The Bold Daughters of Zelophehad Got Results and You Can Too

Sermon Transcript/Article:The Bold Daughters of Zelophehad Got Results and You Can Too

Introduction

Do you ever wish that you had more boldness to speak the truth or to stand against injustice? Or, are you satisfied with just sitting back and keeping a low profile - not wanting to rock the boat? The truth is that things don’t happen when we sit back and stifle our boldness. The Bible is filled with inspiring stories of individuals who took risks and were bold. And the results were positively life changing for themselves and for others. But being bold is hard for most of us. What keeps us from being bold? Fear - of being criticized, judged, or laughed at? Complacency? We just really don’t care that much. We’d rather someone else risk their own reputation. Insecurity? We don’t feel qualified or we worry that we will make a mistake or offend someone. Well, boldness is important. Boldness speaks the truth. Boldness changes things for the better. Boldness pleases God. It is my hope that by the end of this message you will be inspired and motivated to pray and look for opportunities to be bold.

I’m going to start with a story from the book of Numbers about 5 women who are a perfect example of risky boldness. The story took place shortly before the Israelites were about to finally enter the Promised Land. Moses was dividing up the land among the 12 tribes of Israel. The women in this story went right to the top, challenged a cultural custom, and stated their expected outcome. And it turned out pretty well for them. The story is found in Numbers 27:1-11(NLT) and Numbers 36:6-12 (NLT).

Text

One day a petition was presented by the daughters of Zelophehad – (their names were) Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Their father, Zelophehad, was a descendant of Hepher son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph. ² These women stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the tribal leaders, and the entire community at the entrance of the Tabernacle.  ³ “Our father died in the wilderness,” they said. “He was not among Korah’s followers, who rebelled against the Lord (which would have disqualified him from land); he died because of his own sin. But he had no sons. ⁴ Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives.”

⁵ So Moses brought their case before the Lord. ⁶ And the Lord replied to Moses, ⁷ “The claim of the daughters of Zelophehad is legitimate. You must give them a grant of land along with their father’s relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father.
⁸ “And give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If a man dies and has no son, then give his inheritance to his daughters. ⁹ And if he has no daughter either, transfer his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰ If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ¹¹ But if his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan. This is a legal requirement for the people of Israel, just as the Lord commanded Moses.”
There are further instructions concerning this subject in Numbers 36:6-12 (NLT):

⁶ This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: Let them marry anyone they like, as long as it is within their own ancestral tribe. ⁷ None of the territorial land may pass from tribe to tribe, for all the land given to each tribe must remain within the tribe to which it was first allotted. ⁸ The daughters throughout the tribes of Israel who are in line to inherit property must marry within their tribe, so that all the Israelites will keep their ancestral property. ⁹ No grant of land may pass from one tribe to another; each tribe of Israel must keep its allotted portion of land.”

¹⁰ The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses. ¹¹ Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah all married cousins on their father’s side. ¹² They married into the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. Thus, their inheritance of land remained within their ancestral tribe.

Explanation of the Text

These 5 sisters had some obstacles to overcome in this Jewish patriarchal society. Most women wouldn’t have even bothered taking such a risk. They had to challenge the law and the customs of Israel. But the alternative was even worse - they would have had no land inheritance at all. Not only would they have lost their father's name among Israel and the tribe of Manasseh, they wouldn’t have the portion of land that belonged to him. This meant that they wouldn’t have had an permanent home in the Promised Land. This meant that they wouldn’t have anything of value when looking for a husband. Basically, they probably would have struggled for the rest of their lives.

These women believed that their request was just. They were willing to risk their reputations. Their determination outweighed their fears. It is amazing that these women, in a patriarchal society, actually had the opportunity to speak to Moses, the priest, and the tribal leaders. I’m thinking that God was behind all of this. They were so bold that they even stated what they expected the outcome to be. Instead of approaching the leaders whining and complaining, they calmly and clearly stated their expectation: “Give us property along with the rest of our relatives.” And it worked. Moses took them seriously and took their request to God. Even God agreed that the just thing to do would be to change the law.

It was probably to their benefit that there were 5 sisters banded together to make the request. And I think that is a good thing to remember. We will have situations when it will be best to take steps of boldness with others who share the same passion. Not only will this mutual support help us with our confidence, but the size of our group may help solicit more attention. However, there will also be times when we may need to have the boldness to stand alone.

God’s Character is Just and Fair

As we saw in the story of the Daughters of Zelophehad - it wasn’t Moses who decided the fate of the women, it was God. God said “Yes” because He is just and fair. And because God has the authority to do whatever He deems best, His justice will prevail

We see His justice in Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!” (NLT)

God says about Himself in Isaiah 61:8 – “I love justice and I hate oppression and crime. I will faithfully reward my people and make an eternal covenant with them. (NLT)

So, if God is just and fair, why do we see so much unfairness in the world? It’s because that injustice is done by humans, not God. He has given a wonderful thing to humans called free will. But that doesn’t mean that all humans will exercise their free will responsibly in a way that reflects God’s character. However, God does give us occasions when He intervenes and we see His justice prevail despite the evil of humans. But, it won’t be until He returns to the Earth and judges the people that He will totally do away with evil, injustice, and make things fair. He is not doing that yet, because He is God and thinks that it is wise to do it this way. God knows everything of the past, present, and future. He knows all the details of every circumstance and all the facts. He makes decisions based on His absolute truth. Because of God’s justice, fairness, and righteousness, He is the perfect judge. When He does pronounce judgment, His verdict will always be absolutely right.

Examples of Boldness - Apostles Peter & John and Mary Bosanquet

God, Himself, wants us to be bold. In 2 Timothy 1:7 Paul tells Timothy that “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (NLT) So God knows that we are inclined to be afraid, therefore He gave us His spirit to be bold. God is available anytime to strengthen us with His power to do His will. If we are willing, God will empower us to be courageous, to speak the truth, to stand up for what is right.

