'THE SUCCESS TRAP'

Rev. Canon George Sinclair

by Rev. Canon George Sinclair                           

 Pastor of the Church of the Messiah, Ottawa, ON.
  www.messiahchurch.ca

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Podcast of CFRA broadcast on Sunday,   

July 12^th, 2020

http://accm.ncf.ca/images/20.07.12.mp3

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This week's broadcast is the sermon I gave at Church of the Messiah. 

The sermon was called "The Success Trap" 

 It is part of my series, "Judges: Messy People, Faithful God"

"The Success Trap"

  

Today’s Reading: Judges 8:1-10:5  (ESV)

Gideon Defeats Zebah and Zalmunna

8 Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely. ² And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? ³ God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger^[a] against him subsided when he said this.

⁴ And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. ⁵ So he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” ⁶ And the officials of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” ⁷ So Gideon said, “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” ⁸ And from there he went up to Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. ⁹ And he said to the men of Penuel, “When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.”
¹⁰ Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword. ¹¹ And Gideon went up by the way of the tent dwellers east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the army, for the army felt secure. ¹² And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he threw all the army into a panic.
¹³ Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres. ¹⁴ And he captured a young man of Succoth and questioned him. And he wrote down for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men. ¹⁵ And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted?’” ¹⁶ And he took the elders of the city, and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth a lesson. ¹⁷ And he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
¹⁸ Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Where are the men whom you killed at Tabor?” They answered, “As you are, so were they. Every one of them resembled the son of a king.” ¹⁹ And he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.” ²⁰ So he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise and kill them!” But the young man did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a young man. ²¹ Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself and fall upon us, for as the man is, so is his strength.” And Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.

Gideon's Ephod

²² Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” ²³ Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.” ²⁴ And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) ²⁵ And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil. ²⁶ And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels^[b] of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. ²⁷ And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. ²⁸ So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel, and they raised their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.

The Death of Gideon

²⁹ Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. ³⁰ Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring,^[c] for he had many wives. ³¹ And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech. ³² And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
³³ As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. ³⁴ And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, ³⁵ and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.

Abimelech's Conspiracy

9 Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother's relatives and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother's family, ² “Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.”

³ And his mother's relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” ⁴ And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him. ⁵ And he went to his father's house at Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself. ⁶ And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.
⁷ When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you. ⁸ The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ ⁹ But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’ ¹⁰ And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ ¹¹ But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’ ¹² And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ ¹³ But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’ ¹⁴ Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ ¹⁵ And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’
¹⁶ “Now therefore, if you acted in good faith and integrity when you made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house and have done to him as his deeds deserved— ¹⁷ for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian, ¹⁸ and you have risen up against my father's house this day and have killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the leaders of Shechem, because he is your relative— ¹⁹ if you then have acted in good faith and integrity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. ²⁰ But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech.” ²¹ And Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and lived there, because of Abimelech his brother.

