Enlarge My Territory Sermon“Vergroot my grongebied “
I Chronicles 4:10 – NKJV I Chronicles 4:10 (NKJV) And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep [me] from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.
I Kronieke 4:10 – 10 En Jabes het die God van Israel aangeroep en gesê: As U my ryklik seën en my grondgebied vermeerder en u hand met my sal wees en U die onheil afweer, sodat my geen smart tref nie!
En God het laat kom wat hy begeer het.
This morning I would like to talk about Jabez and the impact that he had on a generation.
This impact came from a prayer and the prayer went like this:
I Chronicles 4:10 – NKJV “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep [me] from evil, that I may not cause pain!”
Now I would like to point out something about the book of I Chronicles. It is important to know that the book of I Chronicles was written after the book of Joshua and the reason I would like to point that out is this.
In the book of I Chronicles Jabez prays the prayer for God to enlarge his territory and in the book of Joshua Chapter 13 Joshua they began to give the people their portion of the land in Canaan.
So, if I Chronicles was written after the book of Joshua and Jabez is asking God to enlarge his territory in the book of I Chronicles, then it is a good chance that he is referring to land that is situated in Canaan.
Now God had already given the Israelites a promise that He was going to give them the land of Canaan.We see this in Deuteronomy 1:2020 Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us.21 See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”So Jabez is asking for an enlargement of blessing that lines up to what God has promised his people.
Let me say that again, Jabez is asking for an enlargement of blessing that lines up with the promise that God has given His people.Speaking of promise “ How many know that God has given our ministry a promise and that promise is Treasures out of Darkness.”Isaiah 45:2-3 (NKJV)
2 ‘I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call [you] by your name, [Am] the God of Israel.
That promise is our descendants will inherit the nations. Isaiah 54:2-3 (NKJV) 2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited.
You and I should be like Jabez, we should want to do big things that line up with the promises of God. God has promised us Treasures out of darkness in the inner cities of the world. Jabez wanted God to his enlarge his territory so he could take up more space in The land that God had promised.
I guess what I am trying to say is that you and I should want to enlarge our capacity, develop our potential and enlarge our territory so that we can be more effective in what God has promised us as a ministry and that is reaching treasures out of darkness. Imagine Jabez is praying a prayer of blessing so he can use it to take up more of the promised land. Let’s bring it to you and I today.
That is like saying –
• I want a bigger car so I can take more people to church
• That is like saying I want a bigger house so I can fit more people in my bible study
• I want a better job that will pay me more so I can tithe more and step up my United We Can
• I want to develop my gifting not so I can sell more cds and get awards, but so I can make more of an impact on my generation.
• I want to keep growing and developing my skills so I can make a bigger impact on my generation. How many want to keep growing?
How many say enlarge my territory, Lord? Well did you know to enlarge your territory it takes work. Sometimes we think that if I pray for it then it’s just going to show up. There is a process in order to be able to handle the next level.
There are basically 3 ways that you and I can go to new levels and learn something new.
1. Mistakes
2. Mentor
3. Money
1. The first one is learning from mistakes that we have made. Has anybody ever learned from a mistake that you made. This is the hardest and longest way.
2. The second one is learning from a mentor. Learning from someone who is where you want to be by asking them questions on how they got there and allowing them to coach you.
3. The third way is by investing money. This is by investing in yourself such as books, material, conferences, seminars and resources. See when you and I buy resources or a book we are basically taking all the experience of that person who wrote the book and making it available to ourself.
Tell your neighbor it cost to grow your capacity. Illustration of investing in yourself: Buying MaterialI heard one preacher say he went to a leadership conference and wanted to buy all the material that the person speaking at the conference was selling in the back. When he went to go purchase the material it came up to about $1,600 that is over R23,000.
His friend that was with him said, “That is a lot of money, do you think this material is worth that? “Then the preacher that was buying the resources and the growth material said I don’t know if the material is worth it, but I am.
