THE HIDDEN MESSAGES OF GOD
20 July 2008
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 2 Kings 6
14. Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.
15. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.
16. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
17. And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
-- What were you thinking about when you took communion this morning? -- what was running through your mind?
-- we know what we were supposed to be thinking about -- supposed to be reflecting on the life of Christ -- on His death and His resurrection -- of the giving of His body and His blood to offer us the forgiveness of our sins -- and of His glorious resurrection that promises us eternal life with Him
-- but what were you thinking of? -- were you distracted? -- were you thinking of something else?
-- it's easy to get distracted in church -- while we're supposed to be focusing on worshiping God, our minds are racing with the troubles and cares of last week and the worries of the week to come -- we're thinking through all the things going on in our lives -- when we come to church, we don't leave the world behind -- we bring it with us -- and it can distract us from worshiping God
-- even I get distracted all the time in worship -- I find myself thinking about what I need to do next rather than focusing on the words of the song we're singing -- sometimes I'll hear something in the praises or prayer requests that will trigger a distraction and I'll start thinking about things in my own life -- even during communion, I find myself thinking, "What if we run out of bread? -- what if we run out of juice? -- what then?"
-- we all get distracted in church from time to time -- it happens -- but the good news, as one of our professors pointed out at Course of Study this week, is that our distractions don't change the reality of God's presence in our midst -- our distractions don't change the reality of this sacrament of Holy Communion that we just shared -- our distractions don't stop God from working and moving in our lives and in the lives of those around us
-- as I was thinking about distractions this week, it occurred to me that our distractions may even be God-sent -- could it be that these distractions come to mind during our worship so that we will offer them up to God?
-- could it be that God allows us to get distracted and start thinking of what we're going to have for lunch today to remind us that He is the God that provides?
-- could it be that when you get distracted and sneak a glance at your watch to see how long I'm droning on for today, it could be God asking you how much time you have given Him lately?
-- could it be that when you start to get drowsy and kind of nod off for a second in the service that it could be God reminding you to slow down and take a Sabbath for rest and refreshment -- a time when you can just be and just be with Him?
-- when you look at it this way, distractions in church can actually be a good thing -- if you respond to them as God intended
-- the secret is to see all of these things with the eyes of faith -- and not just the eyes of flesh
II. Scripture Lesson
-- in this familiar passage from 2 Kings 6, we read of a time when the servant of Elisha had to learn to see with eyes of faith rather than the eyes of flesh
-- to set the context for you -- Elisha was God's prophet to the nation of Israel at this time -- he had served as an apprentice to Elijah -- and when Elijah was taken up in the fiery chariot to heaven -- "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" -- the mantle of Elijah, representing the responsibilities of Elijah and his prophetic ministry -- the spiritual gift to speak God's word to the people of Israel -- all of this passed to Elisha -- so, at this time, Elisha is God's voice to the people of Israel
-- now, the nation of Aram was at war with Israel -- and the King of Aram would set up ambushes for the armies of Israel in various places around the countryside -- but every time the Arameans set up an ambush for the king of Israel and his men, God would tell Elisha about it and he would let the Israelites know so their armies avoided the trap
-- after a little while, the King of Aram got fed up with Elisha always telling the Israelites all his plans -- so he decided to capture Elisha
-- look back at verse 14
14. Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.
-- so, the whole city is surrounded -- no one in the city knows that the armies of Aram are arrayed against them -- the army of Aram is sitting there -- just waiting for the morning, when Elisha gets ready to leave -- and then they're finally going to be able to capture this trouble maker and make some progress in the war
-- verse 15
15. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.
-- now, I want you to get the picture of what's going on here -- Elisha's servant got up early, before Elisha did -- he probably got himself a cup of coffee -- took a stroll -- and decided to climb up to the wall surrounding Dothan to watch the sun rise and to wipe the sleep out of his eyes
-- so he gets up there and takes a sip and looks around and panics -- the city is surrounded -- everywhere he looks, there are men with swords and bows -- chariots and horses -- a vast army arrayed against them for the sole purpose of capturing Elisha -- there was no way for them to escape -- so he rushes back and wakes up Elisha and cries out, "What are we going to do?"
-- now, remember what Elisha and his servant have been doing -- remember why they were in Dothan in the first place -- they were there on behalf of God -- they were there to speak the word of God to the people in that place -- to encourage them in a time of war -- to give them hope and to remind them that the Lord God Almighty was with them
-- but now Elisha's servant has gotten distracted -- the world has crept in and taken his focus off of God -- and all he can see are the distractions -- all he can see are the troubles -- all he can do is worry about the future -- all he can do is see with the eyes of his flesh
-- how many times in your life have you been in a situation like Elisha's servant -- how many times have you gotten up, looked around, and felt like your world was falling apart? -- How many times have you woken up and said "Good morning" to God, and then immediately had your focus taken off of Him and onto the problems of your world?
