April 2, 2006

The Promise Expanded
Genesis 13:14-18

Have you ever had to make a selfless choice, giving up some thing or some ground won as in an argument? Have you ever as you walked away said, "Why do I always have to give in?" Have you ever wondered whether or not God knows what you did or cares? Well then join with me as I visit our dear friend Abram and see the consolation of God's word as he reiterates and expands on his promise.

Remember last time that we examined two responses to strife, one selfless, as Abraham said, "look Nephew, lets not fight, you take whatever land seems good to you and I will move to what's left." And Lot, you will no doubt recall, chose the well watered plains and the best grazing land and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

Now Abraham sees all this and turns to walk away, maybe wondering in his heart how this stress, this separation fits into God's plan, God's promise. And God, the sweet comforter, gently speaks to Abraham.

"Abram, my friend, I haven't forgotten you and I want you to know that what you think you gave a way is land that will belong to you and to your children after you. And Abram, You will have offspring, your descendants will be numberless as the dust of the earth."

And Abram was satisfied and comforted because he had been reassured that God's promise was intact and God DID notice what he had done.
In our lives We quite often have a difficult time in relationships . And I have said it, you may have said it, or heard someone else mouth those words, "Why do I always have to give in?"

We are going to talk today about the immediate cost of submission to God, and the ultimate reward of submission to God.

First lets look in the Word and see occasions where people paid a price for immediate submission, then we'll examine their ultimate reward.
Turn first of all with me to Gen. 39 and let's see Joseph, a man who suffered great wrong in the immediate yet reward in the long run for sticking to God's way. Read Genesis 39: 6-

Joseph, full knowing God's violent disapproval of sexual relations outside of marriage, decides, even in the face of great temptation, to obey God. The short term consequences of saying no to this lady were horrendous for Joseph. This woman was not used to being told no, especially by a servant and she no doubt was a beauty and thought that Old Potiphar was nothing compared to this Hebrew hunk.

Listen! She was after him day after day no holds barred, "come to bed with me Joseph." And Joseph took the courageous dangerous course and said, "begging your pardon Ma'am, I am not going to do this." Well didn't that fry her frijoles.
Nothing gets a selfish spoiled person's goat like saying NO! and she surely was that, so she devised a plan to fix this turkey's gravy but good.

Joseph winds up in JAIL. Jail is not a place I would look forward to at all. Even today's jails do not appeal to me one little bit. Never mind those days when human rights were only applied to one class, the Pharaoh and the citizenry, And the citizenry only if Pharaoh said so. So prison for a slave was no picnic.

Right then and there some would begin moaning and groaning that God was absent, silent, not hearing my prayers and "what's the use of obeying God look what it gets you." That is because we have a short field of vision, cannot see God's chalk board with the plays already drawn out . That's because we forget to trust the God who has promised to get us safely home, and that all things do work together for good to the ones who love God, the ones called according to His purposes. We forget what God says in Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.

We forget that it is to be HIS good pleasure and Forget that we are bought with a price and are to glorify God.

So there's old Joseph, in jail for doing the right thing. You see the world doesn't always praise you for doing what God says is right. You will be ridiculed, called self righteous and other things if you go against the old habits of sin. You will be dubbed narrow and hard hearted. (Side note...In Kansas a Mr. Phelps has formed what he calls “Westboro Baptist church” They spew a venom that they believe to be of God. But their message is not of God. God advances the message that “he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” They raise ugly lying banners, even at the grave side of war heroes, which show a hearts that are at odds with the true God. That is not what I am referring to in regards to this passage)

If you stand firm against sin people will not understand and will put you down. So it was with Joseph.

But there are two views in life aren't there? One is the short view, the view thats sees the unfairness of present circumstances, the other view that sees the plan of God and believes that He will not forget those who follow Him.

While in prison, Joseph meets two gentlemen who look like his ticket out of there. But God is really his only ticket out and if you know Bible history at all, you will recall that Joseph interprets two dreams.

We find this in Genesis 40: 1-12 And it came to pass after these things, [that] the butler of the king of Egypt and [his] baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt.
And pharaoh, you no doubt recall was ticked and he put these two court officers in the hoosegow. And they were under Joseph’s command.

Then one day they both woke up looking a little sad and the jail guy said, "hey whatsa matter you why ya look so sad?" And they both said, "We had these weird dreams.”

And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, And Joseph told him , “Good news for you butler, in three days Pharaoh is going to set you free, and you will be restored to your place. And when you are there PLEASE remember me OK? I was put here undeservedly, and I was stolen from my home and so don't forget OK?”

Then the other gentlemen got brave you will recall and told his dream , after all the other guy got a good interpretation, right? So he told His dream and Joseph said “woo babe, you are not going to like this, in three days you won't be able to remember me, you are going to lose your head.”

And if it was me I would be banking all my hopes on this Butler guy and as time went by and I saw he had forgotten me I'd be blue because I would think that meant that God had forgotten me see? But Joseph kept on trusting.

Then you remember how the Pharaoh had a dream one night? And He woke up and said ,"I HAD A DREAM" and this was a very troublesome dream and remember that finally, after two years, God used that forgetful Butler to get Pharaoh's attention about Joseph. And After Joseph had interpreted the dreams (remember seven good years seven famine years?), then Joseph not only got out of prison, he was made second in command to the KING, the Pharaoh.

Did God forget Joseph? Would You, in Joseph's shoes , have been tempted to say, "That's it, I won't put up with this, jail ain't fun and I guess that God has forgotten me."

