Do You Limit God?

I told my wife there's a clock on the back wall. She said, yes, but can you see it?

I can. I have titled this, Limiting the Holy One of Israel.

We will see the scripture from which I have taken that title.

The Holy Scriptures refer to our Heavenly Father by a number of names. He is called the Almighty. He is called the Eternal One, or the YHBH, the Tetragrammaton, the word that means the Ever Existing One. He is called Healer and Creator. He is the Sovereign God, the Almighty God.

Words that are commonly used in the English language to describe God are omnipotent, all-powerful, omniscient, omnipresent. When we use names like that, we are proclaiming that we believe God is all-powerful and all-capable. We are stating that there are no limits in our mind and our belief, no limitations to the power of that great God. And despite that, we realize that humanity has been limiting God for 6,000 years. Man has tended to place many limits on God. Let's turn to Romans chapter 1. Romans 1, because Paul refers to humanity in general. He was primarily focusing on the Gentile world in chapter 1, and then he jumps with both feet, as it were, on the Jews in chapter 2. But he's making broad statements about the millennia man has been here on the earth. And there is this tendency within human beings. We want to create and form and fashion something that is our image of God. We see that bearing, playing out in scripture different times with the Golden Kef, the story when Moses was up on the Mount and Aaron gave in to the mob and the Golden Kef was formed. It was their image. It came from Egypt, their image of what God was like to them. And many centuries later, in the days of rebellion, Jeroboam and the Northern tribes, once again, they were in the north at Dan, in the south part of the Northern Kingdom at Bethel. There were calves that were formed and fashioned.

Romans 1, let's notice beginning in verse 20. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. So as Mr. Frankie was talking about, the gardens and the things that grow, the closer we look at the world around us, the more we see the fingerprints of God everywhere. We all remember the old, well, in my day it was the paper cup and then it became the styro cup and the potting soil and children going through the experiment of putting a bean or whatever seed in there. Every single time that seed, as it were, rots and dies, and from that dying seed comes life. Two shoots, one would reach forward to break the surface of the soil and become the plant that we see, and the other would always turn down and form the root system. And a mind beyond anything we can imagine designs that. As we look at that, we marvel at the handiwork of God. Continuing, so that they are without excuse. And man truly is without excuse. Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, in their foolish hearts were darkened, professing to be wise they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God. There's another word that's used of God. A God that is not subject to just the process of corruption that you and I are subject to. Into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things, and we'll break from reading there. But we have seen that in society. The Egyptians had their eagle, and many gods. If you go back and study the plagues upon Israel, excuse me, the plagues in the days of the children of Israel, against Egypt, and basically they were an assault upon the gods of Egypt. We also see that in the days of the Roman Empire, the Roman Eagle. And so these different representations of what God represents to different ones. But let us today be reminded by looking at some of the stories from God's words. God's word of the unlimited power of God. Man tends to place bounds to set limits upon God's power, and we restrict God. Let's go back to Psalm 78.

Psalm 78. It's a beautiful psalm, a bit longer psalm. It's a psalm of Asaph. It's relating a profound yet eloquent story of Israel, and how Israel repeatedly minimized God's ability to work through them. It tells of how Israel so quickly forgot about the wonders of God and devolved into a petty group who made the silliest demands of God. They lied to God, they flattered God, they later completely walked away from him. And that's kind of a summary of what humanity in general has done for 6,000 years. Psalm 78. Let's pick it up in verse 5. For he established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers that they should make them known to their children, that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children. That they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God. So he begins by writing in the lyrics of his psalm the reasons God gave them a law. He wanted them passed on. He wanted the stories of what God had done passed on that they wouldn't forget. And yet, throughout this psalm, it talks about the times they forgot God and tempted God. Verse 8, and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, the generation that did not, said it's hard to write and whose spirit was not faithful to God. Let's go down to verse 11. Speaking of Ephraim, turning back in battle, verse 11, they forgot his works and his wonders that he had shown them. So look at any generation of Israel. If you look at the days of Moses, you had psalm who had walked through the waters of a divided sea. You had all of them who lived to the point where they would go out and they would find this little white fine stuff out on the ground, out on the plants, however God sent at the manna. And there were times when the water didn't taste right, and God would have Moses cut a tree, cast into it, and the water was sweet. And there were times when there was no water and God would send it from a rock. So God had taken care of them, his wonders that he had shown them. Marvelous things he did in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. He divided the sea. Verse 14, the daytime he led them with a cloud and all the night with a light of fire. He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink and abundance. Let's go on down verse 17. But they send even more against him, even more, by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness. And we know that story. And they tested God in their heart by asking for the food of their fancy. Yes, they spoke against God. They said, can God prepare a table in the wilderness? And goes here talking about the water from the rock, the bread, the bread of life, the manna that came. And verse 21, therefore the Lord heard this and was furious. So a fire was kindled against Jacob and his anger came up against Israel because they did not believe in God. And this is a phrase that's important. It always comes back to that.