In Acts chapter 4 the apostle Peter took his opportunity for boldness. Peter and John had been speaking to a group of people about the resurrection of the dead being possible through Jesus. Plus, they had just miraculously healed a man in the name of Jesus. Well, the priests, the chief of the Temple police, and the religious Sadducees did not approve of this and had Peter and John put in jail. The next day, they were brought before some really important people: religious leaders, religious scholars, Annas the Chief Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other men of the high priest’s family. Basically, everybody who was anybody was there.

And then they gave Peter and John a chance to speak asking: Who put you in charge? What business do you have speaking this way and doing these things? And “with that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose: (saying) ‘Rulers and leaders of the people, if we have been brought to trial today for helping a sick man, put under investigation regarding this healing, I’ll be completely frank with you - we have nothing to hide. By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you killed on a cross, the One God raised from the dead, by means of his name this man stands before you healthy and whole. Jesus is ‘the stone you masons threw out, which is now the cornerstone.’ Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one.”

^13-14 They couldn’t take their eyes off them - Peter and John standing there so confident, so sure of themselves! Their fascination deepened when they realized these two were laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education. They recognized them as companions of Jesus, but with the man right before them, seeing him standing there so upright - so healed! - What could they say against that?

^15-17 They sent them out of the room so they could work out a plan. They talked it over: “What can we do with these men? By now it’s known all over town that a miracle has occurred, and that they are behind it. There is no way we can refute that. But so that it doesn’t go any further, let’s silence them with threats so they won’t dare to use Jesus’ name ever again with anyone.”

^18-20 They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John spoke right back, “Whether it’s right in God’s eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there’s no question - we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.”

^21-22 The religious leaders renewed their threats, but then released them. They couldn’t come up with a charge that would stick, that would keep them in jail. The people wouldn’t have stood for it - they were all praising God over what had happened (Acts 4: 8-21, The Message Version)  - That was boldness!

I have another example for you. Mary Bosanquet was alive during the 1700s. She ran an orphanage and led one of John Wesley’s small-group Methodist gatherings. As her small class meeting grew in popularity, so did the criticism. But John Wesley gave Mary his approval and encouraged her to continue preaching. Things changed after John Wesley’s death. The Methodist Conference passed a resolution in 1803 stating that women would not be allowed to preach. However, Mary Bosanquet did not give up her calling from God. She courageously continued to preach five sermons a week until she died in her late 70s. Her boldness impacted the salvation and spiritual growth of many people. Her example inspired many other women to become lay preachers and evangelists.

Conclusion and Application

In his book called Risky Gospel: Abandon Fear and Build Something Awesome, Owen Strachan encourages Christians to be risky and bold. He says “we must break with a ‘play it safe’ mentality and embrace a bigger vision of our time on this earth. It is not our souls that should live in fear. It is comfort, ease, quietness, boredom, fearfulness, anxiety, and sin that are in mortal danger. Christianity is not about fear. It’s not about retreat. It is about advance, growth, and faith. It is about becoming someone greater in Christ than you ever thought possible. By the Spirit’s power, let’s pursue that awesome goal.”

Now, being bold does not mean that we speak and do things without using our filter. Even with boldness we must still behave in ways that are mature, respectful, and especially humble. It’s okay to be confident and have some passion in our voice. But we also need to carefully choose each word we say and think before each action we take. Without the proper behavior – we will be discredited and will probably be unsuccessful.

It’s time to rely on God for boldness and put it into action. What bold step are you going to take? Are you going to be more bold about sharing your faith? Are you going to speak out against injustice and abuse? Are you going to bring awareness to false teachings in the church? Are you going to boldly pursue your ministry calling despite opposition from others? Are you going to give your opinion at the next meeting instead of just sitting their silently? Are you going to boldly support the truth, even though you may be in the minority? Are you going to challenge your church to rise above complacency? Are you going to stand with others on Sanctity of Life Sunday – holding a prolife sign? Are you going to challenge a tradition in your church that you believe is wrong? Those are just some ideas to get you thinking. You will have to figure out your bold action for yourself. But God sure can lead you to it and He can give you the passion and boldness to do it.

No matter who you are - you have a voice, so be bold. You can make a difference. You can shape history. How bold are you willing to be? I want to challenge you to get started. Get the boldness to do one risky thing. Just one. Because as soon as you do it, you’ll be hooked. You’ll be energized. You’ll be empowered and motivated to make more bold moves. So, look for that opportunity. Maybe you already know what it is and you’ve been dragging your feet. Ask God to equip you with boldness. And then, in faith and with confidence - do it. Go do it for God.

Where is God? I'm Losing Hope

Sermon Transcript/Article: Where is God? I’m Losing Hope.

Many of you might be smack in the middle of a terrible situation. If not, then you’ve had one in the past. You may be wondering – Where is God in all of this? I want to trust Him. I know He’s here. But I just don’t feel His presence or see Him working in my life. Well – that’s where you’re faith in God really starts to grow. Because faith is all about believing and trusting when we don’t see it. When we decide to keep trusting God no matter what, we won’t lose hope. My purpose for this message is to encourage you to make Jesus the foundation of your hope so that no matter how bad your life gets you won’t give up and become hopeless.

Jesus is the God of hope. In Ephesians 4 we read that Jesus is called our one hope. In Hebrews 7 He is our better hope – better than the old system of commandments. In 2 Thessalonians 2 Jesus is our good hope – the one that will encourage our hearts and strengthen us. In 1 Peter 1 He is our living hope – He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In Titus 2 He is called the blessed hope – we wait for the blessed hope, the God that brings salvation who will gloriously appear. And in Proverbs 23, Jesus is our future hope –There is surely a future hope for us and we will not be left with nothing. We can hope in Jesus, because He is hope. Jesus is better than the old law and its commandments. He overcame death and was resurrected into heaven. He will return from heaven and resurrect His followers to live with Him for eternity. If Jesus can do all of that, than He can help us with our problems, too.

One of God’s characteristics is that He is omnipotent, meaning that He is all-powerful. God’s power is not restrained in anyway by anyone. He can do anything that He pleases, but He will never do something that violates His other attributes. We may have a tough situation beyond our control, but we can count on the omnipotence of God to help us. Our all-powerful God gives us power in our weakness. Because nothing is too hard for Him, our needs and problems aren’t too complicated for Him to solve. We are told in Isaiah 40:20 that God gives power to those who are tired and worn out. He offers strength to the weak.

