The Christmas Story of the Birth of Jesus - Paraphrased from the Bible:
References:
Matthew 1:18-25; Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:1-20.
The Conception of Jesus Foretold
Mary, a virgin, was living in Galilee of Nazareth and was engaged to be married to Joseph, a Jewish carpenter. An angel visited her and explained to her that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit. She would carry and give birth to this child and she would name him Jesus.
At first Mary was afraid and troubled by the angel's words. Being a virgin, Mary questioned the angel, "How will this be?" The angel explained that the child would be God's own Son and, therefore, "nothing is impossible with God." Humbled and in awe, Mary believed the angel of the Lord and rejoiced in God her Savior.
Surely Mary reflected with wonder on the words found in Isaiah 7:14 foretelling this event, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." (NIV)
Sing “Mary did you know”
The Birth of Jesus:
While Mary was still engaged to Joseph, she miraculously became pregnant through the Holy Spirit, as foretold to her by the angel. When Mary told Joseph she was pregnant, he had every right to feel disgraced. He knew the child was not his own, and Mary's apparent unfaithfulness carried a grave social stigma. Joseph not only had the right to divorce Mary, under Jewish law she could be put to death by stoning.
Although Joseph's initial reaction was to break the engagement, the appropriate thing for a righteous man to do, he treated Mary with extreme kindness. He did not want to cause her further shame, so he decided to act quietly. But God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream to verify Mary's story and reassure him that his marriage to her was God's will. The angel explained that the child within Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that his name would be Jesus and that he was the Messiah, God with us.
When Joseph woke from his dream, he willingly obeyed God and took Mary home to be his wife, in spite of the public humiliation he would face. Perhaps this noble quality is one of the reasons God chose him to be the Messiah's earthly father.
Joseph too must have wondered in awe as he remembered the words found in Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." (NIV)
At that time, Caesar Augustus decreed that a census be taken, and every person in the entire Roman world had to go to his own town to register. Joseph, being of the line of David, was required to go to Bethlehem to register with Mary. While in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to Jesus. Probably due to the census, the inn was too crowded, and Mary gave birth in a crude stable. She wrapped the baby in cloths and placed him in a manger.
Sing” Away in the manger”
The Shepherd's Worship the Savior:
Out in the fields, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds who were tending their flocks of sheep by night. The angel announced that the Savior had been born in the town of David. Suddenly a great host of heavenly beings appeared with the angels and began singing praises to God. As the angelic beings departed, the shepherds decided to travel to Bethlehem and see the Christ-child.
There they found Mary, Joseph and the baby, in the stable. After their visit, they began to spread the word about this amazing child and everything the angel had said about him. They went on their way still praising and glorifying God. But Mary kept quiet, treasuring their words and pondering them in her heart. It must have been beyond her ability to grasp, that sleeping in her arms—the tender child she had just borne—was the Savior of the world.
Sing “Go tell it on the mountain”
The Magi Bring Gifts:
After Jesus' birth, Herod was king of Judea. At this time wise men (Magi) from the east saw a star, they came in search, knowing the star signified the birth of the king of the Jews. The wise men came to the Jewish rulers in Jerusalem and asked where the Christ was to be born. The rulers explained, "In Bethlehem in Judea," referring to Micah 5:2. Herod secretly met with the Magi and asked them to report back after they had found the child. Herod told the Magi that he too wanted to go and worship the babe. But secretly Herod was plotting to kill the child.
So the wise men continued to follow the star in search of the new born king and found Jesus with his mother in Bethlehem. (Most likely Jesus was already two years of age by this time.) They bowed and worshipped him, offering treasures of gold, incense and myrrh. When they left, they did not return to Herod. They had been warned in a dream of his plot to destroy the child.
Sing “We three Kings”
You see even from birth Jesus was hated by the world. This holiday season lets show him that we don’t hate him and that we love and adore him. And the way that we do that is by…
Keeping Christ in Christmas:
The number one way to keep Jesus Christ in your Christmas celebrations is to have him present in your daily life. If you're not sure what it means to become a believer in Christ let me tell you, all that means is that you are asking him to forgive you of all your sins and accept him as your personal Lord and Savior.
If you've already accepted Jesus as your Savior and made him the center of your life, keeping Christ in Christmas is more about the way you live your life than the things you say—such as "Merry Christmas" versus "Happy Holidays."
Keeping Christ in Christmas means daily revealing the character, love and spirit of Christ that dwells in you, by allowing these traits to shine through your actions. I would like to share with you a simple way to keep Christ the central focus of your life this Christmas season.
1) Give God one very special gift just from you to him:
Let this gift be something personal that no one else needs to know about, and let it be a sacrifice. David said in 2 Samuel 24 that he would not offer a sacrifice to God that cost him nothing.
Maybe your gift to God will be to forgive someone you've needed to forgive for a long time. You may discover that you've given a gift back to yourself.
Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian who survived extreme brutality in a German concentration camp after rescuing many Jews from certain death during the Nazi Holocaust, was later able to say, "Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you."
Perhaps your gift will be to commit to spending time with God daily. Or maybe there is something God has asked you to give up. Make this your most important gift of the season.
There is an old saying that says it is far better to give than to receive. The amazing thing with Jesus is that whenever you give something to Him you will always receive something far greater in return.
Rather it is simple forgiveness for our sins, peace that passes all understanding, unconditional love, joy unspeakable, a special healing, or an answer to prayer. We can never out give God.
He has given us the greatest give of all Jesus Christ. John 3:16 say it with me.
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Lets us never forget the gift that was born to us that one O Holy night and what an impact that child has made on each and ever one of us.
Sing “O Holy night”
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
A simple way to save the world
Ever one today is talking about going green and trying to save the world.
Google has unveiled a $4 trillion plan detailing how it thinks the US should transition to a low carbon economy.
The wide-reaching strategy sets out a series of proposals designed to wean the US's energy network off coal and oil by 2030 and cut cars' use of fossil fuels by 40 per cent by the same date.
Under the strategy Google proposes the implementation of stricter building codes, a commitment to expand wind and solar tax credits, and the development of a US carbon cap-and-trade system, built around carefully allocated emission permits and a stable carbon price.
The new policy document is the latest in a series of initiatives from the search giant designed to help tackle climate change.
Sounds like a lot of planning going forth to try to save the world we currently live in. Not to mention a lot of money.
Gods plan to save the world was so much simpler.
John 3:16 says “ for God so loved the world that he sent His one and only son that who whoever believes in him shall not perish but have ever lasting life. For God did not send his son to judge the world but to save it.
God used just a simple man of trade. With all the rulers in the world he choice (Joseph).
God also used just an ordinary girl (Mary).
Who see he didn’t need some fancy facility to be born in, he had a simple bed of hay.
He didn’t need the most elite to come and celebrate his birth when he used simple lonely shepherds.
Even though God is all knowing and powerful his plan for each and every one of us is a simple one.
All he wants is that we love him and accept his gift of salvation that he willing gives us.
This Christmas I can almost bet every single one of us will receive at least one gift and how silly it would be not to mention how offended the giver would be if we refused it.
Choice today to accept Gods simple plan for your life and receive his gift of his son.
Google has unveiled a $4 trillion plan detailing how it thinks the US should transition to a low carbon economy.
The wide-reaching strategy sets out a series of proposals designed to wean the US's energy network off coal and oil by 2030 and cut cars' use of fossil fuels by 40 per cent by the same date.
Under the strategy Google proposes the implementation of stricter building codes, a commitment to expand wind and solar tax credits, and the development of a US carbon cap-and-trade system, built around carefully allocated emission permits and a stable carbon price.
The new policy document is the latest in a series of initiatives from the search giant designed to help tackle climate change.
Sounds like a lot of planning going forth to try to save the world we currently live in. Not to mention a lot of money.
Gods plan to save the world was so much simpler.
John 3:16 says “ for God so loved the world that he sent His one and only son that who whoever believes in him shall not perish but have ever lasting life. For God did not send his son to judge the world but to save it.
God used just a simple man of trade. With all the rulers in the world he choice (Joseph).
God also used just an ordinary girl (Mary).
Who see he didn’t need some fancy facility to be born in, he had a simple bed of hay.
He didn’t need the most elite to come and celebrate his birth when he used simple lonely shepherds.
Even though God is all knowing and powerful his plan for each and every one of us is a simple one.
All he wants is that we love him and accept his gift of salvation that he willing gives us.
This Christmas I can almost bet every single one of us will receive at least one gift and how silly it would be not to mention how offended the giver would be if we refused it.
Choice today to accept Gods simple plan for your life and receive his gift of his son.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Hope
Christmas is a holiday full of hopes - hopes of family reconciliations, hopes of picture-perfect celebrations, hopes of getting certain presents. Some of our hopes are fulfilled; others are not. But hoping in God is always a sure bet; people will let us down, but He never will. Let's look at what the word of God has to say about hope.
Today's message is facing dead hopes.
There are a lot of people who struggle this time of year. This is a time of incredible hope, incredible joy, promises, and yet, at a time like this, we are kind of reminded in a fresh and painful way at the many things that aren't moving in our lives, things in our personal lives, things in families, families that are separated because of war or because of tensions within the family, problems with our job.
In a time like that we have to think about what does it mean to hope in God when we are facing these struggles and difficulties?
And so today, we are going to be looking at Zechariah and Elizabeth. I want to read to you just one little small verse about them. It says in Chapter 1 (the angel is talking to Zechariah).
"But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John."
Zechariah was the father of John the Baptist, and husband of Elizabeth. He was a priest belonging to the order of Abijah. While he was offering incense in the Temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to him, and told him that his wife Elizabeth who had been barren for many years would give birth to a son, and the son's name would be John. Zechariah, who was an old man, did not believe the angel, and because of his disbelief, was struck dumb unable to speak, until the prophecy was fulfilled.
With the events leading up to Jesus birth can be summarized by the words “God can do anything”.
Hope is not what you expect; it is what you would never dream. It is a wild, improbable tale with a pinch- me- I’m dreaming ending.
Hope is not a granted wish or favor performed: no it is far greater than that.
Sometimes we feel there is no hope. But with God there is always hope. Remember, He has unlimited resources. He can see what we can't. With Him truly nothing is impossible.
God Understands
Matt 26:38 Then He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me." (NASB)
Did you ever feel like your world had just ended. I know I have. And if you haven't, well you just haven't lived long enough yet.
Jesus was facing the most terrible moment in history. He was approaching the time when, as He bore the sin of the world, the Father would turn His back on Jesus.
From before the beginning of time the Son and the Father had been in perfect fellowship - never apart - and that was about to change.
If you have ever lost a close relative or friend, if you have ever been punished for something you had not done, then Jesus has walked that path and understands. Jesus suffered the loss of his friend Lazerus.
He went without food and drink and was tempted beyond our understanding. His authority was questioned by those who had authority in name only. And, He took the punishment for each of our debt of sin.
There are many who are dealing with very difficult circumstances. If you are one of them and feel that no one can possibly understand your pain, then know three things.
First, there is no situation that God is not in control. He may indeed have you where you are for a reason.
Second, He loves you. The Lord will not forsake you.
Third, He knows exactly where you are and how you feel because He has suffered the same trials and temptations you are dealing with today.
Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. (NASB)
This is an amazing truth for all of us to take to heart. The Creator of the Universe somehow put on our humanity and frailty to win us back from eternal punishment.
And, in the process, walked the same paths we walk every day and experienced all the joys and sorrows we experience. We can bring everything from a skinned knee to a crushed and broken heart to Him and He understands.
Romans 15:13 (New Living Translation)
13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
What are your greatest dreams? Remember, God can do anything, and he loves to fulfill dreams. Ask God to show you what he wants you to do, and then ask him for the power and courage to do it.
Luke 1:30-38 (New Century Version)
30 The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace.31 Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor.33 He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end."
34 Mary said to the angel, "How will this happen since I am a virgin?"
35 The angel said to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason the baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God.36 Now Elizabeth, your relative, is also pregnant with a son though she is very old. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant for six months.37 God can do anything!"
38 Mary said, "I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!" Then the angel went away.
When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God.”
Today's message is facing dead hopes.
There are a lot of people who struggle this time of year. This is a time of incredible hope, incredible joy, promises, and yet, at a time like this, we are kind of reminded in a fresh and painful way at the many things that aren't moving in our lives, things in our personal lives, things in families, families that are separated because of war or because of tensions within the family, problems with our job.
In a time like that we have to think about what does it mean to hope in God when we are facing these struggles and difficulties?
And so today, we are going to be looking at Zechariah and Elizabeth. I want to read to you just one little small verse about them. It says in Chapter 1 (the angel is talking to Zechariah).
"But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John."