Do we believe in God? Then if so, we have to believe that He is unlimited.

And we should live our life that way. And did not trust in His salvation. It speaks again of opening the doors of heaven and the raining down of manna and even the the raining meat on them. Verse 27, the time when the quail came and covered the camp.

Let's go to verse 30. They were not deprived of their craving while their food was still in their mouths. The wrath of God came against them and slew the stoutest of them and struck down the choice men of Israel. In spite of all this, they still sinned and did not believe in His wondrous works. It continues to return to that statement that it got down to the fact that they just didn't believe in God, in His power, and His ability to take care of them. 34. When He slew them, then they sought Him, and they returned and sought earnestly for God. Then they remembered that God was their rock and the Most High, their Redeemer. Nevertheless, they flattered Him with their mouth. They lied to Him with their tongue. Their heart was not steadfast with Him. They would return. They would find their religion again. The world's filled with lots of people. In times, when their life passes before their eyes, they find religion all again. They cry out to God. But then they forget, God, if You'll do this for me, I'll go to church every Sunday.

And then they forget about that. I want to go down with you to verse 39. For He remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again.

And that's what all of us are. Our lives, we live 20 years, we live 80 years, whatever it is that God allows us to have. It comes and it's over so quickly. Life is just a breath. How often they provoked Him in the wilderness. Think back to the stories in the book of Numbers. They'd reach a certain point and they wanted to get a captain and they wanted to go back to Egypt. I think Numbers 14 or Numbers 16.

Numbers 11, they remembered the fish, the melons, the garlic, the leeks that we had back in Egypt. They complained. And something within me as a student of human nature believes that when they were in Egypt, they probably complained about what? Fish and garlic and leeks and melons and same things. Human nature hasn't changed. Verse 40 continuing, and grieved Him in the desert. Yes, again and again, they tempted God and limited the Holy One of Israel.

They did not remember His power the day when He redeemed them from their enemy, when He worked His signs in Egypt, in His wonders in the field of Zoan. But I think we'll break from reading right there the key phrase and limited the Holy One of Israel. I looked up that phrase in a number of translations, just out of curiosity, to see how others render that particular Hebrew word. The modern King James Version says or wrote that they pained the Holy One. Another one says they gave pain to the Holy One.

Revised Standard says they provoked the Holy One. And we see that where there were times when they were a bunch of whimpering crybabies and God would tell Moses, get out of the way, I'm going to wipe them out, and I'll start over through you. They provoked God. The Jewish translation, the Tanakh, it says, and set bounds to the Holy One of Israel. And I like that thought, that picture that's painted. They set boundaries to God, that God can work in their lives so far, but then can go no further.

And my question for us today to consider is, do we do the same thing? Do we limit God? Do we set parameters that God can do certain things in our life, but can go no further? The New International says they vexed the Holy One of Israel. But in taking the word limited, just ran it through dictionary.com online, and it says that limited means confined within limits, restricted, such as a limited space or having limited resources. And so the key phrase in verse 41, the verses leading up to it and following it, are making the case that the use of the word limited is saying that Israel diminished their expectations of what the unlimited God could do for them.

