Sermon Series: The Prayer of Jabez 

Let Me Live Larger than Life (or Enlarge My Territory) 

1 Chronicles 4:9-10

PSBC 10/28/2001  AM

In a nutshell: When we pray for our territory to be enlarged, we are asking for God to enlarge our influence, enlarge our obedience, and enlarge our opportunities to be a link.

I. Introduction

Most of you have heard that last weekend, and then last week, our offices were broken into twice, here at church and two computers were stolen-one from Pastor Darrin's office, and the other from our secretary, Roxy's desk. Pastor Darrin writes about this in our "Spotlight" article, in your WIG's this morning.

Initially, it was a discouraging few days. We felt frightened to walk into our offices, when no one else was on the campus, we felt violated, and we didn't know where we would come up with the money to purchase new computers-you see, even though we are insured, because there were two break-ins, we were faced with a $500 deductible for each instance. And our budget is so tight this year, that we don't have an extra $1000 lying around.

But then a verse of Scripture came to me on Tuesday morning…

Philippians 4:19 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

So, through an e-mail message on our Prayer group, I asked many of you to pray this verse. And friends, when we did that, we honored God. We put His Words and His promise above our feelings and our needs. And Wednesday afternoon, God miraculously answered our prayers.

1. A Jewish man, by the name of Victor Cohn heard about our plight and offered to give us the long term loan of one of his computers, until we could afford to replace the one that was stolen.

2. One of our City Council members heard about our situation and brought over her personal laptop computer for Pastor Darrin to use in the interim, until we could purchase a new one for him to use.

3. Then that same afternoon, another family from our community, who does not go to our church, brought over a check for $1000 to cover our deductible.

Friends, when we prayed God's promise in Philippians 4:19, back to Him, that honored Him, and He in turn blessed us. This morning, I want to show you another way to honor God when we pray...

B. Transition

This week is our second sermon in a 4-part series that's based on two verses from the Old Testament book of 1 Chronicles. In the middle of some of the most boring chapters and verses in the entire Bible, God inserts a parenthesis that focuses the spotlight of history on one single man, by the name of Jabez-or "pain"…

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, 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.

Last year, Dr. Bruce Wilkinson, the founder and president of Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, wrote a book called The Prayer of Jabez, based on his understanding, and personal experience of praying this same prayer for the past 30 years. It has become a national best seller. Many of you have read or are reading the book, and several of us in our church have been praying this prayer for many months, and we've seen some remarkable things happen in our ministries and in our lives.

So, to help and encourage more of you to start stretching and praying this prayer with understanding, courage and faith, I thought it would be a good thing to spend some time looking at what this prayer is all about.

Lord, bless me, expand my territory. Be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain.

Now, right at the outset, I want to say what I said last week-this prayer is not magic, it isn't an incantation that will move God to act on your behalf, it's not self-serving theology, and it doesn't supplant the Lord's Prayer as our model prayer.

But what we have in these two verses is the example of a man who was transformed from being a problem person to being someone whom God blessed abundantly-in fact, more than anyone else in his entire generation. And the only thing we have to give us a clue as to why, is the prayer that he offered. Friends, there is something in that prayer that God really likes.

C. Important points from last week

Now, last week we noticed two very important things as we began this study:

1. First, we saw that what was foundational to everything that Jabez prayed and everything that Jabez received from God… was the fact that Jabez refused to think selfishly like those around him. He made up his mind that he was going to do something extra for God-he wanted to honor God. In other words, Jabez wanted to take the magnifying glass of his life off of himself, and focus it exclusively on God. That's what honor is all about. Honor magnifies the one to whom we are giving honor.

2. The second thing I want you to recall from last week is the definition of blessing. Because that's the first thing Jabez asked for in this prayer. Blessing means to ask for supernatural favor. It is asking for something only God can give. And the thing we're asking for is to receive everything that God wants to do in us, and through us, and around us… for His glory.

II. Expanding territory

So, that sets the stage for the second thing that Jabez asks for in his prayer-God expand my territory. What is that all about?

A. Jabez

Well, at first glance, you might be thinking that this is a somewhat selfish or even materialistic thing to ask for. It sure doesn't sound very spiritual or honoring to God. Because, literally, Jabez was saying, "Give me more land!" And somehow, that just doesn't seem right.

But as with much of Scripture, when you find something that seems a little out of whack, that's when you have to go deeper-that's the time you have to go beyond surface understanding, and dig a little. In this case, you have to understand the cultural circumstances in which Jabez lived and in which he prayed this prayer.