I wouldn’t be trying to encourage you if I didn’t know what it was like to feel hopeless. This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but I remember a time when I was right in the middle of feeling extremely hopeless and my only goal in life was to just keep surviving until it was time to die. My only aspiration was to survive. I believed in God. I was commitment to following Jesus. But I felt like the problem was so overwhelming that I couldn’t find any hope of it ever getting better. Well, now that I’ve come through that stressful time, I do see how He blessed me. He taught me so much and He strengthened my Christian faith. He also helped me to grow in so many different areas of my life beyond just spiritual, because I endured, persevered and became strengthened through the struggle.

Everyone’s situation is going to be different, so there isn’t a certain formula to follow for trusting Jesus. But it starts with going to God first, because that shows we are acknowledging that He is our foundation of hope. And then it requires that we hold on and keep trusting, even if it’s for a really long time. Like it says in Romans 5:3-5 our problems will develop our perseverance, leading to good character, and giving us hope. And we must hang on to that hope that God will come through and not disappoint us. One day, the problem will be over, you will be an overcomer, and looking back you will be able to see that God was present and that He was helping you.

There are so many stories in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, about people who were in seemingly hopeless situations but they actually overcame because God was with them in their situation. It was hard to choose just one story. But I settled on Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel. His story is covered in the book of Genesis starting in chapter 37 and continuing to chapter 50. I’m just going to paraphrase the story because it’s so long, but you can read it for yourself.

17 year old Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son and his brothers knew it. This led to jealously and hatred. Their hatred became even worse when Joseph bragged about the dreams he was having that he would rule over his brothers and parents. The brothers despised Joseph to the point where they wanted him dead. Fortunately, the oldest brother Rueben intervened so they settled for sticking Joseph in an empty cistern in the ground and then sold him off as a slave to a caravan of Ishmaelite’s on their way to Egypt. Now I know that Joseph probably really irritated his brothers, but no one ever deserves abuse or to be sold into slavery. In Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials. And then the Bible tells us in Genesis 39 verse 2 – “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.” So despite the abuse of his brothers, being uprooted from his normal life, and being sold as a slave – the Lord was still with Joseph. Joseph was treated pretty well in Egypt until Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of sexual harassment. Then Joseph was sent to jail. But verse 39:21 says – “the Lord was with Him; He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” And then verse 23 states – “The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” God used Joseph to interpret dreams and to prophecy about the coming famine. In chapter 41 verse 41 we are told that at 30 years old Joseph was in charge of managing the entire country of Egypt. Joseph realized how blessed he was and acknowledged God’s provision by naming his children Manasseh and Ephraim in honor of God. Manasseh means “forget” – Joseph said that God made him forget all of his hardships and his father’s home. Ephraim means “double prosperity”.

Joseph said that God prospered him in the land of his suffering and sorrow. The story continues on and Joseph is eventually reunited with his brothers and father and there is forgiveness and reconciliation. I’ll actually read now from chapter 45 verses 1-11 which shows how Joseph reflected back on his problems and suffering yet saw that they were used by God not only to benefit himself but many other people too.

(Read Genesis 45:1-11)

Joseph’s story of abuse, rejection, slavery, false accusation, and imprisonment is still being talked about today. God is using Joseph’s experiences to teach us and to give us hope. And God can use your story of how you overcame hopelessness to help other people. Your story can have a bigger, eternal purpose that glorifies God. In Joseph’s story, we saw a reoccurring statement: “The Lord was with Joseph.” As I was reading other stories in the Old Testament, I discovered that the Lord was with other people, too. The preincarnate Christ was with Hagar after Sarah mistreated her in Genesis 16 and 21. He was with Abraham before the sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22, with Jacob in a dream in 31, with Moses in a burning bush in Exodus 3, with Gideon while he was threshing wheat in Judges 6, with the mother of Samson when she believed that she was unable to have a baby in Judges 13, and with Elijah in the desert while he was praying for God to take his life in 1 Kings 19. The Lord was with all of them. And these weren’t elite, super spiritual, holier than thou people. These were normal human beings that couldn’t measure up to God’s perfect standards of holiness, yet the Lord intervened in their lives. And He intervenes in our lives, too.

On the Voice of the Martyrs website, I read an inspiring story about a group of people in Mexico that overcame their feelings of hopelessness. When 15 families told area guerilla leaders of their desire to seek God, the leaders kicked them out of their village in Chiapas, Mexico. The families slept in a stable for over a year. When the armed guerillas forced the families out of the village, they had to leave behind all of their belongings. Though they had nowhere to go and nothing to eat, no one was allowed to help them. Ruth, a volunteer at Voice of the Martyrs, went to Mexico to help anyhow. And for some reason, no one tried to stop her. As she gave the families food and water, they were so hopeless that they wouldn’t even look in her eyes. After they had eaten, Ruth showed them a Gospel tract that included a picture of baby Jesus in a manger. The families, sleeping in a stable, immediately felt a connection. They listened as Ruth shared the Gospel using the Story of Jesus tract, and they were moved that God understood their circumstances. They placed their trust in Jesus that day. Ruth and the local church continued to visit the new Christians and provided for their needs. Together, they prayed that God would provide a way for them to get their own land. Several months later, the Mexican government interceded by providing them with over 7 acres of land and paying 75% of the funds. The families built homes from used construction materials. There was no running water, so they used a hose that brought water from the mountain onto the property. Sometimes the guerilla leaders would cut the hose with machetes to harass them. After visiting their homes, the families took Voice of the Martyrs workers to see the place where they would build a church and a school. Ruth had encouraged them to dedicate a portion of the land for a church since God had provided land for them.

I thought that was a neat story. Although those people lived as refugees for a year, God sent help and now they have their own homes on their own land. And most importantly, they became followers of Christ. But really – we don’t want to go through that kind of suffering. We really just want God to change our circumstances. In actuality, He is God, He could do it. But hope is not based on circumstances. It’s not based on what someone else must do or must stop doing. Hope is based on Jesus. When everything else seems to be falling apart, we have to have our stability in Jesus. The Bible says that He won’t fail us. Our problems are like a big storm. And we must weather the storm, and some storms will last a long time. But they will end. You have to believe that.

