Pastor Arthur Jackson, III - "Moving Out Of Your Comfort Zone" August 4, 2013

our Father how we love you today we magnify your name we give it all the praise the glory and the honor pause now in the home and the pray for the hand that we're holding now we pray modeling for this the hand of my sister my brother thank you for this hand realizing that we're holding the hand of a miracle the hand of a survivor the hand of a person that the devil has tried everything to do to steal from them to destroy them to break them but you let them survive and Oh God we gently squeeze his hand now as a sign of confirmation that the worst is behind them and that the best is yet to come we squeeze it one more time touching and agreeing with my neighbor that their lather shall be greater I squeeze it one more time we press joy into these hands we press favor into these hands in the name of Jesus thank you for how you've kept them and how you've delivered them and now God we pray that your word would go forward with power in this place we come against anything that's unlike you no God in fact I pray now Ghana for preaching power from on high I pray now God that your spirit would have its way in this place I pray God finally that you would allow people to be praying as I'm preaching creating a path for your word to find this intended destination and when you give us the victory will be so careful to give your name all praise glory and honor we ask this in Jesus name and the church said Amen god bless you while you're still standing you've got four T's in this house while you're standing grab your Bibles and open the Whitman Old Testament passage of Scripture for the next eight weeks I'm preaching on prayer how things richer would be prayers and James five prayers that availeth much but I want to start this series go into an Old Testament passage of Scripture first Chronicles first Chronicles first chronicles chapter number four just two verses verse eight and nine in first chronicles chapter four verse nine and ten first chronicles chapter four verse nine and ten I'm a reading from the new international translation of the Bible I encourage you get you paper and pen and be prepared to jot down several things as we share with you from the word of the Lord when you have it first quranic rules chapter 4 verse 9 and 10 says j-bars was more honorable than his brothers his mother named him jay-bez saying I gave birth to him in pain and j-bars cried out to the Lord God of Israel and this is what he said he says old that you would bless me and enlarge my territory let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain and God granted his request turn to somebody look him or her in the eye and tell him neighbor move out your comfort zone yes I want to preach about today moving out your comfort zone tell them one more time to neighbor get out your comfort zone get out here get out of your comfort zone move moving that's what we're here to do to move out of our comfort zone my brothers and my sisters one of the things I believe that Pastor Coleman that all of us have in common I believe that all of us have a comfort zone that we like operating in there's a certain temperature a certain setting if you will that which all of us feel most comfortable all of us regardless of who we are I believe with all of my heart have a certain crew we have a certain crowd the particular person or particular people with whom we feel totally at ease with those persons that come into our and we let into our inner space our inner sanctum if you will we have people that we allow to get close to us there are people that we let our guard down around so much so that whenever we are around a group of people that we have not vetted or in a situation with that's foreign to us or whenever we're in an environment that strix our normative behavior and forces us to act outside of our authentic self we come can become by my own admission uncomfortable and feel totally out of place and I believe it is at these times when we find ourselves out of our protective realm of comfort that something happens to us we become like that Snickers commercial we are not ourselves sometimes when we are in an environment that we are not comfortable with we become troubled we become reclusive we shut down we put up our defense mechanism simply because regardless of who we are all of us enjoy being comfortable we enjoy living operating moving talking existing within our comfort zone and because pastor Robinson we hate being outside of our comfort zone I believe it's easy for us to reach a place where we are comfortable and content with the status quo please hear me it's easy to fall into a set pattern and in fact I believe I'm talking to someone this morning who is so structured in your life to the point that people around you can almost predict your every move you're so unsurprising so unaltered until people could almost tell you what your daily agenda is going to be from day to day and of course for some of you this sense of security for some of you this sense of regularity and routine it proves to be for you a sense of safety and there's nothing wrong with that in fact and there's nothing wrong with you having a set pattern a setting schedule however when that status quo structure invades your spiritual life there's a problem and let me say again for the record that there's nothing wrong with being satisfied with your work but when you become satisfied with your worship that's a problem and there's nothing wrong with being comfortable in your routine life but when that comfort carries over until your