Sometimes one of the hardest things for you and I to do is to invest in who we want to become. Here is a little secret if you and I don’t invest in our growth no one is going to do it for us. We can be praying for the blessing but are we ready for the blessing. You and I should want to get better at what we are called to do and enlarge our territory so we can make more of an impact in the promises that God has given us.Jabez didn’t want to be average our just get by in the promised land but he was excited and wanted to claim more territory in the promise.
He wasn’t happy just existing in the promise, but he had a vision. He wanted to take his area to another level. I wonder if we have anybody here this morning who wants to get better at what God has called you to do so you can make more of an impact? You don’t want to settle for average or settle for being stagnant, but you say I am getting better at what God has called me to do because I want to make an impact.
Not only has God given our ministry a vision, but He also has a purpose for our lives in that vision. God has something for you and I to do. Now you may be wondering what has God called me to do? Well I can tell you this, if this is your ministry and Victory Outreach is your church, then I think I have a good idea of what God has for you.
God wants to use you to help us fulfill the vision that He has given to our ministry. We all have a part to play in seeing the overall vision of our ministry come to pass. This concept is nothing new, you see it in sports all the time. The people on the team have a part to play in helping the team to reach its overall goal.
Example: Everybody on a soccer team has a part to play to help the team reach its overall goal. The striker, the goalie, the right wing, the left wing, the mid fielder and so on. It is important for us to know our role, but not only know our role, but take the skills Of that role to another level.We all know as the players get better the team gets better.
The better you are the better we are.
• Be the best worship leader
• Be the best children ministry
• Be the best sound team
• Be the best business man
• Be the best life group leader
• Be the best school teacher
• Be the best a what God has called you to do because you are helping us to do what God has called us to do.
Now the only people who don’t have a part in helping the team reach its goal, are the people who are in the stands and those are what you call fans. That is why I said if this is your ministry and you call it home then I know what God has called you to do and that is to help us as ministry reach our overall goal.
If you are a fan or you are visiting then praise God you are excused, but if this is your church and the place you call home, God wants to use you to help us do what God has called us to do as a church and that is to reach the inner cities of the world. There is a huge need in our cities, there is a huge need in our country, there is a huge need in our continent and there is a huge need in our world.God has raised us up to meet that need.
See a God didn’t raise up Victory Outreach in South Africa because He needed another Church, but a God raised up Victory Outreach in South Africa to meet a specific need. He heard the cries of the mommies. He heard the cries of the families and look what the Lord has done. That is why as an individual we can’t settle for a little vision. That is why we can’t settle for the average or status quo. That is why you and I should be like Jabez and say God enlarge my territory.
Basically, God help me to get better at what you have called me to so I can make a bigger impact. Enlarge my territory. You and I should want to do big things for God and those big things should line up to the promises that God has given us. Jabez didn’t dream big so he could do his own thing, no he dreamed big so he could accomplish more of what God had promised.
The Israelites were promised and commanded to take over Canaan. Jabez prayed a blessing that lined with up God’s promise. Jabez was not praying this prayer so he could kick back and say look how good God has been to me, I have more blessings than you do.
Nope he wanted his territory to be enlarged so he could make more of an impact in what God had called him to do. He wanted to be blessed financially so he could invest in the kingdom of God and help spread the Gospel throughout his generation.
Our vision and our blessing should be in line with what God has called us to do. We should be like yes; I want more money so I can give more. God give me more territory so I can make a bigger impact in what you have called me to do. God open more doors so I can accomplish more of what you have called me to do. God give me more favor so I can use it to accomplish what You have called me to do. God give me more influence so I can teach more people how to be all that You have called them to be.
Yes people may hate on you.
Yes, people on the sidelines may come against you and hate on you” but remember the boos always come from the stands not those on the field. So, I say step out, dream big, and make impact on this generation for the honor and glory of Jesus.
Super-size your vision!!!What are things that stop you and I attempting great things for God?
• Excusers – These are the people who make excuses of why they can’t do what God has called them to do. They always have an excuse of why they can’t step out.
• Accusers – These are the people who are blame other people of why they cant accomplish what God has called them to do.
• Choosers – These are the ones who choose to step out and go after all that God has for them.We should desire to get better at what God has called us to do.
Be the best we can be for God.