The Downfall of Abimelech

²² Abimelech ruled over Israel three years. ²³ And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, ²⁴ that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. ²⁵ And the leaders of Shechem put men in ambush against him on the mountaintops, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way. And it was told to Abimelech.
²⁶ And Gaal the son of Ebed moved into Shechem with his relatives, and the leaders of Shechem put confidence in him. ²⁷ And they went out into the field and gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them and held a festival; and they went into the house of their god and ate and drank and reviled Abimelech. ²⁸ And Gaal the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who are we of Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him? ²⁹ Would that this people were under my hand! Then I would remove Abimelech. I would say^[d] to Abimelech, ‘Increase your army, and come out.’”
³⁰ When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. ³¹ And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly,^[e] saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem, and they are stirring up^[f] the city against you. ³² Now therefore, go by night, you and the people who are with you, and set an ambush in the field. ³³ Then in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, rise early and rush upon the city. And when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you may do to them as your hand finds to do.”
³⁴ So Abimelech and all the men who were with him rose up by night and set an ambush against Shechem in four companies. ³⁵ And Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city, and Abimelech and the people who were with him rose from the ambush. ³⁶ And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the mountaintops!” And Zebul said to him, “You mistake^[g] the shadow of the mountains for men.” ³⁷ Gaal spoke again and said, “Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming from the direction of the Diviners' Oak.” ³⁸ Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your mouth now, you who said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight with them.” ³⁹ And Gaal went out at the head of the leaders of Shechem and fought with Abimelech. ⁴⁰ And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him. And many fell wounded, up to the entrance of the gate. ⁴¹ And Abimelech lived at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his relatives, so that they could not dwell at Shechem.
⁴² On the following day, the people went out into the field, and Abimelech was told. ⁴³ He took his people and divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. And he looked and saw the people coming out of the city. So he rose against them and killed them. ⁴⁴ Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city, while the two companies rushed upon all who were in the field and killed them. ⁴⁵ And Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed the people who were in it, and he razed the city and sowed it with salt.
⁴⁶ When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the stronghold of the house of El-berith. ⁴⁷ Abimelech was told that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were gathered together. ⁴⁸ And Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a bundle of brushwood and took it up and laid it on his shoulder. And he said to the men who were with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done.” ⁴⁹ So every one of the people cut down his bundle and following Abimelech put it against the stronghold, and they set the stronghold on fire over them, so that all the people of the Tower of Shechem also died, about 1,000 men and women.
⁵⁰ Then Abimelech went to Thebez and encamped against Thebez and captured it. ⁵¹ But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women and all the leaders of the city fled to it and shut themselves in, and they went up to the roof of the tower. ⁵² And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire. ⁵³ And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull. ⁵⁴ Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” And his young man thrust him through, and he died. ⁵⁵ And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone departed to his home. ⁵⁶ Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. ⁵⁷ And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

Tola and Jair

10 After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. ² And he judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried at Shamir.

³ After him arose Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. ⁴ And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, called Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. ⁵ And Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

Footnotes

1. Judges 8:3 Hebrew their spirit
2. Judges 8:26 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
3. Judges 8:30 Hebrew who came from his own loins
4. Judges 9:29 Septuagint; Hebrew and he said
5. Judges 9:31 Or at Tormah
6. Judges 9:31 Hebrew besieging, or closing up
7. Judges 9:36 Hebrew You see

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NOTES:

 

Judges: Messy People, Faithful God
The Success Trap
Judges 8:1-10:5

1. Success can be your downfall. It tempts you to boast over God and exalt yourself.
   
2. If both success and failure keeps you from the Triune God, then only He can act to save you.
   
3. You will have to struggle with the world, the flesh and the devil till you die.
   
4. By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone you have both the certainty of eternal security and the certainty of help for the daily struggle against the world, the flesh and the devil.
   

George Sinclair George is the Lead Pastor at Church of the Messiah. 

More about George Sinclair

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To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:

http://accm.ncf.ca/images/20.07.12.mp3

 

 

 

 

 

'THE DISCIPLE'S BIG FAIL'

Rev. Brent Russett

By Rev. Brent Russett

Pastor of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:

http://www.sunnysidechurchottawa.com/   

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LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, April 19^th, 2015:

http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/31588/good_news_153_apr19.mp3

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‘The Disciple's Big Fail’

  

            Good morning. And welcome to good news in the morning.  My name is Brent Russett. I am the Senior Pastor at Sunnyside Wesleyan Church. It is my pleasure to look at some of life’s challenges, and then bring you some good news in the morning.

            I am glad that you tuned your dial to CFRA. I want you to know that you can also find Good News in the morning on the internet at Goodnewsinthemorning.ca . There you can hear past episodes and find interesting articles.

            This morning’s program is Sponsored by FaithAnglicanChurch located in Embrum. There is a church that makes a difference.  Thank you so much for your generous support. Your partnership with us in the gospel is really appreciated.

            Good News in the morning is sponsoring a wonderful event that is taking place on Saturday May 2^nd at Noon. At Bethany Baptist Church.  It is “Ask the Preachers” day. There is going to be a light lunch and a chance to hear from and interact with the Pastors from this program. The event is free, but  we will be taking up an offering which will go towards helping fund this program.

