MAKE BRICKS WITHOUT STRAW

PROCLAMATION

“And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, ‘Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore; let them go and gather straw for themselves.  And the tale of bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof …’ ”  Exodus 5:6-8 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After meeting with the elders of Israel, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him that The Lord God said, “Let My people go.”  Pharaoh said that he did not know this God and he would not let Israel go. (Exodus 5:1-2)  He was upset that they wanted the people to stop working for a three day journey into the wilderness to go worship their God.  So, he ordered the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite overseers in charge of the people to stop supplying them with the straw which they used to make bricks, and said that their quota of bricks must be the same as before. (Exodus 5:3-9)  After the people were not able to meet their quotas, the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh (Exodus 5:15-16) and he said that the Israelite people were lazy and they should get back to work and produce the same quota of bricks. (Exodus 5:17-19)  When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron and told them that they had made their situation worse.  Being blamed for the increased burden on the people, Moses turned to The Lord God in prayer. (Exodus 5:20-23)

 

APPLICATION

Unfortunately, we are a very impatient people.  We ask The Lord God for something and we expect to receive it immediately.  Even that which He has promised us will not be given to us when we want it, but we will receive it according to His plan and timeframe.  Some of the time our bad situation will get worse before it gets better.  However, God is still in control of things.  We just need to learn to wait on The Lord. (Psalm 27:14)  Patience is a skill which must be learned and acquired.  Our patience is produced by going through trials. (James 1:3-4)

 

GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT

PROCLAMATION

“When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before The Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.  David was thirty years old when he became king and he reigned forty years.”  2 Samuel 5:3-4 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

The Lord God told the prophet Samuel to anoint David as the king of Israel. (1 Samuel 16:12-13)  Most Bible scholars believe that David was about sixteen to twenty years old at the time, and possibly even younger than that.  However, even though he had been chosen and anointed, David had to wait for some time before he was anointed king over the tribe of Judah. (2 Samuel 2:4)  Then David reigned for seven years and six months over Judah and the southern kingdom before he was anointed as king over all of Israel. (2 Samuel 5:3)  David waited patiently and let The Lord work things out for him to reign as king of Israel.  David went through a lot during the ten years or so between his first anointing and his third anointing, all of which worked out for his good. (Romans 8:28)

APPLICATION

“Good things come to those who wait.”  This proverbial saying is the modern day version of the quote by the English poet Lady Mary Montgomerie Currie (1845-1905) in a poem which she wrote under her pen name of Violet Fane, “All things come to those who wait.”  It was her way of advocating patience.  As believers we are told to wait patiently on The Lord God.  We are told to wait on The Lord and to be of good courage, and He will strengthen us; (Psalm 27:14) to wait on Him and keep His word, and He will exalt us; (Psalm 37:34) and to wait on Him and He will save us. (Proverbs 20:22)  The Lord God will bless us as He sees fit, and it will be done on His timetable, in due season. (Galatians 6:9)  We are encouraged to be patient. (Psalm 37:7)  “Good things come to those who wait.”  We cannot begin to imagine all that which The Lord God has prepared for us. (1 Corinthians 2:9)  So, in the words of the psalmist, “Wait on The Lord … wait, I say, on The Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)

WAITING FOR YOUR BOAZ

Proclamation:

“Then Naomi said, ‘Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens.  For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.’”  Ruth 3:18 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by an unknown human author, but a number of Bible scholars credit it to Samuel.  Ruth, the daughter-in-law of Naomi, demonstrated her love, commitment, and devotion to her mother-in-law and stayed with her after their husbands had died.  The two women left Moab and journeyed to Bethlehem, (Ruth 1:19) the place where Naomi was from and where her kinfolk still lived.  Ruth went out into the fields to pick up leftover grain behind the harvesters to provide for herself and Naomi. (Ruth 2:1-3)  The field belonged to Boaz, who was a distant relative of Naomi. When Boaz saw her, he asked the overseer of his harvesters about her and he took an interest in her. (Ruth 2:5-16)  Later that day Ruth told Naomi what had happened and Naomi told her that Boaz was a relative of hers. (Ruth 2:19-23)  It was Naomi who had discerned that Boaz had an interest in Ruth and gave her advice.

