ADVANCE OFF the WALL
ADVANCE OFF THE WALL – EXPANSION
MATTHEW 28:19-20
INTRODUCTION
GREETINGS
SUMMIT
SERIES: inhibitions,
addictions, restoration
and expansion
ORIGIN OF THE IDEA AND PLAN OF EXPANSION
GENESIS 1:28
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be
fruitful and increase in number; fill
the earth and
subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over
every living creature that moves on the ground.”
- The idea and
plan came from God who created us
-
His
blessing was for them to take dominion, increase, expand, advance, stretch
-
Blessing
means help or approval from God – man was given approval by God Himself to
expand
-
To
bless means to empower – man was empowered by the Lord for expansion
The enemy tried
to stop the expansion by
enticing man to fall into sin.
This affected
not only man’s intimate
relationship with God but his obedience to the mandate
given to Him.
So God
proceeded with His redemption plan
through the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And before He
went back to Heaven, Jesus gave
the Great Commission – which is a return to the plan
of expansion – advancing His Kingdom.
The blessing He
gave for them to fulfil this
assignment was His Holy Spirit whom He
was going to send to empower them so they can expand
globally as His witnesses.
ACTS 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
comes on you; and
you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and
to the ends of the earth.”
DESTINED TO EXPAND
-
God
has destined you for expansion
-
Do not
settle where you are right now in the light of disciple making
-
Jesus
discipled 12 men but with a mindset of empowering them to change the world
DESTINY
- From Dictionary.com:
the predetermined,
usually inevitable or
irresistible,
course of events
-
The world’s definition of destiny which is
about “fate” is different from the biblical mindset.
-
Biblical
destiny refers to God’s purpose for our lives and does not devoid us of
responsibility.
-
In
order to see the fulfilment of His the destiny or that He has set for us, we
need to respond in obedience.
-
We
have to align ourselves with His purpose.
MATTHEW 28-19-20
19 Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I
have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of
the age.”
THE SCOPE OF THE GREAT
COMMISSION
-
Global – “of all nations”
-
The multitudes has always been in God’s
heart.
-
When He called Abraham (the father of
nations), He showed him a vision of the multitudes – stars in the sky and sand
on the seashore.
-
The Apostle John was given a vision of the
multitudes worshipping God in Heaven in the future.
-
These multitudes come from every generation
and every nation will be represented.
THE COST OF THE GREAT
COMMISSION
-
First of all, it cost God His all – His
Son.
-
For us, it will cost us much.
-
“To go” implies a leaving – a call to a
life of separation.
“To go”
implies a believing – a call to a life of surrender.
“To go”
implies a stretching – a call to a life
of
sacrifice.
THE WEIGHT OF THE GREAT COMMISSION
-
When God calls us to do something, it is
often something more than what we can accomplish – a task too great to do on
our own.
-
This
must be why it is called the Great Commission.
-
And this is why it comes with the promise
of God’s presence.
THE FOCUS OF THE GREAT
COMMISSION
-
The task is supposed to be bigger than
ourselves and even impossible because this will guarantee our total dependence
on the Lord.
-
When the impossible happens, God gets the
glory – the full credit and not us.
-
Our obedience to make disciples should be
motivated by a strong desire to glorify God.
FOR GOD’S GLORY
-
Man was created for the supreme purpose of
glorifying Him.
-
When God saved us, this ultimate purpose
did not change – we are to give Him glory.
-
God did not save you for you to waste your
life.
-
He gave you a mission for your life.
-
In fulfilling that mission, you glorify
Him.
-
And only when we live for God’s glory can
we have true satisfaction and real fulfilment in life.
-
Apart from this, our life will be wasted,
empty and meaningless.
-
Disciple makers are the most satisfied and
fulfilled people on earth because they have opted to live their lives in
accordance to how they have been designed to be and what they have been
destined to do.
OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPAND:
1.National
Eagles’ Summit – you will be
empowered
for intensified evangelism and discipleship in the campus
2.Campus
Stretch 2014 – you will be
obeying
the Great Commission in the campuses.
CONCLUSION:
God has
purposed you to expand in making
disciples.
God has
commanded you to expand in
discipleship.
God has
empowered you to expand in
disciple
making.
If God had so designed you to expand in the context of
discipling more young people, the phrase “I can’t” should never be entertained in
your mind.
You can advance off the wall – beyond your
limitations, weaknesses and failures – towards greater works in the Lord.
I can because God designed me to expand
beyond
the borders.
I will because God destined me to increase in
disciples.
I must because God directed me to advance off
the wall.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
WORLD WAR C SERIES - XFN
BATTLE OVER YOUR LIFE - EPHESIANS 5:15-17
shared at YX XTREME NIGHTS AUGUST 23, 2013
INTRODUCTION
Video – fool and wise
Review of the Series: Battle over your
mind
Battle over your heart
Battle over souls
Today’s topic – Battle over how you live your life –
specifically
how you spend your time while in the campus
WORLD WAR IN THE CAMPUS
Your campus is a mission
field.
The mission field is a battle
field.
Therefore, your campus is a
battle field.
There is a
spiritual conflict in the campus that is
daily going on whether we are aware of it or not.
It is a great
conflict between light and darkness
fought over the students – over the direction of their
lives.
·
Battle over the students’ minds
Someone said: “He who controls the mind,
controls the man.”
Anti-Bible philosophies taught in classrooms
keep us away from God’s will for our lives (Romans
12:2)
Evolution, Humanism, New Age, …
·
Battle over the students’ hearts
Youth are prone to evil desires (2 Timothy
2:2)
# 1 issue among youth is sex and relationships
The devil capitalizes on this and has shuttered
many young people’s promising future through sexual
immorality.
·
Battle over students’ souls
The ultimate goal of the enemy is to keep
the lost
from being saved.
There is a spiritual blindness among
unbelievers
caused by the devil (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Winning the lost for Jesus has always been
a
spiritual warfare endeavour.
·
Battle over your life – how you live it
Benjamin Franklin:
“Don’t waste time, it’s the
stuff of which life is made of.”
How you live your life = how you spend
your time
Our Bible passage (Ephesians 5:15-16) tells us to
live our lives wisely by redeeming the time or not
missing opportunities
3 MAIN STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
OF THE ENEMY:
1. keep unbelievers in the dark
2. render believers spiritually ineffective
3. hinder God’s work in the world
Ineffective believers:
1. Do
not know who they are-identity/position
(Ephesians 5:1)
Our identity – children of God
As God’s children, we imitate our Father
(Ephesians 5:8)
Our position – in the light (not darkness)
We live as children of light
2. Do
not know why they are here-destiny/purpose
(Ephesians 5:17)
God’s will – what God wants
Understand His purpose and plans for us
Fundamental problem of most backslidden,
lukewarm, worldly Christian students is they fail
to recognize the reason why they are in their campus
at this season in their life.
THE BATTLE OVER HOW WE LIVE OUR LIFE:
Ephesians 5:15-16
15 Be
very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making
the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Two sides in the battle: Live as fools OR live
as wise.
Living wisely:
1. Recognize time is brief - opportunities
Your being in the campus at this time is an
opportunity
… to serve God’s purposes…
share the Gospel, make disciples, stand up for the
truth, walk in purity, … take every
opportunity TO GLORIFY GOD
Once passed, opportune time does not
return.
DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME IN THE CAMPUS
… live it for God’s purposes!
2. Recognize times are bad – evil days
There is a sense of urgency because the
pervasiveness of evil has intensified in your
generation.
The evil environment in which you find
yourself
should make you all the more watchful about how you
live and how you use your time.
MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY
OPPORTUNITY
IN YOUR CAMPUS to live for
God’s purposes!
THE LIGHTHOUSE STORY
There was in a
certain city a harbor where ships from all over the world would come and dock.
However, the harbor was in between a treacherous and rocky shore. During stormy
nights, ships would see the city lights off in the distance and head toward the
lights hoping to find refuge from the pounding surf.
The ships
would struggle against the storm as they made their way to the safety of the
harbor. As they drew near, seeing the dangerous rocks, the captain of the ship
would try to turn and avoid striking the rocks but it was to late.
Many ships
were destroyed and hundreds of sailors lost their lives because they did not
know of the danger. You see, the people of the city did not feel that it was
necessary to build a lighthouse. Besides, it would cost too much money to build
a lighthouse they reasoned. So year after year and storm after storm ships
would be ship wrecked and many lives lost.
There was a
man in that city that saw the need. He felt grief and heartache because the
people of the city were content to let the ships be destroyed and were not
willing to rescue the drowning sailors. So he took it upon himself to do
something about it. He tried to recruit volunteers to help him but no one
wanted to. He persisted, looking for someone to help him, but they all just
laughed at him and said that he was crazy to risk his life to try to save
strangers and people who looked different.
Determined to
make a difference, he sold everything that he had and bought a piece of land
close to the shore and built his house there. It was a lighthouse.
So during stormy
nights, the man would make sure that the light from the lighthouse was shining
as bright as it could so the ships could be warned of the dangerous rocks. His
lighthouse saved hundreds of lives and ships from being ship wrecked that year.
