The Out House

Audio Link

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=127101116570

The Bugg House - In Albuquerque there is a house called the Bugg house. Every Christmas they would decorate there house and yard with over 1,000,000 Christmas lights. People would come from all over town to see their home. The common question was have you seen the Bugg House?

There's a family with an odd name. It's the OUT family, and I mean there is a house full of them in the Bible.

Like all families, there are some good and some bad kin that happens to carry the family name.

This family is named the OUT Family and they live in the OUT House.  

Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' [23] Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

I.          There's Shut Out.

a. Genesis 6:14-17 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. [15] This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. [16] Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. [17] I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.

b. God told Noah to build and ark, and put a door in the side, so that those that would not enter by the door would be shut out.

c. ONLY THOSE WHO ENTER BY THE DOOR WILL BE ALLOWED IN!

d. John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

e.  Rev. 3:7-8 "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. [8] I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

f.   The Ten Virgins

g.  Matt 25:1-13 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' 7 "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 9 "'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' 10 "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' 12 "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' 13 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

h.Oh my friend, Jesus is coming! I pray that you will not wind up a SHUT OUT!

I wonder when Noah’s neighbors started getting worried. Was it when it first started to sprinkle? Maybe it was when the water got knee deep that they decided they might see if they could catch a ride with Noah. I can picture them in waist deep water beating on the side of the ark yelling “Let me in … Let me in!” But Noah didn’t close the door of the ark. God did. God closed Noah into the ark and at the same time God closed a lost mankind out of the ark!

Don’t let yourself be shut out of God’s Salvation.

II.       There's Hide Out.

a. Genesis 3:8-10 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. [9] But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" [10] He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

b. Adam and Eve were hiding out from God.

c.  Numbers 32:23 "But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

d. People have tried to Hide Out from God for a long time but He always finds them!

                                 i.    Achan tried it and was caught.

                               ii.    David tried it and was caught.

                            iii.    Annanias and Sapphira got caught.

e. They not only hid OUT, but were found OUT!

f.   What is done in the dark will be seen in the light!

When we were kids, we used to play Hide and Seek. Whoever was it would count to 50 while all the rest would go hide. Then whoever was it would try to find everyone. The last one found was it for the next round. Can you imagine playing Hide and seek with Superman. … Remember he has x-ray vision. That would take the fun out of the game because he could see you no matter where you hid. That’s what we do when we try to hide from God!

III.    There's Went Out

a. Cain killed Abel and God dealt with him…

b. Genesis 4:13-14 Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is more than I can bear. [14] Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

c. Cain went out from the presence of the LORD. Cain was full of hate, and murdered his brother.

d. No wonder he felt separated from God….

e. But Why have you gone out?

f.   Judas Iscariot went out from the Lord because he betrayed Jesus to the Roman guards.

g. The prodigal went out because of his own greed.

h.I have known folks just like these.

i.   I would never have expected them to have "went out" from the Lord's service.

j.   Why have You gone out?

k. If you have gone out please come home today.

Some times we allow things to get between us and God. When I was a teenager, we lived next to a pine forest. Close to our house was an unusual sight.  Someone had discarded an old bucket. The bucket had a hole in the bottom of it. A pine tree seed from a pine cone had fallen inside the bucket. The seed took root and began to grow. As the sprout became a tree it grew up through the bottomless bucket. When I found it, the tree was about 30 feet tall and completely surrounded by the intact sides of the bucket. To survive the tree had to overcome that which would hinder it. So must we!

IV.    There's Sell Out

a. Genesis 25:29-34 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. [30] He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom.) [31] Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."  [32] "Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"  [33] But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. [34] Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.

b. Esau sold his birthright for beans.

c.  Some have sold out for a lot less than that!

d. Judas sold out for thirty pieces of silver.

e. Some have sold out for pleasure and popularity.

f.   Don’t be a sell out!

g. What is your salvation worth to you?

