Season of Increase

Jabez, a Man of Honor

1 Chronicles 4:9–10 (NKJV)

Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.

We do not know very much about the man Jabez. In the book of 1 Chronicles, chapter 4 begins with a genealogy of the tribe of Judah. In verse 9, the writer pauses from the genealogy to tell us about the prayer of one individual. His prayer is so powerful that it gets the attention of God and God decided it needed to be included in the writing of Scripture. It is a hidden treasure in the Bible that is easily overlooked as we skip through the ancestry list when we read the Bible.

From reading the passage, it seems Jabez may be the son of a man named Koz. We know he is not an only child because the Bible says he was more honorable than his brothers.

He had the kind of honor that made him stand out in a crowd. There is no other mention among these people listed in this section of Scripture about their honor, or really anything about their lives.

HONOR ATTRACTS THE FAVOR OF HEAVEN

Honor - kabad - to have a heaviness or weightiness of honor on your life.

Used to identify people who is honorable and also the Hebrew word used to identify people are honored. You cannot show honor until you are willing to identify someone of honor when they walk into a room.

Dignitaries - president - judge - when they walk into the room, a person who is honorable rightly determines the value of that person and gives them honor.

“Hello, it is an honor to meet you.” - We recognize their value and significance.

Begins with your ability to properly value and identify God when He walks into the room. If you cannot show God honor, you will not show anyone honor. When you come into a worship service and desire to enter the presence of God or recognize the presence of God, do you show him the honor He deserves? There is no reason we should have to beg people to praise God in church. When we come into the presence of God, if someone has to beg you to praise him, then you really don’t know him yet. If you know him, when you get in his presence, you will forget about everyone around you and everything else you have going on in your life and you will honor God.

If you do not properly value people and the things of God, you can dishonor what God’s hand is on and miss out on the blessing that would have came if you had honored that person or move of God.

Be careful about opening your mouth against things you don;t really know about. We are too quick to criticize things that do not look like the way we think they should look are are our favorite things or ways or methods.

There are too many people that spend their time criticizing and bashing and dishonoring people and things they do not really know about and doesn’t look like their favorite thing.

God is big enough to bless me and bless others who do not do things the way I do them. We need to learn to be able to appreciate and celebrate people who do things how we do them and also those who God might be working through in a way that looks different. There are pastors in inner cities who speak differently than we do, their worship style looks different than ours, their music sounds different but they are working for God and not you. They can reach and connect with people you and I would have no clue how to connect with.

Be careful about what you criticize. Just because it doesn’t look like you does not mean it is not of God.

Lights - hymn books or lyrics on the wall - How Great Thou Art or Maverick City.

I do not care if you sing out of a book or off the wall - just sing!

What you dishonor, you repel.

Miracles - bless you financially - bless you physically

The currency of the Kingdom of heaven is the currency of honor. You will never get the favor of God on your life as long as you walk around talking about how everyone else has it wrong because they do it differently.

To be a person whose life is honored, you have to be a person who honors.

Jabez was know for the honor he gave and the honor he received.

Kabad - root word for kabod (Word for glory) - when you walk in honor, God honors you with glory. kabod means weight. When you walk in honor, you attract the weight of the glory of God. Don’t you want to be a person that just feels the weight of God’s glory on their life? Then you need to show honor.

When you sow honor, you reap honor.

We do not need to seek the honor of men. When we seek the honor of God, the honor of people will follow.

Every area of your life that you walk in honor, you will see God’s blessing on that area of your life.

“Honor your mother and your father and your days will be long.” If you dishonor your mother and your father, then you may be shortening your days.

He was more honorable than all his brothers but his mother called him Jabez, “Because I bore him in pain.”

His identity was based off of her pain. Instead of dealing with her pain, she projected it onto his life.

In Hebrew culture, your name is a prophetic announcement over your life. The name Jacob means “heel-grabber, or trickster” which is how he lived his life until God changed his name to Israel which means “God strives” after a night of wrestling with God. The name Jabez means “sorrow” or “one who causes pain.”. That is how he was labeled by someone else.

Every time he heard his name, he was reminded of the label on his life. Every time he introduced himself to someone, he was saying, “I am one who causes pain.” What kind of life do you think he had?

Have you ever had someone project their problems onto your life? Instead of you knowing who you are in God, you received your identity from someone else’s pain

Loser Victim Broke - we have always been broke and poor and there is no way out. So you will always be that way too. Addict Hopeless Stupid Never be Not enough Should have been Unwanted Ugly Failure Abused - now I feel like damaged goods. You do not have to live with the labels others have put on your life. You do not have to live by what they have called you.

