The last words of Christ – forgiven
Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
Monologue -Paralytic Man – Christopher
Imagine what it was like for that man to see the crowd, think there was no way he was going to get to see this miracle worker because of the crowd but his friends undaunted and full of faith…tear apart a roof, they were willing to do whatever it took for their friend…
Sometimes we need to have that kind of faith for our friends we might need to push them to get into a position to trust the Lord, his friends had more faith than he did, at first,an he knew he was a sinner and why would such a holy man want to have anything to do with him?
They rip through the roof and lower him down, I believe the minute he saw Jesus he knew he was going to be healed but he received more than a healing he received freedom that day from every weight…he was forgiven…lets look at the story
Matthew 9: 1-8 (ESV)
And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
The man was changed that day…how could he ever forget those words that brought him healing from the inside out “Your sins are forgiven”
Fast forward to the final scene in Jesus’ life before his death on the cross. It is the Friday of Passover the Jewish festival that all the people were expected to attend even the ones who had been paralytics…a man once paralyzed could now walk to and through the streets of Jerusalem….imagine if he had walked by as this scene was taking place from the cross.
Luke 23:32-38
Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”
Jesus whole life was about love and life and that relationship could be restored to mankind through forgiveness. The paralytic had received this for himself and imagine his thoughts if he were to hear this from the cross…”I know what Jesus forgiveness did for me, is he now, in this place, in this condition forgiving the whole world?” what freedom it brought me!!! What freedom it will bring to the world!
These words are the first of seven phrases the Gospel writers record from the cross…last words are normally significant…last words can be the literal last words from someone or they could be the last things said before someone leaves you
Such as:
I love you
Call me
Be safe
See you soon
It is interesting to see that Jesus’ first, last words were directed to the Father….the Son and the Father are having an intimate conversation from the cross…John 1:1tells us
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
That phrase the “word was with God” it is like a word picture of God and Jesus being face to face communicating….in our understanding they were doing Facetime. In that moment when Jesus was saying forgive them it was as if Jesus was face to face with the Father and t
they were having clear communication.
The Father was right there as Jesus was suffering, seeing everything that was going on a receiving the request from the Son
It should help us to remember that in those times when we feel whipped, bruised, rejected, wounded we know we too can cry out “Abba,” “Daddy,” “Father”
It should also remind us that even when we don’t know what we are doing against the Lord, when we are ignorant of what we are doing or ignorant enough to purposely do something against the Lord that he will still stand to cry out “Forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing!”
It should bring us some relief from our regrets and failures
When we think I don’t know what I’m doing as a parent
I don’t know what I’m doing in this position at work or school
I don’t know how I got here with how often I have blown it
There are times all of us struggle with what we are doing as a parent, spouse, employee, employer, friend leader neighbor, son, or daughter
Sometimes our cry is “I don’t know what I’m doing except making a mess!”
None of us was given a clear instruction manual on how to handle every exact situation and relationship in life but we know we can be at peace knowing those words
Father forgive them!
We get forgiveness for who we are, what we do even when we seem to have done it on purpose, when we cry out to him and He forgives.
Part of the nature and character of God is that he is full of forgiveness…he is a God of reconciliation always working to reconcile us to him.
Through the cross, God did a pre-emptive strike for us….a pre-emptive strike is when someone makes the first move before you have a chance to do anything. On the cross, before we even had the chance to sin or even knew what sin was Christ dealt with our sin…we didn’t have the chance to acknowledge our sin or even repent from it Christ took it to the cross saying
“Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing!”
It is interesting because many of us have been conditioned to think primarily about forgiveness coming in response to our confession and ownership of knowing what we did wrong
We run to this scripture
1 John 1:9
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
This verse is obviously true and the heart of God but before this was ever written or understood our sin was already forgiven at the cross.
Do you realize that with nearly every person Jesus was the initiator of forgivenessby telling people something they weren’t even asking for…”your sins are forgiven”
No one was standing at the foot of the cross, saying “Jesus please forgive me”in fact they were doing just the opposite, cursing, mocking, no one stood at the foot of the cross and prayed the sinners prayer instead Jesus did a preemptive strike and forgive us first
How could we ever have a face to face with an almighty, pure Holy God if he hadn’t forgiven us first….with what Jesus did on the cross it is as if the Father was saying “Hey, you are forgiven can we talk?”
We see the same thing in the story of the Prodigal son in Luke 15 the young man had sinned against his father and family yet before be can say a thing the Father runs to him and welcomes him with open arms, loves him and then this love compels him to confess not the other way around.
The Father is always running to us…In 1 John 1:9 where it says if we confess our sins”…the word confess means “to say the same thing as”
See what John is saying is when we confess we are saying the same thing that Jesus is saying about our lives…
This is what I mean it is Jesus on the cross saying to you and I “I’m here because you don’t know what you are doing”
I say: Jesus you are right my life is a mess, I am saying the same thing as you, you, I really don’t know what I’m doing most of the time I try to do right bur I keep doing what is wrong
Jesus: I know you don’t know and you don’t want to do all of that but you know what you are forgiven.
Confession is saying the same thing about our lives as Jesus has already said we are in need of forgiveness and we should accept the preemptive strike Jesus did for our sin..he has already canceled the power of sin in our lives we just need to choose to accept it…When He said “Father forgive them, he meant it”
We think we know what we are doing with
Our lives
Our relationships
Our attitudes
Our finances
But we don’t! How often do they leave us empty without the intimacy a real relationship offers, they leave us broken, wounded, hopeless and we try to fill it with other things
Some of you are saying well I’m a Christian already I don’t need to hear this …but you too are carrying around a load of guilt, regret, bitterness, rejection all the poisons that are still poisoning our culture robbing you of real intimacy with Christ and power
165 times Paul says we are “in Christ”….we are to be one with him always but you don’t feel that believe it because you haven’t applied Christ forgiveness to you so Christ is there and you are here trying to follow and serve him instead of being “in Him” being one with Him
Jesus wants us to be free of sin, be free of regret, bitterness, anger, rejection; the parts of our lives that are a mess because before you even committed the sin…Christ said, “Father forgive them, they don’t know what you were doing”you may have known you were sinning but you didn’t understand the full cost of the sin is the separation you have from His peace, love, joy, understanding hope and so much more because you have not applied His forgiveness to your life.