But it wasn’t
enough because even with the lighthouse some of the storms were so powerful
that the ships struggling to come into the harbor were tossed about by the wind
and the waves that they would get smashed against the rocks.
Being a
compassionate man, he would run to the roaring sea at the risk of his own life
to rescue as many sailors as he could. Then he would bring them into the warmth
and safety of the lighthouse. Once there he would heal their wounds and feed
them until they were able to sail again.
The man
labored by himself for years rescuing sailors and caring for their needs. Each
person that he saved was so grateful to him that they couldn’t thank him enough
for rescuing them from certain death. But all the man could feel was sadness
because many more sailors died in the sea than he could save. “If only I had
help,” he would say. “If only someone would see the need as I do and come and
help. Lord please send someone to help, I can’t do it all by myself,” he
prayed.
Then one day
it happened, his prayers were answered. His generosity became well known in the
land. People in the city began to volunteer to come and help the man keep vigil
during stormy nights. Men began to take shifts keeping watch and helping rescue
sailors. Then women started cooking and preparing bandages for the wounded
sailors. The children did whatever they could to help lift the spirits of the
sick.
Ships still
wreck along the treacherous shoreline, but now because there are so many people
there to help the man, many more lives are saved than are lost. Together
Everyone Accomplished Much. Together they made a difference.
Everyday
students are drowning and dying in their
sin.
Like the man in
our lighthouse story, there are some
of us here who make the most of every opportunity they
have to save these people … but we need more … we need you to join us in saving
lives in the campuses.
Can you make
your life available, effective and
useful for God and His purposes in your campus?
DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME IN THE CAMPUS … MAKE THE MOST OF
EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO BE USED BY THE LORD!
XTREME CALL on the series IT’S COMPLICATED
february 24 2013 at the YX MAIN
Ephesians 4:1; Genesis 11:10–12:1-9; Luke 5:10-11
INTRODUCTION
Greetings – 20th year foundation (11th year for YX)
It’s Complicated definition
Became
an urban word in 2010 as FB status
Cannot
be defined…Difficult to explain
Unsure/not
certain…Bounds not specified
There
is a level of dissatisfaction
Relationship
In trouble…in danger
A
relationship that is not ok
Relationship
status does not have to be
Only
engaged or married (extreme for the world)
It’s Complicated series review
Master Mission (movement) Mate
by Ptr. JR
Sexual Identity Complications
by Ptr. Allen
Our Most Important Relationship
by Ptr. Ru
GOD’S CALL
Ephesians 4:1
1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a
life worthy of the calling you have received.
God’s call for
you will change everything in your life
including your relationships.
Because God
empowers those He calls, their lives change.
When we obey
God’s call, something powerful happens
to us …we become empowered to do the extreme
(term means exceeding the ordinary, usual, expected).
When we believe
God has called us, we align everything
in our lives to that particular call.
We move out
from what is ordinary, usual, expected.
THE CALL OF ABRAHAM
GENESIS 11:10-26 – genealogy from Shem to Abram
GENESIS 11: 27-32
27 This is the
account of Terah’s family line. Terah
became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of
Lot. 28 While his
father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. 29 Abram and
Nahor both married. The name of
Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name
of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the
daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. 30 Now Sarai was
childless because she was not able to conceive. 31 Terah
took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and
together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. 32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.
GENESIS 12:1-9
12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country,
your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I
will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your
name great, and you will be a blessing.[a]3 I
will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all
peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”[b]4 So
Abram went, as the Lord had told him;
and Lot went with him. Abram was
seventy-five years old when he set
out from Harran. 5 He took his
wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the
possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set
out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. 6 Abram
traveled through the land as far as the
site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the
land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring[c] I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From
there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to
the Lord and called on
the name of the Lord. 9 Then Abram set
out and continued toward the Negev.
MOMENT
When God calls,
He does so at His perfect timing.
Abram’s time
was the perfect moment God waited for.
Previous
generations produced Abram’s generation.
MAN
When God is
about to do something, He calls a man.
God’s choice of
a man/woman for His work is usually
strange – ordinary people, often unqualified for the job.
Abraham is from
Ur (Chaldean civilization – idol
worshippers) – son of idolater and had barren wife.
MISSION
All calls
connect to God’s ultimate plan – salvation of
multitudes.
Abraham’s call
set the stage for God’s mission work.
“All peoples
will be blessed through you.” (verse 3)
MOVEMENT
Abraham had to
leave the usual, routine and comfortable
for the unusual, unpredictable and uncomfortable.
God’s call
always require a separation – a MOVEMENT
away from anything that will keep you from your
destiny.
For Abraham, it
was his relationships (family and
relatives) – he had to be separated from his family’s
mindset of settling for what was convenient and suitable.
VIDEO – HIS LIFE TO THE NATIONS
When Abraham
left his “Haran”, a MOVEMENT began
that would affect not only his own destiny and his
people’s destiny, but also that of every nation, every generation.
God’s call
blesses others (not only the individual)
– a
nation and nations, a generation and the generations
that follow.
A POEM OF MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO
Through the obedience of one man,
the human race was preserved.
By faith, Noah…
Through the obedience of one man,
a great nation was formed.
By faith, Abraham…
Through the obedience of one man,
deliverance was brought to a suffering people.
By faith Moses…
One man, faithful in heeding God’s call
Becomes a channel
through which His blessings flow.
One heart, undivided and surrendered to God
Becomes a vessel of love
bringing healing to the hearts of men.
One life, ordinary yet committed to God
Becomes an instrument
through which other lives are changed.
We thank the
Lord for making you that channel, that
vessel, that instrument He used in shaping us.
We pray that
you will continue to be faithful in the
ministry to which He has called you.
Pastor,
remember always … we are with you.
CONCLUSION
This message is
to challenge you to leave your “Haran” if
you want to obey God’s call.
MAP
What is your
“Haran”?
What keeps you
away from pursuing the call of God for
your life?
Master Mission
Mate – a call to leave your “Haran” of
boyfriend-girlfriend relationship and other “mate
concerns” for God’s mission work at this point in your
life as a student.
Never ever
leave your “Haran” without a vision of the
multitudes.
Luke 5:10-11
10 ...Then Jesus
said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”11 So they pulled their boats up on
shore, left everything and followed him.
When Jesus called His disciples for the mission, they left
everything and followed Him.
Never ever
leave your “Haran” without the motivation of glorifying God.
MEMORIAL
Abraham built
an altar for the Lord (verse 9).
We do what we
do because we want God to be glorified – the ultimate goal of our mission.
MASTER MISSION MATE COMMITMENT
 | |
| LOGO of HLM Women of Destiny |
NOTES of Trixie as she shares
INTIMACY & DISCIPLESHIP to our Women of Destiny JANUARY 26 2013 <<
ACTS 22:8-11
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Women of Destiny’s Theme for 2013:
Walking in intimacy with God and obedience to His will
PASSAGE BACKGROUND
Paul – defending himself before an angry Jewish crowd
Paul’s defense was in three parts:
(a) his conduct before his conversion (22:1-5),
(b) his conversion (22:6-16), and
(c) his commission to minister (22:17-21).
SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
Acts 22:8-11
“About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’
“‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. “‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied.
My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.
“‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’
My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.
PAUL’S TIMES
Paul found himself at a time of God’s great move in the church – the Word spreading, people being saved, signs and wonders being demonstrated, lives being changed, cities being impacted, …
Paul was going against God’s flow and so Jesus had to interrupt and arrest him.
This encounter with Jesus changed everything in the life of Paul (Saul).
Here he asked the Lord 2 QUESTIONS (God’s answers to these questions changed the direction of his life):
1. Who are you, Lord?
2. What shall I do, Lord?
These 2 questions present to us the 2 EFFECTS of our encounter with Jesus:
1. Knowing Him
2. Obeying Him
2 KEYWORDS of the theme for Women of Destiny for 2013:
Intimacy (knowing the Lord more)
Obedience (doing God’s assignment for us)
The 2 are very much related to each other.
INTIMACY AND OBEDIENCE RELATIONSHIP
Real intimacy will always lead to obedience to God’s will.
The more we spend time in worship and prayer to God, the more we know His heart.
The more we know His heart, the desires of His heart become our desires as well.
These desires lead us to adjust everything in our lives accordingly.
And so we find ourselves obeying His call for us with delight.
GOD’S PRESENT MOVE
Like Paul we find ourselves at a time in which God is doing a mighty thing in His church and in the world. Actually we are in the most exciting time in the history of the church and of the world.
God is doing His greatest move in your generation at this present time.
He is moving like never before in our church, our nation and the nations of the world.
NEED FOR MORE INTIMACY AND COMMITMENT
Because of this, God is calling our generation to a life of deeper intimacy with Him and a greater level of commitment.
Those who know and obey Him will find themselves at the center of these last days revival.
MISSING THE MOVE
What a sad thing for those who are not walking in intimacy with the Lord and in obedience to the mission He has assigned us.
In this revival, either we are active participants or mere observers.
God is moving and the enemy is also not wasting the time he has left.
(God’s Kingdom is forcefully advancing – has to be forceful because of the opposition)
What do you think will happen to those who merely observe?
