OK. Thank you, Sherry. Go back to the first Chronicles 4. I recently started reading this
book, and you read with me just some of the names. There are
many, many, many names. That's why it's called Chronicles.
But none without significance, as we said. But these two verses
really stand out. Verse 9 and 10. Jabez was more honorable than his brother.
His mother called his name Jabez, saying, because I bear him with
sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of
Israel. In the midst of all these names,
The Lord gives us this man, Jabez. If you don't remember seeing
his name and those other names, because it's not there and it's
never seen again. This is an unknown man. We don't
know anything about him. The Lord just brings him up.
An unknown man, a nobody from nowhere. In the midst of all
these names, the Lord names him and says that this man was more
honorable than all his brethren. Not because of his attainments.
It doesn't list anything that he did. It doesn't list anything
he accomplished. But simply because he called
on God. What made this man remarkable
or honorable in the midst of all these His brethren was that
He called on the God of Israel. And I couldn't help but think
of Scriptures like Psalm 14, the Lord looked down from heaven
on the sons of men, then and now, to see if there were any
that did seek after God. If there were any that did understand
and seek God. Or Isaiah 59, Isaiah lamented
that, he said, none calleth for truth. None calleth for justice. And we wouldn't either. And Jabez
wouldn't have either if the Lord hadn't called him. If the Lord
hadn't chosen him. But he's called honorable. You
know, we talk about this a lot. Don't we? We labor this point
that if we call on the Lord, it's because He first called
us. If we love the Lord, it's because He first loved us. If
we keep calling, if we keep coming, if we keep loving Him, it's because
we're kept by the power of God. That's why. We keep saying that.
Number one, because it's true. Number two, because it gives
God all the glory. And number three, so that we
won't take this for granted. The fact that we call on God
at all is the mercy of God. Most people don't. One of the prophets said, is
it nothing to you, all you that pass by? No. And there was a
time when it was nothing to me. How about you? All of us. None
of us. None of us would have called
on God. J-Bez wouldn't have called on God. But God. But God, rich
in mercy, called him. Chose him. Predestined him. Jabez, his name means sorrowful. Look at verse 9. It says, his
mother named him that, saying, because I bear him with sorrow. His name means sorrowful. She
bore him in sorrow. Was she a very poor woman and
couldn't afford this child? Perhaps. There have been many
like that, haven't there? Many given birth. It's going
on right now. Who cannot afford a child? Did
she lose her husband at this time and had to raise this child
alone? Did she have many children and
this was one of many? And she thought, oh no, not another
one. Something made her greatly sorrowful. And it reminds you of the Lord's
providence. Whatever it is, it's good. And
my wife's mother had a son, and then seven years later had another
son, and then eleven months later had Mindy. And she was distraught
when she found out that she was pregnant with another one shortly
after the second one. Well, she cursed. But she's the only child that
has given her any joy. The only one. The Lord knows
what He's done. Whatever reason this woman had
great sorrow, did she have a difficult birth? The Lord said this would
be so, that every woman in childbirth would go through great sorrow,
didn't it? I will multiply your sorrow in the having of children,
in the losing of children, in the raising of children, in the
bringing up of children, was this a son who caused her great
sorrow? J.B.? Perhaps. Go with me to Ecclesiastes
7. Sorrowful. She named him Sorrowful. What a name. What a name to have. What if you were named Sorrowful?
Sorrowful. You know, we all come into this
world. Scripture says speaking lies.
We're shaping in iniquity, in sin that our mother conceived
us, and we are sorry sons of Adam, all of us.
We cause sorrow. are sorry people. And perhaps
this was a son who caused her great sorrow in the beginning,
Jabez. There have been many of those
that the Lord has had mercy on. So she called him sorrowful.
But this is a good thing. Sorrow is a good thing. Look
at Ecclesiastes 7. Look at verse 1. It goes, Well,
a good name is better than precious ointment. Is sorrowful a good
name? Is Jacob a good man? Verse 2 says, It is better to
go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting.
This is the end of all men. What's that? Mourning. The living
will lay it to his heart. That is, those who are alive
unto God. Sorrow is better than laughter. By the sadness of the
countenance, the heart is made better. The heart of the wise
is in the house of mourning. The heart of fools is in the
house of mirth. It's better to hear the rebuke
of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools. It's
like the crackling of thorns under a pot. All this mirth and
foolishness and all that. Sorrow, he said, is good. Sorrow. It's better to be sorrowful.