Our Bible tells us over and over that we can trust in God and find our hope in Him. Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who hope in Him, to the one who seeks Him. Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5 Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts.

This earthly life is tough. And it will continue to be tough. And some of us - will have it really, really bad. But God is with us. And we need to hang on to Hope. Whether you feel God’s presence or not, He is with you in your situation. Remember that our problems are like a storm. We must weather the storm. Like all storms, our problems will pass too. Jesus is our hope that will keep us anchored, secure, and able to endure anything.You know what I’m talking about. I’m sure some of you are absolutely shocked at what you’ve been able to endure over the years. But it will be so worth it to hang on, because when the storm is over, you will be able to look back, strengthened in your faith and then you will be able to see the mighty way that God worked in your life. So basically, what I’m asking you to do – is never give up. Hang on and grow closer to Jesus. And then, when you have overcome your problem, glorify God and appreciate that He is your foundation and sustainer of hope.

David, from the Bible, was a man that experienced many troubles over his lifetime and he even hid in caves from men who chasing him down and trying to kill him. So I’ll end with these very appreciative words written by David in Psalm 30: “I give you all the credit, God. You got me out of that mess, you didn’t let my enemies gloat. God, my God, I yelled for help and you put me together. God, you pulled me out of the grave, you gave me another chance at life when I was down-and-out. All you saints – Sing your hearts out to God. Thank him to his face. He gets angry once in a while, but across a lifetime there is only love. The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter… I’m about to burst with song; I can’t keep quiet about you. God, my God, I can’t thank you enough.”

What is the Meaning of Life? (Ecclesiastes)

Sermon Transcript/Article: What is the Meaning of Life? (Ecclesiastes)

What is the Meaning of Life?

Most of us have asked that question. And there is variety of answers that people come up with.

Well author Joseph Campbell says that - “Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.” 
Author Henry Miller puts it this way - “Life has to be given a meaning because of the obvious fact that it has no meaning.

And I was really surprised by this one. It’s a quote from Charles Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts comic strip. “I don't know the meaning of life. I don't know why we are here. I think life is full of anxieties and fears and tears. It has a lot of grief in it, and it can be very grim. And I do not want to be the one who tries to tell somebody else what life is all about. To me it's a complete mystery.

The last quote that I’ll read is from Max Lucado, a pastor and Christian author. He said “Philosophers can debate the meaning of life, but you need a Lord who can declare the meaning of life.” 

Well according to the Bible in Isaiah 43:7 our purpose, the meaning for our lives, is for God's glory. It’s all about God. He wants our love. He wants our praise. He wants our worship. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. And He wants us to live a life of service that accomplishes His will.

King Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes which is found in the Bible. It’s a short book. It only takes about a ½ hour to read. And the whole point for his writing this book was to express that life is meaningless apart from God.

Apart From God – Everything is Meaningless

At one time or another, everyone thinks – If only (fill in the blank) then I would be so happy and my life would be wonderful. If only I had a different job, a better house, a new car, and much more money. Solomon begins his book of Ecclesiastes by reflecting on his past and noting how he has changed. Like all of us, Solomon wanted to be happy. And he had it all. He got the different job. He was the king of Israel. He got the better house, actually it was a palace. He acquired so much money and material possession. He had over 700 wives and over 300 mistresses. He even had great intelligence. He was a genius. However, despite all of his accomplishments and material possessions – Solomon realized that His life was absolutely meaningless. He wrote Ecclesiastes to warn others so that they could learn from his mistakes.

He says in chapter 1 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now. (1:2-4, 9-11 NLT)

So… in the future, most people really aren’t going to be impressed with what he own or what we have accomplished. Like Solomon, we will discover that more money, fame, or power won’t make us happier. But the world tells us to demand happiness, do all we can to attain it, make personal satisfaction our chief goal. Well, Solomon had attained everything the world thought he needed to guarantee happiness and fulfillment. But as he reflected back on his life he discovered that his power, his position, all of his wives, his wealth, and his accomplishments never made him happy or brought meaning to his life.

The Bible contrasts the world’s view, it says that true happiness and meaning is when we live for God’s glory. We can use our accomplishments and possessions to please Him. We can use them to be a witness for Jesus, to show compassion and hospitality. We can be generous with money and use it to serve God by helping others in His name and supporting Christian ministries. When we use our stuff in ways that worship God – then we will find true meaning and importance in what we have.

The Disappointments of This World

Something else that Solomon wrote about was the several disappointments he had observed in the world and he wondered why they had to exist. In chapters 3 and 4 he pointed out 6 apparent contradictions in the world.

The first contradiction is that wickedness rules where justice should. He says in 3:16 “In addition, I have also noticed that in this world you find wickedness where justice and right ought to be.” (Good News)

This is true for us, too. Wickedness does rule where justice should. According to the International Justice Mission - 30 million people are currently being held and used as slaves. 2 million children are exploited through the commercial sex industry. Hundreds of millions of the poorest people in the developing world are abused by corrupt police who extort bribes and brutalize innocent citizens. All of that is injustice.

2^nd - People created in God’s image end up dying just as the animals do. Chapter 3:19-20 – Solomon writes“The same fate awaits human beings and animals alike. One dies just like the other. They are the same kind of creature. A human being is no better off than an animal, because life has no meaning for either. They are both going to the same place—the dust. They both came from it; they will both go back to it.”

As Christian believers, we know that this is not true for us. Our death is not just like the animals. If we’re followers of Jesus, we have a confidence that we will spend an eternity with Him. John 3:16 promises us that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son (Jesus). Whoever puts his trust in God’s Son will not be lost but will have life that lasts forever.

His 3^rd contradiction is - No one comforts oppressed people. Chapter 4:1 - “Then I looked again at all the injustice that goes on in this world. The oppressed were crying, and no one would help them. No one would help them, because their oppressors had power on their side.”

It is unbelievable how many people are actually repressed, persecuted, or abused in this world. We even have oppressed people in our own communities and in our churches. For example: It is estimated that 1 in 4 women experience physical abuse within their lifetime. Every day in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends. Another example is that people all over the world are being persecuted and killed for their religious beliefs.

