Pastor Jon Burgess
January 19, 2020 - W2003

"What Time Is It?"

The Issachar Anointing

Pastor Jon Burgess 

January 18 & 19, 2020 

Welcome, New Hope! This is the third session in The Issachar Anointing series, “What Time Is It?” Issachar is one of the tribes of Israel; the men of Issachar were leaders who possessed a spirit of discernment and had understanding of the times and knew what the nation of Israel should do—they were the directors.

We are living in tumultuous times of massive shifts, when things that were once right are now seen as wrong—and everything is topsy?turvy!  God is looking to His people to be able to respond to the times that they’re living in, and not hide their heads in the sand until Jesus comes back. One of the ways we can lead our families, friends, and business associates to do the right thing is to ask questions: “What time is it (not the chronological time)?” “What season are we living in?”  

One of the wisest men to have ever lived was Solomon, who wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 NIV: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: ² a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, ³ a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build…”

I was feeling this collision of emotions recently (a place of emotional upheaval when sadness and happiness happen at the same time and collide), creating an inability to respond properly to either emotion!  

Just before Christmas, I was talking with one of my good friends, Phil Quadra.  Phil had been a student for years at our Pacific Rim University (across the street) and was sharing with me how happy he was to have just finished his finals and had a big smile on his face!  He had learned so much at our university and loved his brand?new job at The Blessed Life at Pearlridge Mall and was excited about spending the holiday season with his family!

Then, two days later someone told me to go to Facebook, where I saw that he had passed away! I thought...wait, wait, wait!  No, no, this can't be!  I had literally just talked to him two days ago! Sure enough, his family confirmed that he had passed away with a smile on his face in deep sleep, meeting His Savior face?to?face!

Immediately, I went from joy to sorrow over the news of my brother and friend.  Phil was always out there welcoming and showing us where to park—it didn't matter that it was raining or the sun was shining, he was there loving on people!  He was at my first Life Group when I was pastor in Kona; he was at my Life Group when we moved to Oahu; and has been with me for a long part of my journey here in Hawaii.

 When his family described how Phil left, it was the same feelings that I had (both sad and sorrowful, yet happy at the same time) because they saw his face as he was passing from this life into the next—it was a look of a man looking right at His Savior!   

We don't know how much time we've been given, so don’t go another day without knowing Jesus the way Phil did.  I am so thankful that my last interaction with Phil was very positive; but his story reminded me that none of us know just how long we have. We must use our time wisely.  Ask yourself: “Am I following the Lord, or am I just following my own ways?” 

At the threshold of a brand?new year, we have a choice every day to either be a settler (stay here and not move forward), or to be a sojourner (moving forward)—a life of ease or a life of faith?

1. It’s Time To Move From Settlers To Sojourners 

Genesis 11:31-32 NIV says: “³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. ³² Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.”

Notice the contrast between Abraham and his father, Terah; Terah took his son Abram and his family and set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan (the land of milk and honey); but when they came to Haran, they settled there; and Terah died in Haran. 

Was Terah supposed to have died in Haran, or was he meant to go to Canaan?  When God led His people out of Egyptian slavery, He led them to Canaan—the promised land, their inheritance!  Abraham's dad stopped short! God's ultimate desire was to have them in Canaan read the following: 

Genesis 12:1 NIV says: “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.’”

Hebrews 11:8-10 NIV says: “⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

God is telling Abraham, I want you to leave everything familiar, everything cushy, and I want you to go.  This is the life of faith.  We were meant to be sojourners because this is not our home.  We are citizens of heaven! There are reasons that we settle and don't take that step of faith and we stop short of God's design for our lives. There are three Cs for settling:

First is Comfort.  Be reminded:  God told us to take up our cross and follow Him.  A cross isn't comfortable; it's filled with slivers, it’s heavy and awkward. You might have gotten comfortable in a dating relationship, although you know God is saying, “You've settled for less than I have for you.”  Some of us may have grown comfortable with our relationship with God, and He is saying, “I want you to press this year and go farther.  What worked before won't work anymore.” 

Second is Comparison. The danger of comparison is that it sucks the air out of hope, that we just settle for what we have, and not to have enjoyed what we have!  God is saying, “I want you to step into something new.”

