Latest / KHCB On Demand / Bold Steps with Dr. Mark Jobe - Don’t Give Up! -- Part 2

Transcript

Bold Steps with Dr. Mark Jobe - Don’t Give Up! -- Part 2 · KHCB On Demand

0:00
S1: What does it mean to have a heart for God
0:03
S1: and what does it take to keep it? That's the
0:05
S1: subject today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe.
0:08
S2: You can still be in the position that God has
0:10
S2: called you, but lose the favor and anointing of God
0:13
S2: when you lose the heart for God. Listen, don't lose it.
0:18
S2: Don't give it up now because it can affect your future,
0:22
S2: your destiny.
0:36
S1: Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is founding
0:39
S1: pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. We're continuing
0:43
S1: our new series called A Heart for God, and we'll
0:46
S1: be looking at the importance of keeping God's voice at
0:48
S1: the center of our lives. Each one of us has
0:51
S1: been designed with a special purpose and path to take.
0:54
S1: But when we allow other voices and ideas to start
0:57
S1: directing us, we end up falling outside our lane and
1:00
S1: missing what God has planned. So what does it take
1:03
S1: to keep our hearts dedicated to God? To answer that,
1:06
S1: we're looking into the book of First Samuel chapter 13.
1:09
S1: As we now continue with part two of Mark job's message.
1:11
S1: Don't give up. Let's listen.
1:16
S2: I want you to notice what it says in verse eight.
1:19
S2: It said he waited seven days, the time set by Samuel.
1:24
S2: But Samuel did not come to Gilgal. And Saul's men
1:29
S2: began to scatter. So he said, bring me the burnt
1:33
S2: offering and the fellowship offering. And Saul offered up a
1:37
S2: burnt offering. Here's what I want you to know. It was.
1:42
S2: God had never called Saul to be a priest. And
1:47
S2: so it was outlawed. It was not legal for him
1:50
S2: to offer a sacrifice. Only the Levites, the priests, were
1:54
S2: allowed to offer a sacrifice. But because Saul got pressured
1:59
S2: by the people to do something. And he was asking himself,
2:03
S2: do people like me? What do they think of me
2:06
S2: as a leader? It pressured Saul to step out of
2:10
S2: his place of obedience and to step into disobedience. There
2:16
S2: are some people today that because of peer pressure around you,
2:20
S2: you're doing things that you know you shouldn't do. But
2:24
S2: people have pressured you into doing them because you're asking
2:28
S2: yourself this question. Do people like me? There are people
2:34
S2: that are here that are living in compromise. Because you
2:39
S2: feel the pressure of people wanting you to do some
2:42
S2: things that violate your conscience and violate your convictions, but
2:46
S2: you're doing them because the question that you ask yourself is,
2:50
S2: do people like me? I believe that many of us
2:57
S2: struggle with this. Many of us can compromise our future
3:01
S2: for a moment of applause. Do people like us? And
3:06
S2: I want to tell you that that Saul was asking
3:08
S2: himself this question. Do people like me? Ultimately, if that's
3:13
S2: the question that you're asking, you will crash and burn. Ultimately,
3:17
S2: you will compromise your faith. Ultimately, you will water down
3:21
S2: the message. Ultimately, you will try not to be offensive.
3:24
S2: You'll try to speak in terms that everybody likes. You'll
3:28
S2: make sure that your message does not offend anybody and
3:31
S2: you will sabotage your future. Saul. Little did he know it.
3:40
S2: But at that moment of asking, do people like me?
3:44
S2: Saul was giving up the keys to his future. Number two,
3:50
S2: don't give it up. Not only don't let people pleasing
3:54
S2: pressure drive you from your place of obedience, but don't
3:59
S2: give it up. Avoid assuming roles that God has not
4:03
S2: anointed you to step into. Saul was not called to
4:09
S2: be a priest. He was called to be a king.