And again, I ask, do we make the same mistake? Do we go to God in prayer and limit God as far as what He can do? Do we go to God in prayer and in our prayer we tell God exactly how we think He ought to fix our problems? Been there, done that.

Can't cast stones at anybody. I think we all have. Instead of going to God and just simply saying, I am your servant, I do not know what to do. Show me what you want me to do in life. Lead me in the steps that I should walk. Like Israel, we too can limit God. We may not do it deliberately. I don't think we do, generally. But we still do it. We diminish our expectations of what the all-powerful, unlimited God can do on our behalf.

We have scriptures that are very familiar to us, such as Hebrews 13 verse 8, that you could just make a note of. Hebrews 13 verse 8, Jesus Christ to the same yesterday, today, and forever. We have another familiar one just before Malachi spoke about tithing. Malachi 3 verse 6 God inspired him to write, I am the Eternal, I change not. Therefore, you sons of Israel are not destroyed. Is the thought that is painted there. I'm God, I don't change. We're going to look at some scriptural examples that if God provided for people long ago, nothing's changed.

Different day and age, different names and dates. The same God, same God who delights in blessing his people.

Let's consider the topic of healing. Healing is one that most of us have been troubled by.

We see examples in the scriptures where at times it seems Christ healed everybody who was brought. Other times it says that they brought the sick and the lame and then many were healed.

Which I puzzle over that. Did he heal just some? Did he refuse to heal others? Or like the man who was let down through the roof, did they just not get close enough to where they had his direct involvement? A lot of that is not answered. Let's go to Mark 1. Mark 1, begin in verse 29.

Mark 1 verse 29.

Now, as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told him about her at once. So he came and took her by the hand that lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.

And she served them. So it was a dramatic healing where she had the strength and stamina to get up and to serve the guests in her home. But at evening when the sun had set and we'd have to go up the chapter a little bit, this was a Sabbath day, so it reads the chronology that we follow through would be like the Sabbath ends with the sun setting, the evening came.

And they brought to him all who were sick and those who were demon possessed. The whole city was gathered together at the door. Then he healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons. And he did not allow the demons to speak because they knew him.

Sometimes he healed all, sometimes he healed many. And God is the one who told Moses long ago, I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy. And he doesn't have to answer that to me or to you. God reigns as sovereign and he makes certain decisions and he doesn't give us all the details in this life. In this topic of healing, I have a lot of questions, but I'm at peace about it because it's not my responsibility. My mother died of cancer when she just turned 62. But it was a horrible last year and a half. It really was. There's something curious about all of us. As much as we prayed, as much as we fasted, as much as we besought God and tried to encourage Mom and be there to help Dad, still God's answer in this life. And see, we have trouble with that. God's answer in this life is, no, I'm going to take my servant Joanne and she's going to go to her place of safety. Because, you see, Satan can't touch my mother. Hasn't been able to since February, whatever, 28th, February 28th, 1980. But you see, you and I still live on and we've got that battle. He's not going to give up. So I wonder about that. And yet with time, as the pain, we all deal with grief. We grieve differently. Nothing's right versus wrong. We're different. We all have to go through that process. But in time, I looked and I saw there were things that the process did to me. There were things I saw and understood. I never understood before. And sometimes in speaking, I get emotional and the words won't come out. And I may have to swallow hard a few times. I say, my mother did this to me because she really was. There was that emotional side very strong within her. And she gave it to me. My dad used to say, you're more like your mother than any of the other kids, even you and my sister. Well, that's probably a good thing. But like Christ, who learned an obedience by the things that he suffered when he walked the earth here, there are things we suffer and it makes us different. The eyes open. These little lights go on. We see things that we couldn't see before. So do we limit God's healing as being only in the days when Christ walked the earth? Do we limit God's healing to only be in the days of the early church, such as when Peter and Peter with John, the lame man. You know, we work for the church. We don't have any money. But in the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk. And he was healed by God. And later, where Peter's shadow would go, people wanted to be touched by his shadow because God honored that. Was healing only for those days? Or do we have healing today? And if we think there's no healing today, are we guilty of placing limits on the unlimited God?

