Episode 168: January 21, 2024 - Hearing The Voice Of God

Eternity Church PodCast

A Sunday sermon by Pastor Brett Deal. “God is not afraid to take risks.” — Joe Kapolyo There are things that seem so obvious. Things that we take for granted until someone points them out. Many of those things that pass in and out of our days unnoticed have a lot to do with where we grew up and the cultures that shaped us: the sounds of our words, the sense of freedom, the way we view time. Reading Matthew 2.19-23, our passage for this Sunday, Zambian Bible scholar, Joe Kapolyo is convinced “God is not afraid to take risks.” His fresh perspective is like warm tea on a cold winter day. It radiates through our chests. Reading the words of the Evangelist, Kapolyo is convinced God is not afraid to take risks based on the evidence: “He trusted teenagers with his son. He did not shield his son from the ravages of political life. But in all these things His will was fulfilled.” This perspective renews not only how we view the life and ministry of Jesus Christ while He walked and talked and made His dwelling place among us, but also how we understand God the Father. God is not afraid to take risks, those risks that leave us deep in doubt and struggling to move forward, because He knows the outcome. God knows the plans He has for us. We believe this, but at times we are too well acquainted with particular verses to believe them in context. We find encouragement when we hear God declare over us “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” (Jeremiah 29.11). What we aren’t so keen on is remembering the context of this verse is found in the book of Jeremiah “the weeping prophet!” These words were spoken to a people oppressed and exiled. The Lord was telling them through these words to get a new perspective, to the change the way they were looking at things. Instead of wistfully gazing back to Jerusalem, they should settle down in Babylon because they’re going to be there awhile. “Keep your risks!” we might be inclined to shout back! We took for granted the jewel of God’s promise, but we closed our eyes to the context in which He placed it. Friend, God is not afraid to take risks. And that can justifiably make us nervous. But in the midst of it all, “God may well be working out His purposes even in the seemingly insignificant acts of our lives,” (Kapolyo). And that is a risk worth taking.