JEREMIAH 33:1-11 - PRINCIPLES OF RECEIVING

In our society today to call someone and tell them you need help is one of the most challenging things that you will ever face.  We are taught to work hard,  pay our bills,  take care of our family,  and capture the American dream. We are even taught to give to God,  to give to those in need, and to give to our children.  

But there is very little teaching about receiving the blessings of God.  Even though one of most widely used scripture verses to receive offerings teach us that God wants us to receive as well as give.    Luke 6:38  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

God never gives you something that will harm you or allow you an open door to sin. God will meet your needs and according to Psalms 37:4 give you the desires of your heart. But God will not participate in the process of sin.

What does that mean?  James 4:2-3  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

James 1:14-17  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

There is always a balance with God and he is showing us in Jeremiah that in both good times and bad times we should call upon the name of the lord and trust in him as our protector and provider. 

The Hebrew word call (qara', kaw-raw')  the idea of accosting a person met; to call out, to address by name.

V3 - God said I will answer and I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know.

V6 - God said I will bring health and cure and will reveal abundance of peace and truth.

V8 - God said I will cleanse and pardon

V9 - God said all the nations of the earth will hear the good that I will do and will fear for all the prosperity that I procure.

God wants us to learn to receive as well as give.  God wants us to learn to turn loose of the idea that we do not deserve to be blessed or that God cannot send us blessings through other people.  God uses other people but it originates from God.   We cannot decide whom God will send the blessing through otherwise we would be looking to men for the blessing.   God said call unto me not unto men!

There are at least three principles in receiving that we need to look at.  The first one is calling on the lord,  the next is asking for what we need,  and third believing it is done.

CALLING ON THE LORD

MEN BEGAN CALLING ON THE LORD AFTER THE SUBSTITUTION (SETH)

Gen 4:26  And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

AS A CHRISTIAN,  CHRIST WAS SUBSTITUTED FOR YOU AND GIVES YOU PREVILEGE TO CALL UPON GOD.

MEN HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO TEACH THEIR CHILDREN TO CALL UPON THE LORD

Deu 4:7-9 -  For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?    Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons.

MEN NEED TO CALL UPON THE LORD  ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD

Isa 55:6-7  Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:   Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

MEN NEED TO CALL UPON THE LORD FROM THEIR HEART

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.   Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.   And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Calling on God deals with our personal relationship with God.  We can't expect to receive the blessings of God until we make things right with God.  Once we are in right relationship with God we can go to the next step of asking for what we need.

ASKING FOR WHAT WE NEED

Just as calling upon the Lord deals with our personal right relationship with God.  Asking deals with our speaking forth the promises of God from within the Grace and Covenant of God.  In other words, we are not looking to man or man's system for help, but looking for God to loosen and free our blessings from the camps of this world.

GOD KNOWS YOUR NEEDS BUT YOU MUST ASK TO FREE YOUR BLESSING

Mat 6:8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

ASK FOR SPECIFIC BLESSINGS AND LOOSEN THE GOOD THINGS

Mat 7:7-11 -  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:   For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.   Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

ASK IN THE NAME OF JESUS AS ALL BLESSINGS MUST FLOW THROUGH JESUS.

John 16:23-26 -Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.  Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.  At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:

ASK ACCORDING TO HIS WILL OR WORD

1 John 5:14-17 -  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 

Just as calling upon the Lord deals with our personal right relationship with god and asking deals with our speaking forth the promises of God from within the grace and covenant of God.  Believing deals with how we live after we ask.  In other words putting legs on our prayers.

BELIEVING IT IS DONE

You cannot truthfully say that you believe that God has done something for you unless you live just as if it is already done.     If you are right with God,  you have ask according to his word,  you should expect to receive the answer and live accordingly.

HAVE FAITH IN GOD  - BELIEVE THAT GOD IS GOING TO DO IT, NOT YOU OR MAN

Mark 11:22-24 -  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

James 1:6-8 -  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

BELIEVE THAT IF HAS HAPPENED ONCE IT CAN HAPPEN AGAIN.

John 3:11-12 -  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.   If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

BELIEVE THAT GOD CAN HELP UNBELIEF

Mark 9:23-24 -  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

BELIEVE THAT SIGNS ALWAYS FOLLOW FAITH

Mark 16:17-18  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;   They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

CONCLUSION: