Sunday re-cap (10th September 2006)

In Spite Of (Unconditional Devotion to God)
Pr. Vincent Liew

Introduction: James 1:2-3 – My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.(NKJV)

i. It is natural for all of us to desire that everything goes well in our lives; our wealth, our health, our family, our relationships, etc.
ii. However, in reality, not everyday is a ‘beautiful Sunday’. We will definitely experience ‘good days’ as well as ‘bad days’. So what do we do?

We will look at three specific yet unique scenarios where those who were involved had to make a choice to either abandon God or follow Him in spite of their circumstances.

A. Scenario 1: Provisions – Habakkuk 3: 17-18

i. Fig tree, grapevine, olive, grain, and flocks covers the entire range of agricultural produce that Israel was dependent on for their livelihood
ii. We are not talking about the luxuries of life but the very basic needs in life. Imagine losing our jobs, having no food to feed us or our children, no money to pay our water or electric bills, and etc.
iii. But in spite of the seemingly bleak situation, Habakkuk could still rejoice in God his salvation. His confidence did not rest in visible yet temporal blessings, but rather in an unshakeable relationship with God. God is still God whether He continues to provide these things for his people or not. Habakkuk was determined to rejoice and exult in the Lord even though there may not be any visible or external signs of His presence or favor.

B. Scenario 2: Persecution/Deliverance – Daniel 3:15-18

i. Three good friends of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced life and death situation. Bow down and worship a false idol or be thrown into the blazing furnace.
ii. In spite of staring death in the face, obeying God was more important than life to these three, so if God chose not to deliver them, they will still be devoted to Him. They did not know how God will deliver them, but dead or alive, they knew they were God’s treasured possession. God may be trusted to protect us, but our honoring Him is not conditional upon His preserving us. The three were not delivered from the fire, but in the fire!

C. Scenario 3: Physical Wellbeing/Healing – Job 2:7-10

i. Apparently hopeless case. In spite of all his afflictions (material, emotional, physical) Job did not sin against God. He had disproved Satan’s claim that he would sin with his lips by cursing God if he was physically struck down.

Conclusion
We can rise above the circumstances because our God is with us and He will never leave us nor forsake us. He the One who gives us strength and grace to be more than overcomers.