Abundant Life
Dry Places • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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In the Dry Land, There came Rain
In the Dry Land, There came Rain
Introduction:
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PRAYER
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Illustration Story
A man is wandering through a desert with bottles of water on his shoulder. He conserves his water careful until it is all gone and then he begins to get thirsty. That thirst gets deeper and deeper until he sees a pump and runs to it. He lifts the handle and pulls it down but all he hears is the sound of metal on metal. He starts to panic. Then he sees a tin can at the bottom of the pump and in the tin can is a message. “Dear traveller do not despair there is enough water here, just follow the instructions. Lift the handle of the pump, bring it down and when you hear the sound of metal on metal discouraging you here’s what you do. Under the pump in front of you there is buried under the sand a bottle of water. Do not despair. Pick up the bottle of water pour it into the cylinder and start priming the pump. The moisture will get the system to work. A rush of water will start gushing out of the pump. You can drink all of the water you want, fill all your bottles but do not forget to fill up the bottle again and leave it for the next passerby. Warning: you’re going to be tempted, when you see this one bottle of water, to drink it. But you’ll be so thirsty again and so will everyone else who goes by. Empty it out as instructed and you will have all the water you want so will everybody else going by”….
Today is day 21 and you may be like me felt no spiritual growth, no amazing pouring out of God presence in your life, but you have had this..you’ve been able to talk to your savior.
what we are going to find out today that people can have a crazy out pouring of God experience but never experience God.
They can have the emotions run ramped in there hearts lungs and souls screaming and dancing and dont get me wrong i be acting a fool for God under these moments sometimes as well.
However…today we are going to see the importance of talking to God. And
Listening
Talking
Obeying
Receiving
How important are instructions.
Saul was chosen by man, but anointed by God.
1 Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord.
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt.
3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”
4 So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah.
5 Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine.
6 Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt.
8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword.
9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel:
11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel.
18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’
19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king.
21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them.
25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.”
26 But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”
you ever thought about this, we expect God to take care of our battles do you know he will also use you to take care of his.
When your battles become God’s battles, God’s battles become your battles.
but dont worry you might be the vessel in the battle but your side has already won!
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”
Amalek came against
1 Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord.
Anointing..What is it...
Anointing..What is it...
1). Understanding the Anointing
1). Understanding the Anointing
We want a fresh pouring out from heaven.. a new blessing. a depth of water to satisfy our souls yet we dont understand the terms here.
We dont understand what would happen to us in the moment.
the anointed vs the anointing....
15 Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.”
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
application of oil. (Mashash)מָשַׁח
the ceremony of applying anointing oil onto ones person…it trifold
a means of health and comfort, token of honor, as well as the symbol for consecration
we can but not today but ill touch quickly without the full explinations.
1). Health and Comfort.
Anointing of oil on ones self physically closes up pours of your skin, to create a protection from outward contaminations effecting your body. in many cases with animals the pouring of the oil would be to protect from bugs which would influence lifestocks inner health, parasites would effect the brain and cause the livestock to kill themselves from the inside out.
2). Token of honor, Anointing a guest when they arrive in your home was a customary response. So when it wasnt done for Jesus a main guest at a dinner session at a high officials home. It was out of full disrespect. But God provided the anointing for the messiah in that case.
3). Consecration
3 Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.
17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,
there is a ceremonial anointing that happens.
Ceremonial anointing in the Old Testament was a physical act involving the smearing, rubbing, or pouring of sacred oil on someone’s head (or on an object) as an outward symbol that God had chosen and set apart the person (or object) for a specific holy purpose.
even the oil was made in a specific way.
The Hebrew term mashach meant “to anoint or smear with oil.” The oil used for religious anointing was carefully blended with fine spices according to a specific formula prescribed by the Lord (Exodus 30:22–32). Using this oil for any other purpose was a serious offense carrying the penalty of being “cut off” from the community (Exodus 30:33).
lets talk about the anointed one.
which is Jesus. Jesus confirms he is the messiah which means anointed one.
Which in turn is one set apart for the Glory of God
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,
something here about our anointing today isnt simply one that distints us as kings and prophets but also seals our salvation in Jesus Christ.
The gift of the Holy Spirit.
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
guess what church you cant just rely on an anointing.
Its like you are verified on twitter but aint got no followers…You gotta run the same course and build up your followers first....