Zechariah was the father of John the Baptist, and husband of Elizabeth. He was a priest belonging to the order of Abijah. While he was offering incense in the Temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to him, and told him that his wife Elizabeth who had been barren for many years would give birth to a son, and the son's name would be John. Zechariah, who was an old man, did not believe the angel, and because of his disbelief, was struck dumb unable to speak, until the prophecy was fulfilled.
With the events leading up to Jesus birth can be summarized by the words “God can do anything”.
Hope is not what you expect; it is what you would never dream. It is a wild, improbable tale with a pinch- me- I’m dreaming ending.
Hope is not a granted wish or favor performed: no it is far greater than that.
Sometimes we feel there is no hope. But with God there is always hope. Remember, He has unlimited resources. He can see what we can't. With Him truly nothing is impossible.
God Understands
Matt 26:38 Then He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me." (NASB)
Did you ever feel like your world had just ended. I know I have. And if you haven't, well you just haven't lived long enough yet.
Jesus was facing the most terrible moment in history. He was approaching the time when, as He bore the sin of the world, the Father would turn His back on Jesus.
From before the beginning of time the Son and the Father had been in perfect fellowship - never apart - and that was about to change.
If you have ever lost a close relative or friend, if you have ever been punished for something you had not done, then Jesus has walked that path and understands. Jesus suffered the loss of his friend Lazerus.
He went without food and drink and was tempted beyond our understanding. His authority was questioned by those who had authority in name only. And, He took the punishment for each of our debt of sin.
There are many who are dealing with very difficult circumstances. If you are one of them and feel that no one can possibly understand your pain, then know three things.
First, there is no situation that God is not in control. He may indeed have you where you are for a reason.
Second, He loves you. The Lord will not forsake you.
Third, He knows exactly where you are and how you feel because He has suffered the same trials and temptations you are dealing with today.
Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. (NASB)
This is an amazing truth for all of us to take to heart. The Creator of the Universe somehow put on our humanity and frailty to win us back from eternal punishment.
And, in the process, walked the same paths we walk every day and experienced all the joys and sorrows we experience. We can bring everything from a skinned knee to a crushed and broken heart to Him and He understands.
Romans 15:13 (New Living Translation)
13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
What are your greatest dreams? Remember, God can do anything, and he loves to fulfill dreams. Ask God to show you what he wants you to do, and then ask him for the power and courage to do it.
Luke 1:30-38 (New Century Version)
30 The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace.31 Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor.33 He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end."
34 Mary said to the angel, "How will this happen since I am a virgin?"
35 The angel said to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason the baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God.36 Now Elizabeth, your relative, is also pregnant with a son though she is very old. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant for six months.37 God can do anything!"
38 Mary said, "I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!" Then the angel went away.
When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God.”
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Trust God's plan
THE TABLECLOTH
The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities.
When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve. They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc. and on Dec 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On Dec 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm - hit the area and lasted for two days. On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church. By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry.
The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria. The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. She was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again. The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job. What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone
at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn’t leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike. He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety, and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35
years in between. The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman’s apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (New International Version, ©2010)
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Does everything about life make sense to you? Are you comfortable with everything you see taking place?
Because we often do not think like Him, and because we do not have His perfect perspective, we often do not exactly know what God is doing. Only in hindsight do we understand what is occurring in our personal life, to the church, or in the world in the outworking of prophecy. So we must trust Him, and in the meantime weigh what is happening and its possible outcome.
Submit to God’s sovereignty
A. Sovereign: Above or superior to all others/Supreme in power, rank or authority.
B. God works in His own time and way, (Isaiah 55:8-9).
C. God’s sovereignty is expressed in our life in the form of His will.
D. However God is not irresponsible. He always works all things towards a goal.
E. Do you know God is sovereign in your present situation? (Sickness, Financial issues etc.)
F. Do you know that God is working through your problem to work towards the Goal He has set for your life?
. Conclusion
The very situation that you are facing right now could be a trial of endurance and change. God makes His children to walk through such times because it’s the only way to prepare you to meet God’s plan for your life. To take away what is unnecessary, and shape up your character and attitudes.
But God never forsakes or leaves behind His children at these times of correction. He is with you because He wants to renew your strength at the end of the trial period.
Isaiah 40:28-31 (New International Version, ©2010)
28 Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
29 He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
30 Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah describes God’s power to create, his provision to sustain, and his presence to help.
God is almighty and all powerful: but even so, he cares for each of us personally.
We describe God as best we can with our limited knowledge and language, but we only limit our understanding of him and his power when we compare him to what we experience on earth.
Don’t limit his work in your life by underestimating him.
Even the strongest people get tired at times, but Gods power and strength never dimish . He is never too tired or too busy to help and listen.
His strength is our source of strength. When you feel all of life’s crushing you and you cannot go another step, remember that you can call upon God to renew your strength.
Trusting in the Lord is the patient expectation that God will fulfill his promises in his word and strengthen us to raise above life’s difficulties.
Do you believe God loves you and wants the best for you?
Can you relax, confident that his purposes are right?
Are you convinced that he has the power to control all of life- and your life as well?
Though your faith may be struggling or weak, accept his provisions and care for you.
The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities.
When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve. They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc. and on Dec 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On Dec 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm - hit the area and lasted for two days. On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church. By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry.
The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria. The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. She was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again. The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job. What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone
at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn’t leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike. He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety, and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35
years in between. The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman’s apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (New International Version, ©2010)
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Does everything about life make sense to you? Are you comfortable with everything you see taking place?
Because we often do not think like Him, and because we do not have His perfect perspective, we often do not exactly know what God is doing. Only in hindsight do we understand what is occurring in our personal life, to the church, or in the world in the outworking of prophecy. So we must trust Him, and in the meantime weigh what is happening and its possible outcome.
Submit to God’s sovereignty
A. Sovereign: Above or superior to all others/Supreme in power, rank or authority.
B. God works in His own time and way, (Isaiah 55:8-9).
C. God’s sovereignty is expressed in our life in the form of His will.
D. However God is not irresponsible. He always works all things towards a goal.
E. Do you know God is sovereign in your present situation? (Sickness, Financial issues etc.)
F. Do you know that God is working through your problem to work towards the Goal He has set for your life?
. Conclusion
The very situation that you are facing right now could be a trial of endurance and change. God makes His children to walk through such times because it’s the only way to prepare you to meet God’s plan for your life. To take away what is unnecessary, and shape up your character and attitudes.
But God never forsakes or leaves behind His children at these times of correction. He is with you because He wants to renew your strength at the end of the trial period.
Isaiah 40:28-31 (New International Version, ©2010)
28 Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
29 He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
30 Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah describes God’s power to create, his provision to sustain, and his presence to help.
God is almighty and all powerful: but even so, he cares for each of us personally.
We describe God as best we can with our limited knowledge and language, but we only limit our understanding of him and his power when we compare him to what we experience on earth.
Don’t limit his work in your life by underestimating him.
Even the strongest people get tired at times, but Gods power and strength never dimish . He is never too tired or too busy to help and listen.
His strength is our source of strength. When you feel all of life’s crushing you and you cannot go another step, remember that you can call upon God to renew your strength.
Trusting in the Lord is the patient expectation that God will fulfill his promises in his word and strengthen us to raise above life’s difficulties.
Do you believe God loves you and wants the best for you?
Can you relax, confident that his purposes are right?
Are you convinced that he has the power to control all of life- and your life as well?
Though your faith may be struggling or weak, accept his provisions and care for you.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Overwelmed ?
On Jan 25, 1990, Avianca Flight 52 from Colombia crashed just 15 miles short of New York's Kennedy International Airport, killing 73 passengers. Reason: the plane just ran out of gas. Under international regulations, an airliner must carry enough fuel to reach its destination as well as its assigned alternate, plus enough extra to handle at least 45 minutes of delays. Due to low fuel condition, the Avianca pilots had requested "priority" (not "emergency") landing. Because the exact word "emergency" was not used, and due to heavy traffic and bad weather conditions, the ill-fated plane was placed on a holding pattern...until it simply ran out of gas.
Source Unknown.
________________________________________
A first-grader wondered why her father brought home a briefcase full of work every evening. Her mother explained, "Daddy has so much to do that he can't finish it all at the office." "Well, then," asked the child innocently, "why don't they put him in a slower group?"
Do you have too many problems staring you in the face? Too much to do and not enough time and energy to tackle what needs to be done? If so, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed. But there are ways out.
Matthew 11:28-30:
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of an ox or oxen.
It is attached to a piece of equipment the oxen are to pull. A person may be carrying heavy burdens around themselves. Jesus came to free people from all these burdens.
The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all labor. A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose.
In what sense was Jesus yoke easy? The yoke emphasizes the challenges, work, and difficulties of partnering with Christ in life.
Responsibilities weigh us down, even the effort of staying true to God. But Jesus yoke remains easy compared to the crushing alternative.
Jesus doesn’t offer a life of luxurious ease- the yoke is still an oxen’s tool for working hard.
But it’s a shared yoke, with weight falling on bigger shoulders than yours.
Someone with more pulling power is up front helping. Suddenly you are participating in life’s responsibilities with a great Partner- and now that frown can turn into a smile, and that gripe into a song.
All of us will have trouble in this world from time to time, and on this fact we can all agree; however, Jesus tells us in John 16:33, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world." Notice that He did not say that we might have trouble in this world, but instead, He specifically says that we will have trouble.
In spite of the inevitable struggles we will face, we will not face them alone. Jesus does not abandon us to our struggles. If we remember that the ultimate victory has already been won, we can claim the peace of Christ in our most troublesome times.
Be still, and know that I am God: (Psalm 46:10) Take time each day to be still and to honor God.
Source Unknown.
________________________________________
A first-grader wondered why her father brought home a briefcase full of work every evening. Her mother explained, "Daddy has so much to do that he can't finish it all at the office." "Well, then," asked the child innocently, "why don't they put him in a slower group?"
Do you have too many problems staring you in the face? Too much to do and not enough time and energy to tackle what needs to be done? If so, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed. But there are ways out.
Matthew 11:28-30:
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of an ox or oxen.
It is attached to a piece of equipment the oxen are to pull. A person may be carrying heavy burdens around themselves. Jesus came to free people from all these burdens.
The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all labor. A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose.
In what sense was Jesus yoke easy? The yoke emphasizes the challenges, work, and difficulties of partnering with Christ in life.
Responsibilities weigh us down, even the effort of staying true to God. But Jesus yoke remains easy compared to the crushing alternative.
Jesus doesn’t offer a life of luxurious ease- the yoke is still an oxen’s tool for working hard.
But it’s a shared yoke, with weight falling on bigger shoulders than yours.
Someone with more pulling power is up front helping. Suddenly you are participating in life’s responsibilities with a great Partner- and now that frown can turn into a smile, and that gripe into a song.
All of us will have trouble in this world from time to time, and on this fact we can all agree; however, Jesus tells us in John 16:33, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world." Notice that He did not say that we might have trouble in this world, but instead, He specifically says that we will have trouble.
In spite of the inevitable struggles we will face, we will not face them alone. Jesus does not abandon us to our struggles. If we remember that the ultimate victory has already been won, we can claim the peace of Christ in our most troublesome times.
Be still, and know that I am God: (Psalm 46:10) Take time each day to be still and to honor God.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Stress!!! How to deal
What happens when you are stressed?
Stress is what you feel when you have to handle more than you are used to. When you are stressed, your body responds as though you are in danger. It makes hormones that speed up your heart, make you breathe faster, and give you a burst of energy. This is called the fight-or-flight stress response.
Some stress is normal and even useful. It can help if you need to work hard or react quickly. For example, it can help you win a race or finish an important job on time.
But if stress happens too often or lasts too long, it can have bad effects. It can be linked to headaches, an upset stomach, back pain, or trouble sleeping.
It can weaken your immune system, making it harder to fight off disease. If you already have a health problem, stress may make it worse. It can make you moody, tense, or depressed. Your relationships may suffer, and you may not do well at work or school.
How can you relieve stress?
You will feel better if you can find ways to get stress out of your system. The best ways to relieve stress are different for each person
How to deal with stress
Matthew 6:34 says, don’t worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Planning for tomorrow is time well spent. Worrying about tomorrow is time wasted.
Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference. Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God’s guidance.
Worriers by contrast are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. They let their plans interfere with their relationship with God. Don’t let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God today.
1. Concentrate on things that are calming.
Philippians 4:8-9 says fix your thoughts of what is true, and honorable, and right and pure and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice, all you’ve learned and received from me-everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
It’s not enough to hear and read the Word of God, or even know it well. We must also put it into practice .How easy it is to listen to a sermon and forget what the preacher said.