Do we limit God by blaming him for not healing? We were told to the outset, it is appointed to men once today. Or the old saying, movie quote from Clint Eastwood, Tomorrow is promised to no one. And there's truth to that. Tomorrow is not promised to you or to me. And somewhere down the line, our last breath is going to go out. And we know that there may be times, though, before that point when God heals us. There may be times when he allows us to suffer, like Paul, who besought God for whatever that thorn in the flesh was. And God said, no, my grace, my unmerited, unearned forgiveness is enough, lest you be exalted above measure. Because there is, well, with Lucifer, it is pride where sin began. And generally, with sin in our own lives, we can trace it back to pride.

Let's look at Exodus 23, beginning in verse 25.

Exodus 23 verse 25. He says, So you shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one shall suffer, miscarriage, or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days. Now, this is in the section called the judgments.

Commandments were given in chapter 20. These were followed by the judgments, chapters 21, 22, 23. In fact, 21 began. Now, these are the judgments. And then we have the ratification with blood of the covenant in chapter 24. But one of the agreements that God made, it's in the judgments here a bit earlier in Exodus, with the healing of the waters of Mara, it was called a statute forever.

One of the agreements God made with them was that we, that I, as God, will heal you. I will heal you. Here he said, I will take sickness away from the midst of you. And so as we read this, and we look at it at face value, God promises as one of his benefits to take sickness away. He is not the afflicter with disease. He is the healer from disease. There are a lot of times we may do things to ourselves. There are a lot of things we can all change, I'm sure, in our lives. And once upon a time, I had triglycerides that were up off the scale, which skewed my cholesterol, which was bad, and made a number of changes.

Losing 40 pounds helps, and losing 20 more would help even more. But anyone who struggled with weight, I will cast no stones. I've been there, done that. I haven't bought the t-shirt, but nothing easy about it. But by changing a few things in diet, I haven't tasted a soda pop, as we called them in the South. I haven't tasted a Coke, a Dr.

Pepper, or Mountain Dew in 6-7 years, probably. Last time I took a taste of one, I drank about a third of a 12-ounce can of Pepsi, and my stomach started hurting. And I looked at that can, and I went outside the tire shop where I was, and poured it on their bushes. Anyhow, I don't know if it killed the bush or not. Do we let all your diseases mean just exactly precisely that, or do we limit God?

And just blankly say, we get all these prayer requests sometimes. It can be depressing. It really can be. We don't seem to hear as much about the times when God has intervened for His people. But it still happens many, many times. Again, let's leave the decision-making to God. I will have mercy upon Him. I will have mercy. And the thing that He does not tell us in this realm of healing is the answer to the question, When?

We want healing. We want it now. We want it right here, as if we think we're going to live into the Kingdom as flesh and blood. And there are times when God decides to heal, and there are times when He decides to let us hurt for a long time, and times when He puts us in our place of safety. Mr. Eckman doesn't have to struggle with the flesh any longer. Let's look at Mark 1. Mark 1, verses 40 and 41. Mark 1, verse 40. Now a leper came to Him, and pouring Him, kneeling down to Him, and saying to Him, If you are willing, you can make Me clean.

Now here is an individual who was... well, we don't know much about him. We don't know if he was of the house of Judah. We don't know if he was Gentile, of what nation. But we know what is important. He believed. He knew that when he went to Jesus and implored Him, he was the God who had all power. But he also realized God has a will. God's will may be different than ours. Then Jesus moved with compassion, stretched out His hand, and touched Him, and said to Him, I am willing, be cleansed.

And so the decision was made. The healing came to pass. God may heal. God may allow us to suffer, because that's how we learn. God may allow physical equalizer to humble us along the way. But God often teaches us obedience by hurting, just as Christ learned. Let's consider the area of miracles. I realize a healing is a miracle, but let's look more in general at miracles as far as God intervening for us, or God providing for us. Do we believe that God's provision is true today, or was that just for back in the days of the Old Testament, or the days of the New Testament?

Well, again, let's remember, God said, I am the Eternal, I change not. And we have the same God today. He's the same yesterday, and today, and forever. The Father and the Son have not changed. They worked miracles. They miraculously provided. They miraculously fed Elijah in the cave.