Application:

Because of her faithfulness to her mother-in-law, Ruth gained the respect of the people in her mother-in-law’s homeland. (Ruth 2:11-12)  She did not go running after the young men in town and she demonstrated that she was a woman of good character. (Ruth 3:10-11)  Ruth honored her commitment, and she was patient before she was blessed to get what she wanted.  We should understand that The Lord God can supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19) and He may even bless with some of the things that we want.  However, we must first learn to be content with that which we already have. (Philippians 4:12)  We must also show that we love Him by keeping His commandments and obeying His Holy Word. (John 14:15 and 14:23)  We must learn to be patient and wait on The Lord. (Psalm 27:14 and 37:34)  If we believe in Him and exhibit good Christian behavior, we will be rewarded. (Hebrews 11:6)

MAY YOU LIVE WORTHY AND GROW IN HIS KNOWLEDGE AND POWER

Proclamation:

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.  We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all wisdom and understanding that The Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of The Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to The Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light." Colossians 1:9-12 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Colossae.  Paul was letting them know that he was praying for them.  He told them that he appreciates the good work that they have done and prays that they will continue, and grow in knowledge, and bear good fruit, and be strengthened with His power to endure that which is ahead.

Application:
We need to understand that it is not just the preachers that work for The Lord, but every believer has a job to do for God.  He has to prepare us before He can use us to work for His glory.  That preparation can sometimes be painful and unpleasant, but it is for our benefit.  No matter how much we know, or think that we know, we all need to grow in spiritual knowledge and holiness.  The only way we can do that is by reading and studying The Word of God.  We need to be strengthened with His power to produce good fruit and to withstand the storms of life that are to come.  According to Bible scholar John MacArthur, the good fruit we need to produce includes leading people to Christ (1 Corinthians 16:15), praising God (Hebrews 13:15), giving money (Romans 15:26-28), living a Godly life (Hebrews 12:11), and displaying holy attitudes. (Galatians 5:22-23)  Bible scholar Thomas Nelson states that “endurance and patience are necessary for our perseverance through the storms, problems, trials, and tribulations that are to come, along with forbearance of the faults and offences of others.”  We not only need God’s help to deal with our present situation, we need Him in order to deal with the things which are to come in the future.

We Need Patience

"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised."  Hebrews 10:36 (NIV)  The King James Version reads "For ye  have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." (KJV)

The unknown human author of the book of Hebrews states to the believers that they will receive that which God has promised them, after they have done His will, if they will just wait patiently on The Lord. 

Patience is one of the attributes of God. (Romans 15:5, Revelation 1:9, and Revelation 10:3)  Patience is also part of the fruit of The Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22)  When The Word of God is in the heart of a believer, the evidence is that it brings forth the fruit of patience. (Luke 5:18)  The trials and tribulations which we go through in this life help us to develop patience. (Romans 5:3 and James 1:3)  We need patience as we deal with our afflictions, our situations, and our fellow man as we run our race and go through the storms. (Hebrews 12:1)  It is through patience that we wait for the things which we hope for and have prayed for. (Romans 8:25)  It is belief and patience which lead to godliness. (2 Peter 1:6)  It is by submission and patient endurance that believers obey The Word of God and remain faithful to Jesus, The Christ. (Revelation 14:12)  The promise of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:23)

We Hope For That Which We Do Not Yet Have

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us ... Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of The Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of The Spirit, because The Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:18-28 (NIV)

Writing to the Christians in Rome, the Apostle Paul tell them that even though we are saved, some times our sufferings cause us to moan, groan, and complain as we wait impatiently for our future blessings. But The Holy Spirit knows and understands our moans and groans, and intercedes on our behalf before God.

Our hope for a better future is not based upon what we can see or have. Our hope is in The Lord. In our weakness and shortsightedness, we don't even know what to pray for. We can't always put all of our requests into words. But thanks be to God, He knows what we need, and want, and He knows what is best for us. As we have hope and faith in Him, He will supply all of our needs.

May You Live Worthy And Gorw In His Knowledge And Power

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of The Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to The Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." Colossians 1:9-12 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul is letting the Christians in Colossae know that he is praying for them. He appreciates the good work that they have done and prays that they will continue, and grow in knowledge, and bear good fruit, and be strengthened with His power to endure what is ahead.

It is not just the preachers that work for The Lord, but every beliver has a job to do for God. He has to prepare us before He can use us to work for His glory. That preparation can sometimes be painful and unpleasant, but it is for our benefit. No matter how much we know, or think that we know, we all need to grow in spiritual knowledge and holiness. We need to be strengthened with His power to produce good fruit and to withstand the storms of life that are to come. According to John MacArthur, the good fruit we need to produce includes leading people to Christ (1 Cor 16:15), praising God (Heb 13:15), giving money (Rom 15:26-28), living a Godly life (Heb 12:11), and displaying holy attitudes (Gal 5:22-23). Thomas Nelson states that endurance and patience are necessary for our persevering through the storms, problems, trials, and tribulations that are to come, along with forebearing the faults and offences of others.