V.        There's Drop Out

a. Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

b. These folks did run well when they started, but dropped out.

c.  I have seen people drop out of the race; I mean giants. Great leaders.

d. Churches have preached a “Cheap” salvation.

e. Oh it’s easy to fool people… just say that you have been saved … never mind that there was no change in your life. Never mind that you still do the things you did before.

f.   No wonder that when Satan applies the heat, people drop out!

VI.    There's Holding Out

a. It's dangerous to hold out on God.

b. Just ask Annanias and Sapphira

c.  Acts 5:1-11 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. [2] With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. [3] Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? [4] Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."     [5] When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. [6] Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. [7] About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. [8] Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." [9] Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."  [10] At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. [11] Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

d. Holding out puts you under the curse of God 

VII. There's Fall Out

a. These fall out from fainting. 

b. Proverbs 24:10 If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!

c.   Acts 20:7-9 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. [8] There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. [9] Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.

d.   Eutychus fell out because he was getting more out of the world than he was in the church.

The following letter was found in a baking-power can wired to the handle of an old pump that offered the only hope of drinking water on a very long and seldom-used trail across Nevada's Desert: "This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up. There's enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You'll git water. The well has never run dry. Have faith. When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller. (signed) Desert Pete. P.S. Don't go drinking the water first. Prime the pump with it and you'll git all you can hold."

Christmas before Thanksgiving!

Audio Link

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1129101226426

When Robinson Crusoe was wrecked on his lonely island, he drew up in two columns what he called the evil and the good. He was cast on a desolate island, but he was still alive--not drowned, as his ship's company was. He was apart from human society, but he was not starving. He had no clothes, but he was in a hot climate where he did not need them. He was without means of defense, but he saw no wild beasts such as he had seen on the coast of Africa. He had no one to whom he could speak, but God had sent the ship so near to the shore that he could get out of it all the things necessary for his basic wants. So he concluded that there was not any condition in the world so miserable but that one could find something for which to be grateful.

John 1:1-6 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.

·       These days the world is pushing the Christmas season way before thanksgiving . Well, in a way they're right: we must have Christmas before we can have a thanksgiving. We must recognize Who this upcoming season is all about!

Try to imagine the world without light.  Think about sundown: the chickens go to roost, the cattle snooze, and man goes to sleep; only that which lives in the darkness moves. But at sunrise: the rooster crows, the hens lay, the cattle low, and man rustles in his blankets to ready himself for his labors.

·       Without light there is darkness; where there is darkness, there's no life! Where there's no life, death reigns!

·       The world was dead in its sins, darkness all around! Jesus brought the light, the true light, that there might be life, and that in abundance!

John 8:12 "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall receive the light of life.'"

"A lot of us have seen the light, but for many of us it's the one inside the refrigerator!"

What is it that we celebrate with Thanksgiving?

I. WE CELEBRATE THAT JESUS IS BOTH - GOD AND MAN!

·       GOD IS LIKE...

GOD is like Coke...He's the real thing.

GOD is like Pan Am...He makes the going great. GOD is like General Electric...He lights your path. GOD is like Bayer Aspirin...He works wonders.

GOD is like Hallmark Cards...He cares enough to send the very best.

GOD is like Tide...He gets the stains out that others leave behind.

GOD is like VO5 Hair Spray...He holds through all kinds of weather.

GOD is like Dial Soap...Aren't you glad you know him?  Don't you wish everyone did?  

GOD is like Sears...He has everything.

GOD is like Alka Seltzer...Try Him.  You'll like Him. GOD is like Scotch Tape... You can't see him, but you know he's there.

a.         Jesus is every bit God and every bit man.

b.         He left Glory to face the same temptations and problems that you and I face.

John 1:14-15  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.      

Christianity is Jesus.  God didn't drop a scroll of theology from heaven.  He came Himself. 

Finishing the course on the New Testament, a Greek professor told his class:  "You have studied Christ himself, the whole Christ, all of Christ. When you study the Bible, you are studying the Lord himself. For all we know of the Lord is encompassed in these sacred pages."  Believers study to understand Jesus.

We celebrate that God sent His Son Jesus … every bit God but every bit man … to face the same temptations that we face … to win victory so that we may win victory!