4:14
S2: Samuel had anointed him, had taken oil, and poured it
4:17
S2: over his head and said, God is calling you to
4:19
S2: be a King of Israel. Anointing means that someone is
4:23
S2: given the authority and power to fulfill a task upon
4:26
S2: their lives. Not all of us have the same anointing.
4:31
S2: Not all of us have the same call upon our lives.
4:34
S2: But you have an anointing and you have a call
4:36
S2: upon your life to fulfill the task that God has
4:39
S2: called you to fulfill at this moment in time in
4:42
S2: your life. Saul's anointing was to be a king, but
4:49
S2: because people pressured him, but because he wanted to please
4:54
S2: the people, he got out of his lane and moved
4:58
S2: into the other lane and tried to fulfill the role
5:01
S2: of a priest when he was called to be a king.
5:06
S2: It happens to me all the time when I'm driving
5:08
S2: on the expressway. People seem to swerve between lanes these days.
5:14
S2: But you know, it's aggravating when someone switches lanes. You're
5:17
S2: supposed to be in one lane. Stay in your lane.
5:21
S2: I want to tell you. Listen, God has a calling
5:24
S2: on your life. Stay in your lane. Don't swerve to
5:28
S2: some other lane just because people are pressuring you into
5:31
S2: another lane. Don't swerve in your walk with God. Don't
5:35
S2: become what everybody wants you to be. Be what God
5:38
S2: has called you to be an anointed you to be.
5:41
S2: Stay in your lane and fulfill your calling and the
5:44
S2: task and the calling that God has upon your life.
5:47
S2: Stay in your lane. You know people pressure. And when
5:54
S2: we're not asking ourselves, God, are you pleased with me?
5:58
S2: The tendency is to become what other people want us
6:02
S2: to be. When we're asking ourselves, God, are you pleased
6:07
S2: you want to be what God has called you to be?
6:11
S2: When you're asking, do people like me? You're like a chameleon.
6:16
S2: When you are. When you're around your friends that don't
6:19
S2: go to church, man, you know how to throw down party.
6:23
S2: You pull out those other dirty jokes. And then when
6:27
S2: you're on Christians, you're like, Praise Jesus. Hallelujah. God is good.
6:35
S2: We can't tell what you are or who you are
6:37
S2: because really what you are is you're a people pleaser.
6:43
S2: Saul was a people pleaser, and so it made him
6:45
S2: switch roles. It made him not stay true to what
6:47
S2: God has called him to be. And what I want
6:49
S2: you to know is that God has not called you
6:52
S2: to assume roles that aren't yours to take. Take the
6:55
S2: role that God has called you to do and fulfill
6:57
S2: the task. Asking yourself, even though it may be difficult
7:01
S2: and hard. Lord, are you pleased with me? Number three.
7:08
S2: Not only don't let peer pressure drive you from the
7:13
S2: place of obedience, or cause you to assume roles that
7:17
S2: are not yours to take, but number three, don't give
7:21
S2: it up. Reject the temptation to accomplish in the power
7:25
S2: of the flesh your spiritual calling. You see, people pleasing
7:31
S2: and security will lead us to rationalize disobedience and spiritualize compromise.
7:40
S2: So the prophet shows up to Samuel. Samuel has just
7:45
S2: offered a sacrifice that wasn't his to offer. And Samuel
7:49
S2: shows up and he says, Saul, what have you done?
7:55
S2: Notice what he says in verse 11. What have you done?