Dan Balais: “This is no time to relax…these are the last days.”
POSITIONED FOR THE MOVE
Are we positioned for God’s greatest move?
Make sure that in this greatest move God is about to do and is now beginning to do, you have found yourself already interrupted by the Lord and your heart arrested by Him just like Paul.
That just like Paul, you have begun a new journey of knowing Him deeply and obeying His will.
If not yet, maybe some of us are candidates for a Damascus road experience … the Lord has to hit us
hard to get our attention so we can see what the work He is doing now.
HOW DO WE RESPOND TO THIS CALL OF INTIMACY AND OBEDIENCE?
We respond like Paul did – He did not resist the call, he made major adjustments in his life to follow the Lord.
MAKE MAJOR ADUSTMENTS IN YOUR LIFE NOW…
Not minor adjustments but major adjustments
Not tomorrow but now
In his book Enjoying Intimacy with God, J. Oswald Sanders says:
"We are at this moment as close to God as we really choose to be. True, there are times when we would like to know a deeper intimacy, but when it comes to the point, we are not prepared to pay the price involved.”
Henry Blackaby says in Experiencing God:
“You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.”
A PRICE TO PAY
There is a price to pay if we want a life of intimacy and discipleship.
This does not come easy.
Intimacy means a life of discipline and commitment…
Obedience means a life of challenge and hard work…
We have to make major adjustments.
Paul the church persecutor did (change of name, direction, persecution, income, schedule), and so with the rest of the bible saints…
Peter the ordinary fisherman,
David the Shepherd boy,
Joseph the favourite son,
Esther the beauty queen,
Mary the humble virgin.
Some of the major adjustments we have to make:
The most obvious – sin, bondages, entanglements
Some may not necessarily be sin (weights in Hebrews 12:1)
The use of our time – quiet time,…
The focus of our energy
The spending of our money
The list can go on…
CONCLUSION
At this present time of God’s greatest move, He is calling the church of this generation to a life of intimacy in our relationship with Him and obedience to His call.
There is a price to pay.
This requires us to do major adjustments in our life now.
And this means CHANGE … something we usually resist … because change is uncomfortable and difficult. (attitude change, schedule change, direction change,…)
Major adjustments means allowing God to get us out of the comforts and the routines we got used to.
If we are to join the Lord in His call of intimacy and obedience, we have to adjust to align everything in our lives with what He is doing.
Are you ready to make the major adjustments?
Walking in intimacy with God and obedience to His will
PASSAGE BACKGROUND
Paul – defending himself before an angry Jewish crowd
Paul’s defense was in three parts:
(a) his conduct before his conversion (22:1-5),
(b) his conversion (22:6-16), and
(c) his commission to minister (22:17-21).
SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
Acts 22:8-11
“About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’
“‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. “‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied.
My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.
“‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’
My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.
PAUL’S TIMES
Paul found himself at a time of God’s great move in the church – the Word spreading, people being saved, signs and wonders being demonstrated, lives being changed, cities being impacted, …
Paul was going against God’s flow and so Jesus had to interrupt and arrest him.
This encounter with Jesus changed everything in the life of Paul (Saul).
Here he asked the Lord 2 QUESTIONS (God’s answers to these questions changed the direction of his life):
1. Who are you, Lord?
2. What shall I do, Lord?
These 2 questions present to us the 2 EFFECTS of our encounter with Jesus:
1. Knowing Him
2. Obeying Him
2 KEYWORDS of the theme for Women of Destiny for 2013:
Intimacy (knowing the Lord more)
Obedience (doing God’s assignment for us)
The 2 are very much related to each other.
INTIMACY AND OBEDIENCE RELATIONSHIP
Real intimacy will always lead to obedience to God’s will.
The more we spend time in worship and prayer to God, the more we know His heart.
The more we know His heart, the desires of His heart become our desires as well.
These desires lead us to adjust everything in our lives accordingly.
And so we find ourselves obeying His call for us with delight.
GOD’S PRESENT MOVE
Like Paul we find ourselves at a time in which God is doing a mighty thing in His church and in the world. Actually we are in the most exciting time in the history of the church and of the world.
God is doing His greatest move in your generation at this present time.
He is moving like never before in our church, our nation and the nations of the world.
NEED FOR MORE INTIMACY AND COMMITMENT
Because of this, God is calling our generation to a life of deeper intimacy with Him and a greater level of commitment.
Those who know and obey Him will find themselves at the center of these last days revival.
MISSING THE MOVE
What a sad thing for those who are not walking in intimacy with the Lord and in obedience to the mission He has assigned us.
In this revival, either we are active participants or mere observers.
God is moving and the enemy is also not wasting the time he has left.
(God’s Kingdom is forcefully advancing – has to be forceful because of the opposition)
What do you think will happen to those who merely observe?
Dan Balais: “This is no time to relax…these are the last days.”
POSITIONED FOR THE MOVE
Are we positioned for God’s greatest move?
Make sure that in this greatest move God is about to do and is now beginning to do, you have found yourself already interrupted by the Lord and your heart arrested by Him just like Paul.
That just like Paul, you have begun a new journey of knowing Him deeply and obeying His will.
If not yet, maybe some of us are candidates for a Damascus road experience … the Lord has to hit us
hard to get our attention so we can see what the work He is doing now.
HOW DO WE RESPOND TO THIS CALL OF INTIMACY AND OBEDIENCE?
We respond like Paul did – He did not resist the call, he made major adjustments in his life to follow the Lord.
MAKE MAJOR ADUSTMENTS IN YOUR LIFE NOW…
Not minor adjustments but major adjustments
Not tomorrow but now
In his book Enjoying Intimacy with God, J. Oswald Sanders says:
"We are at this moment as close to God as we really choose to be. True, there are times when we would like to know a deeper intimacy, but when it comes to the point, we are not prepared to pay the price involved.”
Henry Blackaby says in Experiencing God:
“You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.”
A PRICE TO PAY
There is a price to pay if we want a life of intimacy and discipleship.
This does not come easy.
Intimacy means a life of discipline and commitment…
Obedience means a life of challenge and hard work…
We have to make major adjustments.
Paul the church persecutor did (change of name, direction, persecution, income, schedule), and so with the rest of the bible saints…
Peter the ordinary fisherman,
David the Shepherd boy,
Joseph the favourite son,
Esther the beauty queen,
Mary the humble virgin.
Some of the major adjustments we have to make:
The most obvious – sin, bondages, entanglements
Some may not necessarily be sin (weights in Hebrews 12:1)
The use of our time – quiet time,…
The focus of our energy
The spending of our money
The list can go on…
CONCLUSION
At this present time of God’s greatest move, He is calling the church of this generation to a life of intimacy in our relationship with Him and obedience to His call.
There is a price to pay.
This requires us to do major adjustments in our life now.
And this means CHANGE … something we usually resist … because change is uncomfortable and difficult. (attitude change, schedule change, direction change,…)
Major adjustments means allowing God to get us out of the comforts and the routines we got used to.
If we are to join the Lord in His call of intimacy and obedience, we have to adjust to align everything in our lives with what He is doing.
Are you ready to make the major adjustments?
(END of INTIMACY and OBEDIENCE Guide)
LIFE GOD’S WAY SERIES
DO SOMETHING – ROMANS 12:1-8
(september 16, 2012)
INTRODUCTION
· Napoleon Bonaparte (pointed to a map of
China):
“There lies a sleeping
giant. If it ever wakes up, it will be
unstoppable.”
· Same with the church – unstoppable if all
will do what Christ expects them to do
· DO
SOMETHING
REVIEW (Warren Wiersbe Outline)
Key theme of Romans – righteousness of
God (Be Right)
1. SIN
– RIGHTEOUSNESS DEMANDED
(chapters 1-3)
a. The Gentiles guilty b. The Jews guilty
c.
The
whole world guilty
Jews and Gentiles – (because of sin) objects
of God’s wrath and judgment from which we can escape
only through faith in Jesus Christ
2. SALVATION
– RIGHTEOUSNESS DECLARED
(3-5)
Justification - God declares a believing sinner
righteous
3. SANCTIFICATION
- RIGHTEOUSNESS DEFENDED
(6-8)
Setting apart of the believer for godly living
The Spirit-filled life - the Holy Spirit’s power flows to
the believer enabling him to live the life of
righteousness.
4. SOVEREIGNTY
– RIGHTEOUSNESS DECLINED
(9-11)
Paul paused to address the issue of Israel
Israel’s future restoration
5. SERVICE
– RIGHTEOUSNESS DEMONSTRATED
(12-15)
Righteousness as more than a personal/ individual
issue – a corporate issue – demonstrated:
a. in the church b. in society c. toward
the weaker believer
THIS SUNDAY’s TOPIC: Service in the Church Body
(DO SOMETHING)
ROMANS 12:1
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view
of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this
is your true and proper worship.
·
Romans
12 opens up with “THEREFORE” (4th
one)
- Indicates a transition
from doctrinal to practical
·
Paul usually concludes his letters with a list of practical duties based on the
doctrine he discusses in the previous chapters.
·
Several
of his letters has 2 major sections:
a.
