Joseph: dreams, obedience and a bigger plan

Those who study and research sleep patterns and dreams suggest a person averages between four and six dreams each night. Each dream typically lasts in the range of five to twenty minutes. Over the average person’s lifespan, that amount of nightly dreaming equates to six years of their life.

Dreams and dream references have been written about and conveyed via art throughout history. Not only are dreams referenced over one hundred times in the pages of the Bible that include how God supernaturally communicated to people through this medium, but also people today convey stories on a regular basis of the same Divine communication. While research suggests 95-99% of a person’s dreams are forgotten after they awake, some dreams both are unforgettable and life changing.

Dr. Jim Denison has written extensively about a global phenomenon that is happening especially among Muslim people that includes the presence of dreams. He notes how statistics and stories suggest more Muslims have come to Christ in the last fifteen years than in the previous fifteen centuries. Many Muslims are responding to visions and dreams.

Denison notes, “God speaks to us in whatever language and ways we can understand. He became one of us that we might be one with Him.” He goes on to say, “Muslim miraculous stories are especially persuasive to me because those who share them have so little to gain and so much to lose. Many Muslim converts are exiled from their families and homes; many are tortured and many are killed. Their courageous faith is testimony to the hope found only in Jesus and the transforming power of “the Spirit.”

One of Dr. Denison’s dear friends is a man named Tom Doyle. Mr. Doyle is a longtime missionary to the Middle East. Denison goes on to write about how across Mr. Doyle’s many years living and serving in the Islamic world, he has witnessed first-hand these great miracles of how Jesus is revealing Himself to Muslims around the globe through dreams. He notes how Doyle’s book Dreams and Visions: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World? tells the story of this astounding movement.

From Egypt to Saudi Arabia, from Iran to Jordan, from Syria to Iraq and Afghanistan, his stories read like the pages of the Book of Acts.

He recalls how one chapter tells of an Egyptian evangelist who was rousted from his bed at gunpoint and forced into a room where he was convinced he would be executed. There he met a group of Imams (mosque leaders) who had been converted to Christ through visions and dreams and wanted him to teach them the Bible. Another chapter introduces the reader to a woman in Saudi Arabia who met Jesus in her dreams and now worships in her bathroom as she prays for her husband to come to Christ.

Denison asks a great question. “Why is the Holy Spirit using dreams to reach Muslims today?” His answer: because they are open to such revelation, as their faith began with the visions of the Prophet

Muhammad. Since 60-80% of the Muslim world is illiterate, God would need to speak to them verbally and directly in their lives. He writes, “The God who spoke to patriarchs, prophets and apostles through visions is now speaking to Muslims in the same way. Long ago the Lord did what He continues to do today. As Isaiah the prophet once wrote:

 

“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.” Isaiah 65:1

 

God is revealing himself in ways they are radically changes people’s lives because their purpose of plan was too small

That verse certainly summarizes the Call of Christmas for Joseph.

 

Matthew 1:18,19

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

Joseph and Mary had signed a marriage contract. Engagement did not mean the same as it means today. Engagement then, meant they were legally bound to each other. The bride price had been paid. They were 100% committed to each other. Legally if a split occurred it was like a divorce today.

Both of their futures were tied into this marriage they had set all expectations on their future idea.

But then God…God messes with their expectations.

Joseph was disillusioned his expectations where now dashed. Some of you are in that place, some of you will be in that place at Christmas.

It is easy to become disillusioned and have expectation fail when are hope and our eyes are on us or what we want.

BUT…..

If you are choosing to follow the Lord with Heart, Mind, Soul, Strength; he may mess up your plans because your plans are too small. His plans are much bigger.

 

Matthew 1:20-21

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

God messed with Joseph’s plans because he found a man he could trust completely. A man He could trust to be absolutely obedient to Him. A man he could so trust that when Jesus was thinking about a way to describe the love relationship God has with us he remembered Joseph’s example and said “Pray our Father”

What of your plans is God beginning to mess with? What of your plans are way too small?

Can you trust that he has a bigger better plan?

I need you to notice too that God spoke to Joseph in the way he could understand…dreams. God doesn’t need to put up a neon sign to speak clearly to you, he will most likely begin speaking to you in ways you too can understand…through people, through the teachings, through little things happening in your life, through His word… we simply need to learn to expect and pay attention

We see that Joseph has several other dreams later and each time he doesn’t wait, but responds immediately. Some of our struggles are the direct result of delayed obedience or direct disobedience.

Matthew 1:22-23

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

 

God uses people to fulfill His word and plans. Story of the woman and groceries

God’s plan is for people to come to know Him

God’s plan is for the broken and the hurting to be healed

God’s plan is for people to know they are loved

 

And it may be more specific like meeting someone’s very specific need, spending time with someone, doing something special to be Jesus hands extended.

God met our needs through the birth of His Son…Joseph is told to name Him “Jesus” which is the Greek name for Yeshua which is the Hebrew name Joshua.

God used Joshua to deliver Israel from their enemies and into the promised land and God has the second Joshua which means “God saves” to deliver the world from their enemies and into the kingdom of God

Jesus is also called Immanuel which means “God with us”

God has met our need through the birth of his son by letting us know we are never alone, never face any battle or struggle alone, God is always with us

Matthew 1: 24,25

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Immediately Joseph sacrificed his “public view of righteousness” and took Mary to be his wife. They moved in together he put himself at risk through public shame as they saw she was pregnant and his reputation on the line to trust and do what the Lord had told him to do. He kept her pure until Jesus was born. Later we know from scripture they had children together.

God blessed Joseph with a relationship with him no one ever had

God supplied all that Joseph needed

God personally lead him

God blessed him with a wonderful wife and family

 

Joseph was a man that God could trust to not delay in his obedience regardless of the personal cost. Delayed obedience is really disobedience.

When we live our lives in obedience to the Lord we can expect great things. Bigger things than we can imagine to take place.

What are your dreams today?

What has the Lord challenged or called you to do?

Has there been disobedience in your life that you need to correct?

God’s plans for you are far bigger Paul says they are exceeding and abundantly beyond all we could hope or ask.