How easy is it to read the Bible and not think about how to live differently? How easy it is to debate what a passage means and not live out that meaning. Exposure to God’s Word is not enough. It must lead to obedience.
A. Today’s society is caught up in noise and confusion. And its music is loud and thunderous; its entertainment is explosive, sometimes destructive.
B. Deal with stress, by concentrating on calming influences. Such as go on a nature walk; gaze upon a flowing river, calming things brings relaxation.
C. Listen to the soothing hymns of the church. Pray and fellowship with God while meditating on his promises.
2. Cooperate with inevitable (incapable of being avoided) conditions
Romans 8:28 says and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
God works in everything-not just isolated incidents-for our good. This does not mean that all that happens to us is good. Evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long range good.
Note that God is not working to make us happy but to fulfill his purpose.
A. Many Christians suffer stress, because they struggle with and fight against inevitable conditions.
B. Jesus conquered stress because he did not fret about difficult situation. He simply turned in possibilities into opportunities. We should do likewise.
C. Sometimes we must accept situations that we are powerless to change, doing our best and trusting God for the rest.
Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
and wisdom to know the difference
Living one day at a time
Enjoying one moment at a time
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.
3. Comfort others, who have complaints,
Second Corinthians 1:4 says, he comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
Many think that when God comforts us, our trouble should go away. But if that were always so, people would turn to God only out of a desire to be relieved of pain and not out of love for him.
We must understand that being comforted can also mean receiving strength, encouragement, and hope to deal with our troubles.
The more we suffer the more comfort God gives us. If you are feeling overwhelmed, allow God to comfort you. Remember that every trial you endure will help you comfort other people who are suffering similar troubles.
A. Many Christians fail to comfort others as they should. They are too concerned about selfish interests.
B. Jesus cared about the difficulties of others he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and for gave the sinful.
C. We should get involved in helping the less fortunate also. Comforting others who have problems will also help to solve our own complaints.
4. Constantly trust God with all our concerns.
Psalms 6: 8says trust in him at all times.
A. If we are to conquer stress, we should be aware of God’s presence at all times. We do not always feel his presence, but through faith we know He is near.
B. We are able to trust God, because we are not alone. He promised, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
C. We must also yield ourselves to God’s will, letting him do his work through us, carrying the responsibility.
Romans 6:13 says do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead give yourself completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
Will you give yourself completely to God, asking him to put you to good use for his glory?
Diamonds take time and stress - diamonds are produced from coal that outlasted the pressures placed upon them.
Second Corinthians 4:8 says We are experiencing trouble on every side, 1 but are not crushed; we are perplexed but not driven to despair;.
Though we may feel we are at the end of a rope, we are never at the end of our hope.
Stress is what you feel when you have to handle more than you are used to. When you are stressed, your body responds as though you are in danger. It makes hormones that speed up your heart, make you breathe faster, and give you a burst of energy. This is called the fight-or-flight stress response.
Some stress is normal and even useful. It can help if you need to work hard or react quickly. For example, it can help you win a race or finish an important job on time.
But if stress happens too often or lasts too long, it can have bad effects. It can be linked to headaches, an upset stomach, back pain, or trouble sleeping.
It can weaken your immune system, making it harder to fight off disease. If you already have a health problem, stress may make it worse. It can make you moody, tense, or depressed. Your relationships may suffer, and you may not do well at work or school.
How can you relieve stress?
You will feel better if you can find ways to get stress out of your system. The best ways to relieve stress are different for each person
How to deal with stress
Matthew 6:34 says, don’t worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Planning for tomorrow is time well spent. Worrying about tomorrow is time wasted.
Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference. Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God’s guidance.
Worriers by contrast are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. They let their plans interfere with their relationship with God. Don’t let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God today.
1. Concentrate on things that are calming.
Philippians 4:8-9 says fix your thoughts of what is true, and honorable, and right and pure and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice, all you’ve learned and received from me-everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
It’s not enough to hear and read the Word of God, or even know it well. We must also put it into practice .How easy it is to listen to a sermon and forget what the preacher said.
How easy is it to read the Bible and not think about how to live differently? How easy it is to debate what a passage means and not live out that meaning. Exposure to God’s Word is not enough. It must lead to obedience.
A. Today’s society is caught up in noise and confusion. And its music is loud and thunderous; its entertainment is explosive, sometimes destructive.
B. Deal with stress, by concentrating on calming influences. Such as go on a nature walk; gaze upon a flowing river, calming things brings relaxation.
C. Listen to the soothing hymns of the church. Pray and fellowship with God while meditating on his promises.
2. Cooperate with inevitable (incapable of being avoided) conditions
Romans 8:28 says and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
God works in everything-not just isolated incidents-for our good. This does not mean that all that happens to us is good. Evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long range good.
Note that God is not working to make us happy but to fulfill his purpose.
A. Many Christians suffer stress, because they struggle with and fight against inevitable conditions.
B. Jesus conquered stress because he did not fret about difficult situation. He simply turned in possibilities into opportunities. We should do likewise.
C. Sometimes we must accept situations that we are powerless to change, doing our best and trusting God for the rest.
Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
and wisdom to know the difference
Living one day at a time
Enjoying one moment at a time
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.
3. Comfort others, who have complaints,
Second Corinthians 1:4 says, he comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
Many think that when God comforts us, our trouble should go away. But if that were always so, people would turn to God only out of a desire to be relieved of pain and not out of love for him.
We must understand that being comforted can also mean receiving strength, encouragement, and hope to deal with our troubles.
The more we suffer the more comfort God gives us. If you are feeling overwhelmed, allow God to comfort you. Remember that every trial you endure will help you comfort other people who are suffering similar troubles.
A. Many Christians fail to comfort others as they should. They are too concerned about selfish interests.
B. Jesus cared about the difficulties of others he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and for gave the sinful.
C. We should get involved in helping the less fortunate also. Comforting others who have problems will also help to solve our own complaints.
4. Constantly trust God with all our concerns.
Psalms 6: 8says trust in him at all times.
A. If we are to conquer stress, we should be aware of God’s presence at all times. We do not always feel his presence, but through faith we know He is near.
B. We are able to trust God, because we are not alone. He promised, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
C. We must also yield ourselves to God’s will, letting him do his work through us, carrying the responsibility.
Romans 6:13 says do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead give yourself completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
Will you give yourself completely to God, asking him to put you to good use for his glory?
Diamonds take time and stress - diamonds are produced from coal that outlasted the pressures placed upon them.
Second Corinthians 4:8 says We are experiencing trouble on every side, 1 but are not crushed; we are perplexed but not driven to despair;.
Though we may feel we are at the end of a rope, we are never at the end of our hope.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Presentation of the Keys
Presentation of the Keys of the Building
For The Sweda Group, I present the keys of this building to the Mayor of Elyria, may this building always be a positive influence on your community.
Acceptance of the keys of the building
On behalf of the city of Elyria, I Mayor Grace accept these keys. I now present the keys of this building to the Board and Elders of Church of the New Harvest, assuring you it is worthy of the holy use for which it is intended, a house of worship and a beacon to this community.
Acceptance of the keys of the building
On behalf of the board and Elders, we receive these keys symbolizing our acceptance of this building purchased for the congregation of this church, to be set apart from common uses to the worship of God, the preaching and teaching of the Gospel of Christ.
Presentation of the Church building to the congregation
On behalf of the board and Elders, I do now pass the keys of this church, constructed for the purpose of worship, fellowship, teaching, and preaching, to the congregation of Church of the New Harvest, to be used as the church home of this congregation. I would urge everyone to show in their daily lives a testimony of the Spirit of our Lord and Savior, and bear witness in this community to the mission and message of Christ whose name we delight in.
Acceptance of the church home of Church of the New Harvest
As a member of Church of the New Harvest and an elder, I accept these keys. This congregation is aware of the great responsibility that has been placed upon it, and is ready to make a covenant with God to use this church home for the purpose intended. I now present this building to our minister to be dedicated to the Glory of God and His divine purposes.
Minister:
We are indeed thankful that God has stirred the hearts of His people to provide this building for us, and we know that He is the one who has made a way where there seemed to be no way and may He continue to bless this opportunity. With gratitude we receive it for its intended use.
Let us now proceed to set it apart for its proper and holy uses, to the praise and honor of God and to service this community in the loving spirit of Christ our Lord. Let us humbly unite our hearts in fervent prayer, thanking God for His goodness, and seeking His blessing.
The People shout: Grace; Grace to it, may God bless it! May God bless it!
Open door and pastor and family lead people in.
I was glad when they said to me, “let us go to the house of the Lord”.
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Psalms 127:1
Praise and worship
Back towards the end of May some of you may remember coming here and claiming this building as our church. Well here we are!!!
21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”
There may have been a mountain standing in front of us when it come to attaining this building but we had the faith to believe we received.
Do you remember when I asked everyone to close their eyes and picture us in this building?
I said if you can see it you need to have the faith to believe it. Well look around and see what your Lord has done!!
Mark 11:23-24:
23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.
Zechariah 4:6-10:
6 Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 7 Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’ Hebrew ‘Grace, grace to it.’
Zerubbabel was given the responsibility of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem and he saw that the task was carried out. Much like us here at Church of the New Harvest.
How many of you know it is only through God’s spirit that anything of lasting value is accomplished. We here were determined, not to trust in our own strength or abilities. Instead we depended on God and we worked in the power of his spirit!
8 Then another message came to me from the Lord: 9 “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me. 10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
Sure there may be bigger and more beautiful buildings that that doesn’t mean they are better.
What you do for God may seem small and insignificant at the time, but God rejoices in what is right, not necessary in what is big. Be faithful in the small opportunities. Begin where you are and do what you can, and leave the results to God.
And if you don’t believe me just look what God has all ready done.
All He ask is that we make a commitment to serving Him.
A quote” Until I am committed there is a hesitancy, a chance to draw back. But the moment I definitely commit myself, then God commits Himself also, and whole streams of events erupt. All manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, persons and material assistance- which I never would have dreamed would come my way- begin to flow toward me the moment I make a commitment.”
Prov 16:3 says “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
For The Sweda Group, I present the keys of this building to the Mayor of Elyria, may this building always be a positive influence on your community.
Acceptance of the keys of the building
On behalf of the city of Elyria, I Mayor Grace accept these keys. I now present the keys of this building to the Board and Elders of Church of the New Harvest, assuring you it is worthy of the holy use for which it is intended, a house of worship and a beacon to this community.
Acceptance of the keys of the building
On behalf of the board and Elders, we receive these keys symbolizing our acceptance of this building purchased for the congregation of this church, to be set apart from common uses to the worship of God, the preaching and teaching of the Gospel of Christ.
Presentation of the Church building to the congregation
On behalf of the board and Elders, I do now pass the keys of this church, constructed for the purpose of worship, fellowship, teaching, and preaching, to the congregation of Church of the New Harvest, to be used as the church home of this congregation. I would urge everyone to show in their daily lives a testimony of the Spirit of our Lord and Savior, and bear witness in this community to the mission and message of Christ whose name we delight in.
Acceptance of the church home of Church of the New Harvest
As a member of Church of the New Harvest and an elder, I accept these keys. This congregation is aware of the great responsibility that has been placed upon it, and is ready to make a covenant with God to use this church home for the purpose intended. I now present this building to our minister to be dedicated to the Glory of God and His divine purposes.
Minister:
We are indeed thankful that God has stirred the hearts of His people to provide this building for us, and we know that He is the one who has made a way where there seemed to be no way and may He continue to bless this opportunity. With gratitude we receive it for its intended use.
Let us now proceed to set it apart for its proper and holy uses, to the praise and honor of God and to service this community in the loving spirit of Christ our Lord. Let us humbly unite our hearts in fervent prayer, thanking God for His goodness, and seeking His blessing.
The People shout: Grace; Grace to it, may God bless it! May God bless it!
Open door and pastor and family lead people in.
I was glad when they said to me, “let us go to the house of the Lord”.
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Psalms 127:1
Praise and worship
Back towards the end of May some of you may remember coming here and claiming this building as our church. Well here we are!!!
21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”
There may have been a mountain standing in front of us when it come to attaining this building but we had the faith to believe we received.
Do you remember when I asked everyone to close their eyes and picture us in this building?
I said if you can see it you need to have the faith to believe it. Well look around and see what your Lord has done!!
Mark 11:23-24:
23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.
Zechariah 4:6-10:
6 Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 7 Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’ Hebrew ‘Grace, grace to it.’
Zerubbabel was given the responsibility of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem and he saw that the task was carried out. Much like us here at Church of the New Harvest.