Theological
portion b. Practical one
·
Doctrine and Duty go together
-
Learning and Living, Thinking and Behaving,
Believing and Obeying, Faith and Action
-
Do not stop at just knowing something, DO
SOMETHING!
IN VIEW OF
GOD’S MERCY – basis for Paul’s appeal
-mercy - compassion
- detailed discussion in chap. 1-11
OFFER YOUR
BODIES AS LIVING SACRIFICES – content of Paul’s appeal
- body
represents the totality of one’s
life
- complete surrender/commitment/dedication
to God
SPIRITIUAL ACT
OF WORSHIP – “worship”
refers to any ministry or service performed to God
- so a believer’s offering
of his total life as a sacrifice to God is therefore sacred service.
WE MINSTER TO:
1. the Lord 2.
Believers 3. Unbelievers
- Romans 12:1-2 – our
sacred ministry to the Lord
- The rest of concluding chapters – ministry to the church and the world
ROMANS 12:2
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will
A SURRENDERED LIFE:
1.
Non-conformation to the system of the world
2.
Transformation by the renewing of the mind
Paul starts
this way in verses 1 and 2 to emphasize the
importance of SURRENDER
to God first before SERVICE in the next verses.
God cannot use
us in the church until we make a
total
dedication
of ourselves to Him.
But after
surrender, comes service.
And this
service is not a means to obtain our
righteous
position
in Christ. Rather this service is the
result of our righteous position
in Christ which is through faith in Him.
Serve not to
be saved but serve because you are
saved.
VERSES 3-8
- Paul begins his exhortation
on serving in the church
- Worship of God leads
us to service in His body
- We need to DO
SOMETHING (serve) in the church
ROMANS 12:3-5
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly
than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance
with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these
members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
HONEST
EVALUATION OF SELF with regards to your spiritual gifts – sober judgment
- Every believer must recognize
what his spiritual gifts are.
- A humble exercise of our spiritual gifts is not to overrate one’s self nor to undervalue one’s self.
- Humility is a truthful evaluation of one’s self.
- It is essential in the
exercise of our giftings.
- These gifts were given to us by God’s grace and so we cannot take credit for them.
- DO SOMETHING with those gifts:
Use them to serve others and glorify the Lord.
ROMANS
12:6-8
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is
prophesying,then prophesy in accordance with your[a]faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
VERSES
6-8: LIST OF GIFTS
- prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, giving, leadership and
mercy (there are other lists in other books of the Bible)
- “THEN” – each gift has to be exercised
- whatever your gift, talent, ability God has given you,
use it…DO
SOMETHING with it to serve others in
the body
- it is time to discover
your gifts and use them
(take
the spiritual gifts test, find out where you are good at, get involved in a
ministry – DO SOMETHING)
JOIN
A MINISTRY CHALLENGE (YX list)
(get out of the spectators’ ministry – job description is to watch and criticize)
CONCLUSION
The “therefore” of Romans 12:1 means
something
happened
before this – God saved us.
The “therefore” of Romans 12:1 tells
us that something
should
happen after God saved us – DO SOMETHING!
Jesus has great expectations of us – He expects every
Christian
whom He has saved to be actively serving
in
ministry.
So, will you DO SOMETHING?
------------------
GOD GUIDES [September 9, 2011]
GOD GUIDES [September 9, 2011]
PSALM 32:8
INTRODUCTION
LET ME SERIES
God despite of His greatness as God wants to do be
involved in our lives:
God loves
God heals
God gives
God cares
God guides
The key is to Let God...
THIS IS OUR GOD INVITATION
a celebration event in response to who God isand what He has done in our lives September 11, 9:30 at Robinson’s Cinema 4
BLIND MAN ILLUSTRATION
Meet “Mark” – he is blind.
He cannot see, he does not know the way to where hewants to go.
Mark needs a stick to help him find his way or a friend“John” who is not blind to guide him.
Sometimes we are like Mark – we do not know how toget to where we are going; and not only that, when it comes to life’s important decisions, we do not even know where to go.
In other words, we do not know what to do because our view of life is limited by what we can only see...we need someone who has a larger perspective to guide us and show us the way.
MEET GOD – OUR GUIDE FOR LIFE
The someone we need is the author of our life Himself –GOD.
In Psalm 32: 8, it says:
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
This God is a loving God who wants to guide us in this journey called life.
He is a God who wants to reveal His will for us in the many situations we face in life.
KNOWING GOD’S WILL
“How do I know God’s will?” is one of the most frequently asked questions especially by young people like you.
The period of adolescents and young adulthood are the stages in which young people are confronted with 3 of the most important decisions of life
- Master (the salvation and lordship decision)
- Mission (the career path)
- Mate (the issues of love and marriage)
The reason why many young people end up dissatisfied with the decisions they make is that many of them do not even realize that God has a will for their life.
And even for those who do know that God has indeed a will for them, they do not know how to discern it.
But God’s will is available.
His counsel is discernable.
God wants to guide us – will you let Him?
SOME FAULTY ATTITUDES AND THINKING:
“It is hard to find God’s will.”
God’s will is not lost – He is not hiding it either.
It is not our job to find God’s will.
It is God’s job to reveal His will.
Our job is to be ready to receive it and obey it.
“I am afraid of God’s will.”
Some think that God’s will is something that they will not
like or cannot do.
But God is someone who desires the best for us and that
best will satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts.
Romans 8:32:
32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
“I want to know God’s will but I will obey only the part of His will that I like.”
A person who has this attitude will never know God’s will. It will be useless for God to let him know because it will be wasted since he has no plans to fully embrace it.
“I want to know God’s will first before deciding to obey it.”
This, too, will not work.
God only reveals His will to a fully surrendered heart.
The key is to have a heart that is willing to obey God no matter what it takes.
In order for us to be able to know the will of God, our attitude should be “I will obey God’s will whatever it is.”
TWO KINDS OF GOD’S WILL
1. GOD’S UNIVERSAL WILL
Applies to everyone
Revealed clearly in the Bible
We don’t have to pray about doing this or not.
Examples:
Sexual purity (1 Thess.4:3)
Obedience to parents (Eph. 6:1)
Prayer (1 Thess. 5:17)
Being filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:17-18)
2. GOD’S SPECIFIC WILL
Applies to the individual
Not explicitly stated in the Bible but is definitely
not contradictory to it.
Examples:
Who is the one whom God wants me to marry?
What course I should take in college?
Which school should I go to?
Will I take this job or not?
Take not that God reveals His specific will for us one day at a time – He does not reveal everything at one time or it will overwhelm us.
Another thing to take note is that God’s specific will is contingent upon His universal will.
So a person who does not even obey God’s universal will for sex and relationship issues for instance is wasting his time praying to God for the right person to marry.
But a person who is walking in obedience to God’s universal will as revealed in the Bible can begin to see God’s guidance in specific situations through the following:
1. God’s Word
2. Prayer
3. Counsel from mature Christians and wise elders
4. Circumstances
CONLCUSION
Psalm 37:4:
4 Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
If a person who is facing a specific decision is obedient toGod’s universal will and has sought His counsel in the light of the Bible, prayer, wise counsel from others and circumstances, he is free to do what his heart wants.
If you are delighting in the Lord and you are surrendered to His will, you will desire what God wants.
When this happens, there is no way of taking the wrong decision.
And should there be a time that it is otherwise, our loving God will make it clear to us.
Because of His great love, He will watch over us and make sure that we will know whenever we are about to make a wrong decision.
He is a God who guides – let Him.
=================================================
TITLE: MASK-A-RAID ANXIETY
PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7
SHARED ON: October 16, 2011 at YX SUNDAY Cinema 4
---------------------------------------------------
VIDEO
SERIES UPDATE
Third topic of Mask-A-Raid Series
Addressing issues behind the mask
MASSKARA HISTORY
A chance to drink and be merry for 20 days – huge beer
garden, street dancing
Has become a tool and culture of escapism
Organizers mostly big business and big landlords
encourage people to forget their economic hardships
Started in 1980 – difficult times in Negros
Don Juan tragedy in 1979
Big drop in sugar production 5 years before
Keep smiling despite the sugar problems
To keep smiling is not enough… if the object of our hope
is not Jesus
To escape is bad… it does not make the problem go away
T o worry is also not the solution… it actually adds to the
problem
WORRYING AS A RESPONSE TO PROBLEMS
It is hard to preach against worrying especially because
we are all guilty of it.
We all worry from time to time … some worry about big
things and some about small things.
It is hard to simply say “don’t worry” to someone who is
undergoing very difficult times that you have not
gone through.
In order for us to be helped out of our worries, we need
to listen to what God says about worrying and to obey His command on this.
MATTHEW 6: 25-34:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Jesus is against worry.
He commands us not to worry…disobedience to this is sin… so worrying is sin.
He points that worrying cannot do us any good.
He shows us there is no reason to worry because ourheavenly Father knows our needs.
He directs our focus from worrying to His kingdom andrighteousness.
DIFFERENCE FROM CONCERN
Concern is different from worry.
Concern is a realistic acknowledgment of a problem andleads us to deal with it in a positive way.
