GOD BLESS ME SO I CAN BLESS YOU

(THE PRAYER OF JABEZ)

5/12/2001 AND 5/13/2001

(Mother’s Day Weekend)

1 Chronicles 4

9 Jabez was more honourable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain."

 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

(NIV)

. 9 There was a man named Jabez who was more distinguished than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. 10 He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and extend my lands! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!" And God granted him his request. (TLB)

PRAYER

-For Mother’s Day this year we are giving away the book, The Prayer of Jabez.

-It is a great little book but the story from the Bible is even better.

-I want to look at this passage of Scripture and see how we can apply it today.

1.    JABEZ WAS MORE HONOURABLE THAN HIS BROTHERS

-It is amazing that in the middle of this genealogy the writer takes a break to talk about Jabez. Then after he tells us the story, he goes right on again with the list of Israel’s genealogy.

-We don’t know very much about Jabez. The rest of the Bible is silent about him.

-Maybe the people who immediately read this knew about him, we just don’t know any more than it says here.

-The starting place was HIS CHARACTER.

-His peers didn’t affect him.

-He was a man who walked in integrity and honour.

-He was more honourable than his brothers.

-It is so easy to be limited by the people around you.

-Jabez decided to shoot higher.

He wanted more in his life and he was willing to adjust his life and character to God and what was right to get it.

-What does this mean? We know he wasn’t a liar and a cheat.

-Sometimes you have to get away from the people who would hold you back by expecting you to be like them.

-You hear the voice of God like Jabez, you aren’t going to let your surroundings and circumstances limit you.

2.    HIS MOTHER NAMED HIM JABEZ

-It says she named him Jabez because she bore him in pain.

-Jabez means pain or literally: HE WILL CAUSE PAIN.

-In the Bible a name was often a prophecy. It spoke of your future and others expectations of you.

-This mother tried to limit his future based on her experience.

-Remember when Jesus tried to minister to those He grew up with they said, THIS IS JOSEPH’S BOY.

-Other’s expectations of you can limit you if you let it.

-People can say ‘Nobody ever went to college in our family.’

-‘Our family has always been poor.’

 -People have a picture of your future. It may or may not be the truth.

Jeremiah 29

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

-You don’t have to be a victim of your own or someone else’s experience.

-You can be who God says you can be.

-Even your momma could be wrong. Nobody is God but God. Only His word is final!

-Don’t let someone else’s expectations for your future limit you.

3.    AND JABEZ CALLED ON THE GOD OF ISRAEL

-He was wise; he went to the right place.

-It is so easy to go to the wrong place to get answers to your dilemmas.

-Prayer is the answer. Call on the Name of the Lord.

-His future looked bad but he looked to God for a change and an answer.

-Your ancestry and training and whatever aren’t enough. You need to call on the name of the Lord.

-All things are possible to those who believe.

-We don’t pray because we don’t believe it will help/we pray because we believe it does.

4.    OH THAT YOU WOULD BLESS ME INDEED

-One of the things I hear from people who read this little book and reflect on Jabez’s prayer is that they didn’t feel it was right to ask God to bless them.

Genesis 12

1 ¶ The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

-Blessing in the Bible brings:

righteousness

salvation

prosperity

rain/dew

Proverbs 10

22 ¶ The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.

-The purpose of being blessed is to be able to bless.

-You can’t give what you haven’t got.

-The commentary said, ‘Abram had a responsibility to live in such a way that he would bless others. God wants His blessings to be a river that flows through us, not a dead sea that receives but never gives out. God’s blessings bring His provision and power for our needs: physical, material, and above all, spiritual.’

-We try to spiritualize everything and it is both.

Galatians 3

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

-We are supposed to be spiritually blessed but also blessed with whatever we need to bless others.

5.    KEEP ME FROM EVIL SO I DON’T CAUSE PAIN

(out of order)

-In other words, bless me so I can be a blessing.

-He didn’t want his life to cause pain, neither do you and I.

-Help me to live in such a way that others benefit from my life and me.

6.    ENLARGE MY TERRITORY

-You could say, increase my borders, increase my lands, increase my impact, and increase my influence.

-This wasn’t a selfish request…he wanted to be a BIG BLESSING.

-My example with God wanting to bless the area with this church.

-The book gives examples of how God increased ministry opportunities for those who asked Him.

-This is trading your little dream for God’s dream.

-This isn’t just a big ministry but a big impact. It may be reaching the next Billy Graham in Super Kids.

-This is asking God to increase your impact.

-You are still here, how can you influence the world?

Example from the book- page 32>

-They used to ask us, what would you do for God if money weren’t an issue?

-What are you bold enough to ask for?

-Let’s ask as a church.

"Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!" And God granted what he asked. (NRSV)

"Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. (NIV)