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SERMON DATE AND TITLE: 20190728 DITCHES IN THE DESERTThis page streams the audio-only sermon, when available, in downloadable SWF flash format. It begins playing shortly after opening this page
Senior Pastor Phil Roland Pastor Ray Scott
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SERMON STARTER Ditches in the Desert
You are a private in a rag tag army of “wanna-be” allies. You don’t trust your comrades at arms. You don’t like the commanding officer. He has forced you and about 40,000 others to march EIGHT DAYS over a hot desert with minimal food and water. One of the three commanding officers of the unlikely coalition suggests a source for water. “Let’s consult ELISHA, a prophet and a man of God to inquire of him. He knows about water. He poured water on the hands of Elijah.” As a private in this coalition army you feel you have lost your mind from hunger and thirst as you find this out from your immediate supervisor. “Let me see if I get this straight? Our commanders have led us on this ‘wild goose chase’ in the desert without food and water. Our commanders are mad. They ask a wilderness hermit, a holy man, for instructions in what to do and he calls for a harpist to play while he mediates.” You are almost resigned to this irrational display of desperation when the order comes down the military line: START DIGGING. You gripe: “Start digging? You want me to dig foxholes and trenches in this dry and dusty plain?" They must be out of their minds, you gripe as the hot sweat wrings the last bit of moisture from your body. Sweat stings your eyes, runs in small rivulets down your face and causes clouds of dust to rise where they drop on the dusty ground. You dig because you’re commanded to dig. You dig all the rest of the day and into the night until your hands are cramped and blistered. They feel almost frozen to your digging instruments. When you awaken in the morning, you are drenched with water. Water has flown uphill and across this ancient plain that was once a stream bed. Water has filled the ditches and the trenches you and your comrades have filled. You drink your fill and are astounded, but nonetheless refreshed. Even more miraculous events are immediately ahead. QUESTIONS: How has God asked you to obey Him in faith? What has He asked you to do seemed unreasonable, or irrational? What illogical demand has He recently placed on you? What is it in you that keeps you from obeying Him: Fear of change? Anxiety about the future? Pride and stubbornness? Doubt and unbelief? Need to be in control of everything in your life and the lives of those around you? Has God asked you in the midst of stress and conflict to start digging ditches in the desert?
Pastor Phil <><<
July 28, 2019 - Sheepfold Ministries Pastor Phil Roland
Ditches in the Desert 2 Kings 3
"Faith is believing that God desires victory and the best for His children, and acting in advance as though God's promises had already come to pass." Pastor Phil <><<
11 But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?" So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah." TIME: 850B.C.
SYMBOLS: Water = Prosperity, Ability to win (See Phil 1:6) 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Desert = Desolation, emptiness, waste Obstacles to Prosperity Moab = Frustration, conflict
BIBLE BACKGROUND FOUR KINGS:
3) Edom – Descendants of Esau 4) Mesha, King of Moab, Producer of Sheep and Products SETTING AND CONFLICT: The reign and idolatry of Jehoram, King of Israel – vs. 1-3 Mesha, the King of MOAB rebels against Israel – vs. 4-5 UNHOLY ALLIANCE: Jehoram, Jehoshaphat, and the King of Edom form an alliance against the Moabites – They run out of water on an eight day march to attack Mesha/Moab GRUMPY PROPHET The three kings go to the prophet Elisha to inquire of the Lord. Elisha promises them water and a complete victory – vs. 11-19
DITCHES IN THE DESERT, cont. p.2
In the Progress of Faith there is. . . I. MAN'S JOB - vs. 13,16-19 13 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother." But the king of Israel said to him, "No, for the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab." (Sarcasm) 2 Kings 3:16-19 A. Man's job is to Submit to the Crusty Prophet - James 4:7 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 1. The Crotchety prophet is talking to Kings 2. Submission is easy when people are nice 3. When they are sarcastic and mean-spirited, it's tough 4. The three Kings of Alliance merely wanted information B. Man's job is to Obey the Ridiculous - James 4:10 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. 1. Humbling ourselves is the initial act of Faith 2. C. Possess Active Faith - Heb. 11:1 1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 1. My friend, Don Silber, writes the following acrostic: “We walk in FAITH,” F antastic A dventure I n T rusting H im 2. Now Faith is Proactive, not reactive 3. Now Faith Follows interior goals/principles 4. Now Faith God/man must participate 5. Faith Operates by Humility
In the Progress of Faith there is. . . II. GOD'S JOB - vs. 20-24 20 Now it happened in the morning, when the grain offering was offered, that suddenly water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.