They provided for their people so many times. So let us take care, lest we limit God's miraculous acts in our life. Let's go to 2 Kings 4. There is a story that fascinates me from the days of Elisha the prophet. 2 Kings 4, and we'll focus on the first seven verses.

2 Kings 4, verse 1. A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets. Now, once in a while, you'll see that phrase back in the books of Samuel in Kings. The sons of the prophets would seem to imply some type of a school. Remember, I forget which chapter it was, where after Elijah had gone up into heaven in the chariot, where God just transported him somewhere else on the earth. And then, shortly thereafter, the young people from the sons of the prophets came mocking Elijah.

They did something awful, calling him an old bald head. What's wrong with that? It's been headed that way since I was mid-30s. Saved on shampoo. I've never owned a hair dryer in my life. I'm sure I'm not going to buy one now. But they were mocking Elisha, and then the two she-bears came out and damaged, what was it, two score and a four. I forget how many. Quite a few. But here in chapter 4, continuing, verse 1, your servant my husband is dead. Here is a widow. Her husband apparently had been supporting the ministry of Elisha and maybe predated that to the days of Elijah.

And you know that your servant feared the Lord. He was in the program. He feared God. He was supporting your work. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves. So she was left with bills. She didn't have the wherewithal to pay. And so the creditors were going to do whatever they could.

And that is, she's got these two sons. I take it they're not seven and five. Big enough to work, and he was going to have them work off that debt. So Elisha said to her, what shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house? In other words, God's going to perform a miracle and take care of you. What do you have here that God may use to do so?

And she said, your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil. Now that's referring to olive oil. That was good, hard cash money. And that was something that was a part of their life as far as their diet and all, as well. Then he said, go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors. Empty vessels do not gather just a few. So God is going to do something remarkable for you in order to take care of you.

Go. Don't go to certain houses and skip others. Go to every neighbor. Find a vessel. It doesn't matter if it's a, you know, what we'd call a large coffee mug today, or this big clay pot that might hold three gallons. Borrow everything in which can hold oil. Therefore, and when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons.

Then pour it into all those vessels and set aside the full ones. See, when this miracle was actually performed, Elisha wasn't even there. It was kind of like the centurion that came to Christ, and he said, no, you don't have to come to my house. You just speak the word and it will happen, and it did. So Elisha wasn't there, because God was the one performing the miracle. The human being, imperfect as he will be, is just the tool. So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her, and she poured it out.

It came to pass when the vessels were full that she said to her son, bring me another vessel. And he said to her, there is not another vessel, so the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God, and he said, go sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons live on the rest. Live on the rest. So God took care of them through this divine miracle.

But don't ask for just a few. Do we expect miracles in life? Do we expect God to give us an answer to our prayers? To give us understanding? To find us a house? Whatever it is you need. In the process, hopefully we go and we try every door and every window to see what might open. But then the time comes when God makes it clear. This is what I'm providing for you. Do we expect God? Or do we ask for just a little? Are we skimping on our requests? And in the process, do we limit the extent to which God can help us?

If the widow and her sons had only gone and gotten six or eight vessels into which oil could be poured, they would have limited what God was able to do. But as they followed His instructions, they had the wherewithal to pay their debt and live life. Now, Mr. Robin Weber had, for some time, wrote a series in the Beyond Today magazine, his Follow Me series.

One time he was referring to Peter wanting to join Christ, who was out walking on Sea of Galilee, and Christ simply beckoned him to come to me. All was fine for a while as Peter walked on the water. And then he looked down, and we always get in trouble when we use Isaac. You know, what? Vision from our eyes instead of vision from God.

And if God says, come, or if God says, in this case, go get all the vessels you can find, and we follow, then God can provide for us. Sometimes we're in a dangerous situation. We cry out to God. The stories that we've heard, there used to be a series of letters that were sent in to, back at that time, it was headquarters at Pasadena. And they would provide the ministry with this thick book of some actual letters that were sent in. The one story was of a family down in South America somewhere, I forget the country, but on their way to the feast, they went to the bank to get their feast money.