Third is Crisis.  We had a lot of hope and were ready to go; then, suddenly, everything fell apart: the wind knocked out of us, and we said, “I can't go on anymore; I wasn't expecting this!” When in crisis, we usually go back to the familiar—the well?worn ruts and routines of life. God is looking us in the eyes asking, “Will you take my hand?  Will you leave Haran?  Will you follow my plan?  Will you walk into everything that I have for you? We can do this together!”

In a crisis, it takes courage to leave the comfortable things behind, and you start comparing. The Lord is saying, “I’ll help you to be content with what you already have; and in the place of crisis, I’ll give you clarity, courage, and contentment for the brand?new that I'm calling you to.”

2. It’s Time To Move From Being Cynical To Joyful  

Genesis 21:1-7 NASB says: “Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised. ² So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. ³ Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. ⁴ Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. ⁵ Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ⁶ Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” ⁷ And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

We live in a pretty cynical world that's constantly trying to steal our joy in the journey.  People are cynical, looking at what someone else is doing, and saying, “They’ll fail.”  In our instantaneous culture, we expect everything now.  Sometimes we take the same instant gratification culture and entitlement into our relationship with the Lord—and nothing steals our joy quicker than waiting. 

After 24 years of waiting on God’s promise for a son, Sarah grew cynical.  She eavesdropped on a conversation between Abraham and The Lord and when God said that Sarah will have a child, her response was laughter, thinking He doesn't even know what He's talking about.  Does he know how old I am?  Does he know how old my husband is?  There's no way we will have a child.  We've been waiting 24 years at this point.  It's won’t happen.  What had happened to her heart?  Instead of being joyful, she was cynical.  

God redeemed that laughter. It went from laughing at God to laughing with God, from cynical laughter to joyful laughter!  When we face life through cynicism, nothing makes us happy; but when we face life with joy, we can take anything life throws at us for we know that our source of joy comes from the Lord!

What time is it?  It's time to move from the cynical to the joyful. There's a joy to be released in the body of Christ that will melt the coldest hearts.  We live in a cynical world, but when they hear the sincerity in your voice, when you refuse to sit in the seat of scoffers, it will change them! The breakthrough moment comes when you no longer buy into cynicism but stand by faith—and the joy you once had, will be restored if you let Him! Fast forward the story of Isaac: He is born, he is grown, and he is married!  

Fear is the reason we lie, and God is saying, “Come under my covering and let’s walk this out, together. Whatever you're afraid of, don't pass it on to your children—instead, pass on faith!” 

Isaac lied about his wife because he was afraid.  His dad, a few chapters earlier, did exactly the same thing for exactly the same reason!  We see Isaac's son, Jacob, in at least six incidents deceiving and lying in various situations for self?preservation or to advance his agenda.

God repeatedly introduces Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  That's good news because God’s not afraid to associate with imperfect people; His covenant is not based on our perfection; it’s based on His perfection!

I started out talking about Phil Quadra and his life of faith, and I want to share this letter: "Hello, my name is Christopher Spencer.  The week before Phil went home, we were sitting in the breakroom at work together, and I told him about my life and how crazy it had been as well as the many things I had survived that I most likely shouldn't have.  He told me that the Lord had a plan for my life, and that is why I'm still alive.  He told me that when I finished doing what the Lord had for me to do, I would go home.  The last thing I did was pray with Phil.  The next week he didn't come into work because he'd finished doing what the Lord Jesus Christ had sent him here to do.  Part of that was letting me know that Jesus Christ had a purpose for me!"  

Phil was a man of faith who refused to settle and decided to keep walking despite health and financial problems. Everywhere he went he shared the love of Jesus, even on his last week before God took him home. What time is it?  It's time to give it all back to Jesus.  If you still have breath in your lungs, it's because Jesus still has something for you to do! 

Questions to Ponder:

1.      What time is it where you are, and how do you know?
2.      Where are you comfortable now? How must you change?
3.      What is The Lord calling you to do?
4.      Share a time when you thought a miracle was impossible.
5.      Share a story of a miracle that you prayed for that came through.