            It looks like it will be a wonderful time. If you want more information, you can find it at www.goodnewsinthemorning.ca

            This morning I am going to be looking at a passage of scripture from Mark 9 and I want to talk to you about the disciples big fail.

            There have been times in my life when I wondered if the gospel worked.

            It is not that I don’t believe in the existence of God because I do. It is not that I don’t believe in the person and work of Jesus Christ, because I do. But there have been times in my life when I wondered about the power of the gospel.

            Those times usually come when I see a profound disconnect between the life that I am living and the life that I know I am called to live. I know that God’s call is to love him and love our neighbours. I know that God has shone his love in our heart by the Holy Spirit. Yet there have been times when I have struggled to love certain people. There is a disconnect there.

            I know that one of the fruit of the Spirit is joy. I know that joy is different than happiness. Happiness depends on circumstances. It would be absurd to be happy at a funeral of someone you really love. But joy is deeper than that. It is an underlying sense of well-being. It is like Horiatio Spafford testimony. He was financially destroyed in the great Chicago fire of 1871. He planned to travel to Europe but he got held up and so he sent his wife and 2 daughters ahead. Their ship was in a collision and only the wife was rescued. He sailed to meet his wife, deep in grief. But when his ship passed close to where his daughters drown, he penned the words to this song.

Listen to the Words Of it is well with my Soul as Sandi Patti sings it.

Music – It is well with my soul (4:23)

            That is the definition of joy in grief. That is the power of the gospel. There is an underlying sense of well being in the middle of life’s circumstances. But there have been times in my life where circumstances have been bad – and I haven’t been able to honestly say it is well with my soul. And in those times I wondered about the power of the gospel.

            Have you ever been there?  Maybe you thought that prayer should work in a particular way, but it didn’t. Maybe you thought that the gospel should give you strength to live above sin, but you find yourself returning to your own pet sins. Maybe you thought that the gospel should make you feel good about yourself, but you find your ability to accept yourself is still out of reach. Maybe you thought the gospel would give you strength to get by, but the strength didn’t come through. And in those times you wonder about the power of the gospel.

            What do you do when you can’t seem to do what you are supposed to be able to do through the power of the gospel?

           

            To help us with that question we are going to get to our passage in Mark 9 – but before we get there I want to take you to Mark 6.

Mark 6:6–13 (NLT)

Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. ⁷ And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil* spirits.

(He gives them instructions)

¹² So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. ¹³ And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.

            So Jesus gave his disciples the power and the authority to cast out evil spirits. So they embarked on their ministry and preached and cast out evil spirits and healed people.

            But now we get to Mark 9. Jesus had taken Peter James and John up to the top of the mount of transfiguration where they had this great spiritual experience.

            While they were at the top of the mountain, the other 9 disciples were at the bottom of the mountain. When Jesus came down the mountain with Peter James and John, he saw the other 9 disciples in an argument with some of the religious teachers. So Jesus asks what they were arguing about.

VERSE 17

Mark 9:17–18 (NLT)

¹⁷ One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. ¹⁸ And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.* So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”

 “So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”

            What do you do when you can’t seem to do what you are supposed to be able to do through the power of the gospel.

            They had been given the power to cast out evil spirits. They had done it before. In fact they had done it a number of times. But now they couldn’t do it. So what do you do when you can’t do what you are supposed to be able to do.

            Well the disciples first move was to argue about it. We are not told what the argument was about, but we are told who the argument was with. It was with the teachers of the religious law. These were the people who were already critical of Jesus – so by extension would be critical of Jesus’ disciples. But I would note that it takes two sides to argue.

            When it is you alone who can’t seem to do what you are called to do, it is disheartening. Then what often happens is that you start to argue with yourself. We call that rationalization. You tell yourself all the reason why you can’t do what you are supposed to be able to do. We are just like the disciples.

            If a group of people can’t seem to do what they are called to do then conflict and bickering and arguing is one of the first things to take place.