How many of you know it is only through God’s spirit that anything of lasting value is accomplished. We here were determined, not to trust in our own strength or abilities. Instead we depended on God and we worked in the power of his spirit!
8 Then another message came to me from the Lord: 9 “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me. 10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
Sure there may be bigger and more beautiful buildings that that doesn’t mean they are better.
What you do for God may seem small and insignificant at the time, but God rejoices in what is right, not necessary in what is big. Be faithful in the small opportunities. Begin where you are and do what you can, and leave the results to God.
And if you don’t believe me just look what God has all ready done.
All He ask is that we make a commitment to serving Him.
A quote” Until I am committed there is a hesitancy, a chance to draw back. But the moment I definitely commit myself, then God commits Himself also, and whole streams of events erupt. All manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, persons and material assistance- which I never would have dreamed would come my way- begin to flow toward me the moment I make a commitment.”
Prov 16:3 says “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Endurance
Endurance means to outlast the problem.
To endure means to stay under something because God is saying don’t run away from it.
Only when God says that he is finished - only then should we move on.
Many people are running away because they are uncomfortable with their present situation but God is not saying to run or leave he’s saying stay under that authority in that difficulty place, don’t run because it’s hard, He wants to do a work in you and He isn’t finished with you here yet.
He may even have you in this place for someone else’s benefit.
There will be times in our lives when we will have to stay somewhere that’s uncomfortable to us for someone else’s benefit.
God will give you the strength and power that you will need to endure.
If we will endure we will also reign with Him.
James 1 tells us that trials are valuable.
James 1:2-Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
It’s during trials that we learn to lean on Jesus and to dig in deeper and deeper.
The Bible doesn’t say if troubles come your way but when it does. He assumes that we will have troubles and that it is possible to profit from them.
The point is not to pretend to be happy when we face pain but to have a positive outlook because of what troubles can produce in our life.
The Bible tells us to turn our hardships into times of learning.
In Gods school no one flunks out we just keep taking the test over and over again until we pass the test he has for us.
Trials also tempt us to show forth any bad character that we have in us.
We can’t really know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure. It’s easy to be kind to others when everything is going well, but can we still be kind when others are treating us unfairly?
God wants to make us mature and complete, not to keep us from all pain. Instead of complaining about our struggles, we should see them as opportunities for growth.
Tough times can teach us perseverance.
Thank God for promising to be with us in rough times.
Ask him to help you solve your problems or give you strength to endure them. Then be patient.
Patience is not waiting its how you behave while you are waiting.
Hebrews 6:12:
12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.
John 16:33:
33I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]
God is tearing down strong holds in our lives called:
Deception: When the enemy sends deception your way, it is an attempt to deceive you into believing something that is not true, so you will fall into error.
Strongholds are built through deception. A stronghold is formed when deception takes hold in a person's mind. A stronghold is an incorrect thinking pattern that stems from believing something that is not true.
Temptations: When the enemy tempts you, he's showing you the worm... but behind that worm is a hook. The Word of God helps you see the hook behind the worm.
Accusations: The devil is known as the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10). He is known to take a believer who has done an embarrassing or gross sin in their past, and continue to rub it in their faces and beat them down with guilt and condemnation over their past.
God will always finish the work he begun in us.
Sometimes we can’t see the finished product because Satan blocks are view - with fear, doubt or any other lies he may say. Are response should be Satan get thee behind me.
When Your Hut's on Fire....
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.
He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him.
Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.
One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky.
He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost.
He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?"
Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island!
It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.
Hebrews 12:1-4:
Hebrews 12
God’s Discipline Proves His Love
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
The Christian life isn’t easy and involves hard work. It requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, and to run with endurance.
To live effectively we must keep our eyes on Jesus, we will stumble if we look away to stare at ourselves or our circumstances surrounding us.
Will you say this morning I am moving forward and will you receive what God has for you today.
To endure means to stay under something because God is saying don’t run away from it.
Only when God says that he is finished - only then should we move on.
Many people are running away because they are uncomfortable with their present situation but God is not saying to run or leave he’s saying stay under that authority in that difficulty place, don’t run because it’s hard, He wants to do a work in you and He isn’t finished with you here yet.
He may even have you in this place for someone else’s benefit.
There will be times in our lives when we will have to stay somewhere that’s uncomfortable to us for someone else’s benefit.
God will give you the strength and power that you will need to endure.
If we will endure we will also reign with Him.
James 1 tells us that trials are valuable.
James 1:2-Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
It’s during trials that we learn to lean on Jesus and to dig in deeper and deeper.
The Bible doesn’t say if troubles come your way but when it does. He assumes that we will have troubles and that it is possible to profit from them.
The point is not to pretend to be happy when we face pain but to have a positive outlook because of what troubles can produce in our life.
The Bible tells us to turn our hardships into times of learning.
In Gods school no one flunks out we just keep taking the test over and over again until we pass the test he has for us.
Trials also tempt us to show forth any bad character that we have in us.
We can’t really know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure. It’s easy to be kind to others when everything is going well, but can we still be kind when others are treating us unfairly?
God wants to make us mature and complete, not to keep us from all pain. Instead of complaining about our struggles, we should see them as opportunities for growth.
Tough times can teach us perseverance.
Thank God for promising to be with us in rough times.
Ask him to help you solve your problems or give you strength to endure them. Then be patient.
Patience is not waiting its how you behave while you are waiting.
Hebrews 6:12:
12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.
John 16:33:
33I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]
God is tearing down strong holds in our lives called:
Deception: When the enemy sends deception your way, it is an attempt to deceive you into believing something that is not true, so you will fall into error.
Strongholds are built through deception. A stronghold is formed when deception takes hold in a person's mind. A stronghold is an incorrect thinking pattern that stems from believing something that is not true.
Temptations: When the enemy tempts you, he's showing you the worm... but behind that worm is a hook. The Word of God helps you see the hook behind the worm.
Accusations: The devil is known as the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10). He is known to take a believer who has done an embarrassing or gross sin in their past, and continue to rub it in their faces and beat them down with guilt and condemnation over their past.
God will always finish the work he begun in us.
Sometimes we can’t see the finished product because Satan blocks are view - with fear, doubt or any other lies he may say. Are response should be Satan get thee behind me.
When Your Hut's on Fire....
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.
He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him.
Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.
One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky.
He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost.
He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?"
Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island!
It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.
Hebrews 12:1-4:
Hebrews 12
God’s Discipline Proves His Love
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
The Christian life isn’t easy and involves hard work. It requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, and to run with endurance.
To live effectively we must keep our eyes on Jesus, we will stumble if we look away to stare at ourselves or our circumstances surrounding us.
Will you say this morning I am moving forward and will you receive what God has for you today.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
One Body, Many Parts
THE CHURCH:
MANY MEMBERS, ONE BODY
Intro.
1. Two extreme attitudes in the church: “I can do everything” & “I can’t do anything.” Both attitudes are wrong: One is borne of pride & selfishness; the other of not knowing the value of every saint.
2. Have you ever seen posters in doctor’s office of human body (names, systems, etc.).
1 Cor. 12:12-31One Body with Many Parts
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.
29 Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? 30 Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.
3. – Holy Spirit gives us a “poster” of the body of Christ the (church), displaying its unity as individual parts join together to function harmoniously & effectively as a church of Christ.
I. WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST - 12:27.
A. The Church is One Body with Many Members –
1. Baptized into one body –
-We all share a common faith, conversion, fellowship & goal.
2. Body can grow & function effectively –Ephesians 4:15-16:
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. ;
B. The Body Illustrates Our Unity in Christ –
Ephesian 4:3-6:
3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.),
1. The local church is to be united –
2. The church is not to be a “battle zone”!
(Example of a team)
II. THE BODY (CHURCH): MANY MEMBERS.
A. God has designed the Church (body) to achieve His Purposes – (Applied to miraculous gifts – 12:1-12)
1. Different gifts – Same Spirit – 12:4. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all (we all have been blessed)
2. Different ministries – Same Lord – 12:5There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. (We render diff. services)
3. Different activities (works) – Same God – 12:6God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.. (thru diff. ways)
-Illus. with human body-
B. Each Member of the Body of Christ:
1. Is vital – [You are valuable in the church! What you do is valuable to the church!]
a. Young person who sets a godly example.
b. Elderly saint whose endurance inspires others.
c. The mother who teaches her children the ways of God.
d. The father who leads his house in righteousness.
e. The class teacher, preacher, song leader, prayer, etc.
2. Is needed –
a. - No one is to be a “church boss” – a dominating Diotrephes – 3 Jno. 9. (cf. intimidation, manipulation, etc.)
b. – Weaker members are necessary, too. (Humility toward all is crucial for our success! – Rom. 12:3 tells us don’t think we are better than we really are.
3. Is honorable –
a. Opinionated “ranking” of importance among brethren is wrong!
b. Just as we adorn our body so that all parts are honorably presented (modest), God has arranged the body of Christ (church) in such a way that the honor of every member is displayed – cf. how we treat one another & others – Jas. 2:1-4. 1 My dear brothers and sisters,[a] how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting[b] dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
4. has mutual care for one another –
a. – Where there is division this is impossible! (cf. helping one another remain faithful –
Gal. 6:1-2; 1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 1 Ths. 5:14.
b. – In Christ, there is an intertwining of our care for one another, dependence upon each other, our devotion to each other in joy & sorrow, in pleasure & pain, in life & death – of our lives together in Christ! - Rom. 12:5 (we are members of one another!),
III. APPLYING THE PRINCIPLE.
A. We Must Respect Our Head (Christ) in All Things – Col. 3:17.
1. In what we believe, teach and practice.
2. Insist on Bible authority – by it our Head directs us!
B. We Must Do Our Part So the Body Properly Functions – Eph. 4:16. “16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
1. Individuals function which works for the good of the whole.
2. When you or I do not do our part the body suffers!
a. Are you teaching or will you be teaching a Bible class?
b. Are you praying for your brethren?
c. Are you encouraging others in word & actions?
d. Are you burying your blessings instead of using them to help the church & glorify our Lord?
e. Are you using or abusing the gift of time the Lord gives us?
C. We Must Endeavor to Keep Unity Among Us –
1. So that no formal division in or separation from a church or religious body occurs – .
2. A fractured body is unable to function adequately, it takes a long time to heal, and without proper care leads to a lifetime of pain!
Conclusion
1. None of us can do everything, but all of us can do something!
2. May everything we do honor Christ & His body, the church.
MANY MEMBERS, ONE BODY
Intro.
1. Two extreme attitudes in the church: “I can do everything” & “I can’t do anything.” Both attitudes are wrong: One is borne of pride & selfishness; the other of not knowing the value of every saint.
2. Have you ever seen posters in doctor’s office of human body (names, systems, etc.).
1 Cor. 12:12-31One Body with Many Parts
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.
29 Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? 30 Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.
3. – Holy Spirit gives us a “poster” of the body of Christ the (church), displaying its unity as individual parts join together to function harmoniously & effectively as a church of Christ.
I. WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST - 12:27.
A. The Church is One Body with Many Members –
1. Baptized into one body –
-We all share a common faith, conversion, fellowship & goal.
2. Body can grow & function effectively –Ephesians 4:15-16:
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. ;
B. The Body Illustrates Our Unity in Christ –
Ephesian 4:3-6:
3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.),
1. The local church is to be united –
2. The church is not to be a “battle zone”!
(Example of a team)
II. THE BODY (CHURCH): MANY MEMBERS.
A. God has designed the Church (body) to achieve His Purposes – (Applied to miraculous gifts – 12:1-12)
1. Different gifts – Same Spirit – 12:4. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all (we all have been blessed)
2. Different ministries – Same Lord – 12:5There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. (We render diff. services)
3. Different activities (works) – Same God – 12:6God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.. (thru diff. ways)
-Illus. with human body-
B. Each Member of the Body of Christ:
1. Is vital – [You are valuable in the church! What you do is valuable to the church!]
a. Young person who sets a godly example.
b. Elderly saint whose endurance inspires others.
c. The mother who teaches her children the ways of God.
d. The father who leads his house in righteousness.
e. The class teacher, preacher, song leader, prayer, etc.
2. Is needed –
a. - No one is to be a “church boss” – a dominating Diotrephes – 3 Jno. 9. (cf. intimidation, manipulation, etc.)
b. – Weaker members are necessary, too. (Humility toward all is crucial for our success! – Rom. 12:3 tells us don’t think we are better than we really are.
