When Opportunities Appear - Part 1

Welcome to the intense podcast with Charles Stanley Tuesday, November 9. Scripture tells us that the Lord is clothed in splendor and majesty want us to talk with them and to know him intimately.

Let's learn to appreciate the privilege believers have, to interact with Jesus we are continually being confronted with all kinds of opportunities. Gelato posters walk right through life and miss most of them for the simple reason that not looking and not expecting this sort of see themselves as outside the realm of the blessings of God and maybe once in a while though, since a little bit that's not the way life is because you see, God gives us opportunity just a goddess of the leaders.

He also makes her life very interesting and exciting. As a result of opportunity because nobody likes sameness sameness create some dullness and the one we have opportunities that challenge us. They oftentimes stretch us, we begin to be excited about things in life that we didn't even know existed, and of all the people who want to be sensitive to opportunities God's children should be. We have the Holy Spirit living inside of his giving us direction. He's the one who gives us a spiritual eyes to see these things that other people do not see.

And when you think about the fact that you and I have trusted Christ as our Savior.

He is our very life. We go to heaven when we die, but he has an exciting life down here before he takes his home because we have the privilege of walking with him living with him. Listening to him absorbing him understanding him getting a glimpse of what God is really all about. You say well you know now been a Christian pretty a while but never thought about having all these opportunities what you do and what I want to do in this message is give you a series of opportunities from the Scripture that will give you an idea that maybe you're missing some opportunities in your life.

If you've never trusted Christ as your Savior so far you have missed the most important opportunity you will ever have. And I trusted before this time is over you will make a decision you take advantage of the opportunity of trusting Jesus Christ as your personal savior. All of these passages are familiar on purpose. I try to choose the ones that I think most people would be conscious of and so I want to begin with the first one in the John chapter 6 if you turn there. John chapter 6 and it's a passage that most people are familiar with and it just so happens this is the only miracle that Jesus performed that's found in all four Gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John. And so if you'll notice, and beginning in this first verse churches is after these things Jesus went away to Elvis C. Of Galilee, to the various town to get away and the crowds are large crowds followed him because they saw the signs which he was performing on those who were sick. Then Jesus went up on the mountains and that he sat down with his disciples never Passover, the feast of the Jews was near. Therefore, Jesus lifting up his eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to him.

He said the Philip, where are we to buy bread, so that these may this, he was saying to testing for he himself knew what he just intending to do so. Philip answered him and said 200 denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them for everyone to receive a little.

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother said turn there is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish. What are they among so many Jesus said, have the people sit down now. There was much grass in the place and so the men sat down in the number which was about 5000. So if you had all the latest of that at a big crowd.

Jesus then took the loans and having given thanks, he distributed to those who were seated likewise also of the fish is much as they wanted when they were filled. He said to his disciples, yelled up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost. So they gathered them up and filled 12 baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who need therefore, when the people saw the sandwich in performed. They said this is true, the prophet who is come into the world. They say was that got to do it. Opportunities for let's think about it from a little boy left home that morning.

The only thing he knew his he was going to find Jesus and he want to be in the credit he want hear what he had to say and so little did he realize that on this day he would experience the greatest opportunity of his lifetime, but he did know that. And so when Jesus asked for his bread in his fish and he gave it to him and he began to multiply he saw a miracle take place right before his eyes. 2000 years later we're still talking about the little boy who had five loaves and two fish.

Why because he took advantage of an opportunity he could have kept the five loaves and two fish for himself. He could have, but he said no I'm willing to give them up. He had the opportunity to give away something that he had and what happened was that God performed a miracle and he performed a miracle right in front of the land he would never see anything to match that it is entirely so with that either.

He simply took advantage of an opportunity and more than likely you walk right by opportunities every day you don't plan that you couldn't you wouldn't know it but there it is staring you in the face the opportunity to do one of a number of things.

