Sermon Tone Analysis

*Be Careful What you Ask For*[1]**

Numbers 11:1-6; 31-34

 

*THESIS:*  In all our prayers and all our request of God we must one ensure we are asking for something for the right reason and two asking for something that is in the will of God.

Ultimately we should never accept any gift that takes us out of the presence of the Lord!

How much is enough?

When have you accumulated enough money?

When have you accumulated enough material possession?

How much is enough?

I once heard this question asked of one of the world’s richest men and much to my surprise his reply was- no amount and never.

This answer although sad is a true reflection of the culture we live in here in America.

We live in a world were no amount of money is enough, no house is big enough and no car is flashy enough because I’ve got to one up the Jones’.

Part of the tragedy is the rich makes its money of those that are less fortunate.

So while you and I are getting poorer they are getting richer.

The more we put in their bank account the less we have in our pocket.

The more money we give them to buy land the less amount of land available for you and I to purchase.

That’s why there’s an old saying “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”

It is not my intent to tell you not to shoot for the stars- you should set your goals high and go after them.

Oh no, I’m not a poverty preacher that suggest we should survive off of the love of God and humility.

No go get yours as long as it’s done the right way.

But I’m not a prosperity preacher who suggests God’s primary purpose is for us to have money (I’ll explain that in a minute).

My problem is this fast pace, highly competitive, dog eat dog lifestyle has distorted reality.

What happens is among the lower class, and middle class (those folk who are only one generation removed from poverty- don’t act like you been living good your whole life) we become envious of the rich based on what we see and begin to make decision out of our flesh.

But what many of us have failed to realize is what we are seeing is what they are allowing us to see and is far from reality.

We never know what it is really like when they go home at night.

We never see the hell they are going through.

We don’t see the pain that they are experiencing when the camera is not rolling.

There is no place where this is truer than in the lives of many of our so called successful black Americans.

What you and I see is the cars the house and the bling bling but the real story is never revealed.

Many of our people are under the impression that these “rags to riches” stories happened over night.

Yes we have some people who have gone from the projects to a mansion; yes we have some successful black folk.

But you need to know there are two types of success.

There is worldly success and true success.

Worldly success is based on the world’s perception of what you have accumulated and what you have accomplished.

You see worldly success loves stuff but uses God.

It’s when you focus on what God’s power can do for you to impress the world.

By doing this you reduce Him to a heavenly sugar daddy in your life.

Yeah you call him when you need something so He can pass through perform a service a leave before your neighbors wake up.

You won’t even allow Him the satisfaction of staying the night.

That’s why worldly success is unfulfilling and lonely.

Yeah you think you have some friends but let the money run out watch them flunkies run out on you and leave you for dead.

But true success is based on your relationship with God.

True success is when you love God and use stuff!

That’s why it never shows up alone.

True success arrives with a companion called peace!

I don’t know about you but I like to have stuff but I don’t want it w~/o peace.

That way when the money stop looking good, the $1000 DOLLAR SUITS ARE WORN OUT, THE CAR BREAKS DOWN, THE HOUSE NEEDS REPAIR, I’VE LOST ALL MY JEWLRY, THE FLUNKIES I TRHOUGHT WERE FRIENDs RUN OUT- I STILL GOT PEACE! 

That’s why so many of these people we see in the lime light are acting like they loss their minds.

There success did not show up with peace.

Just ask Dave Chappell.

/Here’s this creatively gifted brother who was catapulted to the top of his industry almost over night (well from our perspective).

But he did so through a means that did not glorify God.

And if you don’t glorify God in your vehicle to success peace will not show up with your success.

So because of all the success the TV industry gave him $50 million to continue doing what he was doing.

But they said since we are giving you more I’m going to expect more.

And he cracked under the pressure.

Suddenly he could not handle the pressure of the fame and the fortune and the high expectations./

When you stumble across a get rich quick scheme and step out of the will of God there are strings attached.

But don’t you know if you do it God’s way when the pressure increase you call out and Psalms 121:1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills — From whence comes my help?

When you think you can not produce at the same level as you once did you can say

 Nehemiah 8:10 The Joy of the Lord is my strength.

When you think you are all along you can Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my Shepherd

 

 

When a bunch of haters begin to surround me I can say Psalms 3:1-3

LORD, how they have increased who trouble me!

Many are they who rise up against me. 

3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,

My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

The problem is rising to success God’s way takes time and many of us don’t have the patience and do not want to endure the process.

The reason is between poverty and success is a season called provision.

Between where you are at now and the promise God has given you is a season of provision.

The season of provision is time in your life when the ends are just meeting.

It’s a time when God is giving you all of what you need but no excess.

It’s a time when there may not be a Lexus in the driveway but you have a job and the means to get there.

I am convinced that every Christian goes through this season of provision at some point in their life.

And it is in this season when God is seeking to be close to you.

When God is seeking for you to rely only on Him.

It’s a time when God wants prove Himself true in your life.

Because of what we can see, and what we can hold and what the flesh craves for we want to skip this season called provision.

My brothers and sisters; be careful what you ask for.

I.

Setting

a.       Israel is in the wilderness on there way to the promise land

b.

They have been out of Egypt almost a year

c.

The Tabernacle had just been constructed

d.

They have just made a covenant with God

e.

They were just giving marching orders on how they will go to Cannan

II.

The initial cry

a.

The Bible does not say why they cried

b.

It does say God was angry (KJV displeased)

                                                              i.

Translated to the Hebrew two words

                                                            ii.

Evil

                                                          iii.