And as the man came out, four men came around, robbed him of every penny, turned, ran down the alley, and before he had time to even wonder what in the world went on, or shout police or anything, they came running back around to him, gave him his money back, and more besides. Which makes you wonder, what in the world did they run into down the alley?

Well, if we encounter danger, well, as the Apostle James said, you have not because you asked not. Don't limit God and what he can do for you and through you. Remember, like Psalm 78, they forgot his mighty works. Remember his mighty works. David with Goliath. Now, granted, he did go down to the brook and he got five stones, but he only took one. He only took one. I read one commentary, I don't even remember what it was, years ago, talking about faith. He said that with that story, Israel looked at Goliath and said, this guy is so big, he's too big to hit. We won't fight him. David, through eyes of faith, looked at Goliath and said, this guy's so big, there's no way I can miss.

But he didn't get five stones. Now, you find out a little later on, Goliath had brothers, so... Anyhow, we aren't told exactly why, but nothing like having a little extra ammunition. I can say that here in Alaska, can't I? I could. I was free to say that in Alabama, that was for sure. In Alabama, years ago, the Soviets moved in on the old Soviet state of Georgia. And in the rednecks at Walmart in Alabama, we're saying, the Ruskies can have Georgia, but if they step into Alabama, we're going to meet them with a hail of lead. That's not a true story, by the way, but that's something we chuckle about down there. We have stories of Joshua and Caleb, who said, the land's there, it's ours, God's giving it to us, let's go. And the other ten said, no, people who live there are too big to fight.

Let's go to another area and let's consider provision. And yes, we just talked about it with the Whitowner sons, but let's look at it separately as well.

Christ walked the earth over time when a multitude would follow and they got hungry. He would take fishes and loaves and feed thousands. When we write a check and stuff it in an envelope and throw that green envelope in the plate on a holy day, we like to pray that God will perform the miracle of the fishes and the bread with that. Because whatever we give, we always wish we could give more. We're thankful we can give what we can, but we ask God, take it, use it to perform your will, to perform your work, let it be used in a way that would be pleasing to you.

It's an interesting story back in Genesis 22. We could look at it for a number of reasons, but this is the story of when Abraham was told to take that son of promise and go to the land of Moriah, and your son will be the burnt offering. You offer him there to me. That's it. And as this story plays out, we've got Abraham in the typology. Abraham is playing the part of God the Father. Remember that when they traveled, they traveled for three days.

And Christ was going to be... During that time, Abraham was going to do what God told him to do. His son was as good as dead. And then, at the end of three days, his son was given back to him. Fascinating story, in many regards. So, verse 2, he's told, take your son, your only son Isaac. And remember, he had waited a long time. A long time for this son. 25 years he had waited. And now the son was old enough to be called a lad, whether that's teens or maybe even early 20s. We don't know. But he wasn't a toddler any longer. You take him to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. Now, it's Jewish tradition, and it's just that tradition, that that was where, later on, David bought the threshing floor from Ornan, where the Temple Mount was in the days of Solomon, and continues to this day. That's what the thinking is. So, as the story goes on, the three days, they bound up the wood. And it's always interesting, verse 5 to me, Abraham said to his young men, Stay here with the donkey, the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we, notice the we, the lad and me, we, will come back to you. Now, Hebrews 11 tells us a little bit more that Abraham realized, if I sacrifice this son, God has to be true to his word, he has to give him back to me.

Well, took the wood, made the fire, bound his son, son first one, and now where's the lamb for the offering? And then found out I'm it. And that's interesting about Isaac. He submitted to the plan his father revealed to him. Just as Jesus that night prayed earnestly, Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but your will be done.

And Isaac did that in type long ago, long before. Well, as the story goes on, Abraham was about to slay his son at the end of verse 10. The angel of the Lord called to him, Abraham, Abraham, here I am. Do not lay your hand on the lad. And then notice verse 13. Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for the burnt offering instead of his son. Instead of his son. There's that concept of a substitution, a substitutionary sacrifice that was thread throughout the Old Testament sacrificial law. Verse 14, Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide. Or the marginal note in my Bible says Yahweh Yereth. God is our provider.