You may be labelled as set apart. But you have an obligation to be that.
number 2 is
Even with the anointing you have the
2). You have a Responsibility of Obeying
2). You have a Responsibility of Obeying
1 Samuel 15:8–9 (NIV)
8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword.
9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
1 Samuel 15:8–9 (NIV)
Agag king alive,
Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling
a). half way obedience is not obedience
b). Selfish obedience isnt obedience
c). Being subtle about it doesnt make it less disobedient
But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
you know sometimes the enemy will talk you into following Gods word.
Yeah i mean he knows the word himself…he will walk you towards the word because it is something you know. The devil will walk you towards a familiar place, a good place, all while convincing you there is a better place then even this.
This is what Satan does to eve right….listen this place is good but there’s something better.
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
3). Being rejected by God
3). Being rejected by God
a). we feel rejected we thought we did it right, we thought we were living the right way, we thought we did it best
b). we feel rejected when we dont have the evidence of emotional feelings, we dont have revelations in our prayer time, we dont have these experiences others seem to be having
c). we feel rejected because the enemy has whispered that were like Saul, once anointed, now faded out of God’s glory into the left overs waiting for the end to come.
no purpose- that was lost
no plan- that was derailed long ago
maybe in the old testament that could have ben you…but not today..
LEt me show you
Holy Spirit is the anointing we covered that
we know also because of last week we are sealed in the spirit
we also know this Scripture we looked at three weeks ago
God doesn't leave us we can only choose to leave him
but or God through the forgiveness of the blood comes running after us, seeking us out time and time again.
Wanting to be with us again as a groom on his weeding day all over again in a loving pursuit of his bride.
See the promise made in Isaiah 55 is one for you and i.
If you are desperately thirsty, if you are starving and have no money he says one simple thing one thing for you to do.
If you want abundant life then simply just come.
Come to the Father.
Saul paid attention to the first thing more so the last.
Saul paid attention to man’s choosing, over Gods consecration, or blessing got him into trouble.
So God went to david the one nobody noticed nobody though of, the weak one.
and he anointed him
David paid attention the the anointing he had on his life, and the people followed. The people were also blessed, the people loved him and lifted him up. But he cared not what they thought, not where they thought he would go.
It was David who the people wanted to stone to death but david did what? gave into the people? no searched in after God.
It was david who’s own son tried to overthrow him, he did not give in he called to God
It was david’s throne when saul died but it was God’s instructions to not yet claim it, that David obeyed.
Listen Where there is a Visible, Physical, Mental, Touch of God on somebodies life there is an attraction..
Isaiah 55 lets read it
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
Whats this in my ears? God has a good ear, He perceives all things, hears what is really going on.
You can shout during worship, clap on beat, stomp your feet, you can read your bible, you can offer a prayer over your meal but God will STILL. quesstion you about any AND ALL types of disobedience.....God will hear it in a distance and see it hidden under a blanket.
God LOVES you way to much to withhold from you the opportunity to find the source....idk somehting like that
God has a keen ear. It perceives what is really going on. You can shout until you are blue in the face, but He still is going to question you about that disobedience.
Once our disobedience has been called out we tend to grab our notebook and go down the list…the list of whos whos…who can we blame this one on today.
Where are the men and woman that will stand up and declare they have done wrong not only in the eyes of themselfs, but the eyes of the Lord. Its always someone else fault.
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king.
21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
what about this
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Partial obedience is full Rebellion.
26 But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”
Dont Let a habit, a weakness continue or grow any further....its time to stomp it out. or it will devour you.
Weather it is you wanting to be loved by man, or
you wanting to fit in like others
maybe its you coping with a broken heart
maybe its you coping with a past or current hurt.
Stop holding onto what God has already given you.
God has given you freedom now stand in it.
God has set a course for you to deal with that bitterness growing, that resentment settling, the anguish thats captivating
God has set a course for your pride to be…, your focus to bring clarity, your running to not grow weary
God has set a course for your desperation, your dehydration, your broken bank account…
God set up the way Formed through the truth which creates in and for and around us New life!
God gives freedom…
Freedom from it. Now live in it.
God has given you a opportunity today. To respond. Respond in the presence of your family, respond in what seems to be the middle of an attack respond today, respond now. Stop procrastinating or submitting to God half way. Instead run to the father...