8:01
S2: Saul replied, when I saw that the men were scattering,
8:05
S2: and that you did not come at the set time,
8:07
S2: and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, I thought,
8:11
S2: Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal,
8:13
S2: and I have not sought the Lord's favor. So I
8:16
S2: felt compelled to offer a burnt offering. Saul replied, when
8:21
S2: I saw that the men were scattering, and that you
8:23
S2: did not come at a set time. And here's, here's
8:25
S2: what I want you to know. I want you to
8:27
S2: see three verbs here, Saul said, I saw, I thought,
8:33
S2: and I felt. It made sense that he was trying
8:39
S2: to rally the boldness of his troops. It made sense
8:43
S2: in the flesh that he would try to keep the
8:47
S2: army together. But we cannot accomplish in the power of
8:51
S2: the flesh what God has called us to do in
8:55
S2: the power of the spirit. He should have been asking
8:59
S2: not I saw, I thought I felt he should have
9:02
S2: been asking. I trust and I obey, Lord. So are
9:07
S2: you pleased? Lord, I trust you. And you said, wait
9:14
S2: and I'm going to obey you. And you said you're
9:17
S2: going to give me the victory. So I trust and
9:19
S2: I obey not I see, I think, and I feel,
9:25
S2: you know, the Bible tells us that the heart is
9:27
S2: deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?
9:30
S2: It tells us in Jeremiah chapter 17, verse nine. Proverbs
9:37
S2: chapter four, verse 23 says, keep your heart with all diligence,
9:41
S2: for from it springs life. Another translation says, guard your
9:46
S2: heart above all else, for it determines the course of
9:49
S2: your life. Do you realize that your heart is deceitful?
9:53
S2: You can't trust your heart. In fact, can I tell
9:56
S2: you the truth? We have a tendency to Ritualize our disobedience.
10:04
S2: When Samuel challenged Saul and said, what have you done?
10:07
S2: He spiritualized it. He said, well, I was just waiting.
10:12
S2: You didn't show up, and I wanted to seek God
10:16
S2: and have his favor. So I offered the sacrifice. Oh,
10:22
S2: you're so spiritual. That's not what drove it. What drove
10:26
S2: it was our people pleased with me. We have a
10:31
S2: tendency to spiritualize our disobedience, and our minds are masterful
10:38
S2: at spiritualizing our sin and justifying our disobedience. I have
10:46
S2: sat down. With people who have looked at me in
10:52
S2: the face and said, pastor, I don't think you'd understand this.
10:56
S2: I said, yeah, I understand you're having an affair. Well,
11:00
S2: it's not like that. Well, help me understand. Well, pastor,
11:05
S2: you know, my husband just didn't have much time for me.
11:08
S2: Wasn't just giving me a lot of attention. And God
11:12
S2: provided a good friend at work. That really understands me
11:19
S2: and just met an emotional need in my life, and I.
11:23
S2: I know you don't understand, pastor, but I believe God
11:25
S2: brought them into my life. No no no. What I
11:28
S2: understand is you're sinning and being disobedient and having an affair,
11:32
S2: and you're a married woman. That's what I understand. Don't
11:34
S2: spiritualize your disobedience. Our mind is great at rationalizing disobedience.
11:42
S2: That spiritualizing disobedience. Adam and Eve did it. Saul did it. Uh.
11:48
S2: Down through the ages, everyone who has fallen into the
11:51
S2: deception of sin, we tend to spiritualize our disobedience before God,
11:57
S2: especially when we're asking ourselves this question do people like me?
12:01
S2: AM I important instead of this question, God, are you
12:05
S2: pleased with me? I saw, I thought, and I felt,
12:15
S2: you know, it's hard to be in the waiting room
12:18
S2: like Saul was and remain faithful to what you believe
12:22
S2: God has called you to. How about it? The waiting
12:27
S2: room will test you like no other place will test you.
12:32
S2: Some of you are waiting for a child and infertility
12:37
S2: is a difficult, challenging waiting room to be in. Maybe
12:47
S2: you have a husband that you're praying for, just believing
12:54
S2: that he's going to come, believing that he's going to
12:56
S2: turn around. And it's just month after month and year
13:00
S2: after year. And that husband seems to get harder and
13:04
S2: harder and just doesn't seem to turn around. Maybe you've
13:11
S2: been faithfully trying to do things upright and honestly in
13:15
S2: your small business owner, and you say, I want to
13:18
S2: dedicate it to God and do things right and not
13:21
S2: cheat on taxes like everybody else is doing. And I'm
13:24
S2: going to make sure that I follow all the rules
13:28
S2: and do things with integrity. But you keep thinking you're
13:31
S2: going to get a break. You keep thinking it's going
13:34
S2: to finally come through, but you're already a year and
13:38
S2: a half, two years into it, and man, you're still struggling.