To start out sorrowful. And here's the point. If God
knows something about our sorry state, and our sad state in this world,
and our sinful state, if God will bring us to sorrow over
our sins, then we're going to be happy. Only them. Only those
who go to the house of mourning, mourn him. Blessed are they that
mourn our Lord, saying, they shall be well. Call me Jabez, would you? Call
me Jacob, because everyone who is called Jacob will be called
Israel. So the Lord had this young man,
this child named Jabez, sorrowful, but yet the Lord calls him honorable. Honorable. Look at it, verse
9 in our text. It says, Jabez was more honorable
than his brother, though his mother called him sorrowful.
What makes this man honorable? Why is he called honorable? What
would make any human being honorable? Go with me to 1 Samuel 9. This is used a few times in Scripture
about men. 1 Samuel 9. What is it that makes a person,
for God to call a person honorable? This is speaking of Samuel. In
1 Samuel 9, verse 6, Saul, the eventual king, before he was
anointed, his servant said to him, Behold, there is a man in
this city, a man of God, and he is an honorable man. He went
on to say, What he says goes. What he says is the truth. What
made Jabez honorable? It's what made Samuel honorable. He's a man of God. There's no
honor in any son of Adam. But when a person is chosen of
God, when a person is favored by God, when a person is born
of God, then God has conferred great honor upon that person. love that person, have chosen
that person like J-bed. If they're a man of God, if they
call on God, that's what makes them honorable. Otherwise, we
don't bring any honor to anyone, especially God. We don't honor
His law, we don't honor His Word, we don't honor His glory, we
don't honor ourselves, man, but not until God makes us a son
of God. Only when a man starts thinking
on God and calling on God will he be honorable. Otherwise, he'll
be a shame and a reproach. Right? Jabez was more honorable. Why? Why was he more honorable
than his brethren? Well, who made Cathedra different? My brother, my earthly brother,
doesn't call on God. My earthly brother doesn't think
on God every day. He doesn't worship God. And then
this brother doesn't. Do you have brothers and sisters
that don't? That don't think on God? Well,
who made you to differ? Why do you call on God? He was
more honorable than his brother. Why? Because God honored him. God, like Noah, he found favor
in the eyes of the Lord. He found grace in the eyes of
the Lord because the Lord chose him. Why do we labor this point? Why do we keep saying this? Because
it's so. Because it gives God the glory.
And so we won't take this for granted. It's more than a doctrine.
As Barnard used to say, it's a person choosing person. That
the holy God would choose us should fill us with amazement,
shouldn't it? Never get over this. Never get
over this. Jabez didn't. Jacob did. More than his brethren. Why do
we call? Because the Lord called us. That's
why. Verse 10 says, Jabez called on
the God of Israel. You may have brothers or sisters
who are religious. You do, don't you? They're not
calling on our God either. They're not calling on the God
of Israel. They're not calling on the living and true God, are
they? Your brothers or sisters or relatives or parents or whoever
it is, they're not calling on the God of Israel. They're calling
on a God they cannot save. They're calling on a God who's
not God, aren't they? Calling on a Christ who didn't save.
Why do you call on the God of Israel? The God of Israel is
the living and true God. The God of Israel is the only
true God. The God of Israel. Go with me
to Isaiah 43. The God of Israel. Do you know
how many times he says this in Scripture? The God of Israel?
Our Lord is the one who said that. Salvation is of the Jews. The God of Israel is the God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who he called Israel, whose name
he changed, whom the Lord came and wrestled with and changed
his name. He changed his nature. This is
the God of Israel, the true and living God. He called him the
God of Israel, who is the only God there is. Look at Isaiah
43, verses 1 through 4. But now thus saith the Lord that
created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear
not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by name. Remember when the Lord wrestled
with Jacob? He said, what's your name? And he said, Jacob. He said, no, Israel. He changed his name. He said,
thou art mine. He chose him. He loved him. Jacob
have I loved. Oh, happiest he that hath the
God of Jacob for his name. God who chooses, who loves, who
calls, who causes to approach unto him. Verse two. Oh, these
verses are wonderful. When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee." God was with the children of
Israel. They all, Hebrews 11 says, they
did all pass over the Red Sea. Not one of them drowned. All
the Egyptians drowned, but not one child of Israel drowned.