Dare to dream, dare to trust, dare to be obedient and dare to expect great things, God to give you a bigger dream

 

The beginning of a Christmas miracle for you!

The beginning of a Christmas miracle for you

 

When Zechariah, the aging priest in the video, went to work that day, he did not expect to encounter an angel. He had been a priest for decades and served faithfully in his priestly responsibilities for as

long as he could remember. However, God regularly works through ordinary people doing what they normally do in their life. Although Zechariah was in the midst of a once in a lifetime opportunity to

offer incense inside the Temple, angelic encounters are not as unique as we might expect. From the first chapters of Genesis in the Garden of Eden to the final descriptions in Revelation and all throughout the pages of the Bible, there are hundreds of references where the activities of angels are recorded.

 

A recent Google search of “angel encounters” produces well over one million results in less than one second. Historical reviews of virtually all nations and cultures demonstrate some belief in angels.

 

Many religions talk about the potential of angels

– Egyptians prepared ornate tombs expecting angels to visit them

– the entire focus of Islam depends upon the angel Gabriel

 

Does the Bible speak of angels in our every day lives?

 

Psalm 91:11

For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do.

 

Hebrews 1:14

Are they (angels) not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those who will inherit salvation?

 

Hebrews 13:2

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

 

Everywhere in the Bible when godly men and women see angels they are overwhelmed that is why they need to keep saying “don’t be afraid”

However as we read in Hebrews God sends His angels at times in ways that we would not recognize so we need to be aware.

The word angel literally means messenger. God created them for worship of God and service to mankind this is why we do not become angels when we die. We will judge and rule over angelic beings.

Part of their service to mankind is to aid in the battle of powers and principalities so if the world is seeing more evil these days you can be assured that angel activity will be on the increase as well

References to angels far out number the references to Satan and demons so we should expect as always that the power of God in our lives can and should easily out weigh any influence the enemy has.

Angels will play a role in all of the teaching that we are going to do leading up to Christmas.

 

I need to ask you, do you believe God’s word to be true? If so, why do you worry, why are you fearful of demonic attacks why is your mind set on the negative rather than Christ? He has given his angels charge over you but we must choose to trust Him and walk in obedience so he can protect us.

Let’s start with the story of Zachariah

 

Luke 1:1-4

Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. 2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. 3 Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, 4 so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.

 

Luke is laying a foundation for everything that will follow here. This is the “I’m telling you a story that you already have heard but I’ve written it down so you know it has been verified type of thing”

It would be kind of like this if you had a group of people who have heard the “twas a night before Christmas” poem and you read it like this

Imagine the official storyteller of the family beginning the story

like this:

“‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house. Not a creature was stirring except for a mouse.”

 

Immediately the people listening to the story would stop the storyteller and say: “Wait. Stop. That’s not even a mouse”

 

Because they had heard it enough, the people Luke was writing to had heard all that he is about to share enough times but wants people to know the stories have been verified.

 

Luke begins this part this way…

 

Luke 1:5-7

When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

 

The scripture is very clear one of the blessings of following the Lord is children. In this culture it was a stigma to not have children but obviously Elizabeth had not given up hope and Zachariah had not given up his faithfulness to serving God

 

Luke 1:8,9

8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.

 

Let’s pause there and talk about God’s impact in the great and the small.

 

  • Elijah, according to biblical prophecy must come before the Messiah the big plan here is that God is doing that through Z and E this tripped up many people because like many today that get a prophetic word they don’t seek God for understanding they run with their own. God Blesses the world
  • God cares about Z and E and all that they have gone through, this becomes a major miracle because of their ages, God’s timing is always perfect to make things happen the question is always will we keep trusting Him. God blesses Z and E
  • God’s timing and purposes will always happen his way he caused the “lot” to fall to Zachariah and the perfect moment in time. God has got you

 

Luke 1:10-13

10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. 11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.

 

Once again the angelic appearance and don’t be afraid these same fearsome, awesome, powerful angels are watching over you.

God named the baby John which means God is gracious until this time the people of God were under the law now God is prophesying through the name of this child that he will move in grace.

I need to pause here because some of you here tonight are still bound by law. Paul wrote to Timothy and said only the lawless, sinners, homosexuals, liars, the greedy, promise breakers, those who distort the word of God and sound teaching (1 Timothy 1: 8-10) If you are not those things then you need to walk out from under the law into grace. Not sloppy grace when you sin expecting God to just keeping on forgiving but grace motivated by love not to sin when sin grieves your heart.

 

Luke 1:14-17

14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

 

I want to encourage some of you today with this passage as well. Do you see how much detail there is here about John even before he is conceived?

 

God’s word says he knows you in that much detail about you as well. Read Psalm 139 1-18 for verification

 

Luke 1: 18-20

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” 19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

 

We know Zachariah was faithful because he kept serving even when others ridiculed him and rejected him because as a priest with no children that was a sign that God was not with him but he remained faithful. WE know the Elizabeth kept hoping because this happened.

 

How quickly have you given up on the promises of God? Don’t grow weary in well doing Galatians 6:9 says for in the end you will reap. Are there things you have given up on, repent and return to trusting God for your future.

 

Luke 1:21,22

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

 

Charades may not have been Zachariah’s strong suit but eventually they got it. Most of us would be so excited we would run right off with what the Lord had told us but Zachariah proved his faithfulness he waited on God to know how and what to do.

 

How many of us have run right off with something we were told from the Lord or heard from the Lord but did not wait on him to give clarity or discuss with others with wisdom what God was saying?

 

Luke 1:23-25

23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. 24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”

 

God spoke and then it happened, now they both understood about God’s timing. They weren’t fertile because of sin or some other failure but instead it was God’s timing. The devil didn’t stop the pregnancy instead God had a plan…if we live in fear we will bear the fruit of fear but if choose to trust God above our circumstances, what people say and hold onto His word we will every time.

