Coming to God on His Terms: Confession and Cooperation 8|25|24

Psalm 78:41

“They tested and provoked Him.” English Standard Version

“They tempted and pained Him.” New American Standard Bible

“They put God to the test and vexed Him.” New International Version

“They tested His patience and provoked Him.” New Living Translation

“They turned back, tested God, and imposed limits on the God of Israel.” Orthodox Jewish Bible

King James Version (verses 40, 41) How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! 41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.


I. Prophetic Perspective involves matters of time, method, and substance.

A. A Home unexpected…God knows what the unknown and unseen hold for us.


B. A Home protected…God sometimes says yes by first saying no.


C. A Home of “Joy By Surprised” - God vanquished frustration by unlikely means.

1. Genesis 18:9-15 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him.11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. 12Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” 13And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ 14Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 15Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”


D. A Household of Faith

1. Faithfulness

2. A default mindset - Let faith be our dwelling place, not a place we visit on occasion.

3. The Gift of Faith
II. The Solemn Warning - We find it possible to actually put limitations on God when we fail to embrace a life of faith.

A. We may put limitations on God by our unwillingness.

1. Luke 13:34 NIV “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”

2. A moment of revelation in a cotton field


B. We may put limitations on God by our unconcern.

1. Revelation 3:19-22 NLT I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference. 20“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. 21 Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. 22“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

2. James reminds us that we must be “doers” of the Word and not “hearers” only.


C. We may put limitations on God by our unreasonableness.

1. Isaiah 1:18-20 NAS “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. 19 “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; 20 “But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

2. Isaiah 55:7 KJV Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

3. Everyone who comes to Christ will ultimately need to move past the “offense of the mind.”


D. We may put limitations on God by our uncleanness.

1. Isaiah 59:1-3 ESV Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness.

2. Isaiah 5:20 NASB “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”
3. “There is never a right way to do a wrong thing.”

4. 2 Timothy 2:19 ESV But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”


E. We may put limitations on God by our unbelief.

1. Matthew 13:57, 58 NRSV And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.” 58And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.

2. Mark 6:5, 6 NRSV And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6And he was amazed at their unbelief.

3. Luke 22:66-68 NRSV When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council. 67They said, “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” He replied, “If I tell you, you will not believe; 68and if I question you, you will not answer.

4. Unbelief is generally not the “inability” to believe, it is the “refusal” to believe.



III. The Old Testament illustration - Psalm 78:56-58 NLT But they kept testing and rebelling against God Most High. They did not obey his laws. 57 They turned back and were as faithless as their parents. They were as undependable as a crooked bow. 58 They angered God by building shrines to other gods; they made him jealous with their idols.



IV. A New Testament Case Study - Mark 9:14-27 NLT When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15 When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him.16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked. 17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” 19 Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 20 So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” 23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” 24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!” 26 Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.



V. Christian Life Lessons

A. We must serve God on His terms, not those of our own making.


B. Faith is not automatic, but it is “natural” for every Believer.


C. Unbelief is not dealt with by verbal gymnastics or formulas, but by embracing the strength and fullness of Christ.So, we must seek a continual filling of the Holy Spirit!


D. Jesus promises to meet us where we are, and then work in us in order to make Belief our natural response.