So there is nothing wrong with having concern or beingconcerned about certain things in our life… to ignore and escape problems is equally dangerous withworrying.
The problem is when our concerns have us … theybecome worries... we become immobilized by thinking excessively about them.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT MAKE US WORRY?
Provisions for our basic needs
Future
Grades in school
Matters related to our jobs
Our looks
The past
Other people … etc.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE ARE WORRYING?
One thing is sure … nothing good happens when we worry.
Many bad things happen …
Worry negatively affects our:
Relationship with God – drives us away from God and causes us not to trust Him
Relationship with other people – our behaviour change that affects others in our circle – some seek relief from drugs, alcohol, some resort to denial, some blame others
Physical health – ulcers, headaches, rashes, backaches,
upset stomach, shortness of breath, sleeping problems, fatigue, loss of appetite, etc…other more serious health problems
Direction in life – worrying can cripple/paralyzed us so
that we cannot do what we need to do
Witness to the world – it is giving the world a false picture
of who our God is
ETC…
PROVERBS 12:25
25 Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.
What happens when we pick up something heavy?
It weighs us down.
This is what worrying does to us … it weighs us down and
makes it hard for us to move forward with our lives.
Anxiety is one effective fiery dart of the enemy against
us…it steals our joy, kills our passion, destroys our
vision.
When we worry about the past that we cannot change
and the future that we have no control of, we stop living victoriously today.
Corrie Ten Boom: "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength."
The funny thing is often we worry about things that are
not even real or never really happen…and we waste many hours of our life doing so.
THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT WE ARE WORRYING ABOUT
Consider the following…
40% of our worries never happen. Anxiety is the result of a tired mind.
30% of our worries concerns past decisions which cannot bechanged
12% of our worries centers on criticism by others, meant tomake us feel inferior
10% is related to health, which only worsens as we worry
8% of our worries are legitimate, showing that life does have real problems which can be met head on when I eliminate senseless worry.
Source - John Maxwell sermon series "Power to Cope"
A FUNNY STORY
There was a man the side of the road hitch hiking on a very dark night in the middle of a storm. It was late at night and no cars were passing. The storm was so strong he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him. Suddenly, he saw a car coming towards him and stop. Without further thought, he got in the back seat of the car, closes the door and, when he turns to thank the driver for stopping for him, he realizes there’s nobody behind the wheel. The car starts slowly down the road again. The guy looks at the road ahead and sees a curve coming his way. Scared, he closes his eyes and starts to pray for his life. Just before the car reaches the curve, a hand appears thru the window and turns the steering wheel. The guy, paralyzed with fear, watches how the hand appears every time they come to a curve in the road. Gathering his strength, he leaps from the car and runs to the nearest town. Wet and in shock, he goes to a cafe and asks for a cup of stiff coffee. He quickly drinks his coffee and starts telling everybody about the horrible experience he’s just been thru. A silence envelopes the cafe when the man begins to weep like a baby out of sheer fright from the experience he has been through. About half an hour later, two guys walk into the same cafe and one says to the other, "Look Bob, there’s that guy who got in the car when we were pushing it down the road"
by: Jonathan Busch
WHAT TO DO WITH OUR ANXIETIES
ANOTHER FUNNY STORY
One man was always worrying. He worried about his children, his job, his wife, his health. One day a friend of this man noted that he was extremely calm and peaceful. "Why are you so calm?, he asked. "You always worry about every-thing. What happened?" The former worrier replied, "I just hired a man to do the worrying for me." "Well, how much are you paying him?" His friend inquired. "A thousand dollars a week," the man replied. "A thousand a week? You can’t afford a thousand dollars a week." The worrier responded, "That’s his problem!"
By: Gerarld Cornelius
1 PETER 5:7:
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Pass the problem to someone else … God.
You have to come to a point in your life that you must
acknowledge that you cannot handle your problems
on your own … you need God.
You must admit that there are things beyond your
control and it is best to entrust them to God.
We entrust them to God by praying.
PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7:
‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.’
We forget that the One who can do something about our worries is just a prayer away!
We must learn to pray instead of worry.
God wants our problems … let Him handle them.
Paul says let them go … give them to God.
Prayer is an expression of our faith in God…praying to Him instead of worrying means we are trusting Him.
Often when we go to God in prayer, we tell Him ourworries.
But this is all we do…what we need to do is to leave those concerns to His care.
This is what 1 Peter 5:7 means about casting…there is no getting them back.
And when we come to God in prayer to present our requests, we should do so with a thankful heart.
Thankfulness shifts our focus away from our worries into God’s faithfulness in our lives expressed in the countless blessings we have received from Him.
When we pray there is no guarantee we will get every single request from the Lord the way we want them.
Prayer is not about getting what we want…it is surrendering to what God wants. (trusting Him for what He is doing and is going to do)
ONE LAST FUNNY STORY
A little boy who wanted $100. He prayed for two weeks but nothing happened. Then he decided to write God a letter. When the postal authorities received the letter addressed to God, USA, they decided to send it to President Obama. The President was so impressed and amused that he told his secretary to send the little boy a $5.00 bill. He thought this would be a lot of money to a little boy. When the little boy got the money, he sat down to write a thank you note to God. It said
Dear God,
Thank you very much for sending the money. However, I noticed that for some reason you had to send it through Washington D.C. and, as usual, those crooks deducted $95.00.”
But the Apostle Paul guarantees one thing about prayer…God’s peace that is beyond human
understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Jesus.
Our heart and mind will find rest from all the unnecessary worrying and will instead rest in the truth that God will take care of every single detail of our life.
CONCLUSION
It is only when we pray our worries to God that we will
experience His kind of peace that enables our heart and mind to rest despite the problems we face because of the assurance that everything in our life is under God’s
STOP WORRYING, START PRAYING!
Some of us came to church today with some heavy loads
in our life lately.
Come to the Lord and let Him have those loads…He cares.
He does not want you to worry, instead He wants you to have His peace and rest in His care.
=============================
TITLE: MASK-A-RAID ANXIETY
PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7
SHARED ON: October 16, 2011 at YX SUNDAY Cinema 4
---------------------------------------------------
VIDEO
SERIES UPDATE
Third topic of Mask-A-Raid Series
Addressing issues behind the mask
MASSKARA HISTORY
A chance to drink and be merry for 20 days – huge beer
garden, street dancing
Has become a tool and culture of escapism
Organizers mostly big business and big landlords
encourage people to forget their economic hardships
Started in 1980 – difficult times in Negros
Don Juan tragedy in 1979
Big drop in sugar production 5 years before
Keep smiling despite the sugar problems
To keep smiling is not enough… if the object of our hope
is not Jesus
To escape is bad… it does not make the problem go away
T o worry is also not the solution… it actually adds to the
problem
WORRYING AS A RESPONSE TO PROBLEMS
It is hard to preach against worrying especially because
we are all guilty of it.
We all worry from time to time … some worry about big
things and some about small things.
It is hard to simply say “don’t worry” to someone who is
undergoing very difficult times that you have not
gone through.
In order for us to be helped out of our worries, we need
to listen to what God says about worrying and to obey His command on this.
MATTHEW 6: 25-34:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Jesus is against worry.
He commands us not to worry…disobedience to this is sin… so worrying is sin.
He points that worrying cannot do us any good.
He shows us there is no reason to worry because ourheavenly Father knows our needs.
He directs our focus from worrying to His kingdom andrighteousness.
DIFFERENCE FROM CONCERN
Concern is different from worry.
Concern is a realistic acknowledgment of a problem andleads us to deal with it in a positive way.
So there is nothing wrong with having concern or beingconcerned about certain things in our life… to ignore and escape problems is equally dangerous withworrying.
The problem is when our concerns have us … theybecome worries... we become immobilized by thinking excessively about them.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT MAKE US WORRY?
Provisions for our basic needs
Future
Grades in school
Matters related to our jobs
Our looks
The past
Other people … etc.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE ARE WORRYING?
One thing is sure … nothing good happens when we worry.
Many bad things happen …
Worry negatively affects our:
Relationship with God – drives us away from God and causes us not to trust Him
Relationship with other people – our behaviour change that affects others in our circle – some seek relief from drugs, alcohol, some resort to denial, some blame others
Physical health – ulcers, headaches, rashes, backaches,
upset stomach, shortness of breath, sleeping problems, fatigue, loss of appetite, etc…other more serious health problems
Direction in life – worrying can cripple/paralyzed us so
that we cannot do what we need to do
Witness to the world – it is giving the world a false picture
of who our God is
ETC…
PROVERBS 12:25
25 Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.
What happens when we pick up something heavy?
It weighs us down.
This is what worrying does to us … it weighs us down and
makes it hard for us to move forward with our lives.
Anxiety is one effective fiery dart of the enemy against
us…it steals our joy, kills our passion, destroys our
vision.
When we worry about the past that we cannot change
and the future that we have no control of, we stop living victoriously today.
Corrie Ten Boom: "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength."
The funny thing is often we worry about things that are
not even real or never really happen…and we waste many hours of our life doing so.
THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT WE ARE WORRYING ABOUT
Consider the following…
40% of our worries never happen. Anxiety is the result of a tired mind.