13:43
S2: And it feels like, hey, God, hello. I'm trying to
13:48
S2: do what's right. I'm in the waiting room. And that door,
13:54
S2: through compromise or disobedience, starts shouting out you, out at you.
13:59
S2: Just open the door and you'll be out. You don't
14:02
S2: have to worry about it. How many of you know
14:04
S2: what I'm talking about? The waiting room is hard. Or
14:11
S2: maybe you're that young woman that broke up with a
14:16
S2: bad relationship because you knew when you came to Christ
14:21
S2: that that soon. That's not who God wanted you to
14:25
S2: be with. And so you're praying for that Christian man,
14:30
S2: and you're waiting and you're waiting and you're waiting. I've
14:39
S2: been trying to do things your way. And week after
14:43
S2: week and year after year, you're trying to hang on.
14:46
S2: You're trying to be faithful. You're trying to. But you
14:48
S2: know what? And after a while, you're justifying why you're
14:52
S2: dating a person that doesn't follow Jesus, that doesn't love
14:57
S2: the Lord, that doesn't come to church, that doesn't share
14:59
S2: your faith. Well, he's as good as most Christian men
15:02
S2: that I know. I've said this before, but sometimes our
15:06
S2: standard gets so low that now it's just mail and breathing,
15:09
S2: and I'm okay with that. Because it's hard to be faithful.
15:16
S2: It's hard to hang on. But here's what you need
15:18
S2: to be asking yourself. You need to determine in your
15:21
S2: heart before God. You need to ask yourself this question, Lord,
15:25
S2: am I pleasing to you? Not Lord, am I important? Lord,
15:34
S2: am I satisfied? Lord? Do people like me? Saul had
15:42
S2: to come to that understanding, and his compromise led him
15:51
S2: to actually sabotage his future.
15:59
S1: And we're going to get right into part two of
16:02
S1: today's Bold Steps message with Mark Jobe in just a second.
16:05
S1: But first, a quick reminder that you can always find
16:07
S1: these lessons and catch up on anything you miss by
16:10
S1: subscribing to our podcast. Just go to your favorite podcast
16:13
S1: platform and search for Bold steps with doctor Mark Jobe.
16:16
S1: Tap the subscribe button to never miss a lesson. And
16:19
S1: if you found these biblical teachings helpful, leave a comment
16:22
S1: and let us know. Also, look for us on social
16:25
S1: media and get an additional behind the scenes peek into
16:27
S1: all the exciting events coming up at Bold Steps. You'll
16:30
S1: find us on Facebook and Instagram by searching for Bold
16:33
S1: Steps Radio. All right, let's get back to the final
16:36
S1: half of Mark's message. It's titled Don't Give Up.
16:45
S2: You can't let that insecurity, that question, lead you to
16:50
S2: drive you from your place of obedience, cause you to
16:52
S2: assume roles that are not yours. Drive you to accomplish
16:54
S2: in the power of the flesh what your spiritual calling.
16:57
S2: And lastly, Don't give it up. Don't exchange spiritual shortcuts
17:03
S2: for long term legacy. You know, in verse 13, Samuel
17:12
S2: tells Saul you acted foolishly. You have not kept the
17:18
S2: command the Lord your God gave you. If you had,
17:20
S2: he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.