What I want you to see in these passages is this God wants us to learn to be alert to his opportunities because one of the ways he guides us and leads us in their life. Is he guides us and leads us by opportunities. He gives us an opportunity to go here we go there we hear something that changes our life or we may see something that we think will one of these days. Maybe I could possibly enjoy something like that and guard against open little.

You see, he creates desires of the heart, is he not say that if we delight ourselves and him that he would give us the desires of our heart. God's a good God is a God of opportunities he wants to see us interested in life when people who call themselves Christians are bored with life and the solid dissatisfied living in a rut there's something wrong with your vision around you in front of you there opportunities to do things that elicit they would turn your life inside out, upside down and right side up, because that's who he is. Listen aboard Christian is a bad testimony and exciting Christian is a powerful testimony.

There are opportunities all around you if you stop and open your eyes and think and become alert alert to what God wants to do in your life and maybe what God wants to do in somebody else's life. When you go to work tomorrow morning you will have an opportunity to say something, do something act in a certain way that God listen will make you a blessing and the person or the business you help the words. He's full of opportunities for us. Think about this. You have eight hours that you work for your 24 hours in a day does God just want you to sort of flounder around and walk around know he has opportunities that he provides for you to seize your own good and to be a blessing that is the second passage, I want you to notice here because I'm when I think about all these different ones, and this is certainly one of some people say all he would never do that but I want to turn to Matthew chapter 4 for a moment and the day before. Probably Peter has his watch. This also miracle that Jesus is performed when he was standing on the seashore trying to teach and they will crown them in the wall and so is this category about Peter so he said sure you remedy to come out for a little fishing trip and the rats couldn't hold fish now on this day Jesus walks by and says follow me and I'll make you fishers of men were first of all, let's see who Peter was. Peter was a very successful fisherman.

He and Andrew together and their friends James and John. There was successful fisherman and the Sea of Galilee was flourishing with vision those days so they didn't need anything.

They were very successful fisherman.

So Jesus comes along and says follow me and I'll make you fishers of men. All of a sudden Peter was facing an unbelievable opportunity to him. At first I'm sure was a challenge. You want me to leave everything boats nets everything in my fission business and follow you having to make a living. There was yet a thousand questions he was confronted with an opportunity he did not expect he would have said, I'm totally unprepared to do this. There's no way you could be asking me to do something like this. The reason I'm saying this is because God still works in the same way. He still works in the same way he will confront you with an opportunity you have prepared for in your thinking it will confront you with an opportunity that may scare you, at first, so Peter had a choice to make and he and Andrew more than likely they looked at each other and thought, what's this all about, and problem that have more conversation between natural and they followed and we know that, but look at the opportunity they had an opportunity to follow the son of God, and to become an apostle and be walking by side to defend him and to preach the truth that he was preaching and the message that he would send around the world. He would never have imagined the fact that his name would be repeated.

Thousands and thousands and thousands of time every single Sunday in the world worldwide. He was efficient.

Who is he, he wasn't prepared to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Listen, Jesus will oftentimes give you opportunities in your life that you do not feel qualified for I can say you want qualifies that you feeling or you don't feel like it's it fits you. That's what you feel he will never give you an opportunity that he doesn't intend you to walk through. He will never intend you to walk through something he doesn't enable you to do well at it there opportunities all around us. This is an opportunity to serve the Lord. Peter was alerted to this opportunity because what happened.

He laid it all down. He followed Jesus.

He took advantage of the greatest opportunity he could ever have had, and that is to be with the close followers of Jesus Christ.

He was one of the intimates, Peter James and John not favorites favorites is one thing intimate is something else when he wanted to get the small group within Peter was always there.

He could've still been fishing if he had missed the opportunity if he had rationalized away that he said no I can't do that.

I'm simply saying when God called you to do something. It's an opportunity isn't just the responsibility. It is just a calling from God.