3. Is honorable –
a. Opinionated “ranking” of importance among brethren is wrong!
b. Just as we adorn our body so that all parts are honorably presented (modest), God has arranged the body of Christ (church) in such a way that the honor of every member is displayed – cf. how we treat one another & others – Jas. 2:1-4. 1 My dear brothers and sisters,[a] how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting[b] dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
4. has mutual care for one another –
a. – Where there is division this is impossible! (cf. helping one another remain faithful –
Gal. 6:1-2; 1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 1 Ths. 5:14.
b. – In Christ, there is an intertwining of our care for one another, dependence upon each other, our devotion to each other in joy & sorrow, in pleasure & pain, in life & death – of our lives together in Christ! - Rom. 12:5 (we are members of one another!),
III. APPLYING THE PRINCIPLE.
A. We Must Respect Our Head (Christ) in All Things – Col. 3:17.
1. In what we believe, teach and practice.
2. Insist on Bible authority – by it our Head directs us!
B. We Must Do Our Part So the Body Properly Functions – Eph. 4:16. “16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
1. Individuals function which works for the good of the whole.
2. When you or I do not do our part the body suffers!
a. Are you teaching or will you be teaching a Bible class?
b. Are you praying for your brethren?
c. Are you encouraging others in word & actions?
d. Are you burying your blessings instead of using them to help the church & glorify our Lord?
e. Are you using or abusing the gift of time the Lord gives us?
C. We Must Endeavor to Keep Unity Among Us –
1. So that no formal division in or separation from a church or religious body occurs – .
2. A fractured body is unable to function adequately, it takes a long time to heal, and without proper care leads to a lifetime of pain!
Conclusion
1. None of us can do everything, but all of us can do something!
2. May everything we do honor Christ & His body, the church.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Defeating Negativism
Defeating Negativism
Philippians 4:8:
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
What we put in our mind determines what comes out in our words and actions.
We need to examine what we are putting into our minds through TV, internet , books , conversations , movies, and magazines. Replace harmful input with wholesome material.
Above all, read Gods word and pray.
1. By Your Decisions
Deuteronomy 30:19:
19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!
Moses challenged Israel to choose life, to obey God, and therefore to continue to experience his blessings.
God doesn’t force his will on anyone. He lets us decide to follow him or reject him.
This decision, however, is a life or death matter. God wants us to realize this , for he would like us all to choose life. Daily, in each new situation, we must affirm and reinforce this commitment.
A. Some people have a negative attitude. Their pessimism brings unhappiness to both themselves and others.
B. You can be optimistic. By deliberate action of your will you can decide to have a positive outlook.
C. Daily decisions are necessary to attain this. Concentrating on God’s good plan for your life will bring victory over negativism.
Genesis 50:20:
20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.
Do you trust God enough to wait patiently for him to bring good out of bad situations? You can trust him because God can overrule peoples evil intentions to bring about his intended results.
2. By Your Devotion
Psalm 119:11:
11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Hiding (keeping) Gods word in our hearts is a deterrent to sin. This alone should inspire us to memorize Scriptures. But memorization alone will not keep us from sin: we must also put Gods word to work in our lives, making it a vital guide for everything we do.
A. Many neglect their devotional life. Their lack of prayer and Bible reading brings defeat.
B. Devotion is necessary to positive living. Implicit trust brings peace, love, and joy.
C. Be faithful in your devotions. Keep praying and believing and win over negativism.
Luke 18
Parable of the Persistent Widow
1 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.
To persist in prayer and not give up does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions.
Constant prayer means keeping our requests continually before God as we live for him day by day, believing he will answer.
When we live by faith, we are not to give up. God may delay in answering, but his delays always have good reasons. As we persist in prayer, we grow in character, faith, and hope.
3. By Your Diligence
Proverbs 11:27:
27 If you search for good, you will find favor;
but if you search for evil, it will find you!
A. Selfishness lends itself to negativism. Those who are concerned only with personal gain and self- interests tend to become negative when things don’t go there way.
B. You can subdue a negative attitude by helping the less fortunate. Lending a helping hand, visiting the sick and lonely, loving the unlovable lifts your self-esteem.
C. Be diligent for God. Seek to share Christ with others. Sharing brings victory over negativism.
Proverbs 11:30:
30 The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life;
a wise person wins friends.
A wise person is a model of a meaningful life. Like a tree attracts people to its shade, a wise persons sense of purpose attracts others who want to know how they too , can find meaning. Gaining wisdom yourself can be the first step in leading people to God.
4. By His Direction
Psalm 32:8:
8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
God longs to guide us with love and wisdom. He offers to teach us the best way to go. Accept the advice written in Gods Word and don’t let your stubbornness keep you from obeying God.
A. Many depend on their own power instead of asking for and depending on God’s strength.
B. God wants to help us, but we must do our share, for we are workers together with God.
2 Corinthians 6:1:
1 As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.
Don’t just hear Gods message and not let it affect your life.
C. Believe that God is directing. You win when you follow His leading.
Proverbs 6:3:
3 follow my advice and save yourself,
for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.
Today will you choose to make a difference.
Will you say I will begin by controlling my thoughts.
A person is the product of his thoughts.
Will you say you want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful.
Will you refuse to be victimized by your circumstances.
Will you not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be your masters.
Will you avoid negativism and gossip.
Optimism will be your companion, and victory will be your hallmark. Today will you make a difference.
Philippians 4:8:
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
What we put in our mind determines what comes out in our words and actions.
We need to examine what we are putting into our minds through TV, internet , books , conversations , movies, and magazines. Replace harmful input with wholesome material.
Above all, read Gods word and pray.
1. By Your Decisions
Deuteronomy 30:19:
19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!
Moses challenged Israel to choose life, to obey God, and therefore to continue to experience his blessings.
God doesn’t force his will on anyone. He lets us decide to follow him or reject him.
This decision, however, is a life or death matter. God wants us to realize this , for he would like us all to choose life. Daily, in each new situation, we must affirm and reinforce this commitment.
A. Some people have a negative attitude. Their pessimism brings unhappiness to both themselves and others.
B. You can be optimistic. By deliberate action of your will you can decide to have a positive outlook.
C. Daily decisions are necessary to attain this. Concentrating on God’s good plan for your life will bring victory over negativism.
Genesis 50:20:
20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.
Do you trust God enough to wait patiently for him to bring good out of bad situations? You can trust him because God can overrule peoples evil intentions to bring about his intended results.
2. By Your Devotion
Psalm 119:11:
11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Hiding (keeping) Gods word in our hearts is a deterrent to sin. This alone should inspire us to memorize Scriptures. But memorization alone will not keep us from sin: we must also put Gods word to work in our lives, making it a vital guide for everything we do.
A. Many neglect their devotional life. Their lack of prayer and Bible reading brings defeat.
B. Devotion is necessary to positive living. Implicit trust brings peace, love, and joy.
C. Be faithful in your devotions. Keep praying and believing and win over negativism.
Luke 18
Parable of the Persistent Widow
1 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.
To persist in prayer and not give up does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions.
Constant prayer means keeping our requests continually before God as we live for him day by day, believing he will answer.
When we live by faith, we are not to give up. God may delay in answering, but his delays always have good reasons. As we persist in prayer, we grow in character, faith, and hope.
3. By Your Diligence
Proverbs 11:27:
27 If you search for good, you will find favor;
but if you search for evil, it will find you!
A. Selfishness lends itself to negativism. Those who are concerned only with personal gain and self- interests tend to become negative when things don’t go there way.
B. You can subdue a negative attitude by helping the less fortunate. Lending a helping hand, visiting the sick and lonely, loving the unlovable lifts your self-esteem.
C. Be diligent for God. Seek to share Christ with others. Sharing brings victory over negativism.
Proverbs 11:30:
30 The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life;
a wise person wins friends.
A wise person is a model of a meaningful life. Like a tree attracts people to its shade, a wise persons sense of purpose attracts others who want to know how they too , can find meaning. Gaining wisdom yourself can be the first step in leading people to God.
4. By His Direction
Psalm 32:8:
8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
God longs to guide us with love and wisdom. He offers to teach us the best way to go. Accept the advice written in Gods Word and don’t let your stubbornness keep you from obeying God.
A. Many depend on their own power instead of asking for and depending on God’s strength.
B. God wants to help us, but we must do our share, for we are workers together with God.
2 Corinthians 6:1:
1 As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.
Don’t just hear Gods message and not let it affect your life.
C. Believe that God is directing. You win when you follow His leading.
Proverbs 6:3:
3 follow my advice and save yourself,
for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.
Today will you choose to make a difference.
Will you say I will begin by controlling my thoughts.
A person is the product of his thoughts.
Will you say you want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful.
Will you refuse to be victimized by your circumstances.
Will you not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be your masters.
Will you avoid negativism and gossip.
Optimism will be your companion, and victory will be your hallmark. Today will you make a difference.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
10 ASSURANANCES EVERYBODY WANTS
Ten Assurances Everybody Wants
Illustration: 30 years ago two shoe salesmen were sent to Nigeria to survey the country for the possibility of building a shoe factory. The first man came back and said, "Few people here wear shoes so there is little need to build a new shoe factory in Nigeria. The second came back to London and said, "This is the greatest opportunity we have ever had. Everybody I saw needs a good pair of shoes." That is how we need to look at every community when it comes to their need for Jesus Christ and His love and forgiveness. Let us learn to view everyone, everything and every relationship from the mind of Jesus Christ.
There is nothing we can’t do with Christ on our side. We tend to look at the negative side of life instead of focusing on the opportunities that God gives us.
Sometimes we through perfect opportunities out the window.
Tell story of littering.
The bible commands us to go out and be a great witness to this world but sometimes we don’t do that because we are so unsure of whom we are in Christ.
This morning I want to focus on ten assurances that we have.
1. Assurance of Salvation: I John 5:11,12,13 - And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Illustration: There are four basic categories:
1) Those who think they are saved, but aren’t. Matthew 7:21-3
2) Those we think are saved, but aren’t. 1 John 2:18-19
3) Those who are saved, but don’t act like it: Corinthians.
4) Those who are saved, and they act like it.
Whoever believes in God’s Son has eternal life. He is all you need. You don’t have to wait for eternal life because it begins the moment you believe.
You don’t need to work for it because it is already yours. You don’t need to worry about it because you have been given eternal life by God himself- and its guaranteed.
Some people hope that they will receive eternal life. John says we can know we have it.
Our certainty is based on God’s promise that he has given us eternal life through his Son.
This is true whether you feel close to God or far away from him. Eternal life is not based on feelings but on facts. You can know that you have eternal life if you believe God’s truth.
If you aren’t sure that you are a Christian, ask yourself: Have I honestly committed my life to him as my Savior and Lord? If so, you know by faith that you are indeed a child of God.
2. Assurance of Forgiveness: I John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Confession is supposed to free us to enjoy fellowship with Christ. It should ease our conscience and lighten our cares. But some Christians do not understand how it works. They feel so guilty that they confess the same sins over and over: then we wonder if we may have forgotten something.
Our relationship with Christ is secure. He forgives and forgets. But true confession involves a commitment not to continue in sin. We wouldn’t be genuinely confessing our sins to God if we planned to commit them again and just wanted temporary forgiveness. We should pray for strength to defeat temptation the next time we face it.
3. Assurance of Guidance: Prov. 3:5,6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
When we have an important decision to make, we sometimes feel that we can’t trust anyone- not even God. But God knows what is best for us. He is a better judge of what we want than we are! We must trust him completely in every choice we make. Bring your decisions to God in prayer: use the Bible as your guide: and then follow God’s leading. He will direct your paths by both guiding and protecting you.
Make him a vital part of everything you do: then he will guide you because you will be working to accomplish his purposes.
4. Assurance of Victory Over Temptation: I Cor. 10:13; John 16:33 – No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
We live in a world filled with moral depravity and sin- inducing pressures but in scripture we find out a few things (1) temptations happen to everyone, so don’t feel you’ve been singled out. (2) Others have resisted temptation and so can you. (3) Any temptation can be resisted because God will show you a way out. Running from tempting situations is your first step on the way to victory.
Quote from Jesus: In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
5. Assurance of Peace: John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
The end result of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives is deep and lasting peace. Unlike worldly peace, which is usually defined as the absence of conflict, this peace is confident assurance in any circumstance: with Christ peace, we have no need to fear the present or the future.
If your life is full of stress, allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with Christ’s peace.
6. Assurance of Answers to Prayer: John 14:12-14 - I tell them the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.
When Jesus says we can ask for anything, we must remember that our asking must be in his name- that is, according to God’s character and will. God will not grant requests contrary to his nature or his will, and we cannot use his name as a magic formula to fulfill our selfish desires.
If we are sincerely following God and seeking to do his will, then our request will be in line with what he wants, and he will grant them.
7. Assurance of Provision for Needs: Phil. 4:19 - And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
We can trust that God will always meet our needs. What-ever we need on earth he will always supply, even if it is the courage to face death.