17:26
S2: But now your kingdom will not endure. The Lord has
17:29
S2: sought a man after his own heart. Look at me
17:34
S2: for a second. This is really, really important. Think about
17:39
S2: this for a second. God told Saul, Saul, if you
17:46
S2: follow after me and if you're obedient to me, and
17:52
S2: if your question is, do I please you, Lord, then
17:56
S2: I will establish a kingdom in your life that will
17:59
S2: endure forever. A kingdom that will have no end. What
18:04
S2: is the only kingdom that has no end? The kingdom
18:07
S2: of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. God told David,
18:12
S2: you'll have a kingdom that will have no end. Because
18:15
S2: out of the lineage of David came Jesus. Jesus was
18:20
S2: called the Son of David because David's son led and
18:24
S2: led and led. And then Jesus was born. And Jesus
18:27
S2: is King of kings. And his great great, great great
18:29
S2: great grandfather was David. What God was telling Saul. Think
18:33
S2: about it for a second. What God was telling Saul. Saul,
18:37
S2: if you're faithful, if you follow me, I will give
18:40
S2: you a kingdom that will have no end. Saul would
18:44
S2: have been the great great grandfather of Jesus, but instead
18:50
S2: that was taken away from him. And he still remained
18:56
S2: as king. But the anointing did lead. The joy of
19:01
S2: leading was taken away from him, and for 40 years
19:07
S2: he resented. David chased after David, threw rocks and spears
19:11
S2: at David. You can still be in the position that
19:14
S2: God has called you, but lose the favor and anointing
19:17
S2: of God when you lose the heart for God. There
19:21
S2: are pastors in this country that started with a fresh
19:23
S2: fire call of God on their life, but now they're
19:26
S2: just serving in a position, but they've lost their heart
19:28
S2: for God. There are husbands that started in marriages saying,
19:33
S2: we're going to make this a God centered marriage. I'm
19:36
S2: going to love my wife with all my heart. God
19:38
S2: is going to be the center of our household. And
19:40
S2: yet you're still a father, but you've lost the passion
19:43
S2: to have a household that honors God. There are some
19:48
S2: of you that started. I'm going to raise kids that
19:50
S2: are going to walk in God. I'm going to be
19:54
S2: an example teaching the things of God. And yet you're
19:56
S2: still a parent, but you've lost the passion, the favor,
19:59
S2: the anointing. The vision. There are some of you that
20:02
S2: have places of ministry. You thought God called you to
20:06
S2: heal people that were broken and that was your passion,
20:08
S2: and you jumped in and helped people that were broken
20:11
S2: and used your story to help them. But somewhere in
20:15
S2: the process, you've lost the anointing. You stop asking God,
20:18
S2: are you pleased with me? You got tired, overwhelmed, and
20:24
S2: you've lost the passion, the anointing, the call that God
20:27
S2: had upon your life. Listen, don't lose it. Don't give
20:32
S2: it up now because it can affect your future, your destiny.
20:39
S2: You give it up now. Like the Saul, he gave
20:44
S2: it up for a moment of gratification, for a moment
20:47
S2: of applause, for a moment where people liked him, for
20:50
S2: a moment where he felt good. He gave it up
20:53
S2: and he lost his kingdom. His children were affected by it.
20:56
S2: His grandchildren were affected by it. I'm going to tell you.
21:00
S2: Hang on to what God has given you. Hang on
21:02
S2: to obedience. Hang on to your call. Make sure that
21:05
S2: you're asking God. Are you pleased with me? Hang on
21:09
S2: to it, because in one moment you can give it
21:11
S2: up and suffer the consequences of it for years to come.
21:24
S2: You know, as I was praying this morning for you,
21:26
S2: the image that came to my mind was a football image.
21:32
S2: Whenever there's a fumble on the football field, both teams
21:36
S2: go crazy to get that ball. Have you ever seen
21:40
S2: a pile up and you're not sure who has the ball?
21:45
S2: I'm told that underneath that pile up, anything goes. Kicking, screaming. Hitting, poking,
21:53
S2: eyes punching. Because in the pile up The goal is
22:01
S2: we need to let this guy release the ball and
22:07
S2: whoever has that ball, they hang on with all their life.