relationship with the Lord it's a problem are y'all hearing me he's nothing wrong with being comfortable with your possessions meaning your car your clothes your things that you have but whenever you are becoming so comfortable in your prayer life it's time to make an adjustment because I believe and hear me well I believe that there never should be a time when we as children of God become so comfortable in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ it should never be a time when we become so comfortable and so complacent that we feel a sense that we've already arrived and we have reached the quintessence of what God would have us to be and who God is calling and what God is calling us to do in fact I believe if there ever were a Christian in the Bible who could have become satisfied with his spiritual progress it would have been the Apostle Paul Paul in Philippians chapter 3 verses 5 through 7 he bragged about his resume stay with me Paul talked about his lofty accomplishments in life in Philippians chapter 3 verse 5 Paul bragged about how he was circumcised on the eighth day how he came from the stock of Israel and he bragged how he was affiliated with the tribe of Judah a hebrew of hebrews a member of the Pharisee ikal party he bragged about his passionate pursuits and how he was blameless in the law but Paul refused to get satisfied please hear me Church with his past accomplishments in verse 13 the Philippians chapter 3 and Paul says I count not myself to have apprehended but the one thing that I do is forgiving those things which are behind me reaching forth unto those things which are before Paul says I'm pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling in God in Christ Jesus in other words Paul testified and said regardless of my accomplishments I'm still not satisfied nurture neighbor tell'em neighbor don't get comfortable but unfortunately it is my it is my conjecture that it is not just individuals that have sometimes developed this spiritual comfort zone I hate to say it but sometimes a churches in general become too spiritually comfortable that whenever the Lord blessed some churches become prosperous and powerful and popular unfortunately when the Lord blessed some churches to have people packing the pews and have bigger bulging budgets and have influence of floors and effluent sometimes those churches feel a sense that they have arrived whenever I'm churches become the place where everybody want to attend the place where visiting artists want to show up and sing the place where people feel is the hot spot in the city unfortunately those churches sometimes feel as if they have already arrived but my assignment this morning is to tell em this church called Antioch that we have not arrived yet not me God that God has given me an assignment to tell us and that as long as we have people in our community and that's hurting and hungry people in our community that's wounded and without people in our community that's lost and lacking that's imprison and impoverished people in our community that's unchurched and unchanged as long as we have people in our community that's being violated and victimized being misguided and mistreated as long as we have people in our community that's facing Hale with a failing hope God told me to tell us we cannot as a church become comfortable God has been good to our church you can just look around and tell how good get y'all in talking to me in this church and you can look around and see how good god has been to us as a family God in the 20 plus years that we've been together God has blessed us to go from fifty to thousands of boat and that flock to church every week but God told me to tell us it's still not the time to get comfortable it's time to move out our comfort zone but the question this morning is patch to Jackson how can we effectively move out of our comfort zone well I believe that this young brother I'm Jabbar's and our text this morning he now he teaches us how we can move out of our comfort zone this brother name of Jabez can the church shout Jay bass DJ bass I'm impressed with this brother because here's a young man who could have been comfortable number one with his place in life someone shout place in life when you read on the book of first Chronicles starting from chapter one and you read from chapter one through chapter four down to verse eight and what you're going to read in your leisure is a long list of individuals who are a part of the genealogy of the nation of Israel it's a long list kelvin of individuals who live that begat children and died when you read chapters one through chapters four pray for me if you will and you're going to read nothing significant about these individuals on the list nothing major nothing up monumento nothing significant nothing special and Jabez could have gotten comfortable and accepted the fact that his place in life was to be insignificant like everybody else on the list but Jabez had a different mindset Shabazz had the mentality that I want to be a somebody in the midst of nobodies he had the mindset I don't have to follow on the pattern of individuals who have not performed in life I'm Jabez had the mindset that he was not going to be comfortable with his place in life and Jabbar could have been comfortable and with his problem in life someone shout problem in life his mother named him Jabbar this name for those who are taking notes it literally means a pain it means the son of my sorrow it means hurt in fact at one commentators suggested that the name of Jabez literally means stay with me he will cause pain many people