II. WE CELEBRATE THAT JESUS  IS BOTH - LIGHT AND LIFE!

a.         Jesus is the reason for life … He is everything.

Helen Keller tells of the dramatic moment when Annie Sullivan first broke through her dark, silent world with the illumination of language. We walked down the path to the well house, attracted by the fragrance of the honeysuckle with which it was covered. Some one was drawing water and my teacher placed my hand under the spout. As the cool stream gushed over one hand she spelled into the other the word water, first slowly, then rapidly. I stood still, my whole attention fixed upon the motions of her fingers. Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten -- a thrill of returning thought; and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then that "w-a-t-e-r" meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free! There were barriers still, it is true, but barriers that could in time be swept away.

b.         Certainly, this was how the blind man must have felt `when he saw water for the first time as he washed his eyes in the pool of Siloam.

c.         Just as the Light of the world gave sight to the blind beggar, and just as that "living word" awakened the soul of Helen Keller, so Jesus can awaken your life with the tender touch of His hand.

d.         He can give you light, hope, joy, and freedom like you've never known before.

John 1:4-5  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

I Jn 1:5-7  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.      But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

I Jn 5:12  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

III. WE CELEBRATE THAT JESUS IS BOTH - SON AND BROTHER!

a.         It is a progression

First, … I know he is the child of the King

Then …. I know the child of the King

Finally …. I become a child of the King

 John 1:12  Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--

A Father and his son amass a great art collection together. The Son goes off to war. In his absence his father commissions a local artist to paint his son’s portrait from a photograph. The news comes that his son was killed in battle. The news causes the father to collapse in grief. It is more than the father can bear. He dies. The Paintings are put up for sale in a great auction. Art collectors from around the world come to bid on the auction of the great art. The masterpieces draw huge offers but only one bis is entered for the portrait of the son. A servant who loved both the father and the son makes the only offer on the portrait of the son. $20 is all he has. After all the bidding is concluded the auctioneer stands and announces that whoever takes the son gets it all!

I Jn 3:1  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

IV. WE CELEBRATE THAT JESUS IS BOTH - GREATEST AND LOWEST!

a.         The lowest?

a. Born in a stable

b. Laid in an animal’s feed trough

c.  Cursed by men

d. Shunned by the “church”

e. Hung on a cross to die a shame filled death!

b.         The Greatest!

a. The son of God!

b. The promised Messiah!

c.  The Savior of Men!

d. God above all!

John 1:35-37  The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.  When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"  When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

1 Pet 1:17-19  Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.  For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

V. WE CELEBRATE THAT JESUS IS BOTH - GRACE AND TRUTH!

a.   We are no longer under the law but are now under grace.

A husband and wife didn't really love each other. The man was very demanding, so much so that he prepared a list of rules and regulations for his wife to follow. He insisted that she read them over every day and obey them to the letter. Among other things, his "do's and don'ts" indicated such details as what time she had to get up in the morning, when his breakfast should be served, and how the housework should be done. After several long years, the husband died. As time passed, the woman fell in love with another man, one who dearly loved her. Soon they were married. This husband did everything he could to make his new wife happy, continually showering her with tokens of his appreciation. One day as she was cleaning house, she found tucked away in a drawer the list of commands her first husband had drawn up for her. As she looked it over, it dawned on her that even though her present husband hadn't given her any kind of list, she was doing everything her first husband's list required anyway. She realized she was so devoted to this man that her deepest desire was to please him out of love, not obligation.

John 1:16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

Eph 2:8-9  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.

c.          It is through the Grace of God that we are given the privilege of serving Him!

VI. WE CELEBRATE THAT JESUS IS BOTH - CREATOR AND SAVIOR!

a.   Jesus came and died to save us from our sin.

"If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.  If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.  If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.  But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior."

Matthew 1:21 Jesus, … he will save his people from their sins."