22:10
S2: They crunch up, they get down and they're being pushed.
22:14
S2: £300 men are jumping on them, elbowing, pushing, kicking, struggling.
22:20
S2: Their goal is, let's get the ball out of this
22:23
S2: guy's hand because they know if we can get the ball,
22:26
S2: we can win the game. That's the image I have
22:29
S2: of some of you struggling with your destiny and your call.
22:32
S2: And the enemy is trying with all his might to
22:35
S2: try to get you out of your place of obedience.
22:37
S2: He's trying to get you out of your place to
22:40
S2: give it up now so he can affect your destiny.
22:44
S2: And some of you need to say, no, Lord God,
22:46
S2: I go back. I'm going to hang on to my
22:49
S2: call and of obedience. I'm going to be in the
22:51
S2: place that you've called me to be. I'm going to
22:53
S2: be faithful. I'm going to grab on to obedience. I'm
22:55
S2: going to grab on to that question. Lord, are you
22:57
S2: pleased with me? I'm going to hang on to what
23:00
S2: I know is right to do, no matter how difficult
23:03
S2: it is, father, because I have a purpose, a call,
23:07
S2: an anointing that I'm not going to allow it to
23:09
S2: be sabotaged by my current problem. Amen. Yeah. So this
23:22
S2: message is for someone right now that you are struggling
23:28
S2: to persevere. You know what you should do. You know
23:31
S2: what you should be doing. It may be in the
23:33
S2: area of sexual purity. It may be in the area
23:36
S2: of pursuing your wife and forgiveness. It may be in
23:40
S2: the area of ministry. That just is very difficult to do.
23:45
S2: I don't know what your situation is, but I do
23:48
S2: know that God has a word for you. Do not
23:51
S2: give up. Hang on. Like that image at the end,
23:55
S2: that football. Hang on with all your might, Whether you're
23:59
S2: kicked and pulled and knocked to the ground. Hang on
24:03
S2: with all your might. Because in the end, if you do,
24:06
S2: you will win for yourself and for God. So this
24:10
S2: is a call to persevere in your obedience.
24:14
S1: Well, that's great encouragement. Thank you Mark. And you're listening
24:17
S1: to Bold Steps. Today's message is titled Don't Give Up.
24:20
S1: And if you want to revisit any part of this lesson,
24:22
S1: or if you'd like to share it with a friend,
24:24
S1: be sure to download the Bold Steps app, which carries
24:26
S1: all of these messages and more. You can also visit
24:29
S1: our website, Bold steps.org. While you're there, you'll also want
24:33
S1: to check out this month's exclusive Bold Step Gift, a
24:36
S1: timely and encouraging book by Doctor Erwin Lutzer called The
24:40
S1: Church in Babylon. Heeding the call to be a light
24:43
S1: in the darkness. It actually connects with today's message very well.
24:47
S1: Obedience gets harder when the culture around us pulls us
24:49
S1: in a different direction, and this book will encourage you
24:52
S1: to stand firm and be a light right where God
24:55
S1: has placed you, no matter what pressure you're under to compromise.
24:58
S1: Once again. The book is called The Church in Babylon.
25:01
S1: Heeding the call to be a light in the darkness.
25:03
S1: We'll send you a copy today. When you give a
25:05
S1: gift of any amount to support this ministry, just visit
25:08
S1: us online at bold steps.org/give or call us at 800 D.L. Moody,
25:14
S1: that's (800) 356-6639. And if you'd rather send your donation and
25:21
S1: request the book in the mail, you can write to
25:23
S1: us at Bold Steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois,
25:28
S1: 60,006 ten. That's all the time we have today. I'm
25:32
S1: Wayne Shepherd. Tomorrow we'll begin a message called Get Back
25:35
S1: What You've Lost. The final message in this series called
25:38
S1: A heart for God. That's coming up Tuesday here on
25:42
S1: Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production
25:47
S1: of Moody Radio, a Ministry of Moody Bible Institute.