Acts 11:24; Acts 11:18-26
When We Get Stuck
Acts 11:24, Acts 11:18-26
If you’ve lived for a few years, you have experienced being stuck – sometimes by physical circumstances, sometimes by emotional obstacles, sometimes by career issues like job/boss, sometimes by family problems.
Application
: For me more recently it has come in the area of my academic pursuits.
Transition
: The Bible is a wonderful, “real life” book for our life. It shows where
multiple people and nations get stuck and how they either go under or go forward
.
Before we get to the focus passage, let’s review some situations of how God’s people can get stuck.
I. Israel in the Old Testament
The story of the nation Israel is the key focus of the Old Testament.
It is a story of starts and stops, wanderings and marches, good leaders and bad
.
After the nation captured and occupied the land, they began the process of being stuck again. They avoided their allegiance to God, married among the native, pagan people and became a leaderless, godless nation. God tried to provide leaders through judges and prophets, all locally based in the larger land, but the people desired a king and army like all the other nations that raided their land. They were stuck.
Transition
: Another example is David
2. David
3. Solomon
Solomon tried to maintain their greatness but at his death the nation was stuck. Like many churches and even denominations, they split, divided into two weak nations, suffered defeats by neighboring nations and became a conquered land. They were stuck.
Transition
: Getting stuck is also a(n) intertestamental and New Testament thing.
II. Inter-testamental Period
– 400 years
III. New Testament
God raised up a key leader in a man named Barnabas. A new, quiet follower of Jesus, a man of Greek descent, who saw a larger world and more possibilities than others saw. Two very brief scriptures introduce him to us.
Acts 4:35-37
Application
: We are by our human nature accumulators. Whether it is land, cars, titles, awards or friends,
they become our signs of security and pride
.
Interrogative
: What does it take to get un-stuck?
‘He brought me out of the miry clay…’
Illustration
: If you got stuck somewhere and had a date you’d be motivated and find by any and all means a way to get unstuck to keep your appointment!
Conclusion
: Getting stuck and then hopefully unstuck is what we should understand is just a part of life.
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