            I have been on the sidelines of a number of church conflicts. There are some things I have learned by observation. One thing I have learned is the issue is rarely the issue. The conflict may be over a particular program or it may be around a particular person, or it may be around the colour of the carpet. But the issue is seldom the issue.

            If you look close at what is going on, often, not always, but often, the church can’t seem to do what is supposed to be doing through the power of the gospel – so it turns in on its self. The last thing we really want to focus on is why we don’t have the spiritual power we should.

            We are  often like the 9 disciples. When we can’t do what we are supposed to be able to do we argue.

             The response of Jesus was quite different.

Mark 9:19 (NLT)

¹⁹ Jesus said to them,* “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

            Ouch! This is not the gentle Jesus meek and mild. He hasn’t stopped loving his disciples. He hasn’t stopped caring for his disciples. But he sure scolds them. I don’t like when Jesus scolds.

            The disciples haven’t quite figured it out but he is preparing them to take over the ministry when he leaves this earth. He has just been up on the mountain for a short time and you disciples are stymied.

            He calls them a faithless people. Or a faithless generation. He has given them the authority but exercising authority in the spiritual realm is always connected to faith.

            You have to know that faith matters. Your ability to live out the gospel, is dependent on your faith in the gospel. Your ability to access the promises of God is dependent on your faith in the promises of God. But sometimes we hit situations that we just don’t have the faith for. We end up not being able to do what we believe we should be able to do. You want the faith – you need the faith – but you just don’t seem to be able to exercise it. What do you do.

            Then Jesus says, bring the boy to me.

            I have noticed that when I feel powerless, and haven’t been able to do what I was supposed to be able to do through the power of the gospel, - I end up feeling helpless. Whether it is that I need more love, or peace, or joy, or patience, or strength , or endurance – and I don’t seem to have what it takes. After coming to the end of myself, and my strategies, and my self-pity,  I end up saying “I can’t do it” then I come to Jesus. I don’t have the answers but in my mess I come to Jesus. It is the prayer of surrender. Lord, I have come to the end of myself, and my ways, and even my faith, I give it all to you. Surrendering to God is a good thing.

VERSE 20

Mark 9:20 (NLT)

²⁰ So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.

            So they brought the boy to Jesus – and it gets worse. The boy starts thrashing on the ground.

            Isn’t that just the way. You come to Jesus. You pour out your heart to Jesus, you surrender to Jesus, and it gets worse.

            Life can be messy and difficult and hard, but when you come to Jesus, sometimes it becomes all out war. The demons of hell don’t want you to come to Jesus. They will do their best to make sure you don’t come to Jesus.

            Now you have felt helpless because you haven’t been able to do what you thought you were supposed to be able to do. Now you come to Jesus and put the mess in his hands – and it gets worse. But at least the 9 disciples could say – it’s Jesus responsibility now.

            That is a great definition of surrender. It is Jesus’ responsibility Now.

Jesus takes a step back  and says,

Mark 9:21–22 (NLT)

²¹ “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.

He replied, “Since he was a little boy. ²² The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”

            That sounds like some of my prayers. God, if you can do anything about this – I would sure appreciate it. Meanwhile, the boy is thrashing on the ground. Meanwhile our lives are as messy as ever.

Mark 9:23 (NLT)

²³ “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

            Again it is back to theme of faith.

            But I am with the Dad in this story. This has been going on for a long time. I came to people who have a track record of being able to help and they couldn’t help. Jesus if you can do something…

            Jesus comes back – it is a matter of faith. Anything in possible for those who believe.

            The father gives, what I think to be one of the best replies in the bible.

Mark 9:24 (NLT)

²⁴ The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

            That seemed to be enough for Jesus. I do believe help my unbelief.

            That is a humble response. That is a response that asks Jesus for even help with faith. Before Jesus dealt with the boy he dealt with the father.---- Before Jesus deals with the stuff in our lives he often deals with us.

            He often brings us face to face with who we are in order that we can see his power at work in our lives.