-- maybe you sat down at your table to read the Bible, but wound up staring at a handful of bills that came in the mail instead
-- maybe you took a moment to pray to God, but you started thinking about all the problems in your life
-- maybe you came to church and went through the sacrament of Holy Communion, but you wound up thinking about everything but God while you were doing it
-- it happens to all of us -- even those who name the name of Christ -- even those who claim to be Christians and to know the eternal God and Savior in a personal way
-- we let the cares and troubles of the world distract us from the reality of God's presence in our lives -- we look around and find ourselves surrounded -- overwhelmed by a hostile force -- drowning in a sea of despair -- and we cry out into our coffee -- "What am I going to do?"
-- verse 16
16. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
-- when our life distracts us -- when our problems and our troubles and all the cares of life seem too much to handle -- we need to be reminded of God's presence in our life -- Elisha told his servant, "Don't be afraid -- yeah, things look bad -- but you're not seeing the big picture -- those who are with us are more than those who are with them -- it's not us against this army -- it's not us against this world -- it's us and God -- and that makes all the difference"
-- you need to see past your distractions to the spiritual reality of God's presence in your life
-- verse 17
17. And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
-- Elisha prayed and the eyes of the servant were opened and he saw the army of the Lord encamped around them -- the mighty angels of God -- armed and ready to protect them from the enemy -- and, all of a sudden, their problems didn't seem too big anymore
-- the servant had taken his eyes off of God -- he had gotten distracted -- just like the story of Peter walking on the water -- when the disciples were out in the boat and they saw Jesus walking on the water, Peter cried out to Jesus, "If it is you, then bid me come to you" -- and Jesus told Peter to come, and Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water
-- but Peter took his eyes off of Jesus -- he got distracted -- and instead of looking at Jesus, all he saw were the winds and the waves -- all he heard were the voices of the other disciples, "Peter can't walk on water" -- and with that word, they were right -- Peter got distracted -- Peter quit focusing on God -- and Peter started to sink
-- when we find ourselves getting distracted from the things of God, we need to have our eyes opened again to the truth of God's presence in our lives so that we can see the truth of the situation -- we need to see with our spiritual eyes -- the eyes of faith -- and put our focus back on God so that He can take care of our distractions
III. A World of Distractions
-- we live in a world of distractions -- even though we know that this world is not our home -- that we are strangers and aliens in a foreign land and our focus is supposed to be on God and on His kingdom, we still end up spending most of our time living in the distractions of life
-- rarely do we think of God during the week -- rarely do we see God during the week -- instead, we end up living lives focused on the distractions -- focused on the waves and the wind -- the troubles and cares and problems of life -- without seeing the reality of God with us
-- and, when we come to church, we bring our distractions with us -- God's presence in our lives remains hidden -- just out of reach -- because we just aren't seeing Him for all of the distractions around us
-- I gave everyone here a copy of the FedEx logo this morning -- do you have any idea why? -- no, I'm not advocating or advertising for FedEx -- I just wanted to make a point about seeing the hidden within the ordinary
-- how many of you know about the arrow in the FedEx logo? -- look at the logo -- do you see it? -- there is an arrow between the second letter "E" and the letter "X"
-- this arrow was not accidental -- it was put there on purpose -- according to Jess Bunn, a spokesman for FedEx, “The arrow is intended to communicate movement, speed, and the dynamic nature of our company."
-- not everyone sees it, but for those who do, the arrow brings a deeper meaning to the logo and to the way this company does business
-- this logo is a perfect picture of what we've been talking about this morning -- just like the words "FedEx" draw your attention, our distractions draw our attention -- they become all that we see -- all that we know -- and we find ourselves crying out like Elisha's servant, "What are we going to do?"
-- but the good news of the Bible is that God is in our lives -- in the midst of our lives
-- in the midst of our distractions, God is there -- just like the arrow in this logo, hidden within the letters of the words, God's presence calls out to us in the midst of our distractions -- pointing us to Him -- telling us to quit looking at the distractions -- but to focus on Him instead
-- telling us to bring our distractions and our cares and our troubles to Him -- to let Him take care of them -- to let Him be our focus -- to let Him be our God
-- as I close today, I want to encourage you to take this FedEx logo home with you -- put it on your refrigerator or on your sun visor in your car or somewhere where you will see it every day -- and when you find yourself getting distracted with life -- when you find the cares and troubles of this world pulling you away from God -- I want you to look at this logo
-- I want you to look for the hidden arrow -- I want you to use it as a reminder to see with eyes of faith instead of the eyes of flesh -- to see and focus on God's presence in your lives rather than on the things of this world -- to use it as a reminder to give your distractions to God -- and to trust in Him in all things
-- I also want to encourage you to share this with others -- to use this logo to point out to them God's presence in their lives -- as Christians, we are commanded to share the good news of Jesus with those around us -- to turn their attention from their own distractions -- from the ways of this world -- to the presence of a God who saves
-- I want you to do just what you did when we shared communion this morning -- I want you to pass on the body and blood of Christ -- the promise of the forgiveness of sins and of eternal life through Jesus -- to someone else
-- as your spiritual eyes are opened and you see God's presence hidden within the distractions of your own lives, may you open the eyes of those around you, so they can respond to God as well
-- let us pray
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