"SPECIAL BLESSING" MOVING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Moving out of Your Comfort Zone
I Chronicles 4:9-10
September 4, 2011 AM

We have been studying the Book of James, but this morning we will be in I Chronicles 4.
If you are a guest among us today this message is just as applicable to you as it is for any of us, but I want to challenge you, Crossroads…to Move out of Your Comfort Zone and ask God to do something more…in your lives…and in our Church.
We have come a long way over the last few years…and glory be to God for the things He has done…and is doing. But if we are not careful we can easily get comfortable with where we are as a church and where we are as believers.
Don’t misunderstand my heart today…I am very thankful for what God has done…and is doing among us! People are being saved…being baptized…lives are being changed…people are growing…visitors are coming…and many are joining! I am excited about what God is doing!
But, I am not satisfied! And I don’t want to be satisfied! Why? Because if I get too comfortable with what God has done, I just might miss what God wants to do next. And I know the Lord can and will do so much more if we will move out of our comfort zones and ask Him for, and trust Him for more!
The truth of the matter is that we are creatures who like being comfortable. And there’s nothing wrong with our liking and desiring to be comfortable.
But, when our desire to be comfortable hinders us from moving forward as a church or doing what God wants us to do…or being what God wants us to be, then obviously our comfort is a concern that should be addressed.
I am not saying that you are too comfortable…Nor am I saying that you are not moving forward or growing…What I am saying is that because we have the tendency to like our comfort zones…we must examine ourselves…individually and corporately.
Are we hanging out in the comfort zone, just barely getting by…just barely being and doing what God has called us to be…Or should we be consumed with a driving passion to move forward with and for the Lord?
How do we move out of the Comfort Zone? Well we can find the answer in a very small and obscure passage…I Chronicles 4:9-10…Let’s stand and read it!
You may not see it at first, but in these two short verses we find out that Jabez is not a comfort zone dweller…he is not a status quo person.
The Personality of Jabez

Notice His Place – Jabez is just one person listed among many.

His name is found in a section of the Bible that list the genealogy of Israel. Name after name you will read…but when it comes to Jabez there is a brief pause. We are not given much, but a close look at these two verses reveal a lot about Jabez.

Notice His Problem – “His mother named him Jabez”

The name Jabez means “Son of sorrow, pain or affliction”. We are not sure why he is given such a name...but it would appear that he didn’t let his name or his beginning in life keep him from going on to greatness for God.

Notice His Performance – “Jabez was more honorable than his brethren”

It seems clear to me that among his peers, Jabez was head and shoulders above the rest. It also seems clear that Jabez wanted to be more than just average…more than just your run of the mill Israelite. He wanted to be more for God!

Jabez is not remembered as a great leader, prophet or preacher. He is remembered because He was a man of prayer. He is remembered because he refused to be satisfied with status quo.

The Prayer of Jabez

This one verse reveals the heart and life of the man Jabez. And notice that it is a prayer. You can tell a lot about a person by the things they pray for…what kind of things did Jabez pray for?

He Prayed for Prosperity – “Bless me indeed”

Jabez didn’t ask God for something, because he had nothing…he asked God for more!

Stay with me here…and don’t misunderstand the heart of Jabez. He wasn’t asking God for fortune or fame…He wasn’t asking God or to give him more stuff for the sake of having stuff. He was asking God to bless and prosper him so that he could be a more of a blessing to God.

He Prayed for Power – “That Your hand might be with me”

For what good are the blessings of God upon a person’s life if they do not also have the presences and power of God upon their lives?

The answer to this is demonstrated every day in people who do not know Jesus.

Without God’s hand upon our lives it doesn’t matter who we are or what we do it will eventually amount to nothing.
But with God’s hand upon us…we cannot fail! We can do all things! We are conquerors and victors!

Therefore Jabez not only prayed that God would prosper him, but that God would also put His hand upon his life and use it for His own honor and glory!
He Also Prayed for Protection – “That You would keep me from evil”

Protection? From who or what? Did he pray that God would protect him from enemies? No.
How about illness? No. What about calamities? No.

He prayed for protection from sin and evil. Why? Because he knew as all men should know that without God’s help he would fall into sin and sinfulness. What’s more, his prayer reveals how desperately he does not want to fall into it!

I am afraid that most Christians today are worried about a lot of things…things that really don’t matter…more so than they are about sin and sinfulness.

Truth is…sometimes we don’t ask God to protect us from it because we are already comfortable in it.

And so, Jabez, desiring more from God and for God…prayed. His heart was pure and he prayed for the right things (prosperity, power and protection)…and for the right reasons (For the honor and glory of God in his life).

And Last…The Provision of Jabez

Look at the end of verse 10…don’t miss it…
Prayer Answered – “God granted him that which he requested”

Did you know that God wants us to pray? Did you know that He wants to answer our prayers?

We will soon discover in our study of James 4:4 that, “We ask, but we do not have, because we ask for the wrong reasons and with the wrong motives.”

Closing:

Crossroads: Are we hanging out in the comfort zone?
I believe God wants so much me from us…from me…I believe He wants us to continue to grow individually and corporately…I believe He wants to use us for His honor and His glory to build up believers in the faith and reach the lost with the Gospel.

But we must be willing to move out of our comfort zone and ask Him to do it, and to help us do it…if we ask for it He will give it to us! That’s Bible, not Bro. John!

Christian: God has not called us to a comfortable, casual Christianity. Will you ask Him today to bless you and be with you and keep you from sin for His honor and glory?

Finally as we prepare for the invitation…if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior what are you waiting for? Jesus left the comforts of Heaven and came to a cruel cross…He died on that cross to pay for your sin. Why? Because He loves you and because He wants more for your life, for His honor and Glory! Now He is waiting for you to respond…Will you move…

Senior Pastor John Sweat, Sr
Crossroads Baptist Chruch
1595 Baxley Road
Middleburg, Florida
904)376-5049