Divine Appointments
gtcotr/ss112005
God has a plan …
He will succeed …
We have a chance to participate!
Key Scripture: Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. (NKJV)
A story from 2 Kings 6 & 7
* Elisha’s insight into the ambush plans of King Benhadad of Syria
* More there be with us than be with them
* The Syrian army blinded
* Feeding the enemy
* The siege of Samaria, capital of Israel
* King Joram’s dilemma
* It’s God’s fault - the prophet must die!
2 Kings 6:33 … then the king said, “Sure this calamity is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?” (NKJV)
* Elisha’s prophecy
Here we pick up with:
2 Kings 7 (NKJV)
3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?”
4 “If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.”
The story continues …
* Off to the Syrian army camp at twilight
* The miracle of hearing
* The richest men in town
* Under conviction
* The king’s concern
* A prophecy comes true
The central characters in this story are four unsuspecting men who have a divine appointment with destiny.
There was nothing special about these men, quite the contrary. They had lived difficult lives: outcast from society and looked down upon. Most likely they had been beggars who depended solely on the kindness and charity of others for their daily needs.
Nonetheless these men were sovereignly chosen to carry out the plan of God.
In their minds they had nothing to loose. If they were captured then perhaps the Syrians would at least feed them, and if not - they would but only die - a destiny that awaits us all.
Even death is a divine appointment with God.
Following the normal progression of their disease, each day was more difficult than the former day. These men lived in pain and loss. Loss of the sense of feeling and loss of body parts accompanied by the mental and emotional pain of losing friends, family and community contact.
Perhaps one of the biggest losses faced by these men was the loss of their future hopes and dreams. Life was already over for them. They were among the living dead and their best years were behind them.
However, they had not calculated one factor into this equation of life. the factor of God’s will. What did God have in store for them. What was God’s plan for their lives.
In the New Testament we read in:
James 4:13 (NKJV)
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make profit”;
14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanished away.
15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”
16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
Jesus, the Christ, said in
John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. (NKJV)
I believe that:
* You are special to God
* There are places you must be and people you must see
* The plan of God is unfolding all around you right now
* It’s probably not all about you
So for this I have three challenges I want to give to you this morning.
#1 Don’t let fear hold you back in life - take your best shot!
#2 Enjoy the blessings God sends your way.
#3 Don’t forget to share the blessings with others.
Fear can keep you from getting God’s blessings, enjoying God’s blessings and sharing God’s blessings.
Luke 12:32 Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
