Chasing The Lion pt4
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Chasing The Lion
Once during the harvest, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty—an elite group among David’s fighting men) went down to meet him there. David was staying in the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem.
David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.” So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. “The Lord forbid that I should drink this!” he exclaimed. “This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked their lives to bring it to me.” So David did not drink it. These are examples of the exploits of the Three.
Expanding your vision
Courage to go after your vision
Training and preparation for your vision
Then you become a great business person
Then you become a famous athlete
Then you become a successful pastor of a big church
Then you achieve whatever your personal goal/dream is
What if there is failure between here and your goal
“We live in a culture that idolizes success and demonizes failure.
(gold medal vrs silver or bronze)
But in God’s kingdom the outcome isn’t the issue.
Success isn’t winning or losing; it’s obeying”
Attempting to achieve your goal is the winning part in God
God may want you to succeed to show how success can be handled with Godly humility and generosity
or
God may get glory from your failure in it.
God may want you to succeed to show how success can be handled with Godly humility and generosity
God may want you to succeed to show how success can be handled with Godly humility and generosity
God may allow you to fail, to show how failure can be handled with Godly humility, grace and strength
Failure teaches us something
We all want to be a testimony for God
But to get a testimony you need to pass a test
It is honoring God whether you’re in the red or in the black
It’s praising God whether you win the election or loose it
Its giving God the glory whether your in the win column or the loss column (Mark Batterson)
If you are able to do this - you have achieved what Paul said:
I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Phillippians 4:12-13
The world does not see this as success - which can make us feel like failures
Our goal is to fulfill God expectations - not the world’s
God works in our failure and our success
What is God’s definition of success
Good Stewartship- "the care, handling and management of resources."
It’s making the most of the time, talent and treasure God has given you. It is doing the best with what you have where you are.
The bible gives a practical example of being a good steward of your talent
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
Ephesians 6:5-
“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.
Why is it important to have a Godly attitude and behavior when you are not living your dream/goal
Luke
“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.
Other kinds of failure we may experience on our way to success
Moral Failure
David committed adultery, murder and lied by not telling the truth
Consequence: The baby born to David and Bathsheba died
but
David repented
The next child born to David with Bathsheba was Solomon
When those who know you best respect you most
The will of God is not an insurance plan (everything works out great)
It is honoring God whether you’re in the red or in the black
It’s praising God whether you win the election or loose it
Its giving God the glory whether your in the win column or the loss column (Mark Batterson)
The world does not see this as success
We as Christians need to make sure our idea of success does not overshadow God’s idea of success
God may want you to fail, to show how failure can be handled with Godly humility, grace and strength
To get a testimony you have to pass a test
The will of God is not an insurance plan (everything works out great)
Spiritual Failure
The will of God is a dangerous plan
On Jesus’s most difficult night
When he needed his friends the most
You could loose alot of money trying
Everyone left him
Judas betrayed him
Peter denied him
but
Peter repented and cried desperately
Because he repented Jesus said to him
Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
None of these failures stopped God’s plan and mission for his people.
We need to understand that failure is part of the path to success
Moral failure
Spiritual failure
Business failure
Repentance brings God’s will back
You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
video of people who failed while trying
You could spend alot of time and energy without results (that you can see)
You could even loose your life (standing up for just causes & the gospel)
Persecution picture
But we all will go through failure in trying to fulfill our calling
video of people who failed while trying
Just because a door has been closed…doesn’t mean the dream is wrong
God may want you to fail, to show how failure can be handled with Godly humility, grace and strength
Just because you did not get the promotion …doesn’t mean you never will
J.W.Tucker
In November 1964, anarchy broke out in the Belgian Congo.
Assemblies of God missionary J. W. Tucker knew he was at risk, but he stayed where God had placed him.
One day, a mob attacked and killed him with sticks, clubs, fists, and broken bottles. They took his body, threw it in Bomokande River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
J. W. Tucker had risked everything, yet he seemingly had nothing to show for it.
The Bomokande River flows through the middle of the Mangbeto tribe, a people virtually without the gospel.
During a time of civil war, the Mangbeto king became distressed with the violence and appealed to the central government in Kinshasa for help.
The central government responded by sending a man called the Brigadier, J. W. Tucker had won the Brigadier to the Lord just two months before he was killed.
The Brigadier determined to reach the Mangbetos with the gospel, the only way to peace.
Being a relatively new Christian, he did his best but he was met with no response.
Then one day he heard of a Mangbeto tradition that said:
"If the blood of any man flows in the Bomokande River, you must listen to his message."
The Brigadier called for the king and all the village elders.
They gathered in full assembly to hear his address.
"Some time ago a man was killed, and his body was thrown into your Bomokande River," the Brigadier began. "The crocodiles in this river ate him up. His blood flowed in your river. But before he died, he left me a message.
"This message concerns God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to this world to save people who were sinners. He died for the sins of the world; He died for my sins. I received this message, and it changed my life."
As the Brigadier preached, the Spirit of God descended and people began to fall on their knees and cry out to the Lord. Many were converted.
The Assemblies of God reported 4,710 adult members and other believers in 1964 in Congo.
Fifty years later, in 2014, this tally had risen to 570,859 adherents.