Whatever we need in heaven he will supply. We must remember, however, the difference between our wants and our needs. Most people want to feel good and avoid discomfort or pain. We may not get all that we want. By trusting in Christ, our attitudes and appetites can change from wanting everything to accepting his provision and power to live for him.
8. Assurance of Sufficient Grace: 2 Cor. 12:9,10 - My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The fact that God’s power is displayed in our weaknesses should give us courage and hope. As we recognized our limitations, we will depend more on God for our effectiveness rather than on our own energy, effort, or talent.
When we are strong in abilities or resources, we are tempted to do God’s work on our own. Only his power will make us effective for him and will help us do work that has lasting value.
9. Assurance of Enablement: 2 Tim. 1:7 - For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
We need to be bold when working for God. When we allow people to intimidate us, we neutralize our effectiveness for God. The power of the Holy Spirit can help us overcome our fear of what some might say or do to us that we can continue to do God’s work.
There is mentioned here in scripture three characteristic of an effective Christian leader: power, love, and self-discipline. These are available to us because the Holy Spirit lives in us. We need to follow his leading each day so that our lives fully exhibit these characteristics.
10. Assurance of Empowerment for Accomplishments: Phil. 4:12,13 – I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Often the desire for more or better is really a longing to fill an empty place in a person’s life. To what are you drawn when you feel empty inside? How can you find true contentment? The answer lies in your perspective, your priorities, and your source of power.
Can we really do everything? The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do his will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it.
As we contend for the faith, we will face troubles, pressures, and trials. As they come, ask Christ to strengthen you.
When we have the assurance of these ten things we tend to act differently when caring out his will for our lives, it brings about some confidence to our walk with him.
Illustration: Sometime when you’re in an airport, observe the difference between passengers who hold confirmed tickets and those who are on standby. The ones with confirmed tickets read newspapers, chat with their friends or sleep. The ones on standby hang around the ticket counter, pacing and pacing. The difference is caused by the confidence factor. If you knew that in fifteen minutes you would have to stand in judgment before the Holy God and learn your eternal destiny, what would your reaction be? Would you pacing all around? Would you say to yourself, "I don’t know what God’s going to say--will it be ’Welcome home, child,’ or will it be ’Depart from me; I never knew you’?
Concluding Application:
Ask the Lord to help you to live in confident assurance of the above ten promises from God. Trust the Lord to help you utilize all of these assurances in all our personal affairs, relationships and ministries. Share each of these ten assurances with others who need the loving assurance from God for all of their hurts, fears, feelings of anger, unrealized expectations, disappointments, and unmet needs.
Illustration: 30 years ago two shoe salesmen were sent to Nigeria to survey the country for the possibility of building a shoe factory. The first man came back and said, "Few people here wear shoes so there is little need to build a new shoe factory in Nigeria. The second came back to London and said, "This is the greatest opportunity we have ever had. Everybody I saw needs a good pair of shoes." That is how we need to look at every community when it comes to their need for Jesus Christ and His love and forgiveness. Let us learn to view everyone, everything and every relationship from the mind of Jesus Christ.
There is nothing we can’t do with Christ on our side. We tend to look at the negative side of life instead of focusing on the opportunities that God gives us.
Sometimes we through perfect opportunities out the window.
Tell story of littering.
The bible commands us to go out and be a great witness to this world but sometimes we don’t do that because we are so unsure of whom we are in Christ.
This morning I want to focus on ten assurances that we have.
1. Assurance of Salvation: I John 5:11,12,13 - And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Illustration: There are four basic categories:
1) Those who think they are saved, but aren’t. Matthew 7:21-3
2) Those we think are saved, but aren’t. 1 John 2:18-19
3) Those who are saved, but don’t act like it: Corinthians.
4) Those who are saved, and they act like it.
Whoever believes in God’s Son has eternal life. He is all you need. You don’t have to wait for eternal life because it begins the moment you believe.
You don’t need to work for it because it is already yours. You don’t need to worry about it because you have been given eternal life by God himself- and its guaranteed.
Some people hope that they will receive eternal life. John says we can know we have it.
Our certainty is based on God’s promise that he has given us eternal life through his Son.
This is true whether you feel close to God or far away from him. Eternal life is not based on feelings but on facts. You can know that you have eternal life if you believe God’s truth.
If you aren’t sure that you are a Christian, ask yourself: Have I honestly committed my life to him as my Savior and Lord? If so, you know by faith that you are indeed a child of God.
2. Assurance of Forgiveness: I John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Confession is supposed to free us to enjoy fellowship with Christ. It should ease our conscience and lighten our cares. But some Christians do not understand how it works. They feel so guilty that they confess the same sins over and over: then we wonder if we may have forgotten something.
Our relationship with Christ is secure. He forgives and forgets. But true confession involves a commitment not to continue in sin. We wouldn’t be genuinely confessing our sins to God if we planned to commit them again and just wanted temporary forgiveness. We should pray for strength to defeat temptation the next time we face it.
3. Assurance of Guidance: Prov. 3:5,6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
When we have an important decision to make, we sometimes feel that we can’t trust anyone- not even God. But God knows what is best for us. He is a better judge of what we want than we are! We must trust him completely in every choice we make. Bring your decisions to God in prayer: use the Bible as your guide: and then follow God’s leading. He will direct your paths by both guiding and protecting you.
Make him a vital part of everything you do: then he will guide you because you will be working to accomplish his purposes.
4. Assurance of Victory Over Temptation: I Cor. 10:13; John 16:33 – No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
We live in a world filled with moral depravity and sin- inducing pressures but in scripture we find out a few things (1) temptations happen to everyone, so don’t feel you’ve been singled out. (2) Others have resisted temptation and so can you. (3) Any temptation can be resisted because God will show you a way out. Running from tempting situations is your first step on the way to victory.
Quote from Jesus: In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
5. Assurance of Peace: John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
The end result of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives is deep and lasting peace. Unlike worldly peace, which is usually defined as the absence of conflict, this peace is confident assurance in any circumstance: with Christ peace, we have no need to fear the present or the future.
If your life is full of stress, allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with Christ’s peace.
6. Assurance of Answers to Prayer: John 14:12-14 - I tell them the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.
When Jesus says we can ask for anything, we must remember that our asking must be in his name- that is, according to God’s character and will. God will not grant requests contrary to his nature or his will, and we cannot use his name as a magic formula to fulfill our selfish desires.
If we are sincerely following God and seeking to do his will, then our request will be in line with what he wants, and he will grant them.
7. Assurance of Provision for Needs: Phil. 4:19 - And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
We can trust that God will always meet our needs. What-ever we need on earth he will always supply, even if it is the courage to face death.
Whatever we need in heaven he will supply. We must remember, however, the difference between our wants and our needs. Most people want to feel good and avoid discomfort or pain. We may not get all that we want. By trusting in Christ, our attitudes and appetites can change from wanting everything to accepting his provision and power to live for him.
8. Assurance of Sufficient Grace: 2 Cor. 12:9,10 - My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The fact that God’s power is displayed in our weaknesses should give us courage and hope. As we recognized our limitations, we will depend more on God for our effectiveness rather than on our own energy, effort, or talent.
When we are strong in abilities or resources, we are tempted to do God’s work on our own. Only his power will make us effective for him and will help us do work that has lasting value.
9. Assurance of Enablement: 2 Tim. 1:7 - For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
We need to be bold when working for God. When we allow people to intimidate us, we neutralize our effectiveness for God. The power of the Holy Spirit can help us overcome our fear of what some might say or do to us that we can continue to do God’s work.
There is mentioned here in scripture three characteristic of an effective Christian leader: power, love, and self-discipline. These are available to us because the Holy Spirit lives in us. We need to follow his leading each day so that our lives fully exhibit these characteristics.
10. Assurance of Empowerment for Accomplishments: Phil. 4:12,13 – I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Often the desire for more or better is really a longing to fill an empty place in a person’s life. To what are you drawn when you feel empty inside? How can you find true contentment? The answer lies in your perspective, your priorities, and your source of power.
Can we really do everything? The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do his will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it.
As we contend for the faith, we will face troubles, pressures, and trials. As they come, ask Christ to strengthen you.
When we have the assurance of these ten things we tend to act differently when caring out his will for our lives, it brings about some confidence to our walk with him.
Illustration: Sometime when you’re in an airport, observe the difference between passengers who hold confirmed tickets and those who are on standby. The ones with confirmed tickets read newspapers, chat with their friends or sleep. The ones on standby hang around the ticket counter, pacing and pacing. The difference is caused by the confidence factor. If you knew that in fifteen minutes you would have to stand in judgment before the Holy God and learn your eternal destiny, what would your reaction be? Would you pacing all around? Would you say to yourself, "I don’t know what God’s going to say--will it be ’Welcome home, child,’ or will it be ’Depart from me; I never knew you’?
Concluding Application:
Ask the Lord to help you to live in confident assurance of the above ten promises from God. Trust the Lord to help you utilize all of these assurances in all our personal affairs, relationships and ministries. Share each of these ten assurances with others who need the loving assurance from God for all of their hurts, fears, feelings of anger, unrealized expectations, disappointments, and unmet needs.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
The T-O-U-C-H of God
The T-O-U-C-H of God
1 Samuel 10:26:
26 When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him.
1. T-ransforms
2 Corinthians 5:17:
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
This is not a superficial change that will be quickly superseded by another novelty. This is an entirely new order of all creation under Christ authority.
It requires a new way of looking at all people and all creation. Does your life reflect this new perspective?
A. The touch of God brings forgiveness of sins to those who repent and believe. It brings cleansing and power to those who yield themselves totally to God.
B. The transforming touch of God makes everything new. We receive a new life in Christ Jesus, new desires, new activities, and a new hope of eternal life.
2. O-rdains
John 15:16:
16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.
Jesus made the first choice- to love and to die for us, to invite us to live with him forever. We make the next choice- to accept or reject his offer.
A. Many Christians fail because they do not work for God. Some think only ministers are to witness to the unsaved and win them to Christ.
B. The touch of God ordains all Christians into God’s service. Everyone can share something for God- a smile, a prayer, a helping hand.
3. U-nifies
Psalm 133:1
1Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
Harmony is pleasant and precious. Unfortunately, harmony is not always found in the church, as it should be. Harmony is important because
1. It makes the church a positive example to the world and helps draw others to the Lord.
2. It helps us cooperate as a body of believers as God meant us to, giving us a foretaste of Heaven.
3. It renews and revitalizes ministry because there is less tension to sap our energy.
A. Many churches fail because their members do not work together, they are divided. Some pull in one direction, and others in another direction.
B. The touch of God brings harmony and love. It enables us to accomplish God’s work in “ the unity of the Spirit”
Ephesians 4:3:
3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
To build unity is one of the Holy spirits important roles. He leads , but we have to be willing to be led and to do our part to keep the peace.
We do that by focusing on God, not on ourselves.
Living in harmony does not mean that we will agree on everything: But we must agree on our purpose in life- to work together for God.
4.C-conquers
Romans 8:37:
37But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
A. Many Christians give up to easily. They throw up their hands and quit when they are persecuted, rebuked, or when they fail to get their own way.
B. The touch of God gives us courage to conquer. Christ furnishes the strength which enables us to :keep on keeping on”
Philippians 4:13:
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do his will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it.
As we contend for the faith, we will face troubles, pressures, and trails. As they come, ask Christ to strengthen you.
5. H-eals
Matthew 8:3:
3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
A. Many have never experienced divine healing because of a lack of faith. We cannot expect to please God or receive blessings from Him without faith.
Hebrews 11:6:
6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Matthew 9:29:
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.”
B. The touch of God brings physical, mental, and spiritual healing. We receive God’s touch through reading His Word, praying, believing, accepting, and obeying.
“The Touch of God”
There is no touch like the touch of God. His touch is the
difference between life and death; hope and despair; victory and
defeat.
In Mark 5:25-34, we find an incident where the touch of God
made the difference between life and death. It is the story of the
woman with the issue of blood.
.
#1 - She Needed The Touch of God: In verses 25-26, the Bible tells us several
things about this woman: (1) She was sick; (2) She had been sick for a long
time; (3) She had been to every doctor; (4) She had spent all she had; (5) She
was no better; (6) She only grew worse.
Does this sound like people today? (1) Multiple problems; (2) Struggled for a long time?; (3) Tried everything?; (4) Exhausted all resources?; (5) No better?; (6) Only worse; Your answer is the same as this woman’s answer… “You need the touch of God.”
#2 - She Wanted The Touch of God: She said in verse 28, “If I can touch
but His clothes, I shall be whole.” Not only did she need God’s touch, she
wanted God’s touch.
So many people today need God’s help, and God’s touch, but they do not want God’s help or God’s touch.