against them, all who were able to bear arms and older were gathered; and they stood at the border. A. Fill the ditches - v. 17 17 For thus says the LORD: 'You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.' 2. Supra-natural - Defies logic 3. Denies empirical evidence B. Confuse the enemy 1. God creates confusion 2. Again and again in Bible narratives God confuses enemies
III. GOD GIVES VICTORY in the Process of Faith - vs. 21-27 A. Faith + Obedience (humility/submission) = Victory B. The enemy is destroyed
QUESTIONS: 1. How has God asked you to obey Him in faith? 2. What unreasoning demand has He placed on you? 3. What about your anxiety/fear; pride/stubbornness; doubt/unbelief that keeps you from obeying Him?
2 KINGS 3 CHAPTER EXEGESIS 1. The reign and idolatry of Jehoram, king of Israel, 1-3. Mesha, king of Moab, rebels against Israel, 4, 5. 2. Jehoram, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom join against the Moabites, and are brought into great distress for want of water, 6-10. 3. The three kings go to Elisha to inquire of the Lord; who promises them water, and a complete victory, 11-19. 4. Water comes the next morning, and fills the trenches which these kings had made in the valley, 20. 5. The Moabites arm against them; and suppose, when they see the sun shining upon the waters, which look like blood, that the confederate kings have fallen out, and slain each other; and that they have nothing to do but take the spoil, 21-23. 6. The Israelites attack and completely rout then, beat down their cities, and mar their land, 24, 25. 7. The king of Moab, having made an unsuccessful attack on the king of Edom, takes his eldest son, and of offers him for a burnt-offering upon the wall; and there is great indignation against Israel, 26, 27.
DITCHES IN THE DESERT 2 Kings 3:1-27 (NKJV)
BIBLE BACKGROUND FOUR KINGS:
3) Edom – Descendants of Esau 4) Mesha, King of Moab, Producer of Sheep and Products SETTING AND CONFLICT: The reign and idolatry of Jehoram, King of Israel – vs. 1-3 Mesha, the King of MOAB rebels against Israel – vs. 4-5 UNHOLY ALLIANCE: Jehoram, Jehoshaphat, and the King of Edom form an alliance against the Moabites – They run out of water on an eight day march to attack Mesha/Moab GRUMPY PROPHET The three kings go to the prophet Elisha to inquire of the Lord. Elisha promises them water and a complete victory – vs. 11-19 CHAPTER EXEGESIS 1. The reign and idolatry of Jehoram, king of Israel, 1-3. Mesha, king of Moab, rebels against Israel, 4, 5. 2. Jehoram, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom join against the Moabites, and are brought into great distress for want of water, 6-10. 3. The three kings go to Elisha to inquire of the Lord; who promises them water, and a complete victory, 11-19. 4. Water comes the next morning, and fills the trenches which these kings had made in the valley, 20. 5. The Moabites arm against them; and suppose, when they see the sun shining upon the waters, which look like blood, that the confederate kings have fallen out, and slain each other; and that they have nothing to do but take the spoil, 21-23. 6. The Israelites attack and completely rout them, beat down their cities, and mar their land, 24, 25. 7. The king of Moab, having made an unsuccessful attack on the king of Edom, takes his eldest son, and of offers him for a burnt-offering upon the wall; and there is great indignation against Israel, 26, 27.
2001 This past week I ran across a folder marked, “House Project.” It didn’t look like much: just a battered, worn file folder packed with dog-eared papers. In the back I found two squares of cloth taped with a small seed in the middle. I was puzzled at first. Then, all at once my mind was flooded with memories of being in a rented house 10 years ago. We had just decided and committed ourselves to planting a house church in the inner city of Sharon. A friend dropped these two small pieces of cloth into my hands. In faith Lois and I taped them into the back of a file folder, and began to search for a piece of property that would fulfill our needs.
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