4^th The reason that many of us work is because we envy what others have. Solomon said this in 4:4 - “I have also learned why people work so hard to succeed: it is because they envy the things their neighbors have. But it is useless. It is like chasing the wind.”

Most of us work for the money – not just to pay the bills, but to get stuff. And it isn’t just Americans; the rest of the world is becoming very materialistic, too. But what if we made the focus of our work about representing Jesus well in our workplace? What if we asked Him daily how He wants us to serve Him and love others while we work? That would make our vocation much more meaningful.

His 5^th  contradiction is that people are lonely. 4:7-10 “ I have noticed something else in life that is useless.  Here is someone who lives alone. He has no son, no brother, yet he is always working, never satisfied with the wealth he has. For whom is he working so hard and denying himself any pleasure? This is useless, too—and a miserable way to live. Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But if someone is alone and falls, it's just too bad, because there is no one to help him.”



So, people are lonely. They sure are. And people are lonely for all sorts of reasons: death, divorce, being isolated at home or in a nursing home, not having a family or group to belong to, losing connection with neighbors or friends.
 
And #6 - Fame doesn’t last – Solomon said in 4:15-16“ I thought about all the people who live in this world, and I realized that somewhere among them there is a young man who will take the king's place. There may be no limit to the number of people a king rules; when he is gone, no one will be grateful for what he has done. It is useless. It is like chasing the wind.”
Yes. The important people of politics will be replaced soon by someone new. And the famous celebrities are always changing. For a time, they are well known and on the front of magazines, but it doesn’t last long and people are interested in following someone else.

Solomon’s 6 disappointments are still disappointing people today. We have a lot of disappointments in our modern world. And usually we don’t really understand why these disappointments exist. Why does God allow them? Many of the questions of life won’t be answered to our satisfaction because we lack the ability to understand the answers. The answers do exist. And one day, when we are beyond this earthly world, living a perfect life with Jesus, we will get our answers. In the meantime, we have to trust God and not lose faith in Him.

Also, we don’t have to just sit back and helplessly observe the injustices and disappointments in the world. We can visit and comfort oppressed and lonely people. We can speak out against injustice. We can support the ministries that help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people. We can tell others how to live an eternal and perfect life beyond death. There is so much that we can do. And if you don’t know where to start - just ask God. If you truly want to serve God and make a positive difference in this world, just ask Him, and wait for the answer. He will give you the opportunities when you ask.

Solomon’s Conclusions and Warnings

(The key verse of Ecclesiastes is 10:19. A party gives laughter, and wine gives happiness, and money gives everything! (NLT) No. I’m just joking.)

The (real) key verse of Ecclesiastes is 2:11 – But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.” This is true for us today. If we had everything that we wanted, we would still be dissatisfied. We would find meaninglessness in it all.

Solomon concluded his book with these words.^” Now, what should we learn from everything that is written in this book? The most important thing a person can do is to respect God and obey his commands (another version says to fear God), because he knows about everything people do—even the secret things. He knows about all the good and all the bad, and he will judge people for everything they do.” (12:13-14 ERV)

So, now we know that life just from a human perspective is meaningless. Solomon does point us to the answer of how to have a meaningful life. He tells us that we need to fear God. That doesn’t mean that we need to be afraid of Him. It means that we respect Him, stand in awe of Him. We recognize Him for who He is – our Creator, our sustainer of this earthly life, the One who can give us eternal life. Also, Solomon says to keep His commandments, to obey Him. One day we will face God and He will judge us for how we lived our life and how we used the blessings that He gave to us.

Solomon gave a similar warning in 4:9 - Follow the impulses of your heart. If something looks good to you, pursue it. But know also that not just anything goes;
You have to answer to God for every last bit of it. (Message)

God wants us to desire Him, and that means keeping our focus on Him. And when we do this we deflate sins such as self-importance, pride, and selfishness. When our focus is on God, even on our worst of days, we can find meaning, purpose, and joy.

Chris Esty, on his website The Bible Post said this about Desiring God:

Desiring God is more than wanting to receive good gifts from Him, it’s a lifelong journey in which we pursue all that He desires of us. We will rely on His wisdom instead of leaning on our own understanding. We will maintain a prayerful life. We will expect the coming of Jesus with joy—welcoming opportunities to share this blessed hope with others. In short, we will follow the example of Jesus who expressed desire for God at all times. Furthermore, desiring God means we will see His way as the only way by which to live aright. It means we will want to be holy because He is holy. God’s commands will govern our lives. And we will serve Him with gladness every step of the way—knowing that each step we take will draw us closer to our eternal reward.

I’ll end with these song lyrics written by artist Jessie McClure:

As I came, surely I will go. What have I gained at the end of the road? Anything that I can touch will soon go back to dust. And I will follow suit. My heart belongs to who I can’t see. But soon I will see you face to face. Looking in your eyes, I’m no longer chasing the wind. I’m chasing You.
I encourage you to chase after God. Desire Him. He is our only satisfaction. He is our true purpose. God is the meaning for our life.

Complacency in the Church - Are We Too Self-Centered?

Sermon Transcript/Article: Complacency in the Church  - Are We Too Self-Centered?

I’m going to spend a few minutes talking about complacency in the church. Now, lately, I’ve been praying for boldness, so this might just ruffle some feathers. I think that we’re living in a time when a lot of Christians don’t give a dog gone about ministry, outreach, or growing spiritually. However, a lot us sure want God to bless us with financial prosperity and material success. Some of the largest churches out there are using TV to suck in people through the promise of health, wealth, and happiness. But, this isn’t what Jesus preached when He walked the earth. Jesus preached giving not getting, generosity not stinginess. You can find that in Mark chapter 4. But I think that the Christian church, as a whole, is failing in this area.

For example: soup kitchens remain open only a few days out of the week because there aren’t enough volunteers. Christian summer camps are dwindling in attendance and many are scrambling to find staff. Only a few people show up to the occasional prayer meeting. 400,000 children are still in foster care in the United States. We still have human trafficking, even in the US – slavery has grown since the 1800s, not decreased. We still have child abuse and domestic violence. People are hurting.People are suffering.

