Christian Life Church
November 6, 2022 8:30am & 10:00am
For the same reason, God will often bring us to a place of dispossessing us of our treasures — just as He did with the rich, young ruler. He will require of you things that make Him seem cruel and capricious. He will require that you walk away from treasures you think you cannot live without.
Locations & Times
Christian Life Church Columbia
2700 Bush River Rd, Columbia, SC 29210, USA
Sunday 8:00 AM
When God Asks a Difficult Thing 11.6.22
Matthew 2:1-12 NIV After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:6“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for out of you will come a rulerwho will shepherd my people Israel.’”7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Getting started…
1. What a strange response, that “all Jerusalem was disturbed.”
2. We understand the hesitancy of “Herod The Great Pervert,” as he was called — but why all Jerusalem?
3. Why didn’t they take their cue from the angels in Luke 2:8-14 NIV?
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,14“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
4. They should have been excited, for the desire of the ages was arriving.This was the moment generations had been waiting for — but instead of joy — the announcement troubled them profoundly.
5. Often God will present His workings to us in a way unfamiliar to us. In these moments we aspire to follow Mary’s example and embrace what we cannot fully comprehend; holding them in our hearts to ponder until we have accurate perception.
6. We find it is often easier said than done.
7. The Scribes knew the verses, but they were still disrupted.
So the question is why do we “doubt in the dark”?
I. Sometimes we doubt His power.
A. I don’t think this is the heart of true Believers, but we all fall into this trap, even if we know the testimonies and the truth.
B. Psalm 78:19-20 NIV They spoke against God;they said, “Can God reallyspread a table in the wilderness? 20True, he struck the rock,and water gushed out,streams flowed abundantly,but can he also give us bread?Can he supply meat for his people?”
II. Sometimes we doubt his intentions.
A. Charles Spurgeon championed the notion that “God is too wise to be mistaken, and too kind to be cruel, so when I cannot trace His Hand, I will trust His Heart.”
B. Jeremiah 29:10-14 NIV This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
III. Sometimes we find obedience too costly; and understanding is too strange for our minds to grasp.
A. Isaac was the result of the flesh. Isaac was the product of faith.
B. Abraham’s prayer had been “Oh, that Ishmael might live before Thee.”
C. When Abraham sent out Hagar and Ishmael, he gave them nothing except a flask of water.
D. God was doing a difficult, incomprehensible thing in order to be able to bless Isaac to the fullest measure.
E. Had Abraham not obeyed God in this matter, Ishmael would have forever demanded a portion of Isaac’s inheritance.
F. For the same reasons, God would later order the destruction of entire cultures.
G. For the same reason, God will often bring us to a place of dispossessing us of our treasures — just as He did with the rich, young ruler. He will require of you things that make Him seem cruel and capricious. He will require that you walk away from treasures you think you cannot live without.
H. He will command us to lay aside what He allows others to keep. We must learn to move past the “offense of the mind.”
I. But in the end, it is for your good. It is to create room for a treasure your life could not previously hold.
Christian Life Lessons
1. Our minds think God is taking away things, when He is really showing us the whole picture of a better future. (Matthew 5:17 CEV “Don’t suppose I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning.”)
2. The ultimate question is whether I trust God when he asks something difficult of me.
3. What would it take to make you leave the presence of Jesus? (John 6:66 “The way you are talking is unpleasant. At that point many stopped following Him.” Jesus asked the Disciples, “Will you leave me also?”)
Matthew 2:1-12 NIV After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:6“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for out of you will come a rulerwho will shepherd my people Israel.’”7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Getting started…
1. What a strange response, that “all Jerusalem was disturbed.”
2. We understand the hesitancy of “Herod The Great Pervert,” as he was called — but why all Jerusalem?
3. Why didn’t they take their cue from the angels in Luke 2:8-14 NIV?
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,14“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
4. They should have been excited, for the desire of the ages was arriving.This was the moment generations had been waiting for — but instead of joy — the announcement troubled them profoundly.
5. Often God will present His workings to us in a way unfamiliar to us. In these moments we aspire to follow Mary’s example and embrace what we cannot fully comprehend; holding them in our hearts to ponder until we have accurate perception.
6. We find it is often easier said than done.
7. The Scribes knew the verses, but they were still disrupted.
So the question is why do we “doubt in the dark”?
I. Sometimes we doubt His power.
A. I don’t think this is the heart of true Believers, but we all fall into this trap, even if we know the testimonies and the truth.
B. Psalm 78:19-20 NIV They spoke against God;they said, “Can God reallyspread a table in the wilderness? 20True, he struck the rock,and water gushed out,streams flowed abundantly,but can he also give us bread?Can he supply meat for his people?”
II. Sometimes we doubt his intentions.
A. Charles Spurgeon championed the notion that “God is too wise to be mistaken, and too kind to be cruel, so when I cannot trace His Hand, I will trust His Heart.”
B. Jeremiah 29:10-14 NIV This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
III. Sometimes we find obedience too costly; and understanding is too strange for our minds to grasp.
A. Isaac was the result of the flesh. Isaac was the product of faith.
B. Abraham’s prayer had been “Oh, that Ishmael might live before Thee.”
C. When Abraham sent out Hagar and Ishmael, he gave them nothing except a flask of water.
D. God was doing a difficult, incomprehensible thing in order to be able to bless Isaac to the fullest measure.
E. Had Abraham not obeyed God in this matter, Ishmael would have forever demanded a portion of Isaac’s inheritance.
F. For the same reasons, God would later order the destruction of entire cultures.
G. For the same reason, God will often bring us to a place of dispossessing us of our treasures — just as He did with the rich, young ruler. He will require of you things that make Him seem cruel and capricious. He will require that you walk away from treasures you think you cannot live without.
H. He will command us to lay aside what He allows others to keep. We must learn to move past the “offense of the mind.”
I. But in the end, it is for your good. It is to create room for a treasure your life could not previously hold.
Christian Life Lessons
1. Our minds think God is taking away things, when He is really showing us the whole picture of a better future. (Matthew 5:17 CEV “Don’t suppose I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning.”)
2. The ultimate question is whether I trust God when he asks something difficult of me.
3. What would it take to make you leave the presence of Jesus? (John 6:66 “The way you are talking is unpleasant. At that point many stopped following Him.” Jesus asked the Disciples, “Will you leave me also?”)