 

There is a call tonight to remember what God has called you to. God has an amazing Christmas gift for you. Just as he did with Elizabeth and Zachariah we can restore and rebuild what you have given up on. God knows you knows the doubts and fears you face but like Zachariah and Elizabeth if you will choose to have hope and keep on serving you will see the fulfillment.

 

Please come tonight and ask the Lord to restore what you have surrendered. That will be the beginning of your Christmas miracle

 

 

Whose fries are these?

Whose fries are those?

One day Fred wanted to do something special with his five year old son Jimmy. He asked “son, is there anything you’d like to do right now?” Jimmy said, “I want some McDonald French Fries.” His father said, “if that’s what my boy wants, then that’s what my boy gets.”

They got into the blue and white chevy truck and headed toward McDonald’s. Jimmy’s lips and tongue were silently moving as he could taste the fries before they even reached the store.

His Dad made the order, and Jimmy’s heart pounded when his Dad said make it a super size fry. Fred took the money out of his wallet to pay for the fries and a drink. Jimmy’s little teeth were ready to sink into those hot golden fries, before they made it to the table.

 

When they sat down, grace consisted of “God bless this food amen”, but it seemed like way too many words to Jimmy who was eager to delight himself with this huge blessing of French fries.

 

Fred was happy to see his little boy so happy over something so simple. He decided to join in the fun. He reached over to get a couple of Jimmy’s fries for himself. To his surprise, his son quickly put his arms around his fries as though building a fort and pulled them toward himself and said, “No, these are mine.” His dad was in a state of shock for a moment. He could not believe what had happened.

Fred pulled back his hand and began to reflect about his son’s attitude toward the fries.

Let’s walk together through the things that went through his mind. He was thinking, my son failed to realize that I am the source of those French fries.

At the counter, I was the one who gave the cashier the money from my wallet. I did not give him the size fry he was expecting, but something twice as big. Yet here he is talking about his French fries.

Not only was I the source of the French fries, he has forgotten that I at 6ft 1 and 195 lbs, have the power to take all the fries despite his little arms surrounding them as a fort. Or that if I wanted to, I could go back to the counter and bring him so many fries that he could never eat them all.

He also does not understand, “that I don’t need his French fries. I could go back to the counter and get as many fries as I wanted.”

As the Dad thought about it, one or two fries really would not have made much of a difference for him that day. What he wanted was for his son Jimmy, to invite him into the wonderful little world he had made possible for his son. He wanted his son to be willing to share the very blessing that he had provided.

When we talk about being sold out for Christ, we have to realize that everyday God gives us the choice to live out the chance to Never underestimate the Spirit. God takes us to McDonald’s on a regular basis in our lives.

God blesses us. He blesses you and God blesses me. He’s given us all some French fries. Some have small bags, others medium, others large and some super size. Some are narrow and light in color like McDonald’s others are thick and dark like Wendy’s. Some are straight and some Arby’s are curly. But God has given us all some fries.

Like that Dad, Fred, God desires to sit down at the table with us for some fellowship. When God reaches over to use some of the blessings he has given to us, far too often we say “No God, these are mine. No, No, No. Go and get your own.” We try building our own little forts around our blessings.

 

Everything we have and everything we are has come from the Lord.

 

I have to do a sermon on giving every few years because you need to be blessed and learn to not be afraid of prices or the economy.

 

James 1:17

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

 

God does not need our French fries, and that it is an honor and a privilege to be able to share our fries with God. God does not ask us to give because God is hurting and in desperate need.

God asks us to give because God wants us to be like Him. God has a giving attitude and he wants that giving attitude modeled in his children.

The first verse many people learn is John 3:16 which begins,

“for God so love the world that He”

what did God do?

….He gave His only Son.

Throughout the Bible, you find that God is always giving. In your own lives, how many of you know that you cannot underestimate God’s ability to provide for you in ways that you had not thought possible.

God is very interested in response to the blessings He sends our way and what we choose to do with them. Let’s look at a passage of Scripture in 1 Chronicles 29:10-17

In the first 9 verses we see an amazing offering being given for the building of the center of their faith. At today’s prices, just the gold was 12.5 billion dollars now that’s an offering, that was an amazing sacrifice by a number of people but here is what David said about it

 

Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. 13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace. 16 “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.

 

Notice some things here

 

“Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours,”

 

“Wealth and honor come from you alone”

 

“Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!”

 

“Even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you. It all belongs to you!”

 

David freely gave and all of Israel freely gave this was beyond their tithe. They still each all gave 10% of the income in whatever way they gained income but with this there was amazing giving.

 

To David it was giving out of love, not a sacrifice at all, for three reasons:

 

  • He had the Father’s heart of giving he was not selfish at all. He knew His life and future where not in his hands but God’s, John 3:16 from earlier
  • He recognized everything he had including His skills, talents money all belonged to God so he was rejoicing that God allowed him to keep anything but was joyous to give back to God what he did
  • He recognized you can’t out give God
  1. Because of this exorbitant giving they had created a place that established their home…the establishment of the temple was the last part to make Jerusalem their home

 

  • When we learn to give we create a home where God dwells. When we give. Here is the promise of God from Malachi 3:8-11

 

Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

 

God is saying you have cheated, I gave you all the French fries and you are saying NOOOOO! These are mine!

But he is not really concerned about us cheating Him. He doesn’t need us to give Him anything, everything is his so why is God so upset?

He was upset because we are cheating ourselves..it is like when we sin God can not bless it and when we don’t trust him with our giving

God promises that if you trust Him, give your 10% tithe and offerings. God will protect, bless, and supply all that you need.

I have numerous examples of how the Lord has done that for Paige and me but I thought hearing from someone else but show you that it is not Ministers who are blessed when they are obedient.

 

MARK SCOTT

 

2) Establishing the temple in Jerusalem also brought prosperity and blessing to Israel, as being obedient through giving will be for you

 

Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

 

Giving is saying to God I trust you more than I trust my ability to earn a livingGod is not in need of your French fries but he does want you to share with Him. 100% of what you have, as David said, come from God he asked for you to have His heart in giving not because He needs it but so

 

Examples, kid’s college, investments, home, cars

 

We decide if the fries we eat are small, medium, large, or super-sized based on how much we have learned to trust God

3) As they established the temple giving to God they were blessed not only for themselves but all the nations and people around them were blessed with peace and prosperity.