LISTEN WELL. Just because you want a quick fix don't think that is God's plan for you. God is, of course, able to snatch Joseph right out ZAPPP! but chooses not to, why? Because Joseph freed from prison 2 years earlier would be a slave, Joseph released in God's time was master. (I'd have paid a short visit to Potiphar’s about that time wouldn't you?) You see, God saw Joseph trusting NOW. But what seemed like a real downer was God's path to ultimate success.

Like Abram, he trusted God's ultimate plan and was able to forfeit short term satisfaction for God's long term blessing.

This is urgently needed in these "minute rice days". Today there is a shortcut to everything, instant pudding, instant cameras, instant mashed potatoes ... but mark this and mark it well: NO INSTANT MATURITY.

God wants to develop trust in us and that requires situations where we are not in control.

Look at David: In First Samuel 16 after Saul grossly usurped the prophet's authority and disobeyed God, his crown was forfeit. Samuel is then told to go and anoint another king. Samuel does just that and that man is the shepherd David.

Now you recall in the next chapter David kills a giant, then is ascribed greater honor than Saul and then Saul gets Jealous and David has to run and hide out lest he be killed.

David has Saul in his grasp twice with an opportunity to kill him and twice David spares him because of obedience to God.

What is his reward? Saul tries to kill him and David has to run to the Philistines and act like a mad man to escape. Some Kingship, huh? But David learns to trust, David learns strategy for battles, David learns over many years that God's plan is not thwarted even though it seems so now.

Listen, We claim that we trust in God, yet we are not willing to do things his way if we don't get immediate satisfaction.

LEARN THIS: The short term results of obedience are not always caramel coated. They look like jagged rocks, but God is in the business of taking that ugly jagged rock and polishing it and chipping it just right so that under His skillful hand and in His time it becomes a diamond. That lump of coal will burn, but after time and pressure are applied it will not burn it will become, so they say, a diamond.

Abraham was in on God's plan and though he sometimes forgot, at this point he could walk away and say, "OK Father, I will let you work this out."

Lot has just chosen the fertile valley and left Abraham the rest.

Who are the descendants of Abraham? Only God's chosen people. Only Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Judah, Levi, Moses, Aaron, Samuel, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joseph, and oh yes, one little rabbi named Jesus.
Who are the descendants of Lot?

We only know two and those two are Moab and Ammon, both the result of incest, both cursed from God.

What do you want in your life? Coal or Diamond? Are you willing to slog through the hard times and trust for the long haul? Endure though it be difficult? Then you will see ultimate diamonds. Sometimes we think of God as the author of all the things that go wrong in our lives.

A man named Pete was having one of those bad days where everything seems to go wrong. One thing after another until, at the close of the day, he lay in bed absolutely exhausted. As he thought over the day he became more and more upset until he finally blurted out, "Why me, God?

Why does everything always go wrong for me?" Suddenly the ceiling of his room was pulled back and a huge hand with an outstretched finger came down and poked him on the chest and a loud majestic voice thundered, "Because you bug me, Pete."

But in reality that is not God at all, God chastens, not those He is bugged by, but those he loves.

God sees the whole parade and not just our little float and He leads us down paths that are for His glory and therefore our spiritual best.

Tribulation can be a cause of rejoicing if we have the long view because it contributes to a present blessing and ultimate glory. The word for tribulation has the underlying meaning of being under pressure and was used to describe squeezing olives to extract oil or grapes to extract juice.

Trial of your faith brings about perseverance, and perseverance brings about proven character; and proven character; hope; and that hope will not disappoint us in the end. Our afflictions for Christ's sake produce increasing levels of maturity in handling the trials of life. It should not seem strange then, that God's children are destined for affliction in this life. (1 Thess 3:3)

Jesus said," in this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer I have overcome the world" God strengthens our hope of the glory of God through present trials , as we read in Romans 5, godly hope does not disappoint, in a sense godly hope begets godly hope. The more a believer pursues holiness out of hope for the final outcome, the more they will be persecuted and troubled, and the greater will be their hope as they see themselves sustained through it all by God's powerful grace. Through all you must endure in life remember this: "God is not unjust so as to forget the work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. Therefore show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Heb. 6:10-12).

Handle your difficulties by being diligent and patient. The reward is full assurance of hope.

Trials are the crucible in which assurance is formed. Remember Paul's great statement that nothing can separate us from the love of God? Recall the context of that assurance?' Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, 'for thy sake are we being put to death all day long; we were considered sheep for the slaughter'"(Rom 8:35-36).

Paul had experienced all that and more - read his autobiography in 2 Cor. 11 sometime-yet he was certain of his relationship with God.
Hope , full assurance of God's love is the reward of being patient in trial.

I love the old Spirituals. Listen to these words:

I'm just a poor wayfarin' stranger
travelin' through this world so low
but there's no sickness toil or danger
in that bright lan' to which I go.
I'm goin there to see my momma
I'm goin there no more to roam
I'm just a goin over Jordan
I'm just a goin over home.

Those heartfelt and soulful words came from tribulation that produces hope. Hope that does not disappoint. Hope of a home, a harp and a crown.

The reason that the old slaves produced such meaningful songs is because they had a real hope. They had nothing here that they could call their own and so looked over Jordan for their home. They were forced to realize they were just wayfarers, travelers in this world. Abraham could turn things loose on this earth too, Hebrews 10:9-10 tells us why

By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.

You see? The early American slaves had something in common with Abram, they were citizens of a higher better country.

The reason many of us are not excited to serve God, excited about heaven, is we have settled down here in a World that really is not our home.

Where do you live? Where is your citizenship?

Trials can be faced with the long view only by people with a reason to hope? To be confident that He who begins a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Has He begun a good work in you?

You think about that; Amen