It is an opportunity to serve the living God. Tell me something any higher in life than that you say will serve in hell, it doesn't make any difference what he called you the for example, every choir members import every teacher limits every single person's important what he calls you do is important in the eyes of God. So if you're alert you not to be saying well is not an opportunity. Yes, it is rather slick at something else here because I just want you to see all the different kinds of opportunities that God may send your way.

Now here's one listen carefully. I want you listen very carefully because you going to think, well, what's that every woman in here will identify list look in Luke chapter 10 for example, and this is one day Jesus is traveling along in his disciples. Can you imagine Jesus sending somebody log.

He was always sending a message before he was going somewhere and are can you imagine him coming to your house and say well let me tell you the master is said we are coming to lunch at your house whose we will Jesus know Trevor 13 now the Bible is in center but it implies that they must've been preparing and so look, if you will. In this 38 verse of this 10th chapter of Luke trips. He says now as they were traveling along here in the village and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She was element of the two Genesis to call Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet listening to his word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations and so she came up to him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving along.

Can you identify whether somebody can never scan but you won't admit it, then tell her to help me. But the Lord answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, your word and bothered about so many things but only one thing is necessary for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Now when Jesus showed up. Mary immediately saw this awesome opportunity to be close to him to listen to him to learn from him to watch him to feel his love to be sensitive to him. She saw this as an opportunity that it would've been fine if Martha had come sit down beside her. There was food and Jesus was really all that important when they finish they could've gone ahead and finish with a meal. But Martha could handle it, Mary. So that is an opportunity I want you listen carefully, she saw it as an opportunity to get to know him better to learn what is really like on a one-to-one basis with just the two of you talking when you have loved to sit Jesus just you and him and just talk and listen to him. In fact, not much talk about a lot listening and feel his compassion and his love and be told you about an opportunity you can open this book and you can read some of the things that Jesus said you can see how he responded. You can see how he treated people. You can see how he for gave you can learn in an enormous amount sitting in the presence of Jesus Christ by yourself if necessary. With open word of God. Listen Matthew, Mark, Luke, John four Gospels. The tellers everything that God knew we needed to know about what Jesus said how he responded in situations and circumstances. She didn't have a bit more opportune than we have in fact we have a better opportunity because she was caught up in her society and the surroundings in which she live in the in the age in which she lived.

You and I have 2000 years of history and experience, and we have this awesome book called the word of God, the Bible, so that everything I need to know about him is in here let me answer your question are you taking advantage of that opportunity that you start your day with the Lord Jesus Christ and his word that you begin the day reading his word and asking him to give you directions for the day and give you guidance in the make you sensitive to his will and his purpose in his plan make you sensitive to opportunities that come your way, and there was do you begin the day sitting at the feet of Jesus you so I can you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you.

You have the word of God lying before you, you can talk to the Lord Jesus Christ personally and he listens to you personally. He will meet every single need that you have him give you guidance and direction. He will bring you to some passage, something that he said maybe something that one of his apostles said to give you guidance for the day. You have the same opportunity that Mary had all you have it a little bit better because her watch this. Her conversation with Jesus was limited your conversation with Jesus and his word is unlimited. You can read as long as you want to you come back to it during the day or night time.

You can wake up in the middle of the night you talk to him. He's listening. You have that opportunity. Probably one of the greatest sins of believers today is that we are to busy to seize the opportunity of spending time with the son of God, which affects every aspect of your life. Now you spend time with your wife or your husband, your children is Vince I'm your friend to the plague. For sure you do this you do that, whatever group you may belong to. How much time do you spend with the son of God, you take advantage of the most wonderful opportunity. You could possibly have it here on the conviction that is the proper response. This message for the simple reason you have an opportunity this and nobody can take that away from New Orleans now you have an opportunity with him every day. Thank you for listening to when opportunities appear to know more about Charles Stanley more intense ministries in tax data lacking back after the presentation is intense ministries Atlanta, Georgia