God says this is
1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.
4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.”
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
4). God Says Come to Him
4). God Says Come to Him
In the passage there are a few different invitations we see in the first few verses.
1st : come to the waters: a life-threatening need and an abundant supply
Waters are for the Hard Times....
1). life threatening need .....of water....
2nd: Come, buy and eat
Milk and Wine....is for the joyous/good times.
extended invitation to one who has no money or items to exchange(labor is fruitless without Gods hand Scripture)
no money highlights the inability and helplessness,
1).Walk of Life
a). Waters of Refreshment
fresh mental or physical strength or energy.
b).Bread of Substance
- substance is a tangible, solid presence.
Ending:
I have to finish the same way we started.
Remember the man who was in the dessert carrying the bottles of water? He came to the foucet and was given instructions.
Well I want to say this to you.
Ravi Zacharias who was telling the story continued:
When you come up against Christ he offers you that drink, that living water to free you to be what he designed you to be, not to be enslaved just by the moment. If you empty your life on yourself you will soon be thirsty again and so will everybody else who comes across your path. Empty it out into his hands and he will fill you and give you the water that you can share with everybody body else too so life can be full and meaningful.
You let that habit, that vice, that weakness, continue without stamping it out, and sooner or later, it will turn on you and devour you.
Kill that lust, that bitterness, that foul mouth, that uncontrolled temper, that gossiping tongue, that worldly heart, that wrong relationship. Quit trying to drown it out with pretentious worship.
God has given you a clear task. Don't procrastinate or do it half-way.
1). …how can one without money buy anything…one who is helpless, doesn't have the ability to do so.
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
lets look at this past money.
in our faith we need different character to persevere past hardships or even to help us survive.
How can a fatherless son be a strong man?
How can an abused woman learn to love again?
How does the weight of perfection weigh on a person?
How does failure interfere with anxiety?
How can a mislabeled past guarantee a profitable future?
How can a widowed husband or wife move on?
How can a always relapsing drug addict find sober as a friend?
How can the spiral of bad decisions come to a halt?
How does doubt become any sense of Spiritual Faith?
How does hatred become remade into agape Love?
some of these are if we are asking....
How can a broken vase become the original again?
How can a totaled car become fixed?
How can a popped ballon be reassembled?
How can a broken window be put back together?
What about these?
How can a crippled man walk on his own two feet again?
How can the cast away sick walk into the city Whole again?
How do demons get cast out of a man?
How do sick dying girls, get up after a prayer?
How do dead men come out of the grave?
This is the big question we ask all the time.....
How do broken, messed up, imperfect people, doubtful, repetitive, hurting, failures become something?
I dont know any other way…but by the Blood of Jesus.
Come, Buy, And Eat.
Come, Buy, And Eat.
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
did you know God answers our question before we even ask it....
God answering why before we even ask it.
2). Enemies walk of woe.......Makes us say why....
2). Enemies walk of woe.......Makes us say why....
Commentary reactions:
The Lord is different from humans in what and how he thinks and in his characteristic ways of Action. This verse isn't speaking to simply how God eats and drinks but every application of life.
This illustrative literary explanation of God’s Greatness should be used to cancel out the question of “Why” in the face of life’s difficulties. and opens the door to the reality of faith in God who is the true God.
If we look at this passage in a narrow sense…The question of Why before God.
We could ask why would we go to this banquet that God has created? Why should i Go to this banquet of abundance....id rather just to go one that supplies my needs for now...
Ending:
I have to finish the same way we started.
Remember the man who was in the dessert carrying the bottles of water? He came to the foucet and was given instructions.
Well I want to say this to you.
Ravi Zacharias who was telling the story continued:
When you come up against Christ he offers you that drink, that living water to free you to be what he designed you to be, not to be enslaved just by the moment. If you empty your life on yourself you will soon be thirsty again and so will everybody else who comes across your path. Empty it out into his hands and he will fill you and give you the water that you can share with everybody body else too so life can be full and meaningful.
You let that habit, that vice, that weakness, continue without stamping it out, and sooner or later, it will turn on you and devour you.
Kill that lust, that bitterness, that foul mouth, that uncontrolled temper, that gossiping tongue, that worldly heart, that wrong relationship. Quit trying to drown it out with pretentious worship.
God has given you a clear task. Don't procrastinate or do it half-way.