Be Patient And Persevere

"Be patient, then, brothers, until The Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because The Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of The Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what The Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." James 5:7-11 (NIV)

James was encouraging the people to be patient, not just with the trials and tribulations of life, but to be patient with each other. Things will happen in God's due time. Pain and suffering are a part of living. Those who had gone on before them had suffered, persevered, and were blessed. He reminded them of Job and what he went through, and how God blessed him.

Most of us are very impatient people. We want what we want, and we want it right now. We need to develop patience. Some of the things that we go through are part of our preparation and development, so that God can use us. Personal growth takes time. We also need to recognize that others also need time to learn and grow. We need to be patient with, and to pray for, others as they learn and grow. All of us can say, "We are a work in progress, be patient with us, God is not finished with us yet."

There Is A Time For Everything

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."

"What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account. And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment--wickedness was there, in the place of justice--wickedness was there.

"I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed." Ecclesiastes 3:1-17 (NIV)

Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, said that God has fixed a time or a season for everything. Every event or activity on earth is part of God's permissive will and occurs at some fixed point in time, including an appointed time for God's judgement of all mankind. Every thing will occur in its time, not when we want it to occur, but in God's time. We should pray for patience and wait upon The Lord.

Want A Spirit Filled Life?

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right ..." Romans 12:9-17 (NIV)

The above passage lists the traits and characteristics of a Spirit filled life. It describes our personal duties and it tells us how we should treat others. To practice good Christian behavior, these things should be on our daily "to do lists". Doing one good deed each day is good, but living a Spirit filled life all day every day would be much better. Attempt to live in such a way that God gets the glory from our life daily.

Pray And Keep Your Hope And Faith In God

"Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice; let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication ... there is forgiveness with Thee ... I wait for The Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope." Psalms 130:1-5

Even in your darkest hour, have faith, pray, and keep your hope in God.

Often things are out of our control. Our situations seems hopeless. That is the time when we need God the most. When our faith is tested, we need to pray and wait upon The Lord.

When bad things happen, as hard as it is to deal with them, we must remember "... that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

The Things Which God Hath Prepared For Us

Things may be rough for you now but hang on in there because better days are coming. "... As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor the ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." Corinthians 2:9

These words are taken from Isaiah 64:4. They are often incorrectly thought to refer to the wonders of heaven when they actually refer to the wisdom God has prepared for believers, if the words are read in context with the preceding verses beginning with Corinthians 2:1. (MacArthur)

As we go through life here on earth, God intervenes and acts on our behalf, guides, directs, protects, and blesses those who believe and wait on Him. Waiting upon The Lord shows our love for Him. Our faith is not all about "pie in the sky" there are some blessings for the "here and now" if we just wait upon The Lord.

When Jesus Comes Back

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but as long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of The Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." ... "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless." 2 Peter 3:9-10 & 14

Jesus is coming back. He is not late. He is always right on time. He has only been gone for two days, 2 Peter 3:8, a thousand years equals one day.

He is being patient with us so that all who will believe can be saved. 'The day of The Lord' is the biblical term which refers to the future time of judgment when God will judge the wicked and end this world system in its present form. All matter will be incinerated, annihilated, or according to some Bible scholars, transformed.

There is a debate among Bible scholars whether or not this verse refers to the "new heaven" and "new earth" after "the first heaven and the first earth were passed away..."that John referred to in Revelation 21:1 after His thousand year reign or before it.

But, either way, all of us who are in Christ will have nothing to worry about as we will be saved from this annihilation for we will already be with Him when this happens.

Patience

"But the fruit of The Spirit is ... long-suffering ..." Galatians 5:22-23

The fourth 'fruit' of The Spirit is "long-suffering" or patience. When God is within us we recognize that things don't happen we want them to, but according to His plan and timetable.

"Long-suffering" is also patience with others, the opposite of having a short temper. It is a disposition that quietly bears injury or wrong done to them. It is the ability to tolerate irritating and painful situations.

Patience also implies the God given ability to defer anger and the desire for retribution against those who cause us annoyances, afflictions, and persecution.

If The Spirit of God is within us, we will display more of the attributes and characteristics of Jesus, The Christ. These are the things that we have to pray for God's help in developing and maturing.

A Race To Run

"... Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1

Let us not be weighed down by the unimportant and insignificant things of life. Let us not let our sins stop us from what The Good Lord has set for us to do. We have work to do and a race to run. This race of ours is not a sprint, but a marathon.

While we are running, life may throw us some curves. We may even get knocked down, but we must get back up and keep on running the race. The prize is not the the swift, but he that endureth unto the end.