People desperately need the Lord. But how much do we really care? It appears that we don’t act like our Christian faith is a priority in our lives. Work. Entertainment and eating out. TV and Internet. Soccer and basketball practice – it seems that they rank higher than Christian ministry and outreach for many of us. According to a Barna poll, only 5% of all Christians in the United States actually tithe 10% of their income. That means we’re missing out on 139 billion dollars that could be used to fund churches and ministries.

Now if all of this doesn’t apply to you – then great. But it applies to a lot us. It applies to me. Either we appreciate our Christian faith and the salvation that we have through Jesus or we don’t. We can’t just say a special prayer, show up to church and think that we have our eternity secured. The Bible says that a true follower of Jesus will be willing to sacrifice home, spouse, brothers and sisters, parents, children, whatever for the sake of the kingdom of God. This is what Jesus told a local wealthy official in Luke chapter 18 when he was inquiring about how to get eternal life.

Solomon said in Proverbs 1:32 that the complacency of fools will destroy them. The Message version of Jeremiah 6: 14 sounds way too familiar: My people are broken, shattered, and they put on band aids saying: It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine. But things are not just fine. John warns us in Revelation 3 not to be like the Laodicean church who professed to know Christ but didn’t really belong to Him or dedicate their lives to serving Him. In Hebrews 6:12 we are told to not be lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience - inherit what has been promised. This writer was speaking to Christians who weren’t maturing quickly enough. Yes. The Christian walk is a growth process that needs developing. But do we need to move a little bit quicker? If these really are the last days, then we need to feel some urgency and get moving.

I’m disappointed in myself. I grew up in a Christian home and at 45 years old, I should be much more spiritually mature. I haven’t been motivated like this for very long. So, let’s challenge ourselves and let’s challenge each other. Being a representative of Jesus is serious business.

Brother Andrew risked his life smuggling Bibles into China. William Wilberforce risked his political career trying to put an end to the slave trade in the British Empire. Elizabeth Fry dedicated her life to social reform in London – ministering to prisoners and setting up homeless shelters. William Hunter at only 19 years old was imprisoned for reading his Bible and burned at the stake for refusing to deny his spiritual beliefs. And Amy Carmichael went to India to rescue girls forced into prostitution in Hindu temples. These people did more.

As a fellow believer in Christ I want to challenge you to do more. I need to do more. But it’s easy for us to become complacent and selfish when everyone else is doing it. We need to give and sacrifice until it’s uncomfortable. We need to stop being satisfied with minor achievements. We need to stop making excuses for ourselves and for others. So let’s find ways to boldly speak out and let’s find ways to motivate each other. Let’s get leading by example. Our kids and friends need to see us funding the next ministry opportunity. They need to see us reading our Bibles. They need to see us serving God in the community. They need to see us praying and worshiping God. Because - being a follower of Jesus is serious business.

What Does it Mean to be a Committed Follower of Jesus?

Sermon Transcript/Article: What Does it Mean to Be a Committed Follower of Jesus?

Well, I’m going to answer that question, but first I want to tell you about a time when I was committed to something else. Back in 1982, I joined 4H. Our group wasn’t an agricultural club though. We did cooking and sewing. We were called the Needles and Noodles 4H Club of Clackamas, Oregon. And I was a really active member of this organization. I even entered the 4H February food contests and participated in the local county fair and state fair. So, you could say that I was committed to my 4H membership.

Now what do you think would happen if I contacted the 4H headquarters and told them that I wanted to be publicly honored and recognized as an outstanding committed member of 4H? They would probably ask: Are you actively involved in 4H now? And I’d have to say “No” but back in the 80s, I was a very committed member. My mom was even the club leader. I even took the official 4H pledge. But just because I took that pledge back in the 80s and was committed to 4H - doesn’t mean that I am still considered a committed 4H club member.

In the Bible, Romans 11 tells us a similar story. The Israelites had a heritage that centered around God. But throughout the Old Testament, we see that many of them got to the point where they really didn’t take their faith seriously anymore. And after Jesus came to the Earth, many of them rejected Jesus as being the actual Son of God. Since their involvement with God ended, they were no longer considered followers of God. Like my involvement with 4H ended, I am no longer considered a 4H member. Since the unbelieving Jews were no longer serious about their faith – the offer to follow Jesus was now made available to everyone else too.

This offer for everyone to follow Jesus is recorded in Romans. Paul used the example of an olive tree to represent God’s covenant of salvation that was made with the Jewish people through Abraham. He explained that some of the branches of the olive tree, which represented the unbelieving Jews, were broken off because they no longer followed God. But the branches from a wild olive tree, which represented Gentiles or everyone else, were grafted into the original tree because of their faith in God. I’ll start reading at verse 17 of Romans 11.

¹⁷ It is as if some of the branches from an olive tree have been broken off, and the branch of a wild olive tree has been joined to that first tree. If you are not a Jew, you are the same as that wild branch, and you now share the strength and life of the first tree. 
¹⁸ But don’t act as if you are better than those branches that were broken off (meaning the unbelieving Jews). You have no reason to be proud of yourself, because you don’t give life to the root. The root gives life to you.
¹⁹ You might say, “Branches were broken off so that I could be joined to their tree.” 
²⁰ That is true. But those branches (the Jews) were broken off because they did not believe. And you (Gentiles or everyone else) continue to be part of the tree only because you believe. Don’t be proud, but be afraid.
²¹ If God did not let the natural branches of that tree stay, He will not let you stay if you stop believing.
²² So you see that God is kind, but he can also be very strict. He punishes those who stop following him. But he is kind to you, if you continue trusting in His kindness. If you don’t continue depending on Him, you will be cut off from the tree.
That’s straight from the Bible.

I grew up thinking that the special prayer I said when I was 4 years old was what I really needed to keep myself from going to Hell. But there is so much more to salvation than just saying a prayer. It was what followed after that prayer that really proved whether or not I was a follower of Christ. I don’t think that Jesus is really impressed when we join the group walking toward the altar to accept His salvation if there is nothing spiritual that follows later. I don’t think He is impressed with our past church involvement if we’re taking a break from Him and the spiritual stuff now. He wants us committed to Him now, every day, forever and ever. He wants us continually moving forward in our faith, and in our commitment to serve Him, and in our relationship with Him. It is this sold out serious faith that impresses Jesus.