Mark 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

An orphaned boy was living with his grandmother when their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to get upstairs to rescue the boy, perished in the flames. The boy's cries for help were finally answered by a man who climbed an iron drain pipe and came back down with the boy hanging tightly to his neck. Several weeks later, a public hearing was held to determine who would receive custody of the child.  A farmer, a teacher, and the town's wealthiest citizen all gave the reasons they felt they should be chosen to give the boy a home. But as they talked, the lad's eyes remained focused on the floor. Then a stranger walked to the front and slowly took his hand from his pockets, revealing severe scars on them. As the crowd gasped, the boy cried out in recognition. This was the man who had saved his life. His hands had been burned when he climbed the hot pipe. With a leap the boy threw his arms around the man's neck and held on for dear life. The other men silently walked away, leaving the boy and his rescuer alone. Those marred hands had settled the issue. And so it is with Jesus. His nail-pierced hands remind us that he has rescued us from sin and its deadly consequences.

Avoiding the Trees!

Kim Reichelm is the “extreme skiing” world champion. You may have seen her on television skiing down the peak of a treacherous mountain that looks like certain death for anyone trying to go down it on snow shoes, let alone skis. Some have died on these attempts, and others have become seriously injured, but the sport of extreme skiing is alluring more and more people to the dangerousness of the challenge. The November 1999 issue of Outside magazine, in an article entitled “The Trees: Lovely, Dark, and Deep,” says that one of the favorite extremes of skiers is running through a stand of trees after a fresh, deep snow. It is extremely dangerous, as Sonny Bono and Michael Kennedy, both of whom died after crashing into trees while skiing, found out. Tim Etchells, the writer of the article says, “What you focus your eyes on becomes critical in the woods. Look at the spaces between the trees — the exits where you hope to be traveling.” Reichelm, the expert in the sport says, “The secret is not to stare at what you don’t want to hit.”

·       What he is talking about is focus.

o  The extreme skier who focuses on the trees is more likely to hit the trees. The one who is looking for the spaces, or the exits, between the trees is going to miss the obstacles.

·       If we are focused on our fears, we will likely go crashing into them. But if we focus on the open places between them, we will likely avoid them.

·       In the article, the author says, “With practice and a little luck, you’ll soon be ripping through the tightest of trees without getting a mouthful of bark.”

·       We want to practice our faith maneuvers to  get through the forest of fear without getting a mouth full of bark.

Matthew 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? [26] Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? [27] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? [28] "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. [29] Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [30] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' [32] For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [33] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. [34] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight”.

So how do we stay on the straight paths which God has made for us?

I.          Focus on the fact that God will see you through anything!

a. How many of you play a movie in your mind of all the bad things that could possibly happen in the future?

b. There is always something to worry about:

                                       i.    losing your income,

                                     ii.    your children,

                                   iii.    illness,

                                   iv.    terrorism, just to mention a few.

c.  It is easy to focus on the trees, and not so easy to focus on the open spaces.

d. How do we deal with this kind of worry?

In the movie Apollo 13 — one of the astronauts is looking at the earth from space. As he stares at planet earth, which now seems so small, he lifts his thumb until the entire earth is blocked out. The earth, which seemed so large before, was now so small that he can no longer see it. This, in effect, is what we do with the worries and fears we have. We lift the finger of faith and place it over our fear. We focus on the face of God, and in so doing the problem that at one time seemed so large before, now seems almost insignificant.

e. We have a promise from Scripture which says,

                                       i.    2 Peter 2:9 “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials. . .”

LIFE TRUTH - Bad things will happen, but a good God will see us through them!

f.   Concentrate on how big our God is, not how big our problems are.

g. We know that God is able, and that is all we need to know.

h.We have the confidence that nothing will happen to us that God cannot handle, and even use for our benefit.

Psalm 34:17-19 “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry. . . . The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all”

i.   This is why the Bible can say things that seem absurd to those who have no faith.

James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”.

j.   We have the assurance that God cares for us, is watching over us and using even the ugly places in life to do something beautiful in our lives.

II.       Focus on what is unseen, rather than what is seen.

a. Elisha and his servant

                                       i.    2 Kings 6 …Elisha and his servant in Dothan.