There was not one hoof left behind. There was not one who weakened
sickly among them. Read on. When you go through
the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through
the fire, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, it won't be burned. Why? Because I am with thee. Neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee, no smell of smoke, for I am the Lord thy God, the
Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. Read on. I gave Egypt for thy
ransom, Ethiopian Seba for thee, since thou wast precious in my
sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee." Of course,
Jacob asked Jacob, Jacob, are you an honorable man? When he
was an old man, 175 years old, I believe it was, he said, all
the days of my life have been few and evil because of me, because
of this evil man within me. Here's what God said, no, you're
honorable. Why? Because I chose you. I conferred honor upon you. Oh,
my. So Jabez called on the God of
Israel, and that's the covenant God, you see. The God of Israel
is a covenant God. God who chose. purposed all things,
a God who made a covenant with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
to be the covenant head, the surety of the covenant, to do
all things necessary for His people. He's a covenant God. Most people don't want to hear
about the God of Israel, the God who chooses, the God who
predestines, the God who calls, the God who justifies, the God
who does all things for them. Most people don't want to hear
that. All Israel did. Oh, my. Tell me about His covenant. We hear about that all the time.
We heard Marvin say a great deal about it over and over again.
Why? Because David, these are the
sure mercies of David. David said, Thou hast made with
me, concerning me, an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things,
and sure, and this is all my hope, all my salvation. Although
it's not so with my house, Jabez could say the same thing. Although
my brethren don't call on you, you called me. And now I'm calling
on you, God of covenant God, covenant mercies. So Jabez called on the God of
Israel. And here's what he said. Here's
his prayer. Basically, that's for three or
four things here. The first is if something, He
says, Oh, that thou wouldest bless me indeed. Oh, that struck me. Oh, do you know
how many times in the Psalms especially it says, Oh? I looked it up. There are 75
Psalms that begin with that. Have mercy on me, O Lord, according
to the multitude that I tend to mercy. O Lord, blot out my
transgression." When you're really serious about something, when
something is really on your heart and your mind, what do you say?
You cry out. You make an exclamation. Oh!
Don't you? Brother Mack read from Psalm
40, and I was amazed. I was struck seven times in that
psalm. He says, O Lord, my God. We sing that hymn, don't we?
Oh, Lord, my God. But seven times, Brother Mack,
he said that in Psalm 40. I was amazed by that. He said
things like this, Oh, Lord, deliver me. Oh, Lord, make haste to help
me. Make no tarrying. Oh, my God.
Oh, my God. The only reason you don't say
that in profanity and take his name in vain right now When most
people do, it's the mercy of God to you, to make you fear
His name. And to cry out when you do say
that, you say it from the depth of your heart, Oh, my God. Oh,
Lord, my God. And I was going to go through.
Just look at it sometime. Just go through the psalms and
see how many times it says, Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord. Oh, my God. So Jabez cries out
in sincerity and from his heart, Oh, that Thou wouldst bless me
indeed. Spurgeon said this is the key
to this whole story here. Indeed. Truly. A true blessing. Bless me indeed. A true blessing. We need a true blessing. Most
people call on God, if they do at all, they call on Him for
useless, vain, material things, don't they? Oh, Lord, give me
this. Oh, Lord, give me, give me. It's
a very shallow, a very empty, a very childish, a very immature,
a very spoiled person that's only asking for things all the
time. The person that doesn't know
God is always asking for things from God. Jabez doesn't ask for one material
thing, really. You're going to see this with
me. Oh, Lord, bless me indeed. Do you remember Isaiah 65? He that blesseth himself in the
God of truth shall be blessed. Do you remember Numbers 6 where
the Lord told the Levites, The children of Israel tell them,
say unto them, the Lord bless thee, the Lord keep thee, the
Lord make His face to shine upon you, the Lord be gracious unto
thee, the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, the Lord keep thee,
the Lord give thee peace. Not one earthly claim is mentioned. And I could go through so many
prayers with you right now of people that bless the Lord, not
with things. When Hannah had that child that
she was asking for, And she prayed to the Lord after giving birth
to that child. She didn't even mention that
child. She just blessed the Lord for
greater things, higher things than that. Oh, my. Oh, my God. Bless me indeed. And look at his request, threefold. He says, enlarge my coast. Oh, Lord, bless me indeed. Give
me a true blessing, enlarge my coast." Now, is he asking for more land?