Mark 9:25–26 (NLT)

²⁵ When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil* spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!”

²⁶ Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.”

            So the boy is in horrible condition, they bring the boy to Jesus and he gets worse – falls down and thrashes on the ground, --- and then Jesus becomes actively involved in the situation and thing look like they are getting worse still. The boy looks dead.

            When God is at work, things are not always what they seem. What you see and what is happening in the spiritual realm may be very different. Jesus had just talked to the boy’s father about having faith – it is a good thing, because in this moment, when all seems lost, what the dad needs more than anything else is faith.

Mark 9:27 (NLT)

²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.

            Jesus came through. After things went from bad to worse to really bad, Jesus came through.

            Some of you find yourself in middle of this story. We get to hear this story with the end in mind. But when you are in the middle of the story it is harder. But I want you to know that Jesus has a habit of coming through.

Mark 9:28–29 (NLT)

²⁸ Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?”

²⁹ Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.*”

            What do you do when you can’t do what you feel you should be able to do through the power of the gospel. The disciples asked why? Why couldn’t we do it.

            When Jesus talks to them in public he talks to them about faith. When he talks to them in private he talks to them about prayer. Prayer is that which undergirds faith. Faith is built through prayer.

            Some of you are at a place where you can’t seem to do what you should be able to do through the power of the gospel. You first inclination is going to be argue about it, or rationalize it.

            But Jesus comes and says, there is a faith issue here, will you surrender it to me. Bring the issue to me. Are you willing to do that. You surrender to him. You put it in his hands. Sometimes when you do that  it gets worse, ----- but in the middle of that difficulty Jesus will deal with who you are – like he did with the father. Part of surrender is admitting that you don’t have what you need.

            Jesus will be at work in a situation, but it might not look like it. But you can trust him. Are you ready to surrender are you ready to trust.

            Remember that the foundation of trust is prayer. Or as Jesus puts it in this story, much prayer. Remember to pray. When life get hard remember to pray more. When life gets really hard surrender trust pray.

            So you have been in a place where you know you should love, but don’t seem to be able to. You know you shouldn’t doubt, but you do. What does that make you. It makes you just like the 9 disciples. Jesus continues to love them. He continues to teach them. He continues to work with them, just as he will with you.

            In the process, he has something to teach you about yourself, he has something to teach you about himself. He has something to teach you about trust. He has something to teach you about prayer.

            So for those of you who have been struggling – hear this very clearly – Jesus cares for you.

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus, I pray for those who are in the middle of a struggle, and, Lord, they’ve been thinking, “I should be able to do this, but I can’t.” And so, Lord, I pray that they would see themselves in the faces of the disciples and, Lord, that you would take them from where they are, and teach them, and walk with them, and help them surrender to you. Teach them about faith. Give them faith. Help them to walk this through, in Jesus’ name, AMEN.

If Good News in the Morning has been a factor in your journey of faith, we would love to hear your story. Nothing could encourage us more in this work.  Contact us by e-mail or Twitter via the web site –goodnewsinthemorning.ca

            Again, a special thank you to Faith AnglicanChurch  for sponsoring this program.

            Mark your calendars for May 2^nd, at noon at Bethany Baptist Church, for the Good News in the morning Ask the Pastors Luncheon. For more information you can check it out on line as well.

            And thank you for listening this morning. This program is on the air by the grace of God and donations of many faithful people. If you can help financially we would really appreciate it. You can make a cheque payable to Good News Christian Ministries,  and send it to Box 184 , Rideau Ferry , On. K0G  1W0. Or you can give online by going to goodnewsinthemorning.ca  Thanks for considering this.

May you know   Jesus Christ personally and profoundly.  May the Holy Spirit reside deep within your heart .  And may the heavenly Father surround you with His constant and abiding and accompanying love

MUSIC:   Jesus lover of My Soul (3:38)

By Rev. Brent Russett

Pastor of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:

http://www.sunnysidechurchottawa.com/   

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PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, April 19^th, 2015:

http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/31588/good_news_153_apr19.mp3