would have taken a name like that and and figured that they were doomed from the start many people would have taken a name like that and tried their best to live down to that name but not so with Shabazz Shabazz irregardless of his name I wanted to change his nature jib ass could have been comfortable with his place in life he could have been comfortable with his problem in life thirdly he could have been comfortable with his performance in life someone shout performance in life Jabez the bible says was more honorable than his brother and that phrase let me teach this morning more honorable it simply means that he was worthy of more honor than the rest of his family he looked at how the people in his context were living and decided that he could do better he looked and so that there was a legacy of low-level living and decided that he was not going to give or acquiesce to the pattern of poor performances in his family Japan's decided I want to be different and what made you best different was the fact he knew how to pray I want to park here to tell somebody in this church that the biggest weapon you can have in your life is your prayer life are y'all gonna talk to me today I want to suggest to somebody in this church and that the biggest asset you can have in your life is your prayer life know your neighbor tell him your prayer life because when you look at the life of Jabez he's not known for being a great leader like Uriah he's not known for being a great prophet like Elisha he's not known for preaching powerful sermons like Paul he's not knowing for being a man of physical stature like Samson or a person with remarkable beauty like Absalon what makes Shabazz talked about year after year what makes preachers preach sermons about them and choir directors sing songs about them what makes this brother stands head and shoulders above the risk of the people was the fact he knew how the pole up on the Lord can I tell somebody in this house and you're distinguishing quality and what makes you special I'm from anybody else what keeps the devil off your tracker what keeps a hedge of protection around your life what keeps your children safe I in school whether you have predators and bullets flying what keeps you from being weird or free of accidents as you're traveling down dangerous highways it's not who you are but what you do what keeps a hedge of protection around you and your family is the fact you know how the problems I had a praying church I'm talking to somebody right now who ought to give God a crazy praise for having the ability to steal away and talk to God in prayer what made to bear such a powerful person was he knew how to pray tell your neighbor you got to know how to pray he called on the Lord the Bible says and you bass stay with me he cried out to the God of Israel for those who are taking notes there's a couple things about this prayer and that impressed me I want to unpack this prayer very quickly the first thing that impressed me about Jabbar's prayer was that he asked the Lord here it is to expand the capacity of his life repeat that with me say expand the capacity of my life he prayed washed his church and said that lord I would that you would bless me and in large my territory can the church shout territory on that word territory every time it's mentioned in the Bible every time this word territory is mentioned in the Bible it always connotes limitations it always speaks done of boundaries whenever the word a territory is mentioned in the Bible it always is synonymous with restrictions so therefore when Jabez prays this prayer lord stay with me in large territory what he was really doing was saying Lord lifts the limitations of my life somebody missed your chance to shout because what I'm suggesting is that if you've ever had to live with limitations on your life what the prayer of Jabez teach us is that God is able to lift limitations of your life you missed it this prayer teaches us that if you've ever had to go through life feeling as if God or the devil rather had placed a ceiling over your future what this text teaches us is that regardless of who you are if you pray the God God is able to lift every limitations and whenever God lifts limitations regardless who smiles in your face and talks behind your back you can make it if God lifts the limitations of you regardless what disadvantages you were born with if God before you he's more than the world is against you if God ever lifts the limitations off your life you can have when he wants you to have you can do what He desires you to do if God ever lifts the limitations off your life now only is the sky the limit but you can have whatever your heart's desire I wish I was talking to somebody right now luckily just say Lord that lifts the limitations off my life I wish there was a parent in this house who recognized that you were raising a child with unlimited potential I wish there was a parent in the house that knew that your child is special that your child was gifted yo ciao have a future and what you need to do is say God lifts the limitations off my child's life have I got any helping this house he prayed he prayed he prayed and said Lord lift the limitations off my my life I'm a movie buff I love watching movies in a few weeks ago I shared with my brother Craig this movie I saw a couple years ago it starred Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro the movie was called limitless in this particular movie in 2011 mini you could have solved this movie it's an incredible movie than me he was a young man Bradley Cooper's character was a struggling