 

2 Corinthians 9:6-8

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

 

When God gives to you and knows he can trust you, he gives you more French fries than you need and expects you to be willing to share with us.

 

We give to others:

– Though our tithe, giving 10% or more to the church

– We give through offerings helping special projects, other ministries

– Through alms giving to the poor and individuals in need

 

But we also give to others through our skills, gifts, and time:

 

– volunteer for children’s church

– volunteer in our outreach programs

– using your gifts as in and outside of the church just to serve others

– give our time and talents to help others

 

As we read in Malachi when we learn to give and especially give God’s way. God opens the windows of heaven

 

Why? Because when we give…

 

  • We act like God… because he loved he gave!
  • We prove that we trust Him more than ourselves, our ability to earn
  • We have overcome pride, fear, lust and selfishness. We prove we really want to be like him not just act or trust Him

 

I would ask you not to trust my words today because people are funny about money. I would ask you to put God to the test at His Word.

 

God wants to bless you this thanksgiving he wants you to have a thankful heart and prove that you have it, by learning to trust that God has more French fries for you than you can imagine but you decide if it is a small, medium, large or supersize by how much you are willing to trust Him.

 

Malachi 3:10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!

 

Where are you financially? Are you blessed enough? Are you at peace about cost and expenses or do you worry about money all the time?

 

God wants to bless you but you have to walk in obedience. The church is not hurting but if you are not giving, you are hurting yourself Try it for six months I guarantee you if you trust God he will bless you.

 

Whose fries are they any way?

 

 

Start small and Dream big! Part 3

Start small and dream big Part 3

Luke 13:20,21

He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

After sharing the mustard seed concept he shares this one.

While they are similar they have different meaning.

– The Mustard seed is about the growth in us to impact the world.

– The yeast is about transforming us from the inside out. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives

WE talked about two aspects of the yeast presence and purpose

The presence of yeast

1 The yeast is a foreign substance that comes from the outside and dramatically changes the flour

2 It is not simply enough to add yeast to the flour a process called kneading is necessary.

3 It is the word of God that does the kneading in us.

We must know and apply the Word of God to our lives or the power of the Holy Spirit will be limited through us

The Purpose of Yeast

  • Yeast does not come into the flour to destroy it but instead to add to it and make it into something more amazing
  1. Yeast communicates its own nature to us and it effects the flour
  • The Holy Spirit give us the ability to study and understand God’s Word and to share it in power and truth and as He permeates every part of us,

If we allow this purpose to take place in us then we have all the God wants for us because his nature has worked its way to every part of us producing the most amazing thing….holiness

Today I want to discuss two more aspects of yeast as it relates to this story and our walk with Christ.

The Process of the Yeast

There are certain properties of yeast as it relates to the role of the Holy Spirit or vice-a-versa they come into play in process. Remember Jesus said…

It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

– Yeast spreads –

Romans 8:30

“Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

If we allow the Holy Spirit he does all the work for us and through us if we allow him

– Yeast is strong –

2 Timothy 1:6

Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands

– At present your faith may be just a flicker but allow the Holy Spirit to fan the flame and He will turn it into a raging fire

– Yeast does its work in secret

1 Corinthians 15:31

“I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”

Surrendering daily allows the Spirit to complete the work in us. Philippians 1:6

“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”

As one man said to another “I am not what I want to be. I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I hope to be, but thank God I am not what I used to be.”

Yeast gives a sweet aroma to what it touches – The process of the work of the Holy Spirit brings about a sweet aroma in out lives 2 Corinthians 2:15,16

“Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.”

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The Power of Yeast

The woman works the yeast so it permeates the entire bowl of flour

There are two views of the Holy Spirit in evangelical circles

That he is the third person of the Trinity and in his role it is soteriological doctrine .

The second is the view places him as the third person of the Trinity but his role goes beyond salvation.

– He leads us daily into all truth, helper John 14:17,25

– He guides us and shows us things to come John 16:13,

– He is the sword according Ephesians 6:17;

– Romans 15:13 he fills us with all hope

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I have a list of 70 things the Holy Spirit does beyond salvation at the end of my notes

It is the same with the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives I can’t fully explain how God does everything but I certainly can see the results of His work in our lives.

The yeast in the flour is a mystery. How does it work?

All we know is that Jesus said the Kingdom of God is like that. A woman took the yeast and mixed it into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.

We must allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in us. I person full of the spirit lives out 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.8 Love never fails.