Will you do that today? Will you take a moment to evaluate your life? Do you have a real relationship with Jesus and intimacy where you know you are completely free and forgiven you can’t earn it, be good enough, or suffer enough to earn it…he already looked down from the cross and said….I have a plan and a purpose for them and as long as there is a wall of unforgiveness between me and them they will never fulfill that purpose they will always be striving, always frustrated
Many a Christian has gone to the grave feeling unfulfilled because of this problem and many non Christians have never know freedom because they haven’t known this don’t be one of them…start fresh today!
Steps to maturity – learning to know God’s will Part 3
Steps to maturity – learn God’s will- the challenge Part 3
It seems like a difficult one until you realize
- God designed you for a purpose
- He placed in your heart a joy that comes when you are fulfilling your purpose
- He is constantly providing opportunities for you to fulfill your purpose
It would seem that God’s will is always right in front of us….but what is it?
It is the way God created you, so you can live a fulfilled life, show the love of God to others and change the world!
Two weeks ago we talked about how being faithful even in the smallest of things is part of God beginning to reveal his will to you….
Last week….God will present situations for you. All you need to do is do them
Both Abraham and David kind of fell into God’s will from a human point of view but from God’s everything was designed and they accepted the design, they could have chosen to not save Lot or to not fight Goliath but instead they chose to follow God’s chosen path for them and use their skills, passions, and understanding to follow the Lord.
Finding God’s will doesn’t stop there. We will always go through a cycle of growth to keep changing the world around us and to make us more like Jesus.
God brought both Abraham and David to a point after their great victories to reveal their hearts…this is what I call training to follow God’s will part two
Let’s take a look – stretching so we might be more fulfilled
God’s revealed will to us is rarely the end the immediate open door is our learning to walk by faith. Then the Lord often places us in positions to mold and shape us into understanding who we are so we can completely fulfill our purpose
The Lord (either Christ or God the Father) appeared with two angels to Abraham. This is the fourth or fifth time the Lord had appeared to Abraham (depending on your belief as to whom Melchizedek is)
Genesis 18:22-25
Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Abraham was a warrior, a leader, a shepherd, a businessman, a traveler but the Lord wanted to make sure he was not selfish, God wanted to help him see he had to have a heart of intercession for the people.
God starts out, “50 righteous” and Abraham convinces him if only 10, righteous are in the city, will he save it…he had a heart for the people. God’s will for Abraham was that he become the Father of nations which required him to have a heart for nations…Sodom and Gomorrah were separate nations for Abraham so God wanted Abraham to see that he was ready to be the real Father of nations God had called him too
Abraham knew he was a leader because people followed him but he didn’t understand that God had chosen him beyond his natural ability to be an intercessor so he might always know the Father’s heart
An intercessor is a person who stands in the gap for others through prayer. In the process an intercessor learns the Father’s heart better than any other. A true intercessor is so in tune with God that they can have a tendency to be prophetic God may give them just a word or a vision as God did with Anna and Simeon regarding the birth of Jesus
Abraham would need this heart to stand against all the enemies and understand how to build a nation based on faith in God
God will challenge you but the challenge is to help you understand who you really are pushing you to get everything else out of the way so you can see the real you…. made to do and fulfill your calling
– When we first begin to move in the things of God and we are discovering our way of understanding His plan and purpose for us we need to remember that is just the beginning….as we trust God he begins to show us things about ourselves that are important to who we are called to be but may not know until placed in a position to have them revealed to us
Last week we saw David presented with an opportunity that he naturally grasped, the taking out of Goliath. The people sang his praises, praising him above Saul, his King. God had lifted the anointing to be King, off of Saul and gave it to David but as long as Saul was alive (even after his death) David honored that anointing…why? He was simply God’s man…BUT
For this honoring, David seemed to receive punishment rather than being in the Palace Saul tried to kill him so David had to run from Saul.
1 Samuel 22: 1,2
David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.
David had learned to lead men into battle but leading the broken, the hurting, the grumblers, whiners, and complainers, giving people hope even when you feel hopeless is part of the gift of a good leader. Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were all great leaders who like David in the midst of utter hopelessness and their own dark night of the soul brought hope to others and all were able to change a nation because of it
When you begin to understand part of God’s will for your life, he will open doors, present challenges and opportunities for you to embrace all of His will for you…he does it to open our eyes to all the possibilities. He is interested in you fulfilling your full potential and that only happens when he presents you with challengesafter you feel secure in where you are and you choose to live up to those seeing them not as challenges but as opportunities.
John Maxwell in his book “the 15 laws of Growth” states
“God’s gift to us is our potential, our gift to God is developing it.”
Embrace the challenge accept it as God calling us to a higher calling that will only bless us.
Sad part is most people reach this place and choose against pressing on we make comfort and relaxation our God rather than believing God has designed us for something greater
It is always our free will to reject it but as we see with Abraham and David as they embraced it they had great success in everything they did
How do we find God’s will and fulfill it?
- Be faithful
God is always looking for people who will be faithful. What are you doing right now? Be faithful to it, do your best no matter how mundane, God places things in our lives to see if He can trust us so He might open doors for us
“Be faithful in little and he will give you much!” based on Luke 16:10
2) Look for the opportunities– God has called you to fulfill His will, He created you to fulfill His will so he will provide
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin” Zechariah 4:10
3) The Lord will challenge you further to grow, once you feel comfortable where you are. There are gifts and callings inside of most of us that go unrealized until we are challenged. If we choose to rise to the challenge we see and feel God’s will revealed then it fits like it was made for us…sadly some today will come to this place and fear losing the comfort, control, relaxation they have found and will accept 2ndbest and will wonder, why they are not truly joy-filled, at peace, seeing the victory, overcoming as they should and as God has planned…
-You were designed to fulfill your destiny, God’s plan,
– God will provide opportunities that you can just fall into so you may fulfill your destiny and His plan and
– You can grow into changing the world and fulfilling your destiny, if you are willing to accept the challenge the Lord places before you
Steps to maturity – learn God’s will Part 2 – mundane to action
Steps to maturity – learn God’s willPart 2 – mundane to action
Probably the most asked question I have gotten over the years..what is God’s will for my life
It seems like a difficult one until you realize
- God designed you for a purpose
- He placed in your heart a joy that comes when you are fulfilling your purpose
- He is constantly providing opportunities for you to fulfill your purpose
It would seem that God’s will is always right in front of us….but what is it?