30% of our worries concerns past decisions which cannot bechanged
12% of our worries centers on criticism by others, meant tomake us feel inferior
10% is related to health, which only worsens as we worry
8% of our worries are legitimate, showing that life does have real problems which can be met head on when I eliminate senseless worry.
Source - John Maxwell sermon series "Power to Cope"
A FUNNY STORY
There was a man the side of the road hitch hiking on a very dark night in the middle of a storm. It was late at night and no cars were passing. The storm was so strong he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him. Suddenly, he saw a car coming towards him and stop. Without further thought, he got in the back seat of the car, closes the door and, when he turns to thank the driver for stopping for him, he realizes there’s nobody behind the wheel. The car starts slowly down the road again. The guy looks at the road ahead and sees a curve coming his way. Scared, he closes his eyes and starts to pray for his life. Just before the car reaches the curve, a hand appears thru the window and turns the steering wheel. The guy, paralyzed with fear, watches how the hand appears every time they come to a curve in the road. Gathering his strength, he leaps from the car and runs to the nearest town. Wet and in shock, he goes to a cafe and asks for a cup of stiff coffee. He quickly drinks his coffee and starts telling everybody about the horrible experience he’s just been thru. A silence envelopes the cafe when the man begins to weep like a baby out of sheer fright from the experience he has been through. About half an hour later, two guys walk into the same cafe and one says to the other, "Look Bob, there’s that guy who got in the car when we were pushing it down the road"
by: Jonathan Busch
WHAT TO DO WITH OUR ANXIETIES
ANOTHER FUNNY STORY
One man was always worrying. He worried about his children, his job, his wife, his health. One day a friend of this man noted that he was extremely calm and peaceful. "Why are you so calm?, he asked. "You always worry about every-thing. What happened?" The former worrier replied, "I just hired a man to do the worrying for me." "Well, how much are you paying him?" His friend inquired. "A thousand dollars a week," the man replied. "A thousand a week? You can’t afford a thousand dollars a week." The worrier responded, "That’s his problem!"
By: Gerarld Cornelius
1 PETER 5:7:
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Pass the problem to someone else … God.
You have to come to a point in your life that you must
acknowledge that you cannot handle your problems
on your own … you need God.
You must admit that there are things beyond your
control and it is best to entrust them to God.
We entrust them to God by praying.
PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7:
‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.’
We forget that the One who can do something about our worries is just a prayer away!
We must learn to pray instead of worry.
God wants our problems … let Him handle them.
Paul says let them go … give them to God.
Prayer is an expression of our faith in God…praying to Him instead of worrying means we are trusting Him.
Often when we go to God in prayer, we tell Him ourworries.
But this is all we do…what we need to do is to leave those concerns to His care.
This is what 1 Peter 5:7 means about casting…there is no getting them back.
And when we come to God in prayer to present our requests, we should do so with a thankful heart.
Thankfulness shifts our focus away from our worries into God’s faithfulness in our lives expressed in the countless blessings we have received from Him.
When we pray there is no guarantee we will get every single request from the Lord the way we want them.
Prayer is not about getting what we want…it is surrendering to what God wants. (trusting Him for what He is doing and is going to do)
ONE LAST FUNNY STORY
A little boy who wanted $100. He prayed for two weeks but nothing happened. Then he decided to write God a letter. When the postal authorities received the letter addressed to God, USA, they decided to send it to President Obama. The President was so impressed and amused that he told his secretary to send the little boy a $5.00 bill. He thought this would be a lot of money to a little boy. When the little boy got the money, he sat down to write a thank you note to God. It said
Dear God,
Thank you very much for sending the money. However, I noticed that for some reason you had to send it through Washington D.C. and, as usual, those crooks deducted $95.00.”
But the Apostle Paul guarantees one thing about prayer…God’s peace that is beyond human
understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Jesus.
Our heart and mind will find rest from all the unnecessary worrying and will instead rest in the truth that God will take care of every single detail of our life.
CONCLUSION
It is only when we pray our worries to God that we will
experience His kind of peace that enables our heart and mind to rest despite the problems we face because of the assurance that everything in our life is under God’s
STOP WORRYING, START PRAYING!
Some of us came to church today with some heavy loads
in our life lately.
Come to the Lord and let Him have those loads…He cares.
He does not want you to worry, instead He wants you to have His peace and rest in His care.
=============================
THE GREATEST VERSE - JOHN 3:16
THE GREATEST STORY, A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
INTRODUCTION
How do you explain the meaning of Christmas in just a few words?
The best way is to share to you the greatest sentence ever quoted … it is not found in a magazine, newspaper nor facebook … it is found in the Bible.
Every verse in the Bible is great, but one verse is considered to be the greatest of all:
JOHN 3:16 (NIV):
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
Someone said that if you take away all the verses from Genesis to Revelation and retain only this verse, there would still be enough gospel left in John 3:16 to save the whole world.
In fact this verse is called the Gospel in a nutshell.
Why is John 3:16 the greatest verse?
What’s so great about it?
Everything – every word – all 26 words.
John 3:16 gives us the greatest gifts ever given.
It tells of the 12 great promises.
FOR GOD – The Greatest Lover
Nobody can ever love you the way God does.
When we let God love us, we have found true love – the greatest love of all.
For only His love can truly satisfy us.
SO LOVED – The Greatest Degree
God’s love is the greatest one can ever experience.
Nothing COMPARES to His love and nothing can CONCLUDE His love for us.
Love is measured in terms of the sacrifice it is willing to give.
THE WORLD -- The Greatest Number
God loves the whole world.
His love is not exclusive.
THAT HE GAVE -- The Greatest Act
The greatest act in the world is not a human act.
It was the act of God when He gave His Son to save us from our sins.
It was too great a sacrifice the Father had to make but He did it anyway.
HIS ONE AND ONLY SON -- The Greatest Gift
Jesus as God the Father’s gift to us is the greatest gift one can ever receive.
Jesus means salvation for us.
Our salvation was a gift that is not cheap, it is beyond costly for it cost the life of God’s One and Only Son.
God gave His best when He gave Jesus!
He gave His all when He gave us His Son. THAT WHOEVER -- The Greatest Opportunity
God’s offer is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss for it means a choice between life and death.
We face many choices and decisions everyday, but nothing is more important than the decision of what to do with Jesus Christ in our lives. The choice we make affects our eternal destiny.
BELIEVES -- The Greatest Simplicity
God’s offer of salvation is never complicated.
It is man who makes gaining eternal life difficult.
God has already done the difficult part of dying on the cross for us to pay for our sins.
We need not pay for our sins anymore, we simply have to believe in Jesus as the way, the truth and the life.
IN HIM – The Greatest Attraction
Sinners are attracted to Jesus because of His grace – He gives us something we do not deserve (ETERNAL LIFE). Sinners are attracted to Jesus because of His mercy –
He does not give us something that we deserve (PUNISHMENT FOR OUR SINS).
Jesus is the greatest attraction because He is the answer to our greatest need – salvation from our sins.
SHALL NOT PERISH -- The Greatest Promise
The wages of our sin is death – eternal separation from God.
The Bible clearly reveals that hell is a literal place.
But Jesus promises those who believe in Him that they will not perish anymore because He has
paid the penalty of their sins through His death of the cross.
BUT -- the greatest difference
Many times the word “but” brings good news.
Here it means the greatest difference.
Our choice to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior will make the greatest difference in our eternal destiny.
HAVE -- The Greatest Certainty
When God gives us a gift there is no way that He will take it back.
We can trust Him regarding what He has promised.
What he says we have, we have!
ETERNAL LIFE – The Greatest Possession
Life is good, but eternal life is better, way better.
All things will pass away, all our earthly possessions.
But only God’s Word remains forever … and His Word has given those who know Him the assurance of eternal life.
CONCLUSION:
JOHN 3:16 is the Gospel in one sentence – plain and powerful, clear and complete, simple and sure.
It is actually the message of Christmas, the very reason why we have Christmas today.
The coming of the Savior of the world as a baby speaks of God’s love – a love that is so committed to the point of death.
A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on "The Love of God." As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say.
Remember the greatest story ever told did not end in the cradle … it continued till the cross … the baby was destined to die 33 years after and be resurrected for us to be saved.
Let His story carry on this time in our lives as you make a decision to receive Him into your hearts as Lord and Savior.
SALVATION CALL:
John 3:16 calls us to believe in Jesus.
This involves two things:
1. Admit our inability to save ourselves.
Our good deeds are not enough to save us.
2. Accept His ability to save us.
If there is nothing we can do to save ourselves, then we are in great need of a Savior.
That Savior is the One whom God sent on Christmas night –Jesus.
His death on the cross was sufficient for our salvation.
To be saved and have eternal life is to simply admit that we are not able to save ourselves and to accept what Jesus did on the cross for our salvation.
THE GREATEST STORY, A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
INTRODUCTION
How do you explain the meaning of Christmas in just a few words?
The best way is to share to you the greatest sentence ever quoted … it is not found in a magazine, newspaper nor facebook … it is found in the Bible.
Every verse in the Bible is great, but one verse is considered to be the greatest of all:
JOHN 3:16 (NIV):
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
Someone said that if you take away all the verses from Genesis to Revelation and retain only this verse, there would still be enough gospel left in John 3:16 to save the whole world.
In fact this verse is called the Gospel in a nutshell.
Why is John 3:16 the greatest verse?
What’s so great about it?
Everything – every word – all 26 words.
John 3:16 gives us the greatest gifts ever given.
It tells of the 12 great promises.
FOR GOD – The Greatest Lover
Nobody can ever love you the way God does.
When we let God love us, we have found true love – the greatest love of all.
For only His love can truly satisfy us.
SO LOVED – The Greatest Degree
God’s love is the greatest one can ever experience.
Nothing COMPARES to His love and nothing can CONCLUDE His love for us.
Love is measured in terms of the sacrifice it is willing to give.
THE WORLD -- The Greatest Number
God loves the whole world.
His love is not exclusive.
THAT HE GAVE -- The Greatest Act
The greatest act in the world is not a human act.
It was the act of God when He gave His Son to save us from our sins.
It was too great a sacrifice the Father had to make but He did it anyway.
HIS ONE AND ONLY SON -- The Greatest Gift
Jesus as God the Father’s gift to us is the greatest gift one can ever receive.
Jesus means salvation for us.
Our salvation was a gift that is not cheap, it is beyond costly for it cost the life of God’s One and Only Son.
God gave His best when He gave Jesus!
He gave His all when He gave us His Son. THAT WHOEVER -- The Greatest Opportunity
God’s offer is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss for it means a choice between life and death.
We face many choices and decisions everyday, but nothing is more important than the decision of what to do with Jesus Christ in our lives. The choice we make affects our eternal destiny.
BELIEVES -- The Greatest Simplicity
God’s offer of salvation is never complicated.
It is man who makes gaining eternal life difficult.
God has already done the difficult part of dying on the cross for us to pay for our sins.
We need not pay for our sins anymore, we simply have to believe in Jesus as the way, the truth and the life.
IN HIM – The Greatest Attraction
Sinners are attracted to Jesus because of His grace – He gives us something we do not deserve (ETERNAL LIFE). Sinners are attracted to Jesus because of His mercy –
He does not give us something that we deserve (PUNISHMENT FOR OUR SINS).
Jesus is the greatest attraction because He is the answer to our greatest need – salvation from our sins.
SHALL NOT PERISH -- The Greatest Promise
The wages of our sin is death – eternal separation from God.
The Bible clearly reveals that hell is a literal place.
But Jesus promises those who believe in Him that they will not perish anymore because He has
paid the penalty of their sins through His death of the cross.
BUT -- the greatest difference
Many times the word “but” brings good news.
Here it means the greatest difference.
Our choice to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior will make the greatest difference in our eternal destiny.
HAVE -- The Greatest Certainty
When God gives us a gift there is no way that He will take it back.
We can trust Him regarding what He has promised.
What he says we have, we have!
ETERNAL LIFE – The Greatest Possession
Life is good, but eternal life is better, way better.
All things will pass away, all our earthly possessions.
But only God’s Word remains forever … and His Word has given those who know Him the assurance of eternal life.
CONCLUSION:
JOHN 3:16 is the Gospel in one sentence – plain and powerful, clear and complete, simple and sure.
It is actually the message of Christmas, the very reason why we have Christmas today.
The coming of the Savior of the world as a baby speaks of God’s love – a love that is so committed to the point of death.
A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on "The Love of God." As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say.
Remember the greatest story ever told did not end in the cradle … it continued till the cross … the baby was destined to die 33 years after and be resurrected for us to be saved.
Let His story carry on this time in our lives as you make a decision to receive Him into your hearts as Lord and Savior.
SALVATION CALL:
John 3:16 calls us to believe in Jesus.
This involves two things:
1. Admit our inability to save ourselves.
Our good deeds are not enough to save us.
2. Accept His ability to save us.
If there is nothing we can do to save ourselves, then we are in great need of a Savior.
That Savior is the One whom God sent on Christmas night –Jesus.
His death on the cross was sufficient for our salvation.
To be saved and have eternal life is to simply admit that we are not able to save ourselves and to accept what Jesus did on the cross for our salvation.
=============================
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
YOUNG AND SERVING
(DON’T WASTE YOUR LIFE MESSAGES)
ECLESIASTES 12:1
ILLUSTRATION: spray (mist)
James 4:14
New International Version (NIV)
14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
The Bible reminds us in several passages that life is short.
Life is too short to be wasted.
ILLUSTRATION photo of Macaulay Culkin as example of a
wasted life
Growing old is not something we can control (only how
we choose to live as we advance in years).
This is the challenge of this message – that you will
choose not to waste your life in your youth years and onwards.
Ecclesiastes 12:1
1 Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
WHAT THIS VERSE TELLS US:
1. Remember – does not just mean simply recalling
once in a while.
It means that as we live our life as young people, we
do so with the perspective of the truth.
And what is that truth?
2. Someone created us – we are accountable to Him
We are free to live the way we want to but it is best
to do so with the perspective that at the end of it we will face the One whom we are accountable to. (Ecclesiastes 11:9)
The underlying reason why evolutionists propagate their
theories however clearly absurd it has become through the years is that they find it unacceptable that there is a Creator – this truth would mean responsibility and accountability.
If there is a Creator, then our life is not our own and it
has to be lived in accordance to His purpose.
To remember you Creator is to carefully acknowledge
God as you live each day of your life – not to simply fit Him into your plans, but to make sure your plans fit into His.
3. Days of trouble – refer to what happens in old age
Verses 2-7 gives us an imagery or metaphor of the aging process.
Examples:
3 when the keepers of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows grow dim;
Keepers of the house tremble – arms and hands by
which we defend ourselves when attacked begin to shake
Strong men stoop – legs (strongest parts of the body)
become bent
Grinders cease because they are few – teeth are lost
Those looking through the window grow dim –
eyesight fades
The best time to decide to serve God is now in your
youth years – the prime of your life.
It would be hard to begin doing so when those so
called days of trouble come.
4. I find no pleasure in them – refers to motivation
Your motivation now is highest while you are in your
youth.
It is usually at its lowest when you are old.
This the time of your life that you welcome
challenges, changes and choices and are excited
about them.
This is the stage of life that you want to conquer the
world.
IN OTHER WORDS, THE BEST TIME TO CHOOSE TO SERVE GOD IS AT THE PRIME OF YOUR LIFE WHICH IS NOW IN YOUR YOUTH YEARS.
(This is not saying that the joy of doing so will waiver as you advance in years, in fact, it is going to get better…as long as you decide to do it now so you won’t face the end with regret.)
REGRETS
I have yet to meet an adult say “I regret giving my life to
the Lord while I was still young.”
But there have been those who said , “I wish I had known
the Lord when I was still young.”
EXCITEMENT – ACTION AND PASSION
Youth always want an exciting life – the more thrilling
and challenging it is, the better it becomes for them.
They want intense passion and dynamic action.
They seek something into which they can give their
commitment.
But sad to say that “something” may not necessarily be
right, thus, they end up wasting their life.
VIDEO CLIP (A Dramatic Surprise on a Quiet Square)
Action and excitement in God’s Kingdom
Recruit for Summer Action – MYX
Winning souls – snatching souls from hell
Battle for lost souls
EXAMPLE OF A HERO OF FAITH WHO STARTED SERVING GOD WHILE YOUNG by REACHING LOST SOULS:
Charles Thomas (C.T.) Studd
C.T. Studd (1860-1931) was an English missionary who faithfully served His Saviour in China, India, and Africa. His motto was: "If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."
C.T. Studd was 18 years old when he followed Jesus. He traded the lifestyle of the rich and famous for the lifestyle of a missionary in China, India and Africa.
It was while in China that C.T. reached the age (25 years old) in which according to his father's will he was to inherit a large sum of money. Through reading God's Word and much prayer, C.T. felt led to give his entire fortune to Christ!
Before knowing the exact amount of his inheritance, C.T. sent £5000 to Mr. Moody, another £5000 to George Müller (£4000 to be used on missionary work and £1000 among the orphans); as well as £15,000 pounds to support other worthy ministries. In a few months, he was able to discover the exact amount of his inheritance and he gave some additional thousands away, leaving about £3400 pounds in his possession.
C.T. seeking to comfort his mother wrote:
"Mother dear, I do pray God to show you that it is such a privilege to give up a child to be used of God to saving poor sinners who have never even heard of the name of Jesus."
"I cannot tell you what joy it gave me to bring the first soul to the Lord Jesus Christ. I have tasted almost all the pleasures that this world can give ... but those pleasures were as nothing compared to the joy that the saving of that one soul gave me."
"...I do not say, Don't play games or cricket and so forth. By all means play and enjoy them, giving thanks to Jesus for them. Only take care that games do not become an idol to you as they did to me. What good will it do to anybody in the next world to have been the best player that ever has been? And then think of the difference between that and winning souls for Jesus."
In a letter home, C.T. gave a last backward look at the outstanding events of his life:
"As I believe I am now nearing my departure from this world, I have but a few things to rejoice in; they are these:
1. That God called me to China and I went in spite of utmost opposition from all my loved ones.
2. That I joyfully acted as Christ told that rich young man to act.
3. That I deliberately at the call of God, when alone on the Bibby liner in 1910, gave up my life for this work, which was to be henceforth not for the Sudan only, but for the whole unevangelized World.
My only joys therefore are that when God has given me a work to do, I have not refused it."
Shortly after 10:30 p.m. on a July day in 1931, C.T. Studd went home to be with His Lord whom he had loved so dearly and served so faithfully! The last word he spoke was "Hallelujah"!
Only One Life Poem (last three paragraphs)
Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e'er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, "twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, "Thy will be done";
And when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say 'twas worth it all";
Only one life,' twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
You will never regret living each day for Jesus.
Serving God while you are young is not only the most
exciting, thrilling and challenging life, it is the most
satisfying, rewarding and fulfilling thing to do.
It is never too early to serve the Lord.
To serve Him years from now may be too late.
COMMITMENT:
Life is too short to be wasted.
Don’t waste your life.
Don’t waste your summer – join MYX!
ONE CALL TO PRAY - MALACHI 1:11
VIDEO – AWAKEN THE WATCHMEN
ONE CALL SERIES
This series – a response to the urgency of the times
Times we are in – last days – last generation
The last generation – will witness the greatest revival ever in the history of the Church – Jesus will come for a victorious Church GOD’S WORLWIDE MOVE
God is moving greatly globally – accelerating prayer and missions movement
All over the world God is calling people to pray.
His Life and YX context…
Malachi 1:11 New International Version (NIV)
11 My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD Almighty.
God is stirring up hearts everywhere toward UNCEASING
adoration and intercession – night and day worship and prayer.
TABERNACLE OF DAVID
The Bible speaks about the restoration of the Tabernacle of David in the last days.
Acts 15:16-17 New International Version (NIV)
16 “‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, 17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’[a] —
We are told in 1 Chronicles 25 that King David built a tent for the ark of the Lord that became known as the Tabernacle of David.
It was filled with continuous praise and worship for the Lord 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year after year for 30 years by singers and musicians (Levites) appointed by King David.
The restoration of this Tabernacle of David according to Acts 15 will result in the outpouring of God’s grace and mercy that will cause the gentiles to seek Him.
PRAYER AND MISSIONS TOGETHER – THE MORAVIANS
If we take a careful look at church history, we find that missions movement would usually be preceded by a revival in prayer.
In the early 18th century, there was a group of missionaries from Europe called the Moravians led by Count Zinzendorf.
This man made a famous confession at age 16: “I have one passion; it is Jesus, Jesus only.”
Flowing out of this passion for Christ was a life disciplined in prayer.
Under his influence was birthed the amazing prayer movement called the “Hourly Intercession”.
It was a 24/7 prayer for the works and wants of the Church that went on uninterrupted for more than 100 years.
As Zinzendorf’s passion for Jesus grew, so was his love for the lost.
He became determined to evangelize the world with a handful of saints equipped only with a burning passion for Jesus and the power of prayer.
Two first Moravian missionaries on board a ship bound for the West Indies cried out the famous words that would one day become the rallying call for all Moravian missionaries: “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.”
Their passion for souls was surpassed only by their passion for Jesus.
They had learned that the secret of loving the souls of men was found in loving the Savior of men.
CALL TO INTIMACY
The One Call to Pray is actually a call to intimacy.
David’s Example – passionate worshipper of God
Psalm 27:4 New International Version (NIV)
4 One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
THE CONTEXT OF OUR MAIN PASSAGE
In contrast, the people in the days of Malachi have reduced worship to a meaningless ritual that insulted God rather than honoured Him.
We will appreciate verse 11 more when we read the other verses of chapter 1.
Malachi 1:6-14 New International Version (NIV)
6 “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ 7 “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the LORD’s table is contemptible. 8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty. 9 “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says the LORD Almighty. 10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. 11 My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ 13 And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously, ” says the LORD Almighty. “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the LORD.14 “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king, ” says the LORD Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.
Malachi announces that a time is coming when God’s name would be honoured worldwide.
God is telling the priests and the people that in later times, people from other nations would bring Him acceptable offerings and give Him true worship coming out of a heart that loves Him passionately.
The problem with the priests and the people in Malachi’s generation was they failed to recognize the greatness of God – His position, power and prestige.
A GLIMPSE OF GOD IN HIS THRONE
Revelation 4 New International Version (NIV)
4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a] of God.6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’[b] who was, and is, and is to come.” 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
GOD IS WORTH IT
We worship God because He is worth it.
He deserves more than what we can ever give.
The call for an unceasing night and day worship and prayer to God may seem too much for some, but God deserves more than 24/7.
Worship – highest calling of a believer Privilege – to be able to worship Him in His presence
CONCLUSION
The last days church will harvest a great number of souls for God’s Kingdom.
But the church’s intensified work of reaching the lost is the result of her deep intimacy with the Lord.
This is why alongside this great move of evangelism and missions is the intensified move of night and day worship and prayer.
This worldwide move is God’s doing (Acts 15:17).
For such a time as this we were born … He wants you to be part of this great and final move before Jesus returns.
The last generation is a Joshua David generation – mighty conquerors (winning battles as they fight for the souls of men) and passionate worshippers (giving God the glory that is rightfully His).
LET’S WORSHIP HIM…
CHOICES OF THE HEART
GOD’S CHOICE
GENESIS 24
PASSAGE SUMMARY
Abraham, now in his old age (140 years old), sent his
chief servant to his former country (Mesopotamia) to get a wife for his son Isaac.
He specifically instructed the servant to take a wife not
from among the Canaanites but from his own clan.
The chief servant with his camels and assistants set out
for Aram Naharim, to the town of Nahor.
There was a well outside of this town and he had his
camels kneel down near it.
It was near evening already and it was the time when the
women would go out to draw water from the well.
The servant prayed to God and asked him to make his
mission (getting a wife for his master Isaac) successful.
He also asked God to give him a “sign” - that the woman
who would offer him a drink and give water to his camels would be the one God has chosen for Isaac.
Before he even had finished this prayer, Rebekah, a very
beautiful virgin, came toward the well, offered the servant a drink and gave water to the 10 camels as well.
The servant immediately thanked the Lord for leading
him to God’s choice.
Rebekah brought him to her family where he was
welcomed well.
The servant then told the family that he was sent for a
mission to get a wife for Isaac the son of his master
Abraham.
He also related to them how the Lord led him to Rebekah
as God’s choice for Isaac.
The family gave their approval because they clearly saw
the hand of God in this matter.
The following day the servant asked to be sent back to
his master with Rebekah.
At first they were hesitant because they wanted her to
spend 10 more days with them.
But when they asked Rebekah, she willingly decided to
go with the servant immediately.
So Rebekah together with her maids travelled with the
servant back to Abraham’s place.
Isaac met them, married Rebekah and loved her.
TEXT BACKGROUND
This chapter is the longest one in the book of Genesis.
Only 31 verses is devoted to the Creation account.
But 67 verses relate a beautiful love story of how a man
got his wife.
This passage is a great encouragement for those who
want God’s will in the selection of a mate.
In this old culture, a son’s wife was usually chosen by
parents.
Today while we do not use the same manner as Abraham’s, the principles we find in this love story still
apply to us.
After all, the principles of God in His Word are timeless.
PRINCIPLES
1. Faithful Master
God’s faithfulness is perfect.
He is faithful in fulfilling his plans and promises for
us in all areas of our life.
He has been faithful from the time of our physical
and spiritual birth and through every milestone of our life.
This faithfulness extends to other future milestones
of your life such as career, marriage and family life.
Abraham knew God’s perfect faithfulness personally.
God had promised him he would be the father of
many nations.
He had seen the impossible come to pass – his son
Isaac was born to him and Sarah in their old age.
Now in this passage he knew for sure God would
again show his faithfulness in the provision of a wife for Isaac.
2. Future Mate
The choice of a lifetime partner is very significant to
one’s life.
This is also significant to God.
Your future mate is part of God’s plan for you (unless
you are called to be single).
God is interested in every part of our life – our
family, our school, our emotions, our future.
He is particularly interested in our choice of a
lifetime partner.
3. Father’s Choice
Our passage reveals to us 4 truths concerning God’s choice for our future mate:
a. Forbidden Love – keep out of it
The OT consistently calls for God’s people to marry
within the family of faith.
Paul emphasizes the same thought when he says
in 1 Corinthians 7:39 that a person one marries
‘must belong to the Lord’.
No doubt there were many beautiful and talented
Canaanite women who would have gladly
married Isaac and shared his great wealth but this was against God’s will.
Abraham made it clear that his son must not
marry a Canaanite woman.
He knew this would surely lead his people away
from the worship of the true God.
Believers and unbelievers are opposites.
Their coming together in marriage will create
negative results in their family life.
The believer wants the will of God for the family
while the unbeliever in most cases does not.
The unbeliever will often lead the believer away
from the Lord.
b. Face Value – overlook it
Rebekah had physical beauty (“a very beautiful
virgin”).
But the servant was looking for a “sign” that
revealed inner beauty.