Land in the time of Jabez was very important. It was considered a blessing from God and a sign of His approval. -The more land a person owned, the more influence he had in his community. -The larger his boundaries, the stronger the voice he had in community affairs. -And the more land a person had, the more opportunities he had to do good for the people around him.

You see, with more land, you could grow more crops, employ more workers, give more to the needy, provide for your extended family, and help more strangers and travelers who came within your boundaries.

Don't forget the fact that this fellow, Jabez was more "honorable" than anyone else in his generation. His whole life was one of making God greater and himself smaller. In other words, he wanted to do something extra for God. So, his motives in asking for larger boundaries couldn't be greedy or selfish or materialistic. By asking God to increase his territory, he was pleading with God to… … increase his influence on behalf of God, …to expand his ability to do good and provide for people, …and to let him do more for the God he wanted to honor.

B. Application to today

Several years ago, Gordon MacDonald wrote an awesome book called, Restoring Your Spiritual Passion. In it he writes, "You see someone you know, and ask a simple question: 'What's going on in your world these days?' You may get an all too common answer: 'I've got to cut down! I'm into too many things.' Or you ask someone how he or she is feeling and you're liable to hear the response, 'I think I'm on the edge of burnout…or something.' You comment on how busy the last few weeks seem to have been, and someone agrees and begins to philosophize: 'Tell me, do you ever ask yourself why we're doing all this anyway?'"

I think some of you are feeling that way when you hear this phrase from Jabez's prayer. You're thinking, "Tom, are you suggesting that I pray for more responsibility-more territory-more things to do for God? I don't want to. I can't. I've got enough. My plate is full. I don't think I can handle one more thing." As one person put it-We are people living a life that is larger than us.

But, Jabez was praying something very different. In reality, Jabez was praying, God let me live larger than my life. In other words, "Let me be more-not do more."

Friends, if we are going to live larger than life, we have to move the boundary lines of our lives farther out than what they are right now. We have to start praying differently by asking for more, not less. Wilkinson, in his book, puts it this way (front of WIG's)…

O God and King, please expand my opportunities and my impact in such a way that I touch more lives for Your glory. Let me do more for You! (p. 32)

As we pray this prayer, friends, I think there are at least three areas of our personal territory that we should think about having expanded… -expand our influence; -expand our obedience; -and expand our links

Let me take the rest of our time to develop these for you…

III. 3 Areas of Expansion

A. Expand our Influence

Illustration: Some of you remember the old TV commercial where two people are talking about their investment portfolios in a crowded restaurant. One of the guys gives the opinion of his stock broker about a specific investment. Then the other says, "Well, my broker is E. F. Hutton, and E. F. Hutton says…" And the entire room goes dead silent, and everyone in the room is seen leaning in to hear the conversation. Then the announcer says, "When E. F. Hutton speaks, people listen."

Well, who's listening when God speaks? Are you? The primary way God speaks to us is through His Word. And if you aren't listening to Him, let me tell you something… life is influencing you-you're not influencing life.

One of the areas in which we need to enlarge our territory and honor God is in the area of influencing the lives around us. And the only way to do this is to have something worthwhile to say.

Psalms 19:7-11 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and all together righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. 11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

If we are going to live larger than our lives, we need an influence in our lives that is larger than the influence that comes from worldly wisdom. We need to have our minds filled to the point of pushing out our boundaries to hold as much knowledge of God as we possible can.

Illustration: I read a study that was done recently for one of the state conventions of the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. It found that 92% of their members did not read God's Word throughout the week. And that state's membership is in decline. Do you see a correlation?

I wonder how we would fare in a similar survey? Friends, you have to understand this… if we are going to truly honor God with our lives, then we have to have more of Him in our lives. He has to expand the boundaries of His influence in our life… -Because without more of Him our voices are no different than all the other voices who try to determine right and wrong in our pluralistic society. -Without the knowledge of God as our foundation for truth, we are just one more of a whole bunch of options that people can choose to follow for their hope for eternity. -Without the knowledge of God in our lives, we have little influence in advancing what's most important to God-which is a personal relationship with Him.

When we pray to have our territory expanded, one of the things we are praying for is an expansion of our influence. But influence won't come unless you are personally influenced by a growing knowledge of God that comes from His Word taking root in your life.

B. Expand our obedience

The second area to ask God to expand is the area of our obedience. You see, when we live our lives in intentional obedience to God's Word, God blesses us. In other words, when we obey Him in ever increasing ways, He will do more God-sized things through our lives than ever before.

Luke 11:28 28 He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

Our prayer for expanded territory should include, "God, as I hear your Word and learn new things, help me to apply those things in obedience."