No. Not hardly. Not hardly. Turn with me to 1 Kings chapter
4. 1 Kings chapter 4. Go over there. Not hardly. We've already settled that. But
he's calling on God for things that are higher, things that
are nobler. We have an old saying. We have
a saying. We say of someone who never gets
out and goes anywhere. Someone who never gets out of
their little sphere, their little world, their little secluded
place that they stay in. Lots of people are like that.
They're like hermits. They get in this little place
and never get out or go anywhere, never see anything. And those
who have just a real narrow view of things, we say they need to
broaden their horizons. Don't we say that? They need
to broaden their horizon. Well, what we need to pray with
Jabez, and what he's saying here is, O Lord, bring me out of my
little narrow self. Bring me out of the confines
of thinking only about I and me and mine. Oh Lord, bring me
up out of this meager existence. Enlarge my mind, enlarge my heart,
enlarge my understanding, set my affection on things above,
rid me from this carnal mind, rid me from being like as the
earthy So are they that earth they make me, enlarge me. Let me say, he was in the land
of Israel at the time. He was in the promised land.
And he said, I want to see more of it. And oh, the promises of
God, eye hadn't seen, ear hadn't heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man the things that God had prepared for him. For
us, the children of Israel, oh Lord, Open my eyes, would you
please, get me out of this poor, miserable existence that I live
in. Enlarge my coast. Let me see
something of the glory and the might. Bring me out of this miry
clay. Open my eyes. Let me see the
vast promises of our God who cannot lie. Let me see all that
He's provided for me. Let me see something of the glory
and the majesty of our Lord. Let me enter into the height,
the depth, the length, the breadth of His love. Let me see something
of the wisdom and the power and the glory of our God, the depth
of His riches. Enlarge my toes. I've got these little nerves.
Get me out of myself, out of my sorrows, out of my Look at
this, 1 Kings 4, verse 29. God gave Solomon. You know what
the Lord told Solomon? He said, Ask anything you will
of me. Jabez had an honorable request. So did Solomon. Solomon didn't
ask for riches, and the Lord was well pleased with that one.
Solomon asked for wisdom. of compassion and kindness to
lead his people. And the Lord gave him that more
than any man before him or after him. And look at this. It says, God gave Solomon wisdom
and understanding exceeding much and largeness of heart. Oh, Lord, enlarge my poor heart. That's what Jabez is saying.
He doesn't want more land. My, my. As I said, that's covetous. That's childish. Enlarge my heart. Give me largeness of heart as
the sand is on the seashore. What does largeness of heart
do for a person? It makes that heart go out to
God. A narrow, a small-minded person,
a carnal mind. Anybody read Phil Pott this morning? He talked about to be carnally
minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. I don't
know much about that. Life and peace. I know a little
bit, but I find myself not having much peace all the time. Oh Lord, enlarge my heart. Get me out of my carnal way of
thinking, my earthbound thoughts. You know, we have such small
thoughts of our God. He said, ask. I'll give it to you. I'm not, you know, I'm not preaching
like these idiots that don't know God. But this is true. I know people abuse this. I know
these false prophets abuse this. And what they mean by asking
him is asking for a Mercedes and he'll give it to you. No,
no. But I tell you, I need peace. I need rest. I need contentment,
don't you? I need wisdom. I need direction, don't you?
He said, ask. He said, you have not because
you ask not. Oh Lord, enlarge my heart. Enlarge my heart. Bring me out
of this little lowly world I live in. and up into the greatness
of thy kingdom. Let me see something of the vastness
and the greatness of thy kingdom, and if you do, it will take my
eyes off of this stuff. Look at the next thing. He says
in verse 10, Oh, that thou wouldst enlarge my coat, and that thy
hand might be with me. Oh, that your hand would be with
me. Oh, we know Our God has hands,
don't we? And we're in them. And aren't
you glad? This foolish religious world
talks about a God with no hands. Well, our God has hands and we're
in them. A God in whose hands our breath
is in all our ways. And aren't you glad? And we say
with Jabez, we desire with Jabez, Lord, take... Don't take your
hand off of me. Don't ever take your hand off
of me. Keep your hand on me." People say, well, you talk about
your God, it makes man a puppet. Well, I don't want Him to ever
let go of me. If He lets go of me, I'll be
like a puppet. I'll just fall into a pile of
sin and ruin, unless He draws me with cords.