It is the way God created you, so you can live a fulfilled life, show the love of God to others and change the world!
Last week we talked about how being faithful even in the smallest of things is part of God beginning to reveal his will to you….
Abraham was faithful simply following Terah being faithful at the task even though God had placed great leadership ability, an adventurous heart and the soul of a warrior within him
David, the great king, the heart of a powerful leader, worshiper, warrior yet tested him and was faithful with the task of caring for the sheep
It was in their faithfulness that God called them
Abraham simply following Terah being faithful at the task even though God had placed great leadership ability, an adventurous heart and the soul of a warrior within him
As God did with David, the great king, the heart of a powerful leader, worshiper, warrior yet tested him with the task of caring for the sheep
Genesis 12:1-5
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan.
David
1 Samuel 16:11,12
Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have? There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats. Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” 12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.”
What were these men doing when they received the call of God?
– being obedient to the serving of others
– being faithful with the mundane
– caring for what was in their hands today – seeing it as important and not worrying about tomorrow
– they both had complete faith and trust that they were doing exactly what they needed to be doing
– they were learning to be faithful, God saw it and then called them to change their world
In the midst of their faithfulness is when God revealed His will for them
Are you being faithful then expect God’s will to begin being revealed to you
Whatever it is that you are being faithful in, God is using it to train you for your future
Abraham was learning to travel and learn the vision for his future from Terah (Terah had initiated heading toward Canaan)
David in learning to protect the sheep was learning both how to be a leader and to slay Goliath
We might not always understand what lessons we are learning from the mundane, being faithful in the daily and little
How many of you remember the movie the Karate kid…there is a scene where Daniel has been doing all kinds of chores for Mr. Miyagi sanding the floor, waxing his cars, painting his fence, painting his house
Daniel hadn’t realized that he was actually learning and preparing for his future in the mundaneness of his task
When we are following the Lord and our lives are in His hands he is always preparing us for what’s next
To truly learn God’s will we have to accept the time of training…as I mentioned earlier Abraham and David both embraced the time as simply trusting God
The next step to understanding God’s will…once again realizing that he has designed you for it, has been preparing your for it, and you enjoy doing it so you will naturally gravitate to it is to begin doing it?
So how do you know what the “it” is?…God will present situations for you and all you need to do is do them
Abraham and his nephew Lot had divided their people Lot went to the fertile valley of Sodom and Abraham stayed in the plain…a war took place and here is what happened
Genesis 14:10-16
As it happened, the valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains. 11 The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies. 12 They also captured Lot—Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom—and carried off everything he owned.13 But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies. 14 When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan. 15 There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.
Likewise David was at home watching the sheep while his brothers were off at war. Jesse, David’s father sent him with bread and cheese to take to the troops as he dropped them off…
1 Samuel 17: 22-26
David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. 24 As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. 25 “Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!” 26 David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”
In both cases because they had been faithful in the little things God taught them all they needed to know to prepare them for their future, their call, His will and then as we have just read…he presented them with an opportunity to use all they had been taught.
Are you in the mundaneness being faithful with the small right now? If so, just keep being faithful, learn everything you need to learn, accept the correction, growth, wisdom, insight, humility, changes that the Lord is doing in you! At the right time, when you are prepared…
God will present an opportunity for you to use what you have learned and start to understand His will….are you in the midst of a battle, a struggle, some war going on? Chances are that means God wants you to apply all that you have learned in your time of small beginnings
Don’t be frustrated in the battle be confident, apply what you have learned so you can prove to yourself and the Lord that you have learned it well
You have heard me share in times past we need three types of people in our live Paul, Barnabas, and a Timothy – the timothy teaches us that we have learned the lesson and are now able to teach it to someone else
The time of small beginnings has prepared us to accomplish the will of God then God gives us an opportunity to “test” our understanding of what He has taughtand then there are two more steps to totally grasping the will of God which we will wrap up next week
Steps to Maturity – Learning God’s will Part 1
Steps to maturity – learn God’s will-faithfulness
Probably the most asked question I have gotten over the years..what is God’s will for my life
It seems like a difficult one until you realize
- God designed you for a purpose
- He placed in your heart a joy that comes when you are fulfilling your purpose
- He is constantly providing opportunities for you to fulfill your purpose
It would seem that God’s will is always right in front of us….but what is it?
It is the way God created you, so you can live a fulfilled life, show the love of God to others and change the world!
Knowing God’s will and living God’s will blesses you, others and the world at large and as a side benefit will keep you from trouble
Sound crazy? Speaking of crazy…
Dr. Karl Menninger, a world-famous psychiatrist, was answering questions after giving a lecture on mental health when one person asked, “What would you advise someone to do if he felt a nervous breakdown coming on?” Most people expected the doctor to say, “Consult a psychiatrist.” Instead he said, “Lock up your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someone in need, and do something to help that person.” This psychiatrist knows that those who serve others have less mental and psychological problems. The best way to bring on a heart attack or a mental, emotional breakdown is to think about yourself all the time.
So how do we find God’s will…its easy
We start by being faithful to what is in our hands right now
Genesis 11:31,32
One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. 32 Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.
Another story you may know is about David, he was faithful daily with caring for the family sheep
It may seems mundane, it may seem unexciting but God looks for faithfulness and that is one of the keys, from Able – Paul, God found faithfulness in them before he began to use them
What are you doing daily in your place of business, home, organizations you belong to, your school, and our church are you being faithful?
There are generally three types of people in any company, corporation, organization including the church
Leaders
Followers
Complainers
We saw this two weeks ago in moving forward not backward
You can be a follower and a leader at the same time, you lead a team, a group, some part of the organization but you still have a leader over you….you can be a leader and a follower in fact every leader should be a follower in order to grow to be a better leader…you will find the best CEO’s of companies have mentors or they are always reading from other great leaders…both of these the key is, faithfulness
Complainers on the other hand are neither leaders or followers….they generally think they are leaders or through their complaining are trying to lead but to be a leader or follower you must be faithful to the company, organization, church or corporation you are working in
This is really almost an Olympic event with Americans complaining is almost what we do best, just listen to the news or any talk show for any length of time… but not so with us…we are Christ-followers and he never complained!
165 times in scripture Paul mentions his description of a Christian life is that we are “in Christ” why because when Jesus confronted Saul he said why are you persecuting me…Saul didn’t even known Jesus but he was persecuting Christians who are in Christ so when we complain against a brother or sister in Christ we are doing it to Jesus (Matthew 25 “done it unto me”)
Look at the task you are called to right now being and employee, employer, Mom, Dad, attender of this church
Are you faithful to all of the tasks no matter how unexciting they may be
Being faithful is about trusting God that he has placed you in your business, organization, or church and that he has you there for a purpose….complainers miss out on God purpose and plan for them and the organization they are part of…so God generally will test people through the mundaneness of daily task and then will bless them as they pass.
As God did with Abraham simply following Terah being faithful at the task even though God had placed great leadership ability, an adventurous heart and the soul of a warrior within him
As God did with David, the great king, the heart of a powerful leader, worshiper, warrior yet tested him with the task of caring for the sheep
Complainers may get promoted, may end up in accidentally in leadership positions but they are never happy they still complain because it is not the organization, company or church that is the problem it is them, their brokenness, they heartache, their guilt, shame, feelings of inadequacy that God wants to heal and set them free but as long as they are complainers and not leaders or followers they will continue to suffer outside of the blessings of God because all leadership comes from God for us to learn
When we are faithful there isn’t anything we can’t do…we know and are the Father’s heart when we are faithful, we don’t fear anything knowing that God will be faithful to us and we know his heart and his will….God puts it this way
2 Chronicles 16:9a
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal (faithful) to Him…”
Help others to be faithful not faithless
When you hear someone gossiping, complaining, or whining call them on it, gently, find out what their brokenness is, the guilt they are carrying you may find yourself being able to lead them to Christ or if they are a Christian challenging them to maturity
Paul instructed Timothy 2 Timothy 2:2
“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
You see God’s very character is faithfulness and when we are faithful to Him we truly reflect Him.
It is only the faithful that God can trust his word, deeds, and anointing too.
Faithfulness is not a one time event, not a couple of time event, it is the consistent revealing of the fruit of the Spirit in your words, actions and deeds
You see faithful has at it’s root faith…if you are not faithful it is because you do not have faith
Yes the Lord works with and is always calling the unfaithful back to himself but you are not pushing on to fulfilling God’s will until God can find you faithful
You might be saying to yourself I’m not sure if I’m faithful or not
It is good to ask myself what it means to be faithful in practice. The way to a faithful life can start with very small things…
– keeping a promise
– paying a debt on time,
– giving an honest answer to a painful question.
Psalm 15:4b “who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;” (NIV)
It can mean…
– watching my words
– Do you exaggerate when telling a story?
– Are you a revealer or a concealer of secrets?
What about my motives? Is there an underlying selfish motive in the good I do for others?
Proverbs 11:13
A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy (faithful spirit NKJ) can keep a confidence.
In order to fulfill God’s will we must understand being faithful because it is most likely at the root of why we have not followed it until now. Once again we truly reflect Him when we are faithful
God is faithful in every possible meaning of the word. He is described as…James 1:17
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
God is utterly..
– faithful to His Word,
– Faithful to His promises
– faithful to mankind, the chief joy of His creation.
He loves each person unconditionally with an eternal and unchanging love. He never changes there is no shifting in who he is or what He stands for…how about you?
Does everything you say and do reflect the Lord? Is the way you talk about your boss, people you work with, your family, brothers and sisters in Christ reflect His character? Does the way you treat others reflect the fruit of the Spirit?
Thinking of the world as a whole, if every person lived faithfully by his or her God-given conscience, that whisper in our hearts that tells us the difference between good and evil and prods us to choose rightly, how different the world would be! To follow our conscience is a fantastic beginning! But as Christians, God wants to lead us even further. He has promised us the Holy Spirit, the Helper who will guide us into all truth.
John 16:13
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak;
Can you imagine allowing the Holy Spirit to guard you tongue and actions to cause you to always walk in the truth, to set you free to know every minute of every day what the Lord wants? This is how much God loves us
This is just a start. To be honest I didn’t think I would go this deeply into the “faithfulness” part but as I prayed I felt as if the Lord was telling me,
“So many miss out on my will because they are looking for the big things and they want the more responsibility and position and prestige but are not willing to be faithful with the small things so they miss out on my will and the joy I have for them”
Finding God’s will is first about knowing that God designed you and desires for you to do his will BUT
If we aren’t faithful with the little things even though he has a plan and purpose for us he won’t be able to trust us with the big BUT
If we are faithful with the little things we are making the first steps to doing His will
The little things can be a challenge
– keeping your word, pay debt on time, giving honest answers
– are you watching your words, do you exaggerate, what are your motive for sharing things with others
Luke 16:10,11
One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
Yes, Jesus’ words are warning but I want you thinking today not about the warning but instead the possibilities…when we are faithful with the mundane things of life…God opens up his plans and purposes for us…God wants you to know His will He designed you to fulfill his will don’t allow your own flesh to get in the way and limit the amazing plan God has designed for you…be faithful and he will unfold his will to you because it is so easy and readily available
We will talk about the ways God’s will is revealed next week but these are the steps to maturity but they are also the steps to being everything you are called to be and to fulfill your amazing journey
Distractions
Life is full of distractions.
Phones, but as awesome of a tool as these are, they will remove hours from your life, if we let them
Distractions are everywhere. Life is full of them
How about a weather report!!!!!!
The things we own, they require our time, our energy, our money, and our attention.
Every new possession adds new stress in our lives.
And yet, we continue, to pursue and accumulate, more and more and more.
Luke 12:13-21 (NLT)
13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
More stuff is not the answer.
More stuff has become the distraction,
Mark 10:17-23 (NLT) The Rich Man
17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.
19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”
20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him.
“There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”
He had every good thing, that he could possibly work for or earn,
but he didn’t have the peace of God.
Obviously, by his reaction, his many positions we’re more important to him then his relationship with God.
His things were in charge of him, they owned him.
We have to learn, The best things in life are not things.
When we chase riches, we give away our greatest possible potential.
We trade it for the highest dollar figure we can get.
When our contribution to society is motivated by a selfish desire to accumulate riches, it has become self-focused.
And we have lost our opportunity to live the best life that God has planned for us.
Paul puts it like this;
1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NLT)
6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. 9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Money is not evil. It is simply a tool. The problem is when we begin to love the money.
We count on money to bring us peace, joy, and happiness.
That should come from our relationship with the Lord.
Here is how James looks at us when we allow ourselves to be distracted from the Lord by money;
James 5:1-3 (NLT)
1 Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment.
If we are counting on these things to supply, and ignoring God, we are in trouble.
Enough about money, Let’s talk about fears for a minute.
In the 14th chapter of Matthew, it tells us about Jesus feeding the 5000 and then sending the disciples back across the lake on the boat while he went to pray. If you know the story, wind starts to blow, storm kicks up, wave start to roll and the disciples are terrified. Now it’s 3 AM. They see something coming across the top of water. It was Jesus walking…
Matthew 14:28-30 (NLT)
28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
Peter got distracted by the storm.
Let me give you another example of people distracted.
In the 13th chapter of the book of Numbers.
God tells Moses to send out 12 man to explore the land of Canaan, “ the land I am giving to the Israelites”.
So Moses sent them in with the instructions to check out the land.
Find out what it will take to take possession of the land the Lord is giving us.
After spending 40 days, the 12 men returned to camp and gave that report of how wonderful the land was and the fruit it produced.
Numbers 13:27 (NLT) 27
This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces.
They brought out a single cluster of grapes so large it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them.
(NLT) 28
But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified.
This second part of the report distracted almost everyone.
Fear distracted them from God’s blessing and cost them 40 years until they all died in the wilderness.
What has the Lord called you to that you are afraid of?
Google says there are upward of 365 times in the Bible that tell us to fear not or do not be afraid.
The Promise of Tomorrow and The Regret of Yesterday
We spend an incredible amount of resources not living in the moment.
We waste so many days waiting for the weekend.
So many nights wanting morning.
Our desire for future comfort might be the biggest thief of life.
We should look toward the future and plan accordingly.
But, when we simply endure today, only for the sake of tomorrow,
the weekend,
the vacation,
the retirement,
the perfect guy,
the perfect girl,
we miss out on the full beauty and potential of the present.
Matthew 6:33-34 (NLT) 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Regrets,
We are going to have regrets—nobody escapes life without messing up.
But no amount of regret can ever change the past.
Call your mistakes what they are,
Confess them to the Lord and to whoever else has been hurt,
repent, and then move on.
Don’t allow regret from the past to distract you from today’s opportunity.
Psalms 103:12 (NLT)
12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
You’re forgiven. Forgive yourself and move on.
Learn from your past. good or bad, learn from it, but don’t live in it!
Isaiah 43:16-18
I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. “But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
1 Kings Chapter 13 gives us another account of a distracted man of God
1 Kings 13:1-24 (NLT) 1 At the Lord’s command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the altar to burn incense. 2 Then at the Lord’s command, he shouted, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: A child named Josiah will be born into the dynasty of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests from the pagan shrines who come here to burn incense, and human bones will be burned on you.” 3 That same day the man of God gave a sign to prove his message. He said, “The Lord has promised to give this sign: This altar will split apart, and its ashes will be poured out on the ground.”
4 When King Jeroboam heard the man of God speaking against the altar at Bethel, he pointed at him and shouted, “Seize that man!” But instantly the king’s hand became paralyzed in that position, and he couldn’t pull it back. 5 At the same time a wide crack appeared in the altar, and the ashes poured out, just as the man of God had predicted in his message from the Lord.
6 The king cried out to the man of God, “Please ask the Lord your God to restore my hand again!” So the man of God prayed to the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and he could move it again.
7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come to the palace with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift.”
8 But the man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of everything you own, I would not go with you. I would not eat or drink anything in this place. 9 For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’” 10 So he left Bethel and went home another way.
11 As it happened, there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and his sons came home and told him what the man of God had done in Bethel that day. They also told their father what the man had said to the king. 12 The old prophet asked them, “Which way did he go?” So they showed their father which road the man of God had taken. 13 “Quick, saddle the donkey,” the old man said. So they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it.
14 Then he rode after the man of God and found him sitting under a great tree. The old prophet asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”
“Yes, I am,” he replied.
15 Then he said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some food.”
16 “No, I cannot,” he replied. “I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place. 17 For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’”
18 But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’” But the old man was lying to him. 19 So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home.
20 Then while they were sitting at the table, a command from the Lord came to the old prophet. 21 He cried out to the man of God from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: You have defied the word of the Lord and have disobeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. 22 You came back to this place and ate and drank where he told you not to eat or drink. Because of this, your body will not be buried in the grave of your ancestors.”
23 After the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet saddled his own donkey for him, 24 and the man of God started off again. But as he was traveling along, a lion came out and killed him. His body lay there on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.
We need to identify the distractions.
We have two come to grips with the the fact that the best things in this life can be our greatest distractions from the Lord.
and sometimes the hardest times in this life are when we focus our attention on the Lord.
What does the Lord compete with for your attention?
Joshua 1:7-8 (NLT) 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 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.
What did Jesus do to remove the distractions?
Luke 5:16 (NLT)
16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.
Matthew 14:23 (NLT)
23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
Mark 1:35 (NLT)
35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.
Luke 6:12 (NLT)
12 One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night.
Luke 9:28 (NLT)
28 About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray.
He had a pretty good plan. Be diligent.
When we invest this time with the Lord, we will find Him.
Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT)
13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
We are in a war for our hearts and minds .
We have to do battle for our attention.
Moving Forward in 2019 Part 4 Keep moving forward
Moving Forward – Just keep moving forward
I have pushed you on some things that can push back so I want to share with you a story from the Bible about a time when people trusted the Lord and they got some push back from it
The Australian coat of arms pictures two creatures–the emu, a flightless bird, and the kangaroo.
The animals were chosen because they share a characteristic that appealed to the Australian citizens. Both the emu and kangaroo can move only forward, not back. The emu’s three-toed foot causes it to fall if it tries to go backwards, and the kangaroo is prevented from moving in reverse by its large tail.
Those who truly choose to follow Jesus become like the emu and kangaroo, moving only forward, never back
Exodus 14:1-9
Then the Lord gave these instructions to Moses: 2 “Order the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Camp there along the shore, across from Baal-zephon. 3 Then Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!’ 4 And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told. 5 When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. “What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?” they asked. 6 So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops. 7 He took with him 600 of Egypt’s best chariots, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander. 8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance. 9 The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.
1) Helpless Situation–causes us to feel like moving backward
They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut them in
• Reasons not to move forward with life stems from – Fear
– Inactivity – haven’t spent time in the word, prayer, fellowship with other believer’s
– Inexperience – we are in a place we have never been before, it seems impossible even though God lead us here
– Inability – I can’t do it, everything from your past hits at once and tells you of you inability rather than God’s ability
• Seems like a mistake following the leadership of God – look for people to blame because you feel as if you are trapped
Romans 8:31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
Exodus 14: 10-14
As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, 11 and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? 12 Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”
2) Desperate Cry– something we naturally do when we feel trapped
Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked….. Pharaoh and they were sore afraid: …. and …. They cried out to the Lord
• Followed in obedience – they had done nothing wrong yet they seemed to be trapped, the trusted the Lord and the leadership
• Yet seems worst off then before verses 11-12 – we tend to look at things through the eyes of right now and our abilities and our wants and desires rather than God’s if God is leading you can bet he has a better plan
Exodus 14:13,14
13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
3) Perfect Confidence– when we are in the battle of change to become everything the Lord has called us to be we have to remember that all kinds of things will fight us….that just goes to prove to us we are on the right track…our confidence, like Moses’ must be in the Lord. That is where faith kicks in
• Christ is a present help in the time of trouble
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble
• He knows how to deliver –
Joshua 1:9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
• He will fight for you – hold your peace…Romans 8:31 from above and
Psalm 44:5 Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.
4) The decision to Trust– Exodus 14:15-18
And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
…. go forward – there comes a point when as Nike says, we have to “Just do it” we realize God has brought us to this point and we have got to choose to trust him then we take action
• There is a part that they and I have to do – remember the disciples with feeding the 30K people Jesus said “you feed them”
• Impossibilities lets God work
• His work is always forward
• Defeat or victory lay in their hands
• Obedience gives the victory
Many stories in scripture show us how God goes before those who trust Him…it was a trust in so many ways…I mean I would have been saying God you’re going to allow Pharaoh to do what?
5) Perfect Protection– when we trust God he then does all that he has promised to do….see we do have a part in faith
Exodus 14:19,20
19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
– His presence promised for us – he will never leave us or forsake us even when we fail he does not fail
– Impossible Deliverance – it would not have been my way of doing it perhaps not your way either but the Lord had a couple million people to get through the sea
Exodus 14:21 – 27
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” 26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
• Salvation is all of God’s doing – God will always come through as we trust him
• Waves held back until all the redeemed passed over
• Jesus is the way
Can you imagine the Israelites believing the Egyptian army would be destroyed with out weapons and by the very thing that brought them deliverance, the parted sea!
When we trust God we have to really trust him. He doesn’t always reveal his plans for us completely but when we learn to trust him, no matter how bad things may look from our perspective or point of view, God always has a great plan
• Have you experienced victory over the impossible?
You may get push back from the moving forward but God hasn’t created us to move backward, like the emu and the kangaroo we have been designed to move forward to change the world and to become all he has called us to be…you are so much more than you are right now you have been created for far more than you are and God doesn’t want you to settle to do the change he has called you to don’t be afraid of the push back, Godhas you and has greatness in your future, fulfillment in your future, destiny and purpose fulfilled in your future…you are also just getting to know and understand His love for you, grow with it
Moving Forward in 2019 Part 3 – Joy, Joy, Joy
Let’s talk about joy!!
Let me at the beginning today take a quick survey.
How many of you have ever been discouraged?
How many of you could use more joy in your life?
Okay I’m teaching the right message to the right group today.
You know it’s going to be a bad day when:
– you turn on the morning news and they’re displaying emergency routes out of the city
– you wake up in the morning and the sun rises in the west
– your boss tells you not to bother taking off your coat
– your horn gets stuck following a group of hell’s angels
– when you jump out of bed and miss the floor
– when you call your answering service and they tell you it’s none of your business
– when you step on the scale and it reads tilt
Well we all have bad days don’t we? We all get discouraged. But my subject today is JOY!!!!!
The news, the difficulties of life, the division in our nation have all stolen our joy
Now, I am not so naive to think that we will always be on the top of the world walking on the mountain, for there will be occasion that we will have to travel in the valley for a while. But neither am I so spiritually ignorant that am not aware that God has provided for us in times of those valley experiences.
– In this life we will have tribulation.
– In this life we will have trouble
– In this life we will have difficulty
– In this life we will have trials
– sickness
– hard times
– The storm will rise
– The winds will blow
– The waves will crash against your life
– There will be discouragement
– Things won’t go as planned
– sorrow, weeping
– financial difficulties
– dark days
– uncertain times
But the thing that God has provided for us in the hard times of this life is JOY!!!!
Psalm 30:5 – For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. (NLT)
Turn to your neighbor and say: “Neighbor, weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning”.
Isaiah 61:3 – To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified
Turn to your other neighbor and say: “Neighbor, He’s given us joy for mourning. And he’s given us the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness”
This joy that I have….The world didn’t give it to me…And the world can’t take it away
What is Joy?Mr. Webster says: “it is the emotion evoked by well-being, success or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.”
Joy is a strong feeling of happiness; a manifestation of happiness through an outward rejoicing or excitement.
To the people who don’t know Jesus those definitions might be true. But to the Christian (someone who should know Jesus) something different applies as it relates to our JOY.
This outward rejoicing comes from an inward satisfaction that I know Jesus Christ and I am full of His Spirit part of which is JOY
Nehemiah 8:10 – Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
The nation of Israel had just read the scriptures and they were to celebrate that God was God, He was in charge and could be trusted despite their difficult life and situations
1 Pet 1:6-8 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
Peter is challenging us saying…if you really believe God to be God then understand He is bigger than your trials, your struggles..these are the things that test whether you really believe He is God or not and your are His child or not….so choose to believe, not in the circumstances bt in the God who is bigger than the circumstances….choose to rejoice not in the difficulty of what you are walking through but knowing it in a little while it will be gone and you will have overcome
1 Peter 4:12,13 – Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 – But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Somebody say: I’m on a journey….it’s not always easy…but if I choose, I will always win
What brings joy? Choosing to trust God
Turn to your neighbor and say: “I’ve got:
– troubles – But I’ve got JOY!!
– problems
– sickness
– trials
– bills to pay
– difficulties
When we believe and trust in God and we are walking in the truth of God’s word… we are blessed by God. We have joy not because we have:
– a nice car
– more money
– a house
– a good job
But we rejoice because we know who has our lives in the palm of His hands and that He can be trusted more than our circumstance.
What brings joy? When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all he’s done for me because I know He loves me, sees me, and believes in me – that’s when I get joy. Not from the things of the world
– In the fiery furnace – joy (Read Daniel)
– In the lion’s den – joy, joy (read Daniel)
– In the Red sea – joy, joy, joy (read Exodus)
– In front of the walls of Jericho – joy, joy, joy, joy (read Joshua)
– In front of the biggest giants – joy (1 Samuel)
– In prison in stocks and bonds after being beaten – joy, joy, joy, joy, joy (Acts)
– In troubles – joy
– In sickness – joy, joy
– In financial difficulty – joy, joy, joy
– In problems on the job – joy, joy, joy, joy
– In the darkest hour of your life – joy, joy, joy, joy, joy
Take some time to think of all the things God has done for you, remember them especially in your troubles, sickness, financial difficulties, problems on the job, with the family
He will help you to feel and know the joy as you choose to trust him, as you choose to remember all the good things he has done for you
Psalm 51:12 – Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (NASB)
Don’t witness to someone with a frown.
Don’t invite someone to come here with a sourpuss look on your face.
But get some joy!!!
If you can’t get excited about:
the fact that you know him, you do have problems. You need to get some joy!!!! Joy is a choice…choosing to believe in God’s goodness and trust Him, choose to remember all the good things He has done for you…see you not only need the Joy for you but the world needs to see it too, people in our area, the people we work with, go to school with, see at the store every day….if we choose joy we go from:
– doubt to trust
– complaining to confidence
– trusting in man to God
– valley to mountain
– fear to faith
– defeat to victory
The joy of the Lord is our strength!!
You need to be excited:
– that you know him
– about what God has done for you
– about His love for you
– that He knows you and believes in you
– that what He has done for you in the past is easy for Him to do again
– that you as a part of this family, you are changing the world for others every day
When I think of the goodness of Lord and all he’s done for me
When I think of the goodness of Lord and how he set me free, blessed me, knows me, met me, believes in me…I can’t help but expect more and that builds an excitement of joy in me
COME ON DOWN HERE AND GET SOME JOY!!!
Identity, what labels do you wear?
Moving Forward in 2019 Part 2
As we launch into a new year, many take it as an opportunity to make better decisions, eating right, more exercise, less wasted time, more time with family and friends, starting a new hobby or schooling.
Last week we talked about starting the new year off right by choosing to forgive ourselves, walk free of regrets and be as free as we should be because of Christ setting us free…This week I want you to think about who you really are…what is your identity what labels do you wear?
LIFE STORY
We struggle with our identity and that of others, the labels we and others give us
It is at the root of prejudice, intimidation, insecurity, much of our anxiety, most psychological problems, fear, anger and so much more
It is also at the root of our successes, our sense of accomplishment, compassion, our feelings of love, and passion.
A few years ago I had another class reunion when I think about high school it wasn’t a bad time for me…I had my struggles like most. When I graduated I was 5’ 4” tall and weighed about 90-100lbs. I was always small throughout school…the reunion got me thinking about labels…we had the jocks, nerds, geeks, heads, rebels, popular kids, bandy’s, class clowns….at one point or another I fit into most of these labels….I wrestled so I was a jock, I loved reading, literature, and Shakespeare so I was a nerd, I loved sci-fi so I was a geek, in junior high I would bring candy and gum in a gym bag to sell, it was considered contraband back then because you weren’t allowed either in school, in high school drove a motorcycle to school so I was a rebel. My junior and senior year I spent lots of my earnings on clothes and I was going to the under 21 clubs dancing so I became very popular. I starred in all the school plays mostly comedic roles so thus the class clown, I was in the band from 4thto 12thgrade….but these were labels others tried to place on me, they were just a slice of who I was not the whole picture…that’s the problem with labels
Think about it….How many here were nerds? Jocks (cheerleaders included)?, rebels?, class clown, bandy’s (majorettes included)? Popular? Heads were what we called the drug users I don’t want to know this one today
Our identity comes from many places…
what we do….our jobs, hobbies, skill sets
who we are….Father, Mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, neighbor, friend
culture or race….Italian, Polish, German, white black, Hispanic, Asian
class…lower, middle, upper
education…skilled, unskilled, bachelor’s, masters, doctorate, apprentice, journeyman, master
sex…male, female
age….Millennials, next gen, y, x, baby boomers, baby busters
All of these labels, identities…who has the right to label something?
1) Manufacturer– labels on shirt, shoes, underwear, the phones we use…we expect the people that make stuff…labels are everywhere on our stuff…and if the label is cool people will pay more for the label than for the product…I remember 2013 when rapper Kayne West sold his hip hop plain white t-shirt, for 120 dollars, and it sold out instantly…it is a plain white t-shirt people…but it’s all about the label…(in college I had to have the polo with the little alligator on it “LaCosta”
2) Owners- if you own something, you can label it…cause you own it…if you don’t own it…you can’t label it….I mean how weird would it be if I came to your house with a label maker and started labeling things like kitchen, dog, mother, sister, even if I was right, I wouldn’t have the right, because I am not the owner…visitors don’t have the right to label things
3) Purchasers– when you were a kid, what was the first thing your parents told you to do with your… coat, you baseball glove, or soccer ball, your backpack….write your name and phone number on it…
Apart from receiving the label from the manufacturer, owner, or purchaser any label is a fake label (I bought a few of those when I thought I was getting the real “Lacoste” in college)
This labeling, when done wrong, causes racism, prejudice, sexism, and ignorance to grow rampant. It causes heartache and places limits on us when the label is “stupid”, “good for nothing”, when some is labeled useless, called racial slurs, even labels like poor, republican, democratic, conservative, liberal and so on it also causes division between people, cultures, and the church….our first priority must be allowing the Manufacturer, owner, or purchaser to label you only
The one who made something is the manufacturer.
The owner – the person who owns that something
The purchaser – the person who bought that something…
Which means God is the only one who has the right to label you…God is the one who manufactured you…who created you…
Psalm 139:13
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
God is also the one who owns you…
Psalm 24:1
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”
God is your purchaser…
1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
God is the only one who is your Creator, God is the only who owns the earth and all of us in it, and God is the only one who loved you so much that he sent his son to die on the cross for your sins…so that by the blood of Christ He purchased you from sin and death…God is the only one who has a right…to label you…
And if we could live our lives simply rejecting all the labels that other people try to stick on us…and instead choose to let God be the one to label us…our lives would be so so so much better…and we would be able to do so so so much more in this life…because we would be free from fear of others…
I just want to look at one verse with you, that talks about this and it is found in Romans 12:2
“…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
When we accept labels we are conforming to the way of this world. When Paul is speaking of conforming to this world he is saving don’t allow yourself to be shaped into a pattern of thinking, behavior, attitudes, judgment, impurity of thought the way the world looks and acts, you are different
The question is…we know we are not supposed to do that…and yet…we find ourselves doing that all time…why?…if we are honest with ourselves, we want to fit in…no one likes being an outsider, a freak…and honestly…the world has some pretty cool riches to offer….but here Paul is saying if you want to go after all the things the world has to offer…and if you really want to fit in…then you are going to conform to the pattern of this world in order to get those things…and in the process…you are going to lose yourself…and is it worth it…Jesus put it this way Matthew 16:26
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”
This world is dying and conforming to it is only a temporary enjoyment
1 John 2:17
And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
What good would it be to have had the most opulent room on the Titanic or the luxury office and suite in the twin towers…conforming to the worlds pattern of thinking, the labels that come with the prejudices, insecurities and impurities of thought lead to temporary comfort but ultimate disaster
Going back to the idea of high school you could decide to conform to the patterns that someone else had set before and those patterns and labels always created an us versus them scenario and idea that we were the in-crowd and others did not fit in…it was a micro version of what is happening in our world today…the church and Christians are conforming to a label based on the world rather than Christ and it causes division not unity…we can’t think the way the world thinks, we can’t label ourselves and others the way the world does.
When you are at work, shopping, with the guy/gals the language, discussions, attitudes are mostly going to be patterned after the way the world thinks and talks…you belong to Christ first you should patterned your life, language, attitudes, and discussions based on Him.
The second part of this says be “transformed by the renewing of our minds”
Be transformed…that verb transformed there is a passive command which basically means Paul is commanding us to allow and work with the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out.
In order to live our identity out as Christ desires we must allow the Holy Spirit to work in us…His job is to teach, to guide, to cause us to remember all that Jesus taught
In order to be open to really knowing our true identity it is in Christ as we see here
John 1:12
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”
Galatians 3:28,29
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
We have to know what Christ is like? Let me ask you something…how much of this past week would you say you emulated Christ and how much did you respond like the world?
To change here are a few things we need to do!
1) If we apply the fruit of the Spirit to our daily lives Galatians 5:22,23
We will be transformed, our words, actions, attitudes, judgments
2) We can only do that by daily being in prayer and the word…we need refreshed and renewed every day like our teeth…if you did not brush your teeth they would soon stink, rot, and fall out. Such will be our walk with Christ and our lives if we are not in prayer and the word
3) Rip off the labels of the old identity that you had and accept only Christ Identity for you…many times things that were said and done in childhood or the way others have labels us stick for years…Christ has paid the price for us to be different to be who he says that we are but if we continue to go back to the old labels we will never be free
Romans 8:15
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
4) Stop caring about the pattern of the world…when someone says something is cool, something is popular, something is great.. who are they to say that it is or isn’t….Jesus looked at the broken, the downcast, all sorts of people and he made them right, he knew the real label they should be wearing…each one was a precious child of God, deeply loved by Him…the world’s understanding of things is temporary but God’s is eternal.
5) Wear God’s label first…too often we get caught up and make secondary labels first…you are God’s child ahead of your political affiliation, ahead of you educational or family background, ahead of your race, ahead of your culture…if we can come to the place of seeing each other as brothers and sisters in Christ first then we will go a long way to understanding our identity and the identity of everyone else in our lives
Do you have a label that has been killing you, holding you back, limiting who you are? Have you allowed others to steal your real identity by labeling you or putting you in a place that is an old label? Come and allow someone to help you rip off the old label.
God sees the real you…the whole you and he has given you a label Child of the King