As it is to this day, in the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided. And that points to the events of what was going to happen around Jerusalem long afterward. And salvation to humanity. So lots of parallels there. But the Lord will provide, and he miraculously provided a ram for the sacrifice. Philippians 4. Philippians 4. And let's first notice verse 15.

Philippians 4 verse 15. Paul was commending the Philippian church highly because of their willingness to give. Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the Gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving, but you only. For even in Thessalonica, you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Well, remember, this is one of his prison epistles. He's cooling his heels in Rome under house arrest. Then let's read verse 18. Indeed, I have all and abound. I am full having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Do we let God's promise through Paul's words, all your need, mean just exactly that? And notice he did use the word need. Not necessarily what we might want, but what we need. Do we let all mean all, or do we limit God in providing for us? His bounty is unlimited. In the Psalm, I think Psalm 50, he says, I own the cattle on a thousand hills. The sun is shining brightly out there today. He leaves the sun turned on full blast. We have a habit of leaving the house, turn off lights, turn what? Turn the heat.

We didn't use the heat a whole lot in Alabama, but sometimes. Mainly it was the air conditioner. That was survival down there. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, give us this day our daily bread. Do we ask God to take care of us today? So that at the end of the day, we can thank God that I have eaten and not been eaten today. Let's consider protection.

The Bible abounds with examples of God's supernatural protection and deliverance of his people. Whether we go back to the days of Israel with the Midianites and the days of Gideon. Too many let those who go home who want to go home. Still too many. Watch how they lap water from the stream. Got it down to 300 and got intervened for them. We have the story of Daniel's three friends. He ended up in the fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar said, it looks like there are four there. One's like the son of the Most High. They came out and didn't even smell scorched. Nothing was singed. We have Paul and Silas in jail. Of all things, they're in Philippi, singing praises to God at about midnight. If I was coiling my heels in jail, I would just tend to get a case of, what was me? What a sorry mess that I got myself into this time. But they're singing praises to God that we are a kind of worthy to suffer for His name's sake. And then the earthquake broke up in the jail, and you know that story. One angel in the days of Hezekiah, one angel wanting killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers that night. In Psalm 34, verse 7, bottom line promise, it says, The angel of the Lord and camps round about those who fear Him and delivers them. Yeah, I like that story of the family, of their feast money, and it was stolen. And then more was given back.

A number of years ago, I read a book. It's titled, A Thousand Shall Fall. In fact, let's go to Psalm 91. Some of you may have run across that book, written by a lady, Susie, last name, Monday, M-U-N-D-Y-D. Adventist family in Nazi Germany during World War II. Conscientious objectors to warfare and bearing arms. That'd be a tough place to live for those years, from what, was it late 1938 or so, when they first invaded Poland, and then, you know, until 1945. It's a lot of years. Six, seven years, anyhow. Living in Nazi Germany. The father was conscripted into the army. Thankfully, his request was honored. He was in the medical corps, to be able to go and help those who were wounded. They required that he carry a firearm. They issued him a pistol, with a holster with the leather flap that snaps over it. He took a piece of wood and carved it out, to wear that when he painted it black, he put it in that holster, so that when the flap was snapped, he would think he's packing heat. He took the real pistol and pitched it out in the middle of a pond. And it was an amazing story, how the father, how many things he faced, but then it told the story of the mother and the children. Someone having a place out in the woods, where they were able to live in a house. And they had nothing, but somebody would come by and had some extra potatoes. Somebody had some extra beans, and they were able to survive. A thousand shall fall. She took her title from Psalm 91. And this is a psalm of protection. And it paints a beautiful picture of God, verse 4, being like, we've probably all seen a mother hen, and the little chicks run to her and hide under her wings. He shall cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you shall take refuge. His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror at night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. So, Susie Munday took A Thousand May Fall, took that as the title for her book of her family, Surviving the War in Nazi Germany. Do we limit God in his ability to protect us? Now, we live in a society that is ever increasingly an armed camp, whether we look at nations or whether we look at individuals. The land of the Deep South we just moved from. It's, you know, the Confederate flags still fly. And if you go to a NASCAR race, you've got 140,000 beer-swilling rednecks there. And love them for pieces. They're the type of people, if you get into a fight, you sure want to be on the same side. But they are putting their trust in guns, the numbers of guns that they can own. And methinks, I get a little taste of that up here, too. Alaskans have their guns.