In order to receive God’s touch you must want it. If you want it, you will be willing to do at least three things:
(A) You must be willing to go alone: This lady wanted God’s touch so bad she
went to touch Him alone. Sometimes you have to stand alone to receive from
God.
(B) You must be willing to break tradition: God chooses to do things His way
and sometimes God’s way does not line up with ours. It sometimes goes against
our tradition.
(C) You must be willing to lose your present reputation: This lady did not care
what other people thought about her. Her main purpose was to touch Jesus.
Nothing else mattered.
What is your present situation?
Do you need the touch of God?
Do you want the touch of God?
He is concerned about you, and He wants to help you.
But He will not intrude into places He is not wanted.
If you want the touch of God, you can experience it. Why not call upon Him today with an open heart, and watch His power as it is demonstrated in your life.
1 Samuel 10:26:
26 When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him.
1. T-ransforms
2 Corinthians 5:17:
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
This is not a superficial change that will be quickly superseded by another novelty. This is an entirely new order of all creation under Christ authority.
It requires a new way of looking at all people and all creation. Does your life reflect this new perspective?
A. The touch of God brings forgiveness of sins to those who repent and believe. It brings cleansing and power to those who yield themselves totally to God.
B. The transforming touch of God makes everything new. We receive a new life in Christ Jesus, new desires, new activities, and a new hope of eternal life.
2. O-rdains
John 15:16:
16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.
Jesus made the first choice- to love and to die for us, to invite us to live with him forever. We make the next choice- to accept or reject his offer.
A. Many Christians fail because they do not work for God. Some think only ministers are to witness to the unsaved and win them to Christ.
B. The touch of God ordains all Christians into God’s service. Everyone can share something for God- a smile, a prayer, a helping hand.
3. U-nifies
Psalm 133:1
1Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
Harmony is pleasant and precious. Unfortunately, harmony is not always found in the church, as it should be. Harmony is important because
1. It makes the church a positive example to the world and helps draw others to the Lord.
2. It helps us cooperate as a body of believers as God meant us to, giving us a foretaste of Heaven.
3. It renews and revitalizes ministry because there is less tension to sap our energy.
A. Many churches fail because their members do not work together, they are divided. Some pull in one direction, and others in another direction.
B. The touch of God brings harmony and love. It enables us to accomplish God’s work in “ the unity of the Spirit”
Ephesians 4:3:
3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
To build unity is one of the Holy spirits important roles. He leads , but we have to be willing to be led and to do our part to keep the peace.
We do that by focusing on God, not on ourselves.
Living in harmony does not mean that we will agree on everything: But we must agree on our purpose in life- to work together for God.
4.C-conquers
Romans 8:37:
37But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
A. Many Christians give up to easily. They throw up their hands and quit when they are persecuted, rebuked, or when they fail to get their own way.
B. The touch of God gives us courage to conquer. Christ furnishes the strength which enables us to :keep on keeping on”
Philippians 4:13:
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do his will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it.
As we contend for the faith, we will face troubles, pressures, and trails. As they come, ask Christ to strengthen you.
5. H-eals
Matthew 8:3:
3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
A. Many have never experienced divine healing because of a lack of faith. We cannot expect to please God or receive blessings from Him without faith.
Hebrews 11:6:
6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Matthew 9:29:
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.”
B. The touch of God brings physical, mental, and spiritual healing. We receive God’s touch through reading His Word, praying, believing, accepting, and obeying.
“The Touch of God”
There is no touch like the touch of God. His touch is the
difference between life and death; hope and despair; victory and
defeat.
In Mark 5:25-34, we find an incident where the touch of God
made the difference between life and death. It is the story of the
woman with the issue of blood.
.
#1 - She Needed The Touch of God: In verses 25-26, the Bible tells us several
things about this woman: (1) She was sick; (2) She had been sick for a long
time; (3) She had been to every doctor; (4) She had spent all she had; (5) She
was no better; (6) She only grew worse.
Does this sound like people today? (1) Multiple problems; (2) Struggled for a long time?; (3) Tried everything?; (4) Exhausted all resources?; (5) No better?; (6) Only worse; Your answer is the same as this woman’s answer… “You need the touch of God.”
#2 - She Wanted The Touch of God: She said in verse 28, “If I can touch
but His clothes, I shall be whole.” Not only did she need God’s touch, she
wanted God’s touch.
So many people today need God’s help, and God’s touch, but they do not want God’s help or God’s touch.
In order to receive God’s touch you must want it. If you want it, you will be willing to do at least three things:
(A) You must be willing to go alone: This lady wanted God’s touch so bad she
went to touch Him alone. Sometimes you have to stand alone to receive from
God.
(B) You must be willing to break tradition: God chooses to do things His way
and sometimes God’s way does not line up with ours. It sometimes goes against
our tradition.
(C) You must be willing to lose your present reputation: This lady did not care
what other people thought about her. Her main purpose was to touch Jesus.
Nothing else mattered.
What is your present situation?
Do you need the touch of God?
Do you want the touch of God?
He is concerned about you, and He wants to help you.
But He will not intrude into places He is not wanted.
If you want the touch of God, you can experience it. Why not call upon Him today with an open heart, and watch His power as it is demonstrated in your life.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Spiritual Success
Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty." Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull." Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."
After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship. When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down."
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do.
The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.
Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.
We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.
Can you recall a time when you were consistently riddled by bullets of defeat. Have you ever had an unprovoked, sequence of events that left you bewildered, discontent, and physically and mentally exhausted.
These are times when your children are going astray, your marriage seems to be strained, friends withdraw from you, you receive a lay-off notice from your employer, an eviction notice soon follows and lastly, you receive a diagnosis of a genetic illness and the prognosis is grim.
At this point all you can muster up to say is: What is really going on here? Something is just not right! You begin to feel spiritually drained .
Our vision here is equipping people to believe , receive and achieve all that God has for them. I believe that God has an awesome work for us all , He wants us all to be spiritually successful and over comers.
Gen 50:20 says 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.
God allows certain things to come are way to get us were we need to be.
You can either fall on the rock or the rock will fall on you.
Spiritual Success
Joshua 1:8:
8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
Many people think that prosperity and success come from having power, influential personal contacts, and a relentless desire to get ahead. But the strategy for gaining prosperity that God taught Joshua goes against such criteria. He said that to succeed Joshua must..
1.Be strong and courageous because the task ahead would not be easy.
2.Obey God’s law
3.Constanly read and study the Book of instruction-God’s Word.
To be successful, follow God’s words to Joshua. You may not succeed by the world’s standards, but you will be a success in God’s eyes- and his opinion is the most important.
1. Commitment to Christ
1 Thessalonians 5:23
23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
God must be involved in every aspect of our life.
A. Some Christians fall short of pleasing God because they are not totally committed to Him. They insist on asserting their will over God’s will.
B. Spiritual success demands complete abandonment of self and the acceptance of God’s will. His will makes everything work together for our good and His glory.
We must first be submitted to the will of the Lord before we can even begin to achieve spiritual success -James 4:7 says-Submit yourself therefore unto God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Romans 8:28:
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
We need to trust in God, not in worldly treasures because our security is in heaven, not on earth.
Our faith in God should not waiver in pain and persecution because we know God is with us and is able to turn every circumstance around for our long- range good.
Our strength lies in our will to survive! The reality is that all chaos has been unleashed into our life, but in actuality God will never leave you.
If you choose it, the Joy of the Lord can be your strength.
2. Confidence in Christ
We can achieve this with consistent focused individual prayer, group prayer, and singing songs of victory, praise-reflects what he has done for us, worship-reflects what God means to you.
Surround yourself with water walkers: those who have gone through insurmountable odds and survived.
1 John 5:14:
14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.
The emphasis here is on God’s will, not our will.
When we communicate with God, we don’t demand what we want: rather we discuss with Him what he wants for us.
If we align our prayers to his will, he will listen: and we can be certain that if he listens, he will give us a definite answer.
Start praying with confidence! Re-route all doom and gloom talkers, delete and dispose of their negative comments. This can be difficult, but necessary.
Speak daily ( Declaring) scriptures aloud when discouragement, doubt and unbelief creep in. Say no to thoughts that don’t line up with a successful outcome, and plead the Blood of Jesus over your mind.
A. World and national conditions have caused a breakdown in trust and confidence. This holds true in government, business, school, church, and family.
B. Christ is still the Truth. We can safely place our confidence in Him. He never misrepresents or undermines. Trusting Christ leads to spiritual success.
3. Compassion Like Christ’s
Luke 7:13:
13 When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said.
Jesus has great compassion on our pain, and he has the power to bring hope out of any tragedy.
A. Jesus had great compassion. Because He was touched by the infirmities of others, he healed the lame , may the blind to see and the death to hear.
B. We attain spiritual success when we are compassionate- pray for the sick, help the needy , and comfort the bereaved.
4. Cooperation with Christ
2 Corinthians 6:1:
1 And working together with Him,
A. Many Christians fail to work for Christ as they should. They neglect, make excuses, and fail to cooperate with Christ in carrying out His commission.
B. When we work for Christ, we are working with Him also. He goes with us and speaks through us as we call, invite, and witness.
5. Contentment Through Christ
Philippians 4:11:
11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.
Are you able to get along happily(be content) in any circumstance you face? Paul knew how to be satisfied whether he had plenty or weather he was in need..
The secret was drawing on Christ’s power for strength . Do you have great need’s, or are you dissatisfied because you don’t have what you want?
Learn to rely on God’s promises and Christ’s power to help you be content.
If you always want more, ask God to remove that desire and teach you how to be satisfied in every circumstance.
He will supply our every need , but in ways that he knows is best for us.
A. Discontentment is prevalent in today’s world. Many are trying to find contentment through possessions, pleasures, and popularity.
B. Real and lasting contentment is only found in Jesus Christ. He satisfies the longing of the soul and brings spiritual success.
1 Timothy 6:6:
6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.
This statement is the key to spiritual growth and personal fulfillment. We should honor God and center our desires on him , and we should be content with what God is doing in our lives.
Philippians 4:13
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Because of this promise we can have spiritual success.
As your faith increases think regularly on past victories.
Speak what you desire the outcome to be no matter what continues to occur. I am blessed, I walk in the favor of God and man, no weapon formed against me shall prosper, I am healed and spirit filled sickness and disease are far from me, I attract finances, and blessings are running me down and overtaking me now....... The list goes on!!
Commitment, confidence , compassion , cooperation , will bring about spiritual success.
Jeremiah 29:11:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship. When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down."
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do.
The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.
Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.
We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.
Can you recall a time when you were consistently riddled by bullets of defeat. Have you ever had an unprovoked, sequence of events that left you bewildered, discontent, and physically and mentally exhausted.
These are times when your children are going astray, your marriage seems to be strained, friends withdraw from you, you receive a lay-off notice from your employer, an eviction notice soon follows and lastly, you receive a diagnosis of a genetic illness and the prognosis is grim.
At this point all you can muster up to say is: What is really going on here? Something is just not right! You begin to feel spiritually drained .
Our vision here is equipping people to believe , receive and achieve all that God has for them. I believe that God has an awesome work for us all , He wants us all to be spiritually successful and over comers.
Gen 50:20 says 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.
God allows certain things to come are way to get us were we need to be.
You can either fall on the rock or the rock will fall on you.
Spiritual Success
Joshua 1:8:
8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
Many people think that prosperity and success come from having power, influential personal contacts, and a relentless desire to get ahead. But the strategy for gaining prosperity that God taught Joshua goes against such criteria. He said that to succeed Joshua must..
1.Be strong and courageous because the task ahead would not be easy.
2.Obey God’s law
3.Constanly read and study the Book of instruction-God’s Word.
To be successful, follow God’s words to Joshua. You may not succeed by the world’s standards, but you will be a success in God’s eyes- and his opinion is the most important.
1. Commitment to Christ
1 Thessalonians 5:23
23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
God must be involved in every aspect of our life.
A. Some Christians fall short of pleasing God because they are not totally committed to Him. They insist on asserting their will over God’s will.
B. Spiritual success demands complete abandonment of self and the acceptance of God’s will. His will makes everything work together for our good and His glory.
We must first be submitted to the will of the Lord before we can even begin to achieve spiritual success -James 4:7 says-Submit yourself therefore unto God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Romans 8:28:
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
We need to trust in God, not in worldly treasures because our security is in heaven, not on earth.
Our faith in God should not waiver in pain and persecution because we know God is with us and is able to turn every circumstance around for our long- range good.
Our strength lies in our will to survive! The reality is that all chaos has been unleashed into our life, but in actuality God will never leave you.
If you choose it, the Joy of the Lord can be your strength.
