Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20091227.htm

SPECIAL INTERLUDE
Succeeding In The New Year Regardless Of Our Vulnerabilities
(Proverbs 30:24-28 et al.)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    On this last Sunday of the year, we tend to reflect on the past in preparation for the New Year. However, such reflection this year in particular causes many to focus on seemingly insuperable challenges:

    (1) Last Sunday, two breadwinders in our Church told me of the struggles they face in their jobs. Their companies expect more from them to save on costs, and the threat of a job loss always looms ahead.

    (2) Many Americans feel vulnerable to trouble regarding their health care: the U. S. Senate health bill passed a key measure last week with no vote to spare, but since the Democratic majority appropriated $910 million dollars in "pork" projects to secure the final five votes needed for the bill to pass (Republican-American, December 22, 2009, "Pork-Flavored Health Care Overhaul," p. 1A), and since a serious constitutional issue has been raised over how the Senate acquired the vote of the Senator from Nebraska to where five reported law suits are being filed against the bill, there is no guarantee there will even be a final bill, and many think that if it is passed, it will bankrupt America!

    Besides this intense struggle at the national level, I heard of a woman here in Connecticut who allegedly needs a liver transplant to save her life, but her insurance carrier will not cover the high costs of much of the procedure! Her sister has thus sent out letters beseeching community organizations to take up a collection to cover these costs and save her sister's life! Thus, the health care crisis grinds on in its own laborious, grievous way with little certainty as to how it will end!

    (3) Another newspaper story told how the housing recovery is being pressured by unemployment and dropping home values. (Ibid., "Home loans still cause pain," by John Gittelsohn, p. 8B, 7B)

    This matter hits us locally: several families are feeling pressed on housing issues, and in one case, a desperate call was made a week ago to a member in our Church due to an ominous housing deadline!

    Again, the issue seemed too overwhelming for a party to face.

    Yes, we believers know that we must trust God to meet our needs, to rely upon Him and His wisdom for direction and assistance, Proverbs 3:5-6. However, when the Lord lets us face staggering trials, we may wonder what He wants us to do as our responsibility!

    So, we may ask, "As we look back and plan for the New Year, feeling vulnerable to looming challenges, WHAT does GOD expect US to do as OUR RESPONSIBILITY with such issues?!"

    Need: "Some challenges I face in the future seem far too hard to address, so, what does God hold is my responsibility in them?!"

