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You Are Here: Home > Teaching Summaries > Coleman Tyler 10/05/01

Note: These are unofficial notes taken by an attendee at the teaching by Coleman Tyler. If you want a transcript of this teaching you are encouraged to order either an audio or video tape of the session.

Ants
Coneys
Locusts, and
Lizards

Quotable Text:

Don't focus on the work of the Lord while letting the Lord of the work be forgotten!

Photo of Coleman Tyler
Lessons to Learn from the Least

Over the past three weeks we have heard people trying to make sense of what happened to the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon here in Washington on September 11th. There are so many voices out there. One mother wrote this... [skip boxed text]

  • On Monday there were people fighting against praying in schools; on Tuesday you would have been hard pressed to find a school where someone was not praying.

  • On Monday there were people trying to separate each other by race, sex, color and creed; on Tuesday they were all holding hands.

  • On Monday we thought that we were secure; on Tuesday we learned better.

  • On Monday we were talking about heroes as being athletes; on Tuesday we relearned what hero meant.

  • On Monday people went to work at the world trade Center as usual; on Tuesday they died.

  • On Monday people were fighting against having the ten commandments on government property; on Tuesday the same people said "God Bless America."

  • On Monday people argued with their kids about picking up their room; on Tuesday the same people could not get home fast enough to hug their kids.

  • On Monday people were upset that their cleaning was not ready on time; on Tuesday they were lining up to give blood for the dying.

  • On Monday politicians argued with each other about budget surpluses; on Tuesday -- grief stricken -- they sang "God Bless America with one voice (on the steps of the US Capitol)

  • On Monday we were irritated that our tax rebate checks had not arrived; on Tuesday we saw people celebrating the death of Americans.

  • On Monday the President was going to Florida to read to children; on Tuesday he returned to Washington, DC to protect our children.

  • On Monday some children had loving moms and dads; on Tuesday they were orphans

[Author an unknown mom]

There were voices asking "Where is God" and "Why would a loving God allow this?" I can tell you that God was very busy on September 11th. Here are just a couple of examples:

  • On the planes that were hijacked passengers were calling their loved ones. There was no sound of panic in the background of those conversations. The sounds were one of sadness and calm and of people saying how much they loved their husband, their wife, their dad, their mom, their children... but not with panic in their voice. That was because God's hand was upon them.

  • On a normal day the World Trade Center complex would have fifty thousand people in it. On this day there were 40% of that number, around twenty thousand. Stories continue to be told of how people were delayed, meetings canceled, travel connections missed. And three fourths of the workers in the building got out alive. This is the hand of God limiting the loss of life.

The world tells us that we should work for upward mobility. God tells us just the opposite... leaders need to be servants. We need to pay attention to God's divine wisdom. Take a look at Proverbs 30:24-28. It says:

There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise.
Ants -- they aren't strong, but they store up food for the winter
Coneys (Rock Badgers) -- they aren't powerful, but they make their homes amount the rocky cliffs.
Locusts -- they have no king, but they march like an army in ranks
Lizards -- they are easy to catch, but they are found even in kings' palaces.

[New Living Translation]

Ants: They are preparing for the future.
- Some people live in the past. To them the good old days were the best. These people are dying or already dead.
- Other people live only for the present. They don't learn from the past or give any thought for the future.
- Still others live only for the future and thereby obscure the present.

The ant learns from the past and prepares itself in the present for the future. My friends, winter is coming. It is coming to our land on many levels: socially, economically, and politically. Like Narnia in C. S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," where it is always winter but never Christmas... winter is coming. Nobody knows what is in store and for how long... When, Where, What, and How the future is going to be, we do not know. But in the midst of our insecurity the ant is highlighted. He is preparing for the future. Are we drawing close to the return of Christ? Jesus tells us to be alert, ready, and prepared. To look for the signs.

Its like the ship that returned to port after a long time at sea and as it came into port the wives and sweethearts met the sailors on the dock as they came off the ship. All but one. This sailor walked home and found his wife waiting for him at home to welcome him. She told him she was "waiting" for him. There is a big difference between waiting for something to happen and watching for it! So how do we prepare...?

Look at the Coney (rock badger). It lives in the rocks of Palestine where it is protected. If it leaves the shelter of these rocks then the eagles and hawks will attack it. The Son of God and the Word of God are the rocks that protect the Christian. They form our fortress. The Word prepares us for the future. Feast on it daily just like the Israelites feasted on the manna in the wilderness. Remember that it must be gathered daily. What you gathered yesterday will not be enough to see you through today and what you gather today will not be enough for tomorrow. Live like the coney in the protective shadows of your living rock fortress.

The locust by itself has no power, but in community they have power. The church is called to be spiritual locusts, spreading the light of Christ. Any light we have is borrowed from God. For example, when we were on the ship Logos II alongside the dock and we were loading supplies we had long lines of crew members handing boxes from one to another until they were safely stored in the hold -- many people working together like ranks of locusts. In the same way, we need to pass our faith on from one person to the next. We need to reach out to each other and repent of our denominational prejudice. Unlike the locusts who have nobody leading them, we have a leader -- our king, Jesus.

The Lizard is found everywhere including the palaces of kings. What we are, was caused by the birth [God's gift to us]. What we become is our gift to God. God takes us -- common folk -- and brings us into his palace. This is an expression of how much God loves us. God uses the weak who he makes us strong. Do you know who you are in Christ Jesus? When winter comes, it is imperative that you know who you are in Christ Jesus.

The Incredible Christian

by Tozer
(a prophetic writer of the last century)

The Christian believes that Christ has died, yet he is more alive than before and fully expects to live forever. He walks on earth while seated in heaven. To be safe, he puts himself in jeopardy; he loses his life to save it, and is in danger of losing it if he attempts to preserve it. He goes down to get up. If he refuses to go down, he is already down, but when he starts down he is on his way up.

He is strongest when he is weakest and weakest when he is strong. Though poor, he has power to make others rich; he has most after he has given most away and has least when he possesses most. He may be, and often is, highest when he feels lowest, and most sinless when he is most conscious of sin. He is wisest when he knows that he knows not, and knows least when he has acquired the greatest amount of knowledge. He sometimes does most by doing nothing, and goes farthest when standing still. He fears God, but is not afraid of him. In God's presence, he feels overwhelmed and undone, yet there is nowhere he would rather be than in that presence.

He loves supremely one who he has never seen, and through himself poor and lowly (like the lizard you pick up with your hand), he talks with familiarity with one who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords... Incredible Christian... Incredible God!