writer he was a Burnout living in New York City he was have a future that was spiraling downhill however he takes a pill and the pill he takes makes him limitless of the pill he takes gives him a great sense of clarity are y'all hearing me today at the pill that he takes opens his senses it makes him more perceptive more aware this pill he took make him made him unlimited the problem though was he has to keep taking the pill y'all hearing me and the problem was the Peele didn't last all the way well your bass didn't take a pill to become unlimited the bass pray the prayer and became unlimited I'm talking to somebody right now you don't know how limitless you can't become a budget you need to do is tap into the power of prayer in fact I'm talking to a prayer warrior right now who always stand on your feet and just confess to your neighbor neighbor I'm not here because I I've been so special I'm here because I knew how to pray you want to confess to somebody besides you weren't telling me but I'm not here because I I've always started every hi or crossed every T but I have what I have because a mama taught me how to pray he prays he prays he prays he praises the Lord in large enlarge my territory expand my capacity he prays watch this Lord make me bigger I wish I was talking to somebody who wasn't scared you say Lord make me bigger I wish I was talking to somebody who who who wasn't afraid to say Lord make me make me bigger make make my dreams bigger make I'm talking to somebody make my thoughts bigger Makemake my vision yeah I'm talking to somebody make make my future bigger and someone you can't said because you've been thinking small for so long you've been living small for so long you've been operating small for so long you can't even see it but I'm talking to somebody in this house that plea that God can make you bigger that's why we come together every year at the same time to a place similar to this why because I believe that God has called us to expand our capacity every year we always receive criticisms from some cynic or critic who says why are we wasting resources we're fine just what we are but the devil is a liar I want to talk to somebody in this house who believe that God has called you to expand in fact nudge your neighbor to neighbor to keep your eyes on me because what you're getting ready to see is that somebody who's getting ready to blow up I'm getting ready to be bigger in fact not just monetarily but I'm expanding my vision I can see God doing incredible things in my life I can see God taking me to another level I can see car opening doors and if you can't see it don't say nothing but if I'm talking to you I wish you'd open up your mouth and decree like Jonathan said I the creator I decreed it God is expanding me he pray Lord make me bigger [Applause] in this house stay with me he prays this prayer Lynn he prays lord expand expand my capacity he said expand not capacity but he didn't stop there look at this what he says he says and let your hand be with me I need the Bible reader here he says watch this he says Lord I'm when you expand my capacity he says extend your coverage God y'all in feeling me yet he says he says Lord I don't want my expansion to effect your extension he says Lord IIIi want you to grow me but I don't wanna I don't want to get so big that I'm beyond at your grass y'all in Philly min that's how he said I want you to make me large but don't make me so large that I outgrow your hand on my life I'm talking to somebody right here I want you to elevate me I want you to magnify me I want you to make me bigger guard but don't make me so big I forgot the bridge that brought me over don't make me so big that I forgot I didn't always have it like this don't make me so big yeah I know we shot when I'm shopping or Drive when I'm driving or living how I'm living my life tell your neighbors a neighbor you you need this coverage he prays I'm almost done he prays about the hand of God y'all hear that he's he says Lord keep your hand on me can I suggest in this house that every child of God need to have God's hand three places in your life can I give you the three places that number one you need God's hand over your life tell your neighbor over your life yet yes you do you need God's hand over your life because the worst thing that you can do hear me closely the worst thing is you can do you don't want the increase of your capacity to lead to a decrease in your humility I'll say that one more time somebody miss what I just said Angelo you don't want the increase of your capacity to cause a decrease in your humility because pride is a dangerous thing in fact proverbs 6 8 1618 says pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall and so Peter wrote to the church and said that's why you have to for yourself beneath the hand of God so that in due time God can elevate you you see the devil wants you to blow up and get the big head so life can deflate you but I came to give somebody a word in this house whatever you do you want to tell the Lord Lord keep your hand out over mine am I talking to somebody in this house you need God's hand over your life and if I you need to tell God God if I'm ever to ha you've got not permission to bring me down God if I'm ever giving the big head you've got my permission to hold me down that's why every child of God you all have some reminders of where you come from you wanna have something or somebody in your life to remind you you didn't always Drive luxury cars that live behind gated communities you wanna have somebody in your life to remind your boy if it had not been for the Lord that was on your side you wouldn't be here today you need this hand so much shotover no do you need God's hand over your life hit me well church you need God's hand on your life someone shot on your life can I tell you why you need God's hand on your life because it is God's hand on your life that have kept the enemy's hands off your life you don't you you're not listening to me in this church today somebody needs to understand the reason why you have so many enemies is because you're of your capacity that that that the increase of your capacity has caused an increase of your enemies you got folk right now that's plotting on your demise Wow we're in Nova giving God praise you got people right now at their house thinking of how they can affect your spirit tomorrow at work you while we're in church praise you ain't got to admit it oh you'll have to understand it but you got people right now that despise the ground you walk on they hate your swagger they can't stand how God has blessed you hey your style hating the car your driver hate how you walk hate how you talk hate how you dress hate how you live but the good news is that they hate you but tame handle you because God's hand is on your life I wish you look at your neighbor and maybe you can't handle this they despise you but they can't get close to you because you recognize that that the hand of God is on your life I need about 1500 folk who recognize that God's hand is on your life to get on your feet and give got crazy praise that's why you're still surviving because God's hand is whole new light you heard me say this before but it's worth repeating here growing up I grew up with this incredible fear of my father because he had big hands we went we went friends we wasn't buddies who one pals he had big hands and I was scared of him only here for me so because my father had big hands I never skipped school as much as other kids because my father had becames because my father had big hands I never got in trouble in school as much as I could have because my father had dolly here with me today because my father had had big hands I never smoked weed in school because my father they say no confession of my father had he had big hands he had he had big old hands and because my father had big hands that was my biggest fear growing up as a child but eleven years ago when my father went home to be with the Lord I discovered I had even a greater fear and the greater fear was not my father putting his hands on me it was my Heavenly Father taking his hands off me y'all ain't here for me because I recognized if the devil if the Lord ever took his hands off me the devil who would have me right where he wants me because guess what y'all I don't preach good enough not to have a God's hands on me I don't live good enough not to have God's hands on me that's why that's contemporary as I love to hear the choir sing every night within I got to reach way back into class father I stretched my hands to be no other help I know invalid am I talking to somebody in this house is there anybody besides me who wanna give God crazy praise just because you recognized that's the only reason you're here today it's because God's hand has not just been over you his hands has been do you need God's hands over your life Masha in God's hands on your life we need God's hands in our life gosh so what you mean about in your life I'm suggesting that whatever you do you all want God to have a hand in it please faster Jack's I'm serious I mean that's whatever you do you you all don't want God to have a hand in it and whatever whatever car you choose or career you choose you all don't want the Lord to have a hand in it when finding the right mortgage or the right mate you are the one Lord to have a hand in it when dealing with your decisions and your dealings you also want the Lord to have a hand in it there's this song that Bishop Paul suggests the Morton sings and it goes like this Lord whatever you're doing in this season Lord don't talk to me if you will do it without me Lord whatever your blessing in this season don't I don't have no help in this house don't bless it without me God whatever you're doing please don't do it without me why because God I want your hand in everything that I'm doing every business I start in every decision I make every choice I make god I want your hand in and why because when I look back over my life the times I've made a colossal mess of my life were times when I omitted having God's hand in it and I'm talking to somebody right now who needs to fess up because you have a similar testimony every time you've messed up it was because you didn't have the God's hand he didn't snap his approval on it but conversely speaking every area of your success every victory you won every battle that was fought every success that was brought you oughta give God praise because the reason why it was successful he was because God had his hand in it Jabez prays this prayer praise Lord please expand the capacity of my life after you expand the capacity of my life then please extend the coverage over my life but but then he prays his final prayer he says Lord keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain does it Abass ask the Lord to expand his capacity he asked the Lord to extend this coverage but he closes his prayer by asking the Lord to establish a contradiction with his life can the church shout a contradiction you got to look close let me explain what I'm talking about he says in the NIV version he says I'm done he says Lord keep me from hum so that I will be free from pain can