And Galatians 5:22 – 26

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Mark 9:35 – 37

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

70 functions of the Holy Spirit

  1. He leads and directs. (Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:12; Luke 2:27; 4:1; Acts 8:29; Romans 8:14)
  2. The Holy Spirit speaks – in, to and through. (Matthew 10:20; Acts 1:16; 2:4; 13:2; 28:25; Hebrews 3:7)
  3. He gives power to cast out devils. (Matthew 12:28)
  4. He releases power. (Luke 4:14)
  5. The Holy Spirit anoints. (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38)
  6. The Holy Spirit “comes upon” or “falls on”. (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 2:25; 3:22; 4:18; John 1:32,33; Acts 10:44; 11:15)
  7. He baptizes and fills. (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 1:15,41,67; 3:16, 4:1; John 1:33; Acts 1:4-5; 2:4; 4:8,31; 6:3,5; 7:55; 10:47; 11:24; 13:9,52; 1 Corinthians 12:12)
  8. He gives new birth. (John 3:5,8)
  9. He leads into worship. (John 4:23)
  10. He flows like a river from the spirit man. (John 7:38-39)
  11. He ministers truth. (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13)
  12. He dwells in people. (John 14:17; Romans 8:9,11; 1 Corinthians 3:16)
  13. The Holy Spirit gives comfort, health, and strength. (John 15:26; Acts 9:31)
  14. He proceeds from the Father. (John 15:26)
  15. He shows us things to come. (John 16:13)
  16. He gives the gift of tongues. (Acts 2:4)
  17. He releases prophecy, dreams and visions. (Acts 2:17,18; 11:28)
  18. He can transport people physically. (Acts 8:39)
  19. The Holy Spirit brings direction and guidance. (Mark 13:36; 13:11; Acts 10:19; 11:12; 21:11; 1 Timothy 4:1
  20. He is Holiness. (Romans 1:4)
  21. He is the Spirit of life and gives life. (Romans 8:1,10)
  22. The Holy Spirit invites us to walk with Him. (Romans 8:4-5)
  23. He groans, prays and intercedes. (Romans 8:26-27)
  24. He is a Sword. (Ephesians 6:17)
  25. The Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives. (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9)
  26. He helps us in our weakness. (Romans 8:26)
  27. He bears witness. (Acts 5:32 15:28; 20:23; Romans 8:15-16; Hebrews 10:15; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-8)
  28. He is the Spirit of Adoption. (Romans 8:15)
  29. He gives power to mortify the deeds of the flesh. (Romans 8:13)
  30. He provides power for signs, wonders and preaching. (Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:4)
  31. He ministers love. (Romans 15:30)
  32. He searches the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10)
  33. He quickens the mortal body. (Romans 8:13)
  34. He brings revelation. (Luke 2:25; 1 Corinthians 2:10,12; Ephesians 1:17-19; 3:5)
  35. The Holy Spirit reveals to us what has been given by God. (1 Corinthians 2:12)
  36. He washes, sanctifies, purifies and justifies. (Romans 15:16, 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 1:2,22)
  37. He gives gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Hebrews 2:4)
  38. He seals us. (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 4:30)
  39. He is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17)
  40. He changes us into the image of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:17)
  41. He is the promise of the blessing of Abraham. (Galatians 3:14)
  42. He releases a cry to the Father. (Galatians 4:6)
  43. He gives access to the Father. (Ephesians 2:18)
  44. The Holy Spirit builds us together for a house for God. (Ephesians 2:22)
  45. He strengthens us with might. (Ephesians 3:16)
  46. He is unity. (Ephesians 4:3-4)
  47. He is wine. (Ephesians 5:18)
  48. He supplies. (Philippians 1:19)
  49. He is fellowship. (2 Corinthians 13;14; Philippians 2:1)
  50. He is grace. (Hebrews 10:29)
  51. He is glory. (1 Peter 4:14)
  52. The Holy Spirit speaks to the churches. (Revelation 2:11,17,29; 3:6,13,22)
  53. He calls for the Bridegroom. (Revelation 22:17)
  54. The Holy Spirit has the power of conception and anointing for God’s purposes. (Matthew 1:18,20; Luke 1:35)
  55. He teaches. (Luke 12:12; John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 1 John 2:27)
  56. He gives commandments. (Acts 1:2)
  57. He provides power to be a witness. (Acts 1:8)
  58. He provides boldness. (Acts 4:31)
  59. He gives sight. (Acts 9:17)
  60. He commissions. (Acts 13:4)
  61. He restrains. (Acts 16:6)
  62. He appoints ministries and gives them authority. (Acts 20:28)
  63. He releases love. (Romans 5:5)
  64. He is righteousness, peace and joy. (Romans 14:17; 15:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:6)
  65. He confesses Christ’s Lordship. (1 Corinthians 12:3)
  66. The Holy Spirit brings the gospel. (1 Thessalonians 1:5-6)
  67. He is keeping power. (2 Timothy 1:14)
  68. He brings renewal. (Titus 3:5)
  69. He moves on believers. (2 Peter 1:21)

70.    He convicts the world. (John 16:8)

Start small Dream big! Part 2

Start small and dream big! Part 2

Luke 13:20,21

He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

Last week we talked about the Kingdom of God being like the mustard seed and the mustard seed tree. How the smallest things can impact the Kingdom of God.

After sharing the mustard seed concept he shares this one.

While they are similar they have different meaning.

– The Mustard seed is about the growth in us to impact the world.
– The yeast is about transforming us from the inside out. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives

We see in this that it only takes a little bit, but that little bit, is kneaded though out the dough and as it is kneaded affects the whole.

When Israel was leaving their 400 years of bondage they took with them the unleavened bread. Leavening (yeast) gives bread it fluffiness and full taste unleavened bread has very little taste but will not spoil as quickly but al it really is, is flour it has not power to be something greater. It is an example of moving in our own strength rather than being filled with the Holy Spirit moving through us.

Today as part of the service we are celebrating communion. It helps my point with this teaching to have you remember the taste or tastelessness of bread without yeast, matza.

Tasted pretty bland didn’t it, dried your mouth out a bit

Here are some quick things about yeast that I want us to talk about today.

– First, as with the parable of the mustard seed, it teaches us not to underestimate the potential of small beginnings in the Christian life.

– Second, the parable teaches us that when the Holy Spirit applies the Gospel, there is no limit to what can happen in a person’s life. The Holy Spirit is like the leaven: He affects everything. The Gospel is the kneading process

– Third, much of this work happens even when we are not aware that we are being changed. The work is silent. Maybe you think…

“I wonder if I am really growing spiritually? I don’t think I am changing at all.” The truth is, wrote Paul,

“It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” Philippians 2:13.

I want us to look at a few things about and how it can change our lives

The presence of yeast

1) The yeast is a foreign substance that comes from the outside and dramatically changes the flour
– In order for there to be transformation in our lives the Holy Spirit comes from outside to us as sinners because of the blood of Christ
– The Holy Spirit is not in the nature of man but when He comes in gives us a new nature
– Just like the yeast does to the flour the Holy Spirit touching our lives brings about radical change to who we are
2) It is not simply enough to add yeast to the flour a process called kneading is necessary.
– Kneading is the process by which the dough is pushed and stretched so that every little bit of flour is impacted by the yeast Genesis 18:6 sarah does this

“So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, “Hurry! Get three large measures of your best flour, knead it into dough, and bake some bread.”