Acts 5 tells the story of how some of the apostles were persecuted for obeying God rather than the Jewish officials. They continued to preach about Jesus and heal people in His name because they were committed to following Jesus no matter what it cost them. At the end of the story we’re told that the apostles were flogged with whips. But they rejoiced because they had been given the honor for suffering for the name of
Jesus. And then, even though they had just been physically persecuted, they went back to the temple and went house to house teaching about Jesus.

Stephen, another dedicated follower of Jesus, spoke out against the Jewish people accusing them of rejecting God and killing His son Jesus. This boldness resulted in his death. But He is an example of someone who was truly committed to Jesus.
I’ll read part of Stephen’s speech that that he spoke to the legalistic Jews called the Sanhedrin to that you can hear his passion for following Jesus and for speaking the truth. I’ll read near the end of his speech when he gets really fired up in Acts chapter 7 starting in verse 47. (NLT version)

⁴⁶ “(King) David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob.⁴⁷ But it was Solomon who actually built it. ⁴⁸ However, the Most High (God) doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet (Isaiah) says, (about God)
⁴⁹ ‘Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that?’
    asks the Lord. ‘Could you build me such a resting place? ⁵⁰     Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’
⁵¹ “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! ⁵² Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. ⁵³ You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”
⁵⁴ The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ⁵⁶ And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”
⁵⁷ Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at (Stephen) ⁵⁸ and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
⁵⁹ As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, (Stephen) died.

Stephen was a really good example of what it means to be a committed follower of Jesus. It’s not something that we can do half-heartedly or do just a few months out of the year. Jesus wants followers that are appreciative of Him, that are committed to Him, and are willing to be a little radical for Him. He’s not going to ask all of us to go through physical persecution like the apostles did. But, He may ask us to do more than we are doing now and to be willing to sacrifice. But it will look different for each one of us.
We need to ask ourselves. Am I passionate about growing closer to Jesus? Am I sold out for Him? Am I in this 100%, 365 days a year for the rest of my life? Am I so dedicated to Jesus that I am willing to sacrifice whatever He asks of me? Or am I doing just the minimum and hoping that it’s good enough to get me into heaven.

Let’s remember what Paul said in Romans 11, verse 22. So you see that God is kind, but He can also be very strict. He punishes those who stop following him. But he is kind to you, if you continue trusting in His kindness. If you don’t continue depending on Him, you will be cut off from the tree.

What is the Will of God for Your Life?

Sermon Transcript/Article - What is the Will of God for Your Life?

What is the Will of God for Your Life? So many of us desperately want to know the will of God. But God’s will is more than an occupation, a place to go, or knowing who to marry. The Bible has much to say about the will of God, but it’s mostly instructions about how to live a life pleasing to God rather than how to make specific decisions that will affect the events in our life. The Bible says that it is God’s will that we live a holy, sanctified life, that we trust God, that we don’t conform to the world, but instead be transformed by changing the way that we think, that we be willing to suffer for doing good for Him, that we are thankful to Him for everything, that we rejoice in God, pray to Him often, that we seek godly counsel, that we read the Bible, and that we conform to the image of God’s Son – Jesus. Also 1 Timothy 2 in verse 4 says that God’s will is for all people to be saved and to understand the truth about Him. God is foremost concerned about the salvation of people and that we are living holy lives that please him. But you may have reached a level of spiritual maturity in which you are now asking how you can make more specific decisions that line up with God’s will for you.

Pastor John MacArthur says the following about finding God’s will. If you have salvation through Jesus than you have the Holy Spirit living within you. And Spirt-filled people do not stumble around trying to find out what God wants. They just go. People often ask – How do I know my spiritual gift? And MacArthur says that the best way is to live a Spirit-filled life, see what God does through you, look back in retrospect and say – Oh, that’s what I do when God has control of me. Apparently, that is my gift. There is no need to get analytical. The whole point is that we need the Spirit of God to be released in our lives. The Spirit-filled life is living every moment as though you are standing in the presence of Jesus Christ. It is being saturated with the things of Christ with His Word, and His person. The only way - is to study the Bible which discloses all that He is. To be spirit-filled is to live a Christ-conscious life saturated with the thoughts of Christ – spending time with His word and spending time with Him. And there is no shortcut to that.

Basically, if you’re not interested in reading His word and growing close to Him, then there’s no point in trying to discover His will for your life. Because His will is all about Him. The purpose of His will is to bring people to Him. Finding His will for our life is not about us feeling accomplished or fulfilled. So, if you’re not interested in living a Christ-conscious life, then there’s no reason to do His will

You may be asking - what is it that God wants you to do? Well, what do you like to do? What do you do for fun? What are you interested in? What things excite you? What are you good at? What opportunities do you have? Look at what you are doing now and see how you can do those things to serve God. I don’t think that finding God’s will is as complicated as we sometimes make it out to be. Get doing things to serve Jesus and the Holy Spirit will help you figure it out. So where do you start? Well, you could look at the different ministry opportunities that are available to you and try some of them? If you start serving meals at the homeless shelter and find that you really don’t enjoy it, then it’s probably not God’s will for you to be doing this. God is going to work with your personality and your interests. He wants you to enjoy serving Him and to become passionate about it. The main point is to get started and explore areas that are interesting to you. John MacArthur expands on this and says that it’s important to “keep moving. So many people sit around waiting for that celestial crane to move them, saying – I don’t know what God wants me to do. They need to start moving so God can steer them to that area of service He has planned. Knowing God’s will may mean pushing down a narrow line until you hit a dead end. At that point, God will open a door so wide, you won’t be able to see around it – only through it. You may bounce off a lot of closed doors, but that is God’s way of forcing you into His open one. Get rolling and be persistent. You see, the will of God is not primarily a place. The will of God is not, first of all, for you to go there or work here. The will of God concerns you as a person. If you are the right you, you can follow your desires and you will fulfill His will.” Being the right you is spoken about in Romans 12:1-2 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind HHHe will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” So – Offer yourself in sacrificial service to God and think like God. This way you will know His perfect will for you.