the church tout free from pain interesting mayor is that job as Asst prayer is that God would free him from pain keep in mind that his name means pain here's the contradiction the contradiction is cheb ass don't want to be close to what he's been called the contradiction is he don't want to look like how he's been labeled the contradiction is he don't wanna he wants to be known for something else besides his name all of his life y'all hear me all of his life every time people called him they called him pain he grew up looking like pain he grew up being called pain every time somebody hurt themselves they thought about him because his name mitt pain but he praise God make my life a contradiction mimic make my life to the point that when people look at me I don't look like my label gosh all they've got it yet make my life such a contradiction that when people look at me I don't look like what I've been through y'all ain't feelin me yet make make my life such a contradiction that when people look at me they can't look and tell what I've been called because I'm just that try let me just give it to you some of y'all they give God praise because your life is a living contradiction you've been through hell but you don't look like it it's a contradiction some of y'all right now you should have lost your mind all of the stress and the drama but less what you are a contradiction because you look like you can sleep in the world at night some of y'all right now and have a good night rest in must but you are a contradiction why because even though when things are going contrary in your life God keeps you looking good it keeps you healthy he keeps you in your right mind all right now you are a living controversy a living contradiction because you should have been dead but you are the picture of health you should have lost your mind but you still got your senses you should be in jail but here we are in David a father William giving God crazy praise why because God has made your life a contradiction I don't know who I'm talking to but every now and then when I think about how contradictory my life is how I should have lost my mind how I should be broke how I should be in jail how I should help me somebody be homeless how I should be outdoors but I look at where I live I look at what I'm driving I look at where I pasture I give God crazy praise for making my life a contradiction and I'm talking to somebody right now you ought to stop complaining about what you don't have and look at how good god has been to you and praise God for what you have right now because the truth of the matter is not only has God expanded your capacity he's also extended his coverage and only has God extended his coverage he's made your life a living contradiction and because of your capacity because of your contradiction because of your coverage the Lord has told me that tell somebody it's time to move out of your comfort zone not somebody besides you look him or her in the face and tell them maybe it's time to move it's time to move out of your comfort zone it's time to move into those areas that God has ordained for your life I got a word for this house God has called us to Greener God has called us to be special God has called us to do more God has called us to have more and I can't speak for nobody else but the word of the Lord it's time to move it's time to move our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in heaven he was comfortable with the Angels he was he was comfortable with his father he was comfortable having him he was comfortable with the Angels comfort zone he died on the cross in his hand he was buried in a borrowed tomb Sunday morning he got up with comfort he got up with power talking to somebody with low self-esteem it's time to move out your comfort zone I'm talking to the church I don't care where you were born the Bible teaches us you can move and when you move doesn't somebody besides you who will start moving true is that take your neighbor by the head its kind of neighbor the moon too long too long [Laughter] that's called our church please hear me God has called our church to a level to move from our comfort zone listen Church we've been too comfortable in the building that we're in please hear me please him and we've been too comfortable in the building we are in and God says it's time for us to move out of our comfort zones put those hands together and give God for ease innocence I refuse I refuse hear me quickly I refuse to have areas of stagnation in my life I wish I was talking to somebody that was hearing me I refuse to get to a point that I'm so comfortable with the status quo until you know what I'm gonna let life bypass me I wish I was talking to somebody please hear me please please hear me please hear me somebody right now you can have more you can do more but you're comfortable you're so gifted you can have your own business but you're comfortable working for someone else you can have your own stuff but you've gotten comfortable good God goddess God has called you to do crazy wonderful things but but you're scared because you're comfortable right where you are somebody else right now God got us calling you to try again to trust again to live again to love again but when you get comfortable its stagnation progress but the word of the Lord is this he says go forward do me a favor just tap three people's neighbor go forward go forward go forward go forward let me go forward go [Music]

Channel: Miami, FL Gospel

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Length: 45min 8sec (2708 seconds)

Published: Sat May 09 2020