appropriating God’s Power
a. Exodus 4:6-8 God used the sign and wonder of the leprous hand to teach Moses about his power.
i. The hand speaks of energy.
ii. It is the instrument of work.
iii. God is showing Moses that it is not the energy of the flesh that accomplished God’s work, but divine grace and strength infused through us.
iv. If the hand of God touches you, you are impacted by the power and presence of God.
b. Acts 11:21—the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord!
i. To have the hand of God upon you is to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit filling us, surging through us, penetrating every facet of our being, empowering us for whatever may come!
c. 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”
d. GOD DOESN’T WANT CONSTANTLY DEFEATED, WEAK CHRISTIANS—HE WANTS US TO TAKE HOLD OF HIS UNLIMITED POWER. He wants us to trust Him in such a way that whatever is going on in our lives at the time, the resurrection power of Christ, exerted by the Holy Spirit in our lives, will enable us to rise above whatever situation we may be in and to walk through that valley with a victorious heart. It doesn’t mean we don’t have valleys to walk through. It doesn’t mean we don’t hurt at times or that we are doubtful, confused, or our emotions seem to be coming out sideways. What it does mean is that during those times we lean hard into Jesus and trust the Spirit to not only comfort us, but to guide us through whatever we are dealing with in order to come out stronger on the other side.
Psalm 91:14-16 14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Jesus said that in this world there would be trouble…but be of good cheer because I have overcome the world. As a result of that, we too become overcomers because of the very life of God that flows through us…
Romans 8 reminds us that we are MORE than conquerors through Christ. That nothing can separate us from His love. So it doesn’t matter what we face in life, Jesus is there with us and has won the victory for us.
Food for thought:
Matthew 5:3 (The Message) 3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.”
So, when you are at the end of your rope what do you do…you let go and fall into the arms of our loving Heavenly Father who strengthens us daily to accomplish His will and way in our lives. And we rely on the Spirit of God to empower us to rise above the fray and walk in victory knowing that God has us in His care—always!
YOU TUBE VIDEO: His Strength is Perfect by Steven Curtis Chapman
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