Lets’ say that you do have clarity and you know exactly what you are going to do and you believe that it’s God’s will. Now that doesn’t mean that you won’t have opposition and obstacles to overcome. Sometimes family, friends, and church leaders don’t have the same excitement that you do. It is helpful to have input and confirmation and encouragement from your church, but it’s not required. The Holy Spirit will lead you and give you confirmation. Your church leaders might have a different vision than what you want to do. So, if you really feel that God is leading you to do something, then go do it. We need to obey God, not other people – in reality they are just humans and see things through human eyes with their own human biases. Yes. It is important to get wise counsel from spiritually mature people, but you are the one that gets to make the final decision. If you have accepted Jesus’ salvation and you follow Jesus then you have the Holy Spirit living in you. And the Holy Spirit will tell you what He wants you to do with your life. This is something that does not come from someone else, this comes from the Holy Spirit. You do not need a priest or a pastor or a spouse to intercede between you and God. The Holy Spirit will directly lead you. Instead of waiting around to get permission or an invitation – you may need to just go do it.

One of my favorite heroes is Gladys Alyward. After hearing about China, she became passionate about going there to teach people about Jesus. But after only 3 months of missionary training, the mission agency told her that she was not qualified to go to China and that they felt she would never be able to learn the language. So she had no agency to send her there. But Gladys saved up money working as a housemaid and then she went to China. There in China- she did learn the Chinese language, she preached about Jesus, and she cared for unwanted children. One of her most memorable accomplishments was during wartime when she successfully led 100 orphaned children on a 100 mile walk from their bombed out village to a safer part of China. It’s a good thing that Gladys listened to God instead of the missionary agency that had told her she wasn’t qualified to go. I’ll read a quote from Gladys Alyward. “If God has called you to China or any other place and you are sure in your own heart, let nothing deter you. Remember, it is God who has called you and it is the same as when He called Moses or Samuel.”

Theologian Martin Luther forever changed Christianity when he rejected the practices of the Roman Catholic church. Based on his understanding of the Bible, Martin Luther publicly declared that the Bible did not give the pope the exclusive right to interpret scripture. Luther felt that God was calling him to tell others that the key to spiritual salvation was not to fear God or be enslaved by religious dogma, but to believe that faith alone would bring salvation. He decided to ignore the strong requests from the church officials that told him to stop speaking out against them. That led to his official excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church. But as a result of following God’s will, Luther translated the Bible from Latin into the German language, which gave ordinary people the opportunity to read God’s word for themselves. Martin Luther started protestant Christianity. He is the one that said: “Peace if possible, but truth at any rate.”

Elisabeth Elliot went with her husband to Ecuador to minister to the Auca tribe. Despite the fact that they killed her husband with a spear, Elizabeth felt that it was God’s will for her to stay and live with the tribe. As a result, she was able to witness to these people and display Christ’s forgiveness and reconciliation. Many people made decisions to follow Jesus, because she chose to stay. I’ll give you a quote from Elizabeth Elliot, too. “Does it make sense to pray for guidance about the future if we are not obeying in the thing that lies before us today? How many momentous events in Scripture depended on one person's seemingly small act of obedience! Rest assured: Do what God tells you to do now, and, depend upon it, you will be shown what to do next.”

You might find yourself if a similar situation in which the opposition is strong, but the personal call of God is stronger. Here’s an example: Let’s say that there is a woman that feels like the Holy Spirit is leading her to preach about Jesus. But maybe she belongs to a church that doesn’t want women to preach. Maybe that’s their belief or just their tradition. That’s okay. She doesn’t need to change them in order for her to do God’s will. She can still find a way to preach. She could find a different church that encourages women to preach. She could start her own church and preach there. She could invite people to her home and preach to them. She could preach through videos over the Internet or preach downtown on the street corner. She could rent a conference room at a hotel, advertise, and then preach her message. Or, she could be a guest speaker at another church. I think that God is thrilled when a person – man or woman – wants to speak publicly about Him, telling others about how they too can have eternal salvation through Jesus and about how to grow spiritually.

We need to figure out how to get through the obstacles in order to go do what we are called to do. If you are going to do the will of God, then you need to expect spiritual opposition from Satan. But you have got to get through that. God wants you to do His will and he will give you the means and the abilities to do what he’s called you to do. And we have that promise straight from Jesus who said in John 14:13 “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.” He promises that He will give us what we need to bring glory to God and further His message, if we’re asking according to His will.

 

There are times, when we’re looking for God’s will, when we may need to slow down and wait it out. Sometimes we find ourselves in really difficult situations in which it wouldn’t be good to just go for it and see if God closes the door. In these situations we may need to be more concerned about the present moment and wait for God to reveal the next step. When we ask for specific, for the moment guidance, and we obey God, He will faithfully show us the next step when it’s time. This is how we learn to walk with God, trusting Him - one step at a time. Psalm 37:23-24 can be very reassuring to us that – “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

We can use this same step by step approach on a daily basis when we want to do God’s will in our everyday normal life. What do you think would happen if while on your way to work, you said “God, what do you want me to do today in my workplace? Please show me. Please give me a special opportunity today to represent You.” It sounds too simple doesn’t it? But I know from experience that God will answer this question when you sincerely want to serve him. God knows you better than anyone else knows you. He knows the perfect situations to send your way. I think it’s important that we strive for living in His will on a daily basis.

In review: The most important thing about God’s will is that it is His will for everyone to know the truth about Him and to have salvation through Jesus.

Then, it is God’s will for us to live a Christ-conscious life saturated with the thoughts of Christ – spending time with His word and spending time with Him.

Then, we can get busy doing things for Jesus and trust that God will steer us  o that area of service that He has planned for us. And when we are pursuing God’s will, we need to expect opposition from the enemy and maybe from family and friends and people at church. But it’s crucial to obey God rather than people. God has given us specific interests, talents, gifts, and a special personality to be successful at doing His will.

I’m going to end this beautiful passage from Galatians 6:4-5 – “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”