                                     ii.    The king of Aram and his army come to make war with Israel, and they surround the city.

                                   iii.    Elisha’s servant got up early in the morning - went to look out over the city wall. When he did so, he saw the great army of the enemy amassed around the city.

                                   iv.    He ran back to the prophet Elisha and told him about the threat of terror. You can almost hear him gasp for breath as he tries to get the words out fast enough to the old prophet.

                                      v.    Elisha says something that his servant found incredulous.

                                   vi.    V. 16 “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” And the Bible says, “Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:16-17).

                                 vii.    There was a heavenly army which surrounded the people of God of which Elisha’s servant was totally unaware.

                               viii.    The unseen was the reality, what was seen was the illusion.

                                   ix.    The unseen reality can only be seen by faith.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”.

b. If what is unseen is the eternal, and the seen is temporary, then we need to focus on what is unseen rather than what is seen.

c.  The Red Sea was the illusion, the dry ground through the middle of it was the reality.

d. The walls of Jericho were only an illusion, their collapse was the reality.

e. Goliath was the illusion, little David was the reality.

f.   The cross was the illusion, the resurrection was the reality.

Every magician knows that the secret to his success is getting people to focus on what he wants them to see so that he can fool them with what he does not want them to see. The devil is the evil magician who wants to fool you with an illusion of fear which he places before your eyes. He does not want you to see that he cannot fulfill what he threatens, and that even if he succeeded, God would use his own magic against him. God would turn his work into something which would bring about God’s plan rather than thwart it.

g. The book of Hebrews in the New Testament tells of the trials of many of the biblical characters. As it talks about them it says,

Hebrews 11:13-16 “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country — a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them”.

God’s heart swells with pride over those who through perseverance have learned to trust him, even though they could not see the answer to their prayer coming.

h.To focus on the unseen is to focus on real things — eternal things. This is faith. This is reality.

III.    Focus on the fact that God is in control, not on your inability to control.

a. Understand that God has a plan for the world and a plan for your individual life, and that he is carefully working it out.

b. He is in control — so you don’t have to be.

c. For the Christian, things do not happen by accident, they happen on purpose.

                                       i.    Nothing catches God off-guard.

                                     ii.    Nothing surprises him.

                                   iii.    He is carefully, and with great skill, weaving all the events of life together into his eternal plan.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”.

d. Even when I don’t see how what I am facing could possibly be a part of God’s plan, I believe that it is.

e. I hold onto that by faith.

He knows what he is doing, even though he may not have informed me what it is. My responsibility is to walk in faith, not in fear. My responsibility is to persevere and push through the present dilemma I am facing until I come through on the other side.

François Fénelon, the seventeenth-century French Bishop, said, “Don t worry about the future — worry quenches the work of God within you. The future belongs to God. He is in charge of all things. Never second-guess him.”

f.   You cannot see the whole picture — only God can.

g. Just because your life seems out of control does not mean that God is not in control.

h.So you have to trust that there is a plan, even if you don’t understand what the plan is. Just because you cannot grasp it does not mean it does not exist.

Dr. E. Stanley Jones, the great missionary to India, has a beautiful passage in his book Transformed by Thorns. He writes: “I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath — these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely — these are my native air. A John Hopkins University doctor says, ‘We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non-worriers, but that is a fact.’ But I, who am simple of mind, think I know. We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality.” Fear deteriorates the quality of my life and even destroys me physically. I was not designed to live this way. Faith breathes life and joy into my mind and body, and I find wholeness.

I recently read that a dense fog that covers a seven-city-block area one hundred feet deep is composed of less than one glass of water. It is, however, divided into sixty thousand million drops. So little water creates so much gloom, and it can cripple an entire city.

i.   Worry and anxiety are like that. Just a small amount can settle on you like a great cloud of gloom and keep you from enjoying your life.

j.   Jesus was trying to change our focus from fear to the faithfulness of God when he said:

Matthew 6:26-29  “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these”

k. What helps me most when I begin to worry is to change my focus to the faithfulness of God.

Matthew 6:31-34 “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”.