3) It is the word of God that does the kneading in us. This is what Peter did on the day of Pentecost, he got up full of the Holy Spirit and power t did not stop with simply showing the power of the Holy Spirit to reach every person in their own language but continue to knead them. Acts 2:40

“Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”

We must know and apply the Word of God to our lives or the power of the Holy Spirit will be limited through us

The Purpose of Yeast

– Yeast does not come into the flour to destroy it but instead to add to it and make it into something more amazing

1) Yeast communicates its own nature to us and it effects the flour

– if the Holy spirit would not communicate His grace to us we would not have know ever the love, joy peace etc.
– He expresses that in us because that is who the Holy Spirit is, we the flour could not know this about from the yeast being himself and bring about His nature in us.
– It has nothing to do with our temperament but everything to do with who He is in us. The purpose of the Spirit is to release the fruit and the gifts in us.

– There has been a sad divorce today in many churches between the Word and the Spirit. Those who emphasize the word focus on doctrine, sound teaching, expository preaching and all of this is right, correct, and needed in the church today, so that the church might be able to know what they believe why they believe it and defend what they believe Spurgeon, Wesley, Finney and the early church Fathers….Those who emphasize the Spirit focus on the gifts and fruit of the spirit, miracles, signs and wonders all of the things we see in the book of Acts which are necessary for the world to take notice of the church and this too is all right and correct

– The problem is we need both! The Holy Spirit give us the ability to study and understand God’s Word and to share it in power and truth and as He permeates every part of us, gives us the power to live out His fruit and walk in his gifts

2) If we allow this purpose to take place in us then we have all the God wants for us because his nature has worked its way to every part of us producing the most amazing thing….holiness

– a hatred for sin,
– a longing for Christ
– a desire to see the glory of God manifest so that the world will see that there is a God in the heavens.

The Spirit combines what He is with what we are, so that we might become that which we were destined to be.

– Darkness becomes light
– confusion becomes order
– numbness becomes feeling
– apathy becomes longing
– death becomes life.

The purpose of the yeast is to communicate it’s own nature to the flour. It doesn’t destroy the flour but makes it enhanced. So the Holy Spirit is with us. As we submit to the nature and work of the Hoy Spirit in our lives He takes our gifts, personalities, abilities, talents and fulfills their true nature.

Many are afraid of what the Holy Spirit may do if we allow Him to do his work in us but that is the fear of man rather than God

He will change you and give you an aroma, a scent, a beauty, and He will use your abilities to exceed all you ever dreamed of. Do not be afraid of the Holy Spirit, submit completely to God’s work in you.

The Holy Spirit is God; He is the God of the Bible. He doesn’t destroy he only changes us to fulfill what the lord has designed us to be.

Next week the process and power

What about you today? Are you permitting the yeast to permeate every part of you to where you are seeing the victory, life, and light

Paula Millsaps – The Heart of an Effective Intercessor Prophecies start at 55 min in

The Heart of the Effective Intercessor
In order to understand what it means to be an effective intercessor, we must first understand what it means to intercede:

According to Merriam-Webster Online, to intercede is: to try to help settle an argument or disagreement between two or more people or groups: to speak to someone in order to defend or help another person. It further defines intercession as: prayer, petition, or entreaty in favor of another.

Synonyms for intercessor: middleman, peacemaker, ambassador, advocate, [paraclete]

These definitions and synonyms give us answers as to not only the activity of the intercessor, but also the heart behind their efforts.

1. Advocate is one of the synonyms for intercessor. We know that our Advocate is Jesus Christ!

1 John 2:1-2: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

It is impossible to make intercession without Jesus! He made the way for us to be able to intercede. It is His great love that motivated Him to take our place and it is His great love that should be our motivation to take the place of others! Remember the definition of intercede. Who is the Someone Who has the ability to help others? Who is the One that we must settle disagreement with? Our Father in Heaven! Jesus is the One who made this reconciliation with the Father possible. Without His act of intercession at Calvary, it would still be impossible for us to approach God on anyone’s behalf, including our own. Not only did Jesus make intercession possible, but He intercedes for us constantly.

Hebrews 7:25: “Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.”

So right now, as I speak, Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for all of us and for the whole world!

2. Paraclete is another synonym. The Paraclete is the Holy Spirit! Paraclete means helper. When Jesus died the substitutionary death that we deserved, He left behind a Helper, One who could be everywhere at all times. One who is not limited by space, time, and flesh.
It is impossible to make intercession without the Holy Spirit!

Romans 8:26-27: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

Now we are starting to see the position from which we begin to intercede: in Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, seeking to mediate between God and man through forgiveness of sins, repentance, and according to the will of God.

In my work, I often hear people complaining that their prayers do not seem to ever be answered. They become defeated and depressed, believing that God is not hearing them. They say things like, “I have prayed and prayed and God has not shown up yet! Will you pray for me, because God seems to answer you better?” OR- “Well, you know hope deferred makes the heart sick.”

What they are really saying, without realizing it, is that they have been praying from a wrong position, asking for the wrong things, or placing their hopes in the wrong stuff.

So, how do I know this, you might ask.

James 4:1-10: What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

1. A position of humility is vital. Acknowledging the FACT that we most often pray according to our desires rather than those of God, and being willing to lay those desires aside in favor of His desires is the hardest thing for us to do. Allowing the Holy Spirit to inventory our hearts must be where we begin. Confession of sin, forgiveness of others, and complete dependence on God must be the daily practice of the intercessor.

1 John 1:14-15: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

2. We must ask according to His will. Remember Roman 8, we must realize that we do not know what to pray and must submit ourselves to Him by seeking His will in the situation. I promise that you will begin to experience intimacy with God as never before if you will begin to practice these first couple of steps. Humble and submit yourselves before Him, seeking His will for every situation. You can seek His will through prayer, but the best way to know for sure whether something lines up with God’s will is to know the Word. Refuse to be like the world, praying from your own selfish desires, attempting to force God’s hand or tell Him how things should be done. Begin by praying His Word over people and situations. This type of positioning before God will deepen your relationship with Him in ways that cannot even be described. He will begin to place in your hearts those people and things that He wants for you to come into agreement with Him about. He will even speak through you by the Holy Spirit: sometimes with knowledge and sometimes in your spirit language. This is when you will see answers to prayer and the favor of God manifested in your lives. Ask HIM what you should pray!

Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

3. Your hope must be in Christ alone! If you have your hope in ANYTHING other than Christ, it is in the wrong things. Many put their faith in the things of God, His blessings, miracles, and gifts. I am here to tell you that all of things will fade away and none of them are worthy of your hope. Those who hold that their hope has been deferred have simply placed it in the wrong things! We must seek His face and not His hand! Knowing Christ and the love that is available through Him is sufficient to fill all of our needs! He is the One who is our Savior. He is the One who is our Healer. He is the One who is our Deliverer. We continue to see these as things that He does rather than understanding they are actually His identity! The way that we gain access to healing, salvation, and deliverance is by having a personal encounter with Him. Getting to know the One who was, and is, and is to come is the only way to be an effective intercessor.

Mark 11:24: “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

4. When you pray, BELIEVE!!! Doubt will completely negate your prayers. His Word is true and He cannot lie! If He has said it, He will surely do it! Most people do not doubt that God can do it, but that He will do it for them. This is due to a misunderstanding of who God really is and who we are once we are in Christ. Remember, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). We must also remember that it is not our righteousness, but Christ’s that we depend on. Far too often we receive from a place of our own righteousness rather than seeing ourselves as clothed in the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22). In short, it is the opposite of faith and equivalent to calling God a liar to doubt that we can receive what is promised in His Word.

1 Corinthians 10:31b: “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

5. The goal of intercession must ALWAYS be bringing glory to God! We bring God glory by living lives of obedience to His Word and His ways. We bring Him glory by pointing people to Jesus and by proclaiming His great work on Calvary. We must never seek the glory for ourselves or for others. Any and all healing, deliverance, salvation comes from the Giver of Life and it is prideful and idolatrous to take any of the credit for the work He has accomplished!

It is important for us to understand that praying from a wrong position, asking according to our own will instead of God’s, and placing our hope in the things of God (including gifts, anointings, healings, miracles) rather than the Person of God actually constitute what is known as religious or spiritual witchcraft—the attempt to manipulate God into performing those tasks in our lives and the lives of others which we believe should be performed.

You may also know these as soulish prayers—meaning they come out of the soul (mind, will, and emotions) of man rather than coming from the Spirit of God.

No wonder they are not being answered! The truth is, it is the grace and mercy of God that they are not! He sees our hearts and knows our weaknesses. He understands our failings and knows that we are incapable of goodness without Him.

Start small dream big!

Start small but dream big!

WE are so caught up in this election but I want to encourage you that there is something more important than this election, a more important power shift than president, and Jesus talked about it

Matthew 13:31,32

Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”

The whole time Jesus walked the earth His mind was set on the Kingdom, the people loved to hear about the Kingdom.

Here is the prophesy about Jesus beginning.

Isaiah 53:2

 Like a young plant or a root that sprouts in dry ground, the servant grew up obeying the Lord. He wasn’t some handsome king. Nothing about the way he looked made him attractive to us.

God loves to take small insignificant things or moments and turn them into something powerful.

– That chance meeting,

– a short conversation,

– a word of encouragement.

, God can take people the world looks at as insignificant and turn them into something amazing

– Charles Haddon Spurgeon the greatest theologian and preacher in England in the 19th century was rejected by Regents college as not being someone of value for ministry.

– Walt Disney was fired from a local newspaper for not having an adequate imagination.

– Michael Jordan was cut from his High school basketball team

BTW both men claim faith in Christ.

This is part of the purpose of this parable to show that God can take the most insignificant event, or most insignificant person and make it or them, something amazing in the Kingdom.

Jesus said

Matthew 18:3,4

Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

A child is innocent, trusting and obedient to the Father

Matthew 20:25-27

But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.

The servant isn’t worried about accolades, the servant sees a need and meets it but God sees the heart and the need being met

The mustard seed like a child is small and insignificant but the only way to be effective in the Kingdom is to recognize your greatness only through Him.

Paul said this about the early church

1 Corinthians 1:26-30

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

It’s not that God can use the powerful or wealthy but they are a rare breed who can humble themselves to serve the Body of Christ and the Lord

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.

It is not we, ourselves, that cause the growth but when we are submitted to God serving Him He cause all things to work together for good

What are you dreams today?

You have placed yourself into the greatest Kingdom ever and your dreams are only limited to what God can do

120 people changed the world.

Our nation was founded on the principles of Jesus

This great tree is not only to be a blessing to you, but to reach the world.

Jesus uses this to further emphasize and reflect, the prophetic word that Ezekiel gave in chapter 17: 22,23

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take a branch from the top of a tall cedar, and I will plant it on the top of Israel’s highest mountain. 23 It will become a majestic cedar, sending forth its branches and producing seed. Birds of every sort will nest in it, finding shelter in the shade of its branches.

Our walking and living in the kingdom by Kingdom principles will enable:

  1. Insignificant events and people to become significant
  2. Us to allow God to do amazing work through us
  3. Great dreams to be created and fulfilled, things we could not do in ourselves
  4. As we see in Ezekiel vision that Jesus was pointing to, the birds are other nations, other people, people outside our comfort zones that will be impacted by our walking in Kingdom principles

What are those principles?

  1. Become as a child, innocent trusting surrendering to the love and authority of the Father
  2. Want to be great become a better servant of God, see a need meet the need

Got Wisdom?

Got Wisdom?

A number of years ago, an insurance company rated the most dangerous intersections for accidents in the United States. The winner (or better, loser) was the corner of Belt Line Road and Midway Road in Addison, Texas. There were 263 reported crashes at that intersection in the Dallas suburb. That averages out to about five wrecks per week, not counting the unreported fender benders.

 

Sometimes as we drive down the road of life, we come to dangerous intersections. Sometimes we refer to them as “forks in the road.” They are those moments where a choice we make or don’t make sets us on a course that could influence the rest of our journey. Do we stop or go. Turn right or left. Go ahead or turn back. Perhaps you feel like you are at a dangerous intersection right now in your life.