2. Confidence in Christ
We can achieve this with consistent focused individual prayer, group prayer, and singing songs of victory, praise-reflects what he has done for us, worship-reflects what God means to you.
Surround yourself with water walkers: those who have gone through insurmountable odds and survived.
1 John 5:14:
14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.
The emphasis here is on God’s will, not our will.
When we communicate with God, we don’t demand what we want: rather we discuss with Him what he wants for us.
If we align our prayers to his will, he will listen: and we can be certain that if he listens, he will give us a definite answer.
Start praying with confidence! Re-route all doom and gloom talkers, delete and dispose of their negative comments. This can be difficult, but necessary.
Speak daily ( Declaring) scriptures aloud when discouragement, doubt and unbelief creep in. Say no to thoughts that don’t line up with a successful outcome, and plead the Blood of Jesus over your mind.
A. World and national conditions have caused a breakdown in trust and confidence. This holds true in government, business, school, church, and family.
B. Christ is still the Truth. We can safely place our confidence in Him. He never misrepresents or undermines. Trusting Christ leads to spiritual success.
3. Compassion Like Christ’s
Luke 7:13:
13 When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said.
Jesus has great compassion on our pain, and he has the power to bring hope out of any tragedy.
A. Jesus had great compassion. Because He was touched by the infirmities of others, he healed the lame , may the blind to see and the death to hear.
B. We attain spiritual success when we are compassionate- pray for the sick, help the needy , and comfort the bereaved.
4. Cooperation with Christ
2 Corinthians 6:1:
1 And working together with Him,
A. Many Christians fail to work for Christ as they should. They neglect, make excuses, and fail to cooperate with Christ in carrying out His commission.
B. When we work for Christ, we are working with Him also. He goes with us and speaks through us as we call, invite, and witness.
5. Contentment Through Christ
Philippians 4:11:
11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.
Are you able to get along happily(be content) in any circumstance you face? Paul knew how to be satisfied whether he had plenty or weather he was in need..
The secret was drawing on Christ’s power for strength . Do you have great need’s, or are you dissatisfied because you don’t have what you want?
Learn to rely on God’s promises and Christ’s power to help you be content.
If you always want more, ask God to remove that desire and teach you how to be satisfied in every circumstance.
He will supply our every need , but in ways that he knows is best for us.
A. Discontentment is prevalent in today’s world. Many are trying to find contentment through possessions, pleasures, and popularity.
B. Real and lasting contentment is only found in Jesus Christ. He satisfies the longing of the soul and brings spiritual success.
1 Timothy 6:6:
6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.
This statement is the key to spiritual growth and personal fulfillment. We should honor God and center our desires on him , and we should be content with what God is doing in our lives.
Philippians 4:13
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Because of this promise we can have spiritual success.
As your faith increases think regularly on past victories.
Speak what you desire the outcome to be no matter what continues to occur. I am blessed, I walk in the favor of God and man, no weapon formed against me shall prosper, I am healed and spirit filled sickness and disease are far from me, I attract finances, and blessings are running me down and overtaking me now....... The list goes on!!
Commitment, confidence , compassion , cooperation , will bring about spiritual success.
Jeremiah 29:11:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
T.R.A.I.L of your faith
There was a couple who used to go England to shop in the beautiful store. This was their 25th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially tea-cups. They said, “May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful."
As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the tea-cup spoke, "You don't understand." It said, "I have not always been a tea-cup. There was a time when I was red clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, "Let me alone," but he only smiled,"Not yet!!"
"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. 'Stop it!! I'm getting dizzy!' I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet.'
Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and
knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook hid head, 'Not yet'.
"Finally, the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to
cool. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, Stop it!!' I cried. He only nodded, ‘Not yet!'.
Then suddenly he put me back in to the oven, not like the first one.
This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I
pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf.
An hour later he handed me a mirror and said 'Look at yourself.' And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'
"I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I just had left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurts and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened.
You would not have had any color in your life, and if I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't survive for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you." God knows what He's doing [for all of us]. He is the potter, and we are His clay.
He will mould us and make us, so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Trials
We need to get to the place where we can say "I know that God has been holding me in the fires of affliction and I have felt His hammer upon me.
But I don't mind, if only He can bring me to what I should be. And so, in all these hard things my prayer is simply this: Try me in any way you wish, Lord, only don't throw me on the scrap heap."
The T-R-I-A-L of Your Faith
1 Peter 1:7:
7 these trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being
tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
All believers face such trails when we let our light shine into
the darkness. We must accept trails as part of the refining process that burns away impurities and prepares us to meet Christ.
As gold is heated impurities float to the top and can be skimmed off.
Likewise, our trials, struggles, and persecutions refine and
strengthen our faith, making us useful to God.
1. T-emptaition
2 Peter 2:9:
9Now if [all these things are true, then be sure] the Lord knows how to rescue the godly out of temptations and trials…
Just as God rescued Lot from Sodom, so he is able to rescue us from the temptations and trials we face in a wicked world. Gen 19
A. Every Christian experience temptation, Satan tries to catch
Christians unawares.
B. We must not yield to temptation. We can overcome through decision, discipline, determination, and divine help.
James 1:12:
12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.
Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Temptation comes from evil desires inside us, not from God. It begins with an evil thought and becomes sin when we dwell on the thought and allow it to become an action.
Like a snowball rolling downhill, sin grows more destructive the more we let it have its way.
The best time to stop a temptation is before it is too strong or
moving too fast to control.
2. R-esentment-: to feel or express annoyance or ill will at
1 John 3:14:
14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.
A. Resentments dwindles the physical, dwarf the mental, and destroy
the spiritual life of an individual.
B. We can be released from resentments through love and prayer. One cannot love and pray for another person and hold resentment at the same time.
3. I-nferiority- of little or less importance, value, or merit
Philippians 4:13:
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
As we contend for the faith, we will face troubles, pressures. and trails. As they come, ask Christ to strengthen you.
A. Inferiority feelings hinder Christians from working for God as they should.
B. We overcome by doing, by moving ahead, by believing the Holy Spirit is within us, and that He is guiding, directing, and speaking through us.
4. A-ffliction
Psalm 119:67:
67 before I was afflicted I went astray; But now I observe thy word.
A. Christians suffer affliction like everyone else. Some blame God when they suffer.
B. We must trust God during affliction. He has a purpose in what He allows and can work it out for our good and His glory.
Romans 8:28:
28 and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
God works in everything- not just isolated incidents- for our good.
This does not mean that all that happens to us is good, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long range good.
5. L-oneliness
Hebrews 13:5:
5.I will never abandon you.
A. Many people are lonely. Sin, sorrow, suffering, and separation
bring loneliness.
B. Christians need never be lonely. They have a “friend who is closer than a brother.” The Holy Spirit promised to “abide with them forever”.
John 14:16:
16And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever"
The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God within us and all
believers, helping us live as God wants and building Christ’s church on earth. By faith we can take possession of the Spirit’s power each day.
No matter what card life has dealt you don’t fold under the pressure turn to Jesus.
Have you been trying to push through difficulties on your own? If so, make a change right now. Start getting strength from deep within you, where the Holy Spirit dwells.
Instead of asking “why me?” we should respond to suffering with a new set of responses:
1) Confidence that God knows, plans, and directs our lives for the good. It’s hard to calculate sometimes, but God always provides his love and strength for us. God leads us toward a better future.
2) Perseverance when facing grief, anger, sorrow, and pain. We
express our grief, but we don’t give in to bitterness and despair.
3) Courage because with Jesus as brother and savior, we need not to be afraid. He who suffered for us will not abandon us. Jesus carries us through everything.
If that divine strength does not yet dwell in you, all you need to do to receive it is admit your sins, repent of them, and ask Jesus to be your Savior.
Surrender your life, all that you are and all that you are not, to him.
Let God be your strength. God does not want to just give us strength; he wants to be our strength.
2 Samuel 22:3:
3My God, my Rock, in Him will I take refuge; my Shield and the Horn of my salvation; my Stronghold and my Refuge, my Savior--
As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the tea-cup spoke, "You don't understand." It said, "I have not always been a tea-cup. There was a time when I was red clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, "Let me alone," but he only smiled,"Not yet!!"
"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. 'Stop it!! I'm getting dizzy!' I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet.'
Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and
knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook hid head, 'Not yet'.
"Finally, the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to
cool. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, Stop it!!' I cried. He only nodded, ‘Not yet!'.
Then suddenly he put me back in to the oven, not like the first one.
This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I
pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf.
An hour later he handed me a mirror and said 'Look at yourself.' And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'
"I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I just had left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurts and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened.
You would not have had any color in your life, and if I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't survive for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you." God knows what He's doing [for all of us]. He is the potter, and we are His clay.
He will mould us and make us, so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Trials
We need to get to the place where we can say "I know that God has been holding me in the fires of affliction and I have felt His hammer upon me.
But I don't mind, if only He can bring me to what I should be. And so, in all these hard things my prayer is simply this: Try me in any way you wish, Lord, only don't throw me on the scrap heap."
The T-R-I-A-L of Your Faith
1 Peter 1:7:
7 these trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being
tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
All believers face such trails when we let our light shine into
the darkness. We must accept trails as part of the refining process that burns away impurities and prepares us to meet Christ.
As gold is heated impurities float to the top and can be skimmed off.
Likewise, our trials, struggles, and persecutions refine and
strengthen our faith, making us useful to God.
1. T-emptaition
2 Peter 2:9:
9Now if [all these things are true, then be sure] the Lord knows how to rescue the godly out of temptations and trials…
Just as God rescued Lot from Sodom, so he is able to rescue us from the temptations and trials we face in a wicked world. Gen 19
A. Every Christian experience temptation, Satan tries to catch
Christians unawares.
B. We must not yield to temptation. We can overcome through decision, discipline, determination, and divine help.
James 1:12:
12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.
Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Temptation comes from evil desires inside us, not from God. It begins with an evil thought and becomes sin when we dwell on the thought and allow it to become an action.
Like a snowball rolling downhill, sin grows more destructive the more we let it have its way.
The best time to stop a temptation is before it is too strong or
moving too fast to control.
2. R-esentment-: to feel or express annoyance or ill will at
1 John 3:14:
14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.
A. Resentments dwindles the physical, dwarf the mental, and destroy
the spiritual life of an individual.
B. We can be released from resentments through love and prayer. One cannot love and pray for another person and hold resentment at the same time.
3. I-nferiority- of little or less importance, value, or merit
Philippians 4:13:
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
As we contend for the faith, we will face troubles, pressures. and trails. As they come, ask Christ to strengthen you.
A. Inferiority feelings hinder Christians from working for God as they should.
B. We overcome by doing, by moving ahead, by believing the Holy Spirit is within us, and that He is guiding, directing, and speaking through us.
4. A-ffliction
Psalm 119:67:
67 before I was afflicted I went astray; But now I observe thy word.
A. Christians suffer affliction like everyone else. Some blame God when they suffer.
B. We must trust God during affliction. He has a purpose in what He allows and can work it out for our good and His glory.
Romans 8:28:
28 and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
God works in everything- not just isolated incidents- for our good.
This does not mean that all that happens to us is good, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long range good.
5. L-oneliness
Hebrews 13:5:
5.I will never abandon you.
A. Many people are lonely. Sin, sorrow, suffering, and separation
bring loneliness.
B. Christians need never be lonely. They have a “friend who is closer than a brother.” The Holy Spirit promised to “abide with them forever”.
John 14:16:
16And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever"
The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God within us and all
believers, helping us live as God wants and building Christ’s church on earth. By faith we can take possession of the Spirit’s power each day.
No matter what card life has dealt you don’t fold under the pressure turn to Jesus.
Have you been trying to push through difficulties on your own? If so, make a change right now. Start getting strength from deep within you, where the Holy Spirit dwells.
Instead of asking “why me?” we should respond to suffering with a new set of responses:
1) Confidence that God knows, plans, and directs our lives for the good. It’s hard to calculate sometimes, but God always provides his love and strength for us. God leads us toward a better future.
2) Perseverance when facing grief, anger, sorrow, and pain. We
express our grief, but we don’t give in to bitterness and despair.
3) Courage because with Jesus as brother and savior, we need not to be afraid. He who suffered for us will not abandon us. Jesus carries us through everything.
If that divine strength does not yet dwell in you, all you need to do to receive it is admit your sins, repent of them, and ask Jesus to be your Savior.
Surrender your life, all that you are and all that you are not, to him.
Let God be your strength. God does not want to just give us strength; he wants to be our strength.
2 Samuel 22:3:
3My God, my Rock, in Him will I take refuge; my Shield and the Horn of my salvation; my Stronghold and my Refuge, my Savior--
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