It's, you know, we want to use wisdom and common sense. There are places we have no business going, especially when it's dark. There are parts of towns that we're not safe in, in the middle of the broad daylight. And we want to use wisdom, be wise as serpents, have a plan of escape, but mainly pray for God's protection. That's part of the daily bread. Take care, provide what we need today. And part of that would be protection. Another aspect we'll touch on very briefly is forgiveness. But this is the biggie. It seems that Satan has great success in getting us to be weighted down with a lot of guilt.

He's had a lot of his success that way. Even though we could read in Psalm 103, verse 3, Who removes your sins as far as the east is from the west. He promises that. Or the last verse in Isaiah 1, Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as wool or as white like snow. God promises that. I always marvel when I'm reading of the Apostle Paul because we're given kind of the before and after shots of Paul. The before aspect of Paul was he was a zealot. He would go and get authorization from the Jewish powers that be to go find Christians and then haul them in. We find Paul giving consent. They laid the clothes, the belongings of Stephen at his feet.

And just to prove that God has a sense of humor, he thought, he said, I'm going to call that guy.

And then we're given the rest of the story as he had his Damascus experience. As he was on his way with more authorization to go find more Christians. And the bright light and the voice, why are you persecuting me? And three days of blindness and the baptism, the spirit of God, the scales falling from his eyes. And from that point forward, it is as though Paul had no remembrance of his earlier life. And what a wonderful trait that would be. I've done things, you've done things, and you know, Satan can use that to bring those memories back, to get us spinning our wheels in the Alabama red mud. When we get stuck, we can't go anywhere.

He uses guilt. It's one of his great tools. And yet Paul was taken there and he stood there before the council and said, Man and brethren, I stand here before God and man in all good conscience unto this day.

Our Creator has promised to remove our sins.

He began walking through the Holy Days once again. And Christ as the Lamb of God, as John the Baptist said of him, the Lamb who bears away the sins of the world. He has taken those sins on himself. Why then do we sometimes act as if we don't believe God when he says, I'll remove it as far as east is from west? Now, understandably, forgiveness hinges on repentance in going to God for forgiveness. Sometimes we have to make things right and make restitution with people, but at any rate, these stories from the Bible, stories from other people, that's why it's so important we come here today. I could never be one of those happy to be a part of the living room church of God and just sit at home. Because by coming here, we rub shoulders with each other, we hear each other's stories. And those stories, like Paul wrote to Rome, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Yes, whether we read of a widow on the days of Elisha with two sons and debts, or whether we have something, and we will have something, that comes up probably this week to try us, to test us, because that's what it's all about. God wants to know what we're made of. He also wants us to face every situation we possibly can to refine our character, so that he can use us throughout all eternity. So, whenever we face a trial of our faith, let us stop and remember the times when God has intervened for other people, for God's people in days of old, or when he has led us and delivered us and or poured out abundant blessings. Let's close over in Matthew 9. Matthew 9, beginning in verse 28. Ten, excuse me, two blind men came to Jesus. They were crying for mercy. Matthew 9, verse 28. And when he had come into the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I am able to do this? And they said to him, Yes, Lord. And he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith, be it unto you. And their eyes were opened. So often it comes down to that basic question, Do you believe that I am able to do this? And we come before the Almighty, unlimited God, the all-powerful God, the sovereign God today. We go before him when we pray. And God wants to know, Do we believe that he is able to do what he promised? Well, as Jesus said, According to your faith, be it unto you. If we believe in God, then let us depend on God. Let us trust in his many promises, and let us never be among those who were spoken of in Psalm 78 as those who placed boundaries or limitations on the unlimited God.