Unless He manipulates me and moves in me, direct me. This
is what we pray. Oh, Lord, keep me. Oh, Lord,
direct me. Oh, Lord, lead me. Oh, Lord,
guide me. Lord, put Your hand on my child.
Put Your hand on my wife, my son, my daughter, my husband.
Don't take Your hand off. Don't ever take Your hand off.
And we want to see His hand in everything, don't we? Lord, let
me see Your hand in this. That will keep me from complaining.
That will keep me from murmuring. That will keep me from despair.
Let me see your hand. Because the hand of God is moving
in everything. The Lord controls everything
with His hand. Don't take your hand off of me.
And then the last thing. He says, O Lord, that Thou wouldest
keep me from evil. that it may not grieve me." See, this is the same Lord, Jesus
Christ the same, yesterday, today, and forever, who taught Jabez
to pray, keep me from evil. And taught us to pray, his disciples,
pray, lead us not into temptation, but keep us from evil. Because
our adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, seeketh whom
he may divide, and has many captive at his will. We were, but God. And so we pray to our God, O
Lord, keep me from the evil one. I am no match for him. Keep me
from the evil one. His temptations and his snares
are too much for me. We can't resist one. A perfect
woman. Eve, a perfect woman, mind you,
could not resist one temptation. No. Keep me from his temptation. Lead me not into temptation.
If I go into it, I'll fall to it every time. Keep me from this
present evil world because it still has an attraction to me.
My pastor used to say the two most dangerous things for believers
are The things of this world. And you're lying if you say they
don't still have some attraction to you. The things of this world
and the people of this world. Keep me from this present evil
world that tempts me, that threatens to overcome me. And keep me most
of all from that evil man within. Keep that evil man from rearing
his ugly head. Subdue him. Mortify him. Lord, I can't do it. We can't
do it, can we? He tells us to mortify our memory.
How? Looking to Christ on the cross.
That's all. That's how. Because we can't
do it. He must do it. Keep me from that
evil man within, because it's all a grief to me. J-Biz says
it grieves me, like a lot. It vexes me. Sin vexes me. Sin around me. Sin in me vexes
me. It grieves me. And Lord, keep
it from grieving me. And Lord, keep me from grieving
You and others. That's what sin does. It's grievous. It's grievous. Now look, and God granted. And God granted him. Just like that. It must be an appropriate prayer. It must be a prayer that God
answers. And God granted him that he requested. Do you find yourself calling
on the Lord like J.Beth? Oh, Lord, my God. My God, have mercy on me, O God,
according to Thy tender mercy. Love and kindness, O God. Do
you crawl on God like that from your heart? Oh, my God. Would
You bless me indeed, Lord? I need Thee to bless it. Do you
find one thing lethal? Oh, Lord, would You broaden my
horizons? My little poor view of You? In my earthbound view, Colonel,
would you please enlarge my coasts? I live in Zion. I'm a child of
the King. Oh, Lord, would You please keep
Your hand on me and not take Your hand off of me? Oh, Lord,
would You keep me from evil? I can't. God grant it. He delights to show mercy. He
says, when they call, I'll answer. You call like that. You're no
different than Jabez. Jabez is no different than you,
a sinful man chosen by God. And it's an honorable request
that God will answer every time. Okay, stand up. Our God, make us like Jabez of
old, Lord, make us call upon Thee for the right things. And
our brother, as You said in Your Word, our brother rehearsed it
in our ears. Make intercession for us with
groanings that cannot be uttered. We know not what we should ask
for. And here we know, we've seen, We've seen what you answered,
what you granted this man. But we know in part, Lord, we
preach in part, the half has not been told, of the willingness
of our God and the ability of our God to do all things necessary
for us, to bring us up out of the miry clay and set our feet
upon a rock and establish our going and set our feet in paths
of righteousness for His namesake. We just don't enter into that
as we should. to the glory of glorious things
that You have for us now, even now. The peace that passes understanding. Oh Lord, forgive our miserable
existence and bring us out. Bring us up out, we pray. Enlarge
our coasts. Keep us in Your hand. Keep us from the evil one. Bless
us, we pray, for Christ's sake. Amen. Thank you.