Illustration: One of the passages of scripture that for the first 49 years of my I really didn't obey much at all was…

1 Timothy 2:1-4 1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Friends, about four months ago, when I sensed a real division taking place in the City of Palm Springs over the issue of the proposed energy plant that was talked about being built out near Indian Avenue and the freeway, I was deeply troubled. In my regular Bible study reading, I happened to read these verses again, and realized that I could do something to help heal the division. So I started going to the Palm Springs City Council meetings and simply prayed while they were in session, and I started praying everyday for each of the council members by name. Let me tell you what has happened in these past four months… 1. The energy company pulled out, and no one had to vote either way. And the controversy has diminished. The division is not a contentious issue anymore. 2. Diane and I have become close friends with one of the City Council members, and we pray together as couples. 3. Another of the council members, who does not see eye to eye with me politically, still asks me on a regular basis to pray for him and specific things he's going through. 4. The mayor gave our church choir first choice as to when we wanted to sing at the new First Friday event that takes place on Palm Canyon Drive, the first Friday of every month. 5. Council members are e-mailing me to ask me to pray for their families and their voting decisions. 6. And the fire chief has asked me to be a chaplain for the Palm Springs Fire Department.

Would you say that my territory has been expanded? Yes it has! But it only started happening once I started obeying in earnest what God's Word said to do-intercede for those in authority. My life isn't getting larger-God is enlarging me for the life He wants me to live. I can honestly say that life has never been more exciting than it is right now!

Expand your obedience and just watch how God will expand your territory.

C. Expand our opportunities to be links

A third area of our territory that we should consider when we ask for expansion is our opportunity to be links.

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says… 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

We call these two verses the "Great Commission", not the "great suggestion". In other words, this needs to be at the core of everything we do as a church, and at the center of our thinking as we live our individual lives in the world. After all, there are only two things that we can't do in heaven that we can do on earth-one is sin, and the other is to introduce someone to faith in Jesus Christ. Which one of those do you think God had in mind when He decided to leave you here on earth after you became a Christian?

In our 201 course, Becoming a Contagious Christian, we teach two very important concepts that we believe are important to carry out the Great Commission effectively- 1. Everyone of us has a different style when it comes to sharing our faith. So, it's important to discover your style, so you can use it. 2. The normal chain of events that brings a person to a relationship with Jesus Christ has many links. Some people are the first link, some are the last link, but most people are the middle links.

Part of praying for God to expand our territory means we are asking Him for more opportunities to be one of the links in the chain of events that lead individuals to faith in Christ. Part of honoring God is that we leave the position of our link up to him. Unfortunately, a man named, George Smith, forgot this…

George Smith was an ordinary man with a very ordinary name. He wanted to be used by God to be a missionary. For several years he planned and prepared. Finally the big day came - he was going to a village that had never heard the Gospel in any form.

George shared his very soul with these people in this far-away land. He worked hard but didn't seem to be to be making any headway in the work. He grew weary after a number of years of struggling, because there seemed to be almost no results.

In fact, the only measurable success for all his years of labor was one young man who agreed to study the Bible with him daily.

The intensity of his discouragement grew so strong that he finally admitted failure and made plans to return to his homeland. Before he left the village, he gave his young student a Bible, and encouraged him to continue learning how to live by its principles. George Smith was so heartbroken and felt so defeated that it soon affected his health and within months of his return home, he died.

A few years later another missions organization sent a delegation to the village where George Smith had gone, to determine the viability of sending a new missionary team there. They were totally blown away when they saw a huge church in the center of the village. What amazed them even more was learning that there were thirty-one satellite churches in surrounding villages and that the overwhelming majority of the people in the region were Christians. They asked, "How can this be?" The answer was simple: it all began with that one Bible and a young man who developed a passion for sharing his faith because of the time he spent with George Smith. (from Unknown Results, God's Vitamin "C" for the Spirit, pp.24-25)

Friends, don't overlook the fact that one of the key areas to pray for expansion in your life, is the area of opportunities to be a link in the chain of events that bring people into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

IV. Conclusion

Jabez was a man who was transformed from being "a pain" to being the most significant man of his generation. Why? A huge part of it was because he wanted God to expand his territory, so God would be honored in that expansion. And the Bible tells us that God granted him that request.

At the very least, friend, are you willing to venture out into the unknown and start praying that God would expand your territory in the areas of : -your influence; -your obedience; -and your opportunities to be a link?

I'd encourage you to start there and see what happens! From the life of Jabez, we see that God is not only pleased with such a request, but He will answer such a request with a resounding, "Yes!"

Amen.