  1. Proverbs 30:24-28 instructs those who are vulnerable to failure in huge trials they face that they might more effectively address them!
    1. Proverbs 30:24 KJV states there are "four things which are little upon the earth," the Hebrew word for "little" being "qatan" (Kittel, Biblia Hebraica , p. 1192), and since these "things" are animals that have key frailties noted in Proverbs 30:25a, 26a, 27a, 28a, the word, "little" in verse 24 means "weak", Theol. Wordbk. of the O.T. , vol. II, p. 795.
    2. Thus, if we sense we are vulnerable to failure in facing trials that seem to exceed our natural abilities to address, Proverbs 30:24-28 shows God has programmed four animals to function in ways that compensate for the natural frailties that He as the Creator gave them, directing us by their examples on better handling our own big trials!
  2. Thus, we view God's guidelines in Proverbs 30:25-28 on our part in effectively addressing seemingly overwhelming trials (as follows):
    1. The Lord directs that we plan ahead to offset hard trials, Pr. 30:25:
      1. The ant is so vulnerable to weather temperature, it turns sluggish in the winter, being unable to move fast enough over the ground to gather enough food for its survival (ant.edb.miyakyo-u.ac.jp).
      2. However, God programmed the ant to compensate for this frailty by working hard and fast in the warm summer to gather much food and store it in its winter hideaway or to eat it in autumn and build up its fat so the insect can hibernate in winter without eating, Ibid.!
      3. Accordingly, God directs us similarly to plan AHEAD for hard times, be they economic or emotionally-draining, etc., that we might draw from our collected reserves better to handle such trials.
      4. Specifically, saving and investing of our income, gaining enough training to land a secure, good-paying job, taking efficient breaks at work or in stressful situations are all steps GOD would direct us to take to build up our reserves in order to handle future big trials!
    2. The Lord directs that we protect ourselves to offset big trials, 30:26:
      1. The coney, being naturally quite vulnerable to predators, is programmed by God to select a relatively inaccessible, protective cliff for its home so it might protect itself from predator attacks.
      2. Thus, God directs us similarly to protect our way of life to handle overwhelming challenges that can arise to threaten it.
      3. Specifically, getting adequate insurance and applying time-honored advice to avoid tragedies (Prov. 4:25-27) [such as regularly reading through the Book of Proverbs] are all directives God would make that we avoid or effectively handle hard trials that arise!
    3. The Lord directs us to organize to handle big trials, Proverbs 30:27:
      1. Though locusts were created by God without a lead locust, they compensate for this lack by advancing in rank, Proverbs 30:27.
      2. God thus programmed the locust to compensate for its leadership lack by being organized, so God directs us similarly to organize our lives to avoid trials or to lessen our losses when they arise.
      3. Specifically, using a written budget for our finances, a calendar book for time use, a grocery list for shopping, etc. would be God's directives for preparing better to avoid and to handle hard trials!
    4. The Lord directs us to be opportunistic to handle hard trials, 30:28:
      1. Anyone can grasp a lizard in his hands, but it is found in king's palaces that are inaccessible to most folk, Prov. 30:28 NIV, ESV.
      2. This saying reveals that though lizards are ordinary creatures, they are programmed by God to be opportunistic to the extent that they enter kings' palaces in search of food! [Some lizards' tails easily break off, and writhe wildly to lure predators away from the main body of the lizard so that the lizard can opportunistically escape!]
      3. Similarly, God directs us to watch for opportunities to improve our welfare in order to lessen our losses in facing big trials.
      4. Specifically, heeding credible, helpful information on the Internet or in print can greatly improve our diet, minimize health care costs, advance our financial investments and give us insight into buying quality items that extend the buying power of our money. Such ideas God would direct us to apply to lessen our exposure to big trials or to lower the costs we face when they arise!
Application: (1) May we trust in Christ as our personal Savior to be equipped with God's Holy Spirit to understand and apply His Word at Proverbs 30:24-28 (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:7-16). (2) Then, may we apply God's Proverbs 30:24-28 directives to (a) plan ahead, (b) to protect our way of life, (c) to organize and (d) to remain opportunistic (e) as we trust in God (Proverbs 3:5-6) either to avoid many big trials, or better to deal with them when they arise!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 A fitting closing illustration for this sermon was provided by one of our members in our Adult Sunday School Class last Sunday.

He told how he with his coworkers had been laboring outdoors at a construction site the week before in very cold, windy weather.

Suddenly, one of the workers, a non-Christian, who was located on the roof the house, threw down to the ground a board and a saw horse he had been using, then climbed down the ladder and muttered that nobody should have to work outdoors in such weather! He got into his vehicle and drove off of the work site and away from his job!

The other men, Christians, though facing the same bad weather, kept at their tasks! They knew they were blessed just to have a job in the current recession regardless of the weather! Their foresight and opportunistic view kept them working to feed their families!

About fifteen minutes later, the owner of the house who had hired the men, came outdoors and told them that since the weather was pretty bad, he had some inside work for them to do!

The remaining men then entered the house and, as they began to work there, found they had to take some off some of their outer winter clothing due to the indoor heat!

Thus, those who had stayed on the job just fifteen minutes longer due to their foresight and opportunistic outlook soon got to work in better conditions, keeping their jobs, while the man who lacked foresight and opportunism was out of a job altogether, and that in a severe recession where jobs are often difficult to acquire!



(1) Foresight, (2) protecting our steps in life, (3) organization and (4) opportunism, actions God directs that we employ in Proverbs 30:24-28 through the illustrations of the feeble life forms of the ant, coney, locust the lizard, HELP to SHIELD us from FAILURE in SEEMINGLY OVERWHELMING TRIALS.

GOD wants us to UTILIZE these characteristics as we walk by faith in Him as HIS PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS for OUR RESPONSIBILITIES for AVOIDING or DIMINISHING the COST of BIG TRIALS.



May we heed God's Word in the New Year especially if we face seemingly humanly formidable issues!