July 8, 2012

This message packs a powerful Gospel punch, deeply challenging us all to place our confidence in the strength of Israel, Jesus Christ, rather than the strength of this world. Everyone wants to be strong, but few of us are willing to become strong on God’s terms—through dependency and faith. But true indomitable strength is found only through embracing the opportunity that weakness affords.

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sermon notes

And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Hebrews 11:32-34

Who through faith . . . out of weakness were made strong
Hebrews 11:34

Who through faith . . . were made strong out of weakness
Hebrews 11:34

Take My Life and Let it Be
Frances Ridley Havergal

Take my life, and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing, Always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use Every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine; It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love; my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee.

THE PUDDLE PRINCIPLE
Giving up the Little in order to prove the More

THE GOSPEL EXCHANGE
Giving up the Little in order to gain the More

. . . The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
Matthew 13:44-46

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Matthew 13:44-46

Nardos – nard, the head or spike of a fragrant East Indian plant which yields a juice of delicious odor which the ancients used (either pure or mixed) in the preparation of a most precious ointment.

Pistikos – having the power of persuading, skillful in producing belief; trusty, faithful, that which can be relied on. The object of trust.

After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard (Nardos + Pistikos) very precious; and she broke the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever you will you may do them good: but me you have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.
Mark 14:1-10

The Widow’s Opportunity
Strength proven through greatest weakness

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.” So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’” So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.
1 Kings 17:8-15

Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him . . . And (Elijah) said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms . . . And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!”
1 Kings 17:17,19,23

OUT OF WEAKNESS

Who through faith . . . were made strong out of weakness
Hebrews 11:34

I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
1 Kings 17:8

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.
Mark 12:41-44

GIVING IN SCARCITY
When Resources are Scarcest, Pour out that which you do Have

And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
1 Kings 18:2

And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answers by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
1 Kings 18:24

And with the stones he (Elijah) built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
1 Kings 18:32-34

And it came to pass at [the time of] the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
1 Kings 18:36-41

FIRST THINGS FIRST
If you need bread, give up the little meal you have
If you need rain, give up the little water you have
If you need energy, give up the little energy you have
If you need strength, give up the little strength you have
If you need time, give up the little time you have
If you need God, give up being a god in your own life
If you need Life, give up your life

He that loses his life for my sake shall find it . . . whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it . . .whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it . . . and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
Matthew 10:39, 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 17:33

Dump out the precious barrels of water during the drought and the abundant rains will surely follow

For we are the circumcision, which worshi God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith
Philippians 3:3-9

Take My Life and Let it Be
Frances Ridley Havergal

Take my life, and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing, Always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use Every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine; It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love; my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee.