What Is The Real Problem? - Bethlehem Revival

We are here for revival and I think for us to have re-vival we must re-member.

I’m here today to help us remember something.

So let’s get after it.

There are a lot of things that are the matter.

Having millions of illegals in our country is a problem

Especially when millions of them are Muslim.

That’s not going to work out well.

I know folks will say I have Islamophobia because I say this, but it’s not that I’m terrified when I see a Muslim.

It’s just that I have two eyes and two ears

And I’ve seen certain sects of Islam march in the streets saying “Death to America” and calling America the “Great Satan.”

I’m going to take them at their word - they hate us and want us dead.

Islam is a threat to America and, on top of that and most important, it’s a false religion.

Having people in the government who go in office poor as gully dirt and come out multi-millionaires, that’s a problem.

It’s a problem that someone can make laws for me and you and they’ve never worked a real job in their entire life.

How is that a possibility?

The men who wrote the constitution never dreamed politics would be a career path.

It’s a problem to me that congress is exempted from many of our laws.

They messed up healthcare, but they don’t have to participate.

It’s a problem to me that people cheat in elections

Something crazy did happen in 2020 and anyone with eyes and ears knows it.

And so far, not too much has been done about it.

It’s a problem that the COVID cost us the trust of science, medicine and the government.

They all lied to us.

Those of us who said that were called conspiracy theorists.

Until some of the documents were released and we now know we were right all along.

There are a lot of things that are the matter.

But they are not THE matter.

There are other things too that are annoying.

One of the most annoying things in the world to me is to have someone who has never done a job tell me how to do my job.

I saw a little book recently that I thought might help me a bit

So I checked out the author.

He’d never done what he was writing about.

The book cover said he was an expert.

He was an expert in his own mind, maybe, but he’d never done it.

But he studied enough he thought he could write about it.

There is an ad that keeps popping up when I’m on youtube.

It’s this really ripped older Asian dude

He’s standing there with no shirt and the dude is ripped - every muscle well defined.

He looks like something right out of a Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan movie.

A woman is asking him a question - “My husband is going to a trainer at the gym, but nothing seems to be working for him.

“Do you have any tips?

The ripped Asian dude says, “How old is your husband?

The woman says, “62”

Then he asked, “How old is his trainer?”

“26”

The ripped Asian dude said, “I thought so”

“Your husband is getting fitness advice from a man who has never awaken in the morning with joint and back pain.”

“He doesn’t know what it’s like to get out of bed stiff and hurting.”

The trainer is an expert - but when it comes to older men - he really doesn’t have a clue.

There are a lot of things that are really aggravating.

But when we did down deep, we have to ask the question

What is the real matter?

Do you know what it is?

The matter is, We keep trying to tell God how He should be running things.

Have you listened to your prayers lately, I mean really listened?

Lord, please do so and so, please help so and so, please heal so and so.

Nothing wrong with any of that - make your desires known to God, right?

But when is the last time you prayed, Lord I want all of these things, but Lord, what do you want?

What do you want Lord.

The matter is, we’re telling, when really, we should be listening.

Our text today is the second chapter of 1 Corinthians.

You know the Holy Spirit is a still, small voice.

You know we have to be still and quiet to hear it.

But life is real noisy, isn’t it?

As we read and study, let’s try real hard to listen for Jesus’ voice.

Having your Bibles open, this is a rather long passage but I want you to hear the entire thought

So, Hear now the Word of the Lord from 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

1 Corinthians 2:1–16 ESV

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

This is the Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

Let us pray:

Dear heavenly Father,

Thank you for your infinite patience with us.

We act like we know everything and we cause all kinds of problems for ourselves and those around us.

We cause you to wait on us, when we should be waiting on you.

Have mercy on us Lord and help us to hear you clearly today, in Jesus’ name. Amen

We have four points and the first point is:

What is the problem?

Look down at verses 14-16 1 Corinthians 2:14–16 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”

What is the problem?

It’s something that has been pounded into our heads since childhood.

“I’ve got to do something.”

“I’ve got to get this mess under control.”

That’s not Jesus - that’s the good ole’ American can-do spirit.

Something happens, we might think for a second.

We might even pray.

But we’ve already made our minds up.

We’re going to fix this thing.

But you know, there might just be something better for us to do first.

When the Apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, in verse 16 he alluded back to Isaiah 40:13-15

Isaiah 40:13–15 ESV

Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.

“Which one of us has the ability to set God straight?”

