STAND FIRM, TRUST GOD
Gen 26:1-25
TOUGH TIMES ARE IN
GOD’S CONTROL
V:1-3.
Now
there was a famine in the land — besides the earlier famine of Abraham's time —
and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go
down to Egypt
A. What other people fear, people of
God need not fear.
1. A famine was something to fear.
2. Certainly, you would want to get to a place where there
is no famine.
3. The man/woman of God need not fear what others fear
because God is in control.
B. What others run from, the man/of man
of God can stand firm.
1. While others perish in a famine, the man/woman of God can
prosper.
2. Just because a situation affects the world one way, does not
mean you under God will be
affected the same way.
C. In any troubling situation, before we
panic, call on God
1. God has plans for event in our lives
a. Isaac was married at 40 years of age.
b. Isaac had twin boys at 60 years of age
c. God used the events in Isaac life to prepare him
for role of being the father of many
nations,
D. The famine was a test of Isaac’s
faith.
1. He failed the test, but God stepped in to assure Isaac
that He would be taken care of during the famine.
2. Isaac was getting ready to run, but God
said stay where
you are.
a.
His failure would affect his family.
b.
His failure would affect his servants.
c.
His failure would be a sign of weakness
to his
enemies.
GOD’S PROMISES IN TOUGH TIMES
V:4-6. I will make your descendants as
numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and
through your offspringa all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham
obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws." 6 So Isaac stayed
in Gerar.
A. Having heard God Isaac stayed in Gerar
1. We have to always be listening for God’s direction.
2. There is more to life than we can see.
B. God purpose for our lives is bigger than us
and extends beyond
our life span.
1.It is through
our obedience to God that other families get
blessed.
2.There are
families that are not yet born that will be blessed
by our obedience to God today.
3.Think about it.
We are the blessed nations that God
proclaimed to Isaac thousands of years ago.
Verses 7-11 tells of Isaac’s failure to
trust God after the
the promise of God to him.
Isaac told the king that Rebekah was
his sister to save his
life. There was no threat on his life,
he just made it up
In his mind. Isaac did not consider the
life of his wife
In his made up threat when he lied.
Luckily, we serve a God that steps in
when we screw up to
Keep us from destroying the lives of
others.
The king saw Isaac caressing Rebekah and knew she was his
wife
Rebekah.
This was a failure on Isaac part to
trust God with his life and the
lives of his family.
BLESSINGS IN TOUGH TIMES
Gen 26:12-14
12 Isaac planted
crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. 13 The man became
rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14 He had so many
flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.
A. To get us ready for the next stage of our
spiritual
development,
God has put us through some trials to show us
our
weakness.
1.
Isaac encounter with the king highlighted the
weakness in
His faith.
2.
Trials and tribulations can show us areas we
need to work
on.
3.
It is one thing to say you trust God, but it
another thing to
Trust Him when you are in the middle of a
problem.
4.
Not only did the trial show the weakness in
Isaac faith but
Also his selfishness in putting his needs
before the welfare
of
his wife, family and servants.
B. God blesses us in spite of our faults
because His plan for
us is
bigger than us.
1. God
was getting Isaac ready for the next phase of His plan.
2. Isaac
would need to show his trust in God in mist of the
envy of the Philistines.
3. When
God blesses you, some folk will envy what you have.
4. How
you handle envy is also a test of your faith.
5. Isaac
need to understand that he with God was more than
the whole world against him.
TRUST GOD TO HANDLE TROUBLE IN TOUGH TIMES
Gen 26:19-25
20 But the
herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, "The water is
ours!" So he named the well Esek,b because they
disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they
quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.c 22 He moved on from there and dug another
well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,d saying,
"Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the
land."
A. When you trust God to handle your
situation, you can be the
better man.
1.
Even though the land was promised to
Isaac and his
generations, he did not try to take it at that time.
2.
Isaac dug a well, and the herdsmen of
Gerar claimed it.
3.
Isaac dug another well, they claimed
that to.
4.
Isaac dug a third well and the herdsmen
of Gerar left him alone.
B. Isaac trusted God and was blessed in
his situation.
PRAISE AND WORSHIP IN TOUGH TIMES
V:23-25 From there he went up to Beersheba
25 Isaac built an
altar there and called on the name of the Lord
. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.
A.
We
should always be in mode of worship and thanking God for
What He
has done for us.
1.
Church
begins when you worship God.
- God will show up in your worship service.
- God loves or sacrifice of praise.
- We are not only responsible for our individual worship
But also
involving our family members in worship of God.
B.
We
should establish a place of worship dedicated to God.
1.
When we
worship God, our family members will be affected.
2.
We set
the examples for others to follow in worshipping
God.
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church
For More lessons follow me on facebook and visit
my blogs: revmmitchell.com and
goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com
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