 

The Bible speaks about a divine resource we can utilize when we come to those intersections. It is called wisdom. There are many times when we will approach one of those intersections and we will realize we have a shortage of wisdom.

 

This is the very situation James addresses in 1:5-8.

 

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

 

James has just finished speaking about the various trials we encounter in life. These are the difficulties and afflictions that come our way.

 

Often times, these trials bring us to one of those intersections where we feel lost and don’t know which way to go. We don’t understand the cause of the trial or its purpose. We begin to feel acutely our shortage of wisdom.

 

Here, James tells us what to do; this is what he is saying…

 

Life creates a demand for wisdom, which God supplies when the conditions are met.

 

What is wisdom?

 

There are various definitions of wisdom.

 

Webster defines it as “the ability to make right use of knowledge.”

 

Theological dictionary defines wisdom as “prudent, considered, experienced, and competent action to master the various problems of life…”

 

We see that there is an aspect of knowledge in wisdom. But it goes beyond that. Wisdom involves the practical use of that knowledge to deal with life’s issues.

 

My definition of wisdom is this: Wisdom is the convergence of knowledge and skill which enables a person to make right choices that honor God.

 

True wisdom, according to Scripture, begins with God.

 

Proverbs 1:7 “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

 

From a biblical perspective, if a person does not know God who created all things, revealed truth, and established absolute values, then one cannot be wise.

 

How could a person make right choices without knowing God and His truth?

 

So, wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. That is, the reverent relationship of knowing God.

 

We gain a clear perspective on wisdom by looking at its opposite – foolishness. Let’s look at the rest of Proverbs 1:7

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

 

Proverbs tells us that fools hate knowledge. The fool is the person whose choices contradict God’s truth. The fool ignores God’s value system. The fool makes poor choices.

 

Now that we have an idea what wisdom is all about, let’s look more closely at what James says regarding wisdom.

 

Life creates a demand for wisdom. – If any of you lack wisdom…

 

– There are going to be times when we do not know

exactly what choice to make or how to think about

a given situation.

 

We are in a state of lacking wisdom.

 

– This shortage of wisdom could be highlighted by many

different problems.

 

  • Financial problems
  • Family problems
  • Relationship problems
  • Work problems
  • We don’t always have a clear handle on every intersection we come to in life.

 

Most people do not really have these problems but instead what they really have is a wisdom problem

 

Now, this is very important to understand.

 

– If you do not face up to your lack of wisdom, you will never ask for it.

– It is the arrogant person who thinks they never need counsel.

– It is the foolish person who refuses to admit his/her need for wisdom.

– Has life created a demand for wisdom in your heart today?

– Do you face a situation you cannot figure out?

– Don’t know which way to turn or what to do or think?

 

Great! Now you are ready for step two.

 

God supplies wisdom to those who ask. “If you lack wisdom ask God.”

 

– Why? God is the source of wisdom. Wisdom is a divine gift. You

get it in a limited form by living a long life or experiencing many

different things. But more importantly you get it from God.

 

– Rather than frantically trying to figure everything out

by ourselves or getting our answers from Dr. Phil,

Oprah, or Ellen we need to go directly to the source – GOD.

 

God will give you wisdom.

 

– He will give it generously. God is not stingy with this

gift. He knows how badly you and I need it. The

word James uses here means “without reserve.”

 

– He will give it without finding fault. The word means

without reproach or insult. God will not insult you

and make you feel an inch tall for coming and asking

Him for wisdom.

 

Have you ever been in a situation where you dreaded asking someone for something because of all the grief you had to go through to get it? You just knew that they were going to say something like, “OK, I’ll give this to you but if you weren’t such a loser I wouldn’t have to.”

God is not like that when we ask for wisdom.

 

Remember God’s attitude toward gift giving. Jesus explained it in Matt. 7:9-11.

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

 

He pointed out that a good parent never insults the child who comes asking for bread by giving him a stone. He doesn’t give him a snake if he asks for fish. So, if you, who are evil, can give good gifts to your kids when they ask, how much more will God give us good gifts when we ask Him?

 

Do you need some wisdom today? Ask. Ask. Ask. God will not make fun of you. He will not insult you. He is not looking around at the angels as he dispenses wisdom saying, “would you look at this guy?” He delights to give you wisdom. He wants you to come to Him and ask for it. Ask as many times as you need it (which for me is every day).

 

Life creates a demand for wisdom. God supplies wisdom when we ask.

 

Now there is one more thing we need to see.

 

Wisdom is supplied to those who ask in faith.

 

-We must ask in faith, not doubt. Faith is an attitude of trust.

 

– Doubt means “to dispute with oneself.” It is not the kind of “he loves me, he loves me not,” it is convincingly believing

 

– The doubter is like a wave of the sea being tossed

around by the wind. Very unstable and insecure.

 

– The doubter should not expect to receive anything

from God.

 

– The doubter is a double-minded person, unstable in

all he does.

 

The doubt James refers to here is not intellectual doubt. It is not doubting the existence of God or His ability to answer a prayer. It is the doubt of divided loyalties.

 

Doubt here is… the vacillating Christian who cannot decide from one trial to the next whether he or she will really trust the Lord and follow His wisdom.

The on again-off again Christian should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. This is not the type of person who really wants God’s wisdom.

 

I love the words of Abraham Lincoln who said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.”

 

Can you identify with those words today?

 

Do you face a problem which has exhausted your best efforts to solve? Are you looking for answers which seem to evade you? Has your wisdom and the wisdom of those around you fallen short?

 

There is hope. The One who is Himself All-wise delights to give His wisdom to those who ask with a trusting heart. Have you asked God for wisdom?

 

We need to ask for wisdom for our marriages. We need to ask for wisdom to parent our children. We need to ask for wisdom to help us on the job. We need to ask for wisdom to deal with difficult relationships. We need to ask for wisdom to minister to others. We need to ask for wisdom regarding for whom we should vote!

 

Does anyone lack wisdom here today?

 

Let him ask God come and let’s pray together.