When it comes to God, most times we are the 26 year old telling the 62 year old how to get fit.

Lord, if you will just do this, that will fix everything.

But will it?

How would we know?

We got into the mess somehow.

If we knew how to fix it, how did we get in the middle of it in the first place?

Really, we’re in the middle of the storm and have no clue how big it is or how long it will last, or really, how to get out of it and stay out of it.

But there is one who sees things from end to end.

We think the problem we are in is the end life as we know it.

The Lord sees reality.

Did you hear Isaiah say that the Lord sees the nations as dust on the scales.

I weigh on a very regular basis - if I don’t, I’ll get out of control real fast.

But you know something I don’t do.

When I tap my scales with my big toe to turn it on, I don’t wipe the dust off the scales.

Dust doesn’t weigh much.

That’s how God sees the great nations of the earth.

The US, Russia, China, Ukraine, Iran - dust - dust on the scales.

And if those big problems are dust - how “overwhelming” in God’s eyes is our problem?

So, what is the problem?

The problem is, we forget the One Who saves us is the One Who saves us.

We forget and then we start acting the fool like everyone else.

Running around, trying things, talking to anyone who will listen, asking advice, reading, scrolling, thinking, planning.

We, who know the mind of God, Paul says, start acting like everyone else on the planet.

That’s a problem.

Now go back to verse 5 for point number 2

We know that our faith should be in God

1 Corinthians 2:5 “so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

The word rest there literally is the verb to be - “so that your faith might not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

Now that’s churchy right?

Have faith in God.

That’s an old hymn

“Have faith in God, He’s on His throne

“Have faith in God, He watches o’er His own

“He never fails, He must prevail

“Have faith in God, have faith in God.”

And we know that - right?

There isn’t a person in here that will say their faith is in anything but God - and yet

Problems come and what do we look like?

Everyone else.

We act just like everyone else.

What are we missing?

Point number three is in verse 9

The way we think about God isn’t big enough

1 Corinthians 2:9 “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—”

The word imagined is built on a word that means to ascend or go up.

Mt. Everest is 29,032 feet high.

That’s 5.5 miles.

That’s the distance from the courthouse in Gray headed towards Macon, until you get to TCL Auto Sales on the right.

Right before you get to Greenwood church.

In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and his sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first people to successfully climb Everest.

You’d think he might have a “One small step for a man…” quote ready, but he didn’t.

He said, “While on top of Everest, I looked across the valley towards the great peak Makalu and mentally worked out a route about how it could be climbed.”

When he literally reached the top of the world, he was already thinking about the next challenge.

Because our challenges are endless.

Until the day we take our last breath, there is challenge after challenge after challenge after challenge.

And the Lord is greater than all of them.

The most holy, most knowledgable person about the Lord is this room has only scratched the surface of what God wants for us.

The person with the most gratitude for the Lord’s mercy and grace doesn’t begin to comprehend what the Lord truly has done for us.

While we run like chickens with our heads cut off around the yard trying to fix everything

He sits and waits until we come to Him exhausted so He can show us what He will do.

And the killer of it all is this, He’s given us a way to skip that running around crazy part.

Point number 4

Wait on the Lord

Now, let me explain what this looks like, then we’ll see some scriptures that prove this is right.

Waiting on the Lord doesn’t mean you stop everything and join a monastery.

It doesn’t mean you ignore what is going on around you and you just quit.

One of the most frustrating things people have ever said to me was, “Just let go and let God.”

And I’m like the Church Lady from Saturday Night Live years ago, I think to myself, “Well, isn’t that special?”

How does that work?

Do you go to some corner somewhere, suck your thumb and wait on Jesus to do some miracle?

I went to a concert the other night and all they could talk about was miracles.

I don’t want miracles.

I want God.

I want what God wants.

And to have that, I’ve got to wait on the Lord.

Waiting doesn’t mean you sit in the corner sucking your thumb doing nothing until “the Lord moves.”

No, waiting means you keep living.

If you work, you still go to work.

If you are student, you still go to school.

You still eat, sleep, clean, - whatever.

But you also pray - a lot - as you come and go, as you drive and work, and especially when you sit still so you can listen.

You don’t tell the Lord what to do - you simply pour your heart out to him.

And then you wait believing - knowing - expecting that He is going to answer.

This is the hard part because you have to exercise what you say you have.

We said our faith should be in God, right?

And I said, we say that but then we don’t live like it’s true.