God didn’t do it!!!! God did not call you a loser, an addict, a failure, a victim, an accident, unwanted, ugly, stupid. God calls you son and daughter.

Jabez had labels, lids, and limitations placed on his life because of his mother’s pain.

Lid - goes on a container to limit what can come out and what can go in. - usually generational.

This family is never going to get a break. I don’t see things ever getting better. It only keeps getting worse and worse. This family is never going to get a breakthrough. Granny was broke, momma was broke and you are going to be broke for the rest of your life. Curse your future if you want, but I choose to believe in the goodness of God in my life.

Limitations - boundaries that define what and who you can be, what does and does not belong to you, boundaries that tell you where you can and cannot go. Like property lines - there are some blessings that remain just out of your reach because you choose to remain bound by your limitations. You have set religious boundaries, most often out of traditions you have been taught that keep you in a box and you cannot see yourself reaching beyond that box.

It is time to break free of the labels others have placed on you, blow off the lid that says you can never rise above where you are, and cross over the limitations that have you bound.

Step out of your tent!!

How do we get to the place where we break free of the labels, lids, and limitations to receive the blessing, favor, and increase God has for our lives? We have to go to the same place Jabez went.

Jabez called on the God of Israel.

Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Jabez did not ask for anyone else’s opinion. He did not depend on anyone else’s opinion of him to determine what was possible. George Macdonald, a Scottish poet once said, “When one seeks the honor that comes from God only, he will take the withholding of the honor from men very quietly indeed.” Jabez did not need the approval of a committee or his family, or his friends, or anyone else. He was only concerned about the approval of God.

If you want to experience increase, if we want to experience increase, we must get a praying spirit. The only thing that can change our future as individuals, as families, and as a church is a praying spirit.

This prayer comes from a person who is fed up with the labels, lids, and limitations on his life. And he knew the only one who could change his situation was Yahweh God.

If you will call on the name of the LORD, God will bring a shift into your life and you will see things start to change.

If you get a praying spirit like Jabez, not only will you get the attention of heaven but people will not be able to deny the favor and glory of God on your life.

GIVE ME A PRAYING SPIRIT

Jabez’s Prayer

Bless Me Indeed Some say we should not ask for the blessing of the LORD. Who else could give us the blessing? He is the LORD of the blessing! If you have a spirit of honor, God will bless you because he can trust you with the blessing. He knows if he blesses you, you will use it to bless others. God bless me - so you have something. Bless this church - so our whole community can have something. BLESS ME INDEED!!! - I need the blessing of the LORD on my life. When you get a blessing indeed, you will reap in places you didn’t even sow.

Enlarge My Territory No more limits - People will try to tell you what you can and can’t have. Stop believing the lies of the enemy that are keeping you limited and bound. My Bible says “Nothing is impossible with God.” Your god is bigger than what you have and whatever limits you or anyone else has placed on your life. It is time to walk in faith for increase. Increase our borders, increase our faith, increase our wisdom, increase our love, increase our dependence upon God, increase our Spiritual gifts, increase our influence, and let our increase be used to advance the Kingdom of God.

Your Hand Would Be With Me and keep me from evil Put your hand upon my life to keep me from evil. Jabez knew that he needed not only God’s favor but God’s protection. Some people get blessed but can’t stay away from evil. We don’t just need to be blessed. We are called to live holy lives.

That I may not cause pain Jabez was crying out to God because he did not want to live up to the name that was placed on him by someone else’s pain. His prayer was not just about blessing him and increasing him. It was about keeping him from hurting others and living out what his mother prophesied over him. You do not have to be what people told you you would become.

God Granted His Request Jabez’s prayer got the attention of heaven. God granted him what he asked. Why do we find it so hard to believe that God wants to say, “Yes” to our prayers? God is the God of Yes! Jesus said if we ask anything in His name and believe, the Father shall give it to us. But we have heard so much preaching telling us we should not ask God for things. We shouldn’t ask God to bless us. But Jesus said, “Ask and you shall receive.” We serve a good good God who is a good good Father who desires to bless his children. Pray this prayer of Jabez with me. If you feel guilty asking God to bless you it is because religion and tradition told you God didn’t want you blessed. Christians are supposed to be poor, broke, busted, and disgusted.