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Introduction:
What do Aesop, Benjamin Franklin, and the Quran all have in common?
They all have been attributed with saying a similar phrase.
Poor Richard said:
…let us hearken to good advice, and something may be done for us.
“God helps them that help themselves,” as Poor Richard says, in his almanac of 1733.
Aesop said:
A WAGGONER was once driving a heavy load along a very muddy way.
At last he came to a part of the road where the wheels sank half-way into the mire, and the more the horses pulled, the deeper sank the wheels.
So the Waggoner threw down his whip, and knelt down and prayed to Hercules the Strong.
“O Hercules, help me in this my hour of distress,” quoth he.
But Hercules appeared to him, and said:
“Tut, man, don’t sprawl there.
Get up and put your shoulder to the wheel.
“The gods help them that help themselves.”
The Quran says:
Indeed Allah will not change the conditions of a population until they change what is in themselves.
And according to George Barna’s polls, 8 out of 10 people in America believe the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves.
Perhaps this is why the Christian self-help message has become so popular among Christian writers and preachers!
But what does the Bible say?
Well we will take a look at that in just a moment.
First, we need God’s help today so let us pray and ask that He give it to us!
Read
The Basic Argument
God needs our help to work in our lives and chooses to work alongside of our efforts to bless us.
In order to examine this false statement that is found nowhere in the Bible, we need to consider this phrase on two separate levels.
Salvation
Work Ethic
We will first look at how this phrase relates to our work ethic and then turn to salvation.
What Does the Bible Say?
The Bible Says to Work Hard
Deut
The Bible Warns Against Laziness
2 Thess.
The Bible Says that God Uses the Weak
Heb.
The point of all of these passages is that God is the One who empowers us for His service.
And let me address another catchy phrase that people like to throw out at this time that is unbiblical as well.
God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.
This sounds good and preaches well, but is it true?
God actually does require certain qualifications for service.
Take for example pastors (or elders), teachers, and deacons.
James 3:1
1 Tim.
3:1-
Paul also continues in giving the qualifications for deacons.
The point is not to have separate sermon on these offices and what it takes to be a teacher, elder, or deacon, but rather to stress that there are certain qualifications.
Also, just as Saul in the Old Testament demonstrates for us, it is possible to lose your place of ministry by becoming unqualified.
With that in mind, we turn back to understanding that what the Scripture shows us over and over again is that God takes broken vessels and fills them with the treasure of the gospel to be used for His kingdom
Often we have to learn to get out of the way before we can be used of God.
Moses learned this after 40 years in the wilderness.
Joseph learned in a prison cell in Egypt.
David learned being chased by Saul all over the Israelite wilderness.
When we say things like “God helps those who help themselves,” we are actually giving ourselves much more credit than we deserve.
We are assuming that we can actually help ourselves in the first place.
This is a good time for us to consider the second sphere in which this quote is completely wrong.
Salvation
It is imperative that we understand that we can do nothing to save ourselves.
There is no half-way plan where we start out on the right path and God comes along beside us to help us out.
Salvation is entirely a work of God.
Last week I had two Jehovah’s Witnesses stop by my house to try to share their plan of salvation.
A major reason why they were at my house and a major component on salvation to them is works.
We have to be good and do these works to be saved.
Let’s see how the Bible answers this.
The next passage shows us we stand before God as condemned criminals.
:21-25
tells us that anything we try to do to help God with our salvation is like filthy garments.
In this state, God did everything for us to save us.
Romans 5:6-
Romans 5:8
All of this is to glorify God who saves us completely by His grace and not by anything we do.
Ephesians 2:5-
Conclusion:
As we close out our time together this morning, I hope you see how important it is to realize that it is only when we empty ourselves that we can be used of God.
It is only when we realize that we cannot save ourselves or even help God save ourselves, that we can come to Christ and be completely free from our sins and stains.
This morning, I hope that you have come to Him for a new life and that you are allowing yourself to be emptied so that He can fill you!
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