Here’s the hard part of waiting, you have to live like its true, you have to live what you have professed.

Listen, you and I will agree, the Lord loves us.

The Lord wants the best for us.

The Lord works everything to our benefit and His glory.

Those words come out of our mouths - we sing them in our songs.

When we are waiting on the Lord, we have to repeat those words of faith over and over and over to ourselves.

We force ourselves to truly believe what we say we believe.

“I will follow Jesus where ever He goes.”

“He will work this out as He sees fit and we’ll all be better for it.”

You have to make your mind up that Jesus is who you say He is and that takes discipline.

We’re allergic to discipline.

We want to fix it now - we want God to fix it now.

And He doesn’t do now like we want Him to do now.

So we have to discipline ourselves to wait.

Now the scripture

Lamentations 3:25–26 ESV

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

You heard that?

I promise you this - if you scream and cry and beg the Lord long enough, you’ll run out of gas.

You will have nothing to say and you will wait quietly.

Absolutely pray with all of the passion inside of you

But eventually you’ll get to the best spot - the quiet spot where He’ll remind you that He’s got this.

Isaiah 30:15 ESV

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling,

Our strength is not in getting all pentecostal and rebuking the devil.

Our strength comes when our souls are finally surrendered

And the Lord speaks to us - not in an audible voice usually - although I won’t rule it out.

But you hear Him in your heart - and you know that you know that you know that it was Him.

Some of you have been there.

You know what I’m talking about.

Brothers and sisters, this is hard to do.

It requires a high level of want to and I’ll be honest - most folks say that want to, but they really don’t

Because it’s hard - because you have to wait when everyone and everything around you screams “do something.”

But once you do wait, the next time is a little easier

And the next even easier - but listen to me - it will never get easy.

Because we want to do something

When doing something is the worst thing we can do.

By holding still, you are telling the Lord, if you don’t do something, then I will be destroyed.

And then you do nothing and wait.

And everyone around you thinks you are crazy.

Everyone except the One who will deliver to you more than you can ask or think.

I end almost every funeral or graveside service I preach with these verses:

Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Paul is saying that no matter how much we think the Lord can do, He can do more.

That no matter how good we think the Lord can be, He will be better.

We cannot ask more of God than He can do.

We cannot imagine something bigger than the Lord can do.

He is able to do abundantly more that ALL that we ask or think.

Let me ask you something very serious.

Are you truly following Jesus?

I don’t mean that you walked an aisle somewhere and said some magic prayer

I mean that you turned away from wherever you were going and you started going towards Jesus.

Do you remember when Jesus called His disciples?

What did He say?

Follow Me, right?

Following Jesus means we repent - we turn away from the direction we were going

And we turn towards Jesus trusting Him to do exactly what He says He will do.

If you’ve never done that, now’s the time.

Or maybe you are like me, sometimes day after day after day.

The real problem is me wanting to go my own way - and I do more times that I’d like to admit.

Even now I must repent and turn towards Him.

Oh I’m saved - I can never be unsaved.

But I can wander away.

Are you wandering?

We’ll pray and then we’ll sing.

The altar will be open if you want to pray

Or come talk to Pastor Steve if you want.

Now is the right time to follow Jesus.

I’m going to pray a prayer from a book called, “The Valley of Vision.”

Listen closely and make this your prayer.

Let us pray.

O LOVE BEYOND COMPARE,

Thou art good when thou givest,

Thou art good when thou takest away,

Thou art good when the sun shines upon me,

Thou are good when night gathers over me.

Thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world,

and in love didst redeem my soul;

Thou dost love me still,

in spite of my hard heart, my ingratitude, and my distrust.

Thy goodness has been with me during another year,

leading me through a twisting wilderness, in retreat helping me to advance,

when beaten back making sure headway.

Thy goodness will be with me in the year ahead;

I hoist sail and draw up anchor,

With thee as the blessed pilot of my future as of my past.

I bless thee that thou hast veiled my eyes to the waters ahead.

If thou hast appointed storms of tribulation, thou wilt be with me in them;

If I have to pass through tempests of persecution and temptation, I shall not drown;

If I am to die, I shall see thy face the sooner;

If a painful end is to be my lot, grant me grace that my faith fail not;

If I am to be cast aside from the service I love, I can make no stipulation;

Only glorify thyself in me whether in comfort or trial, as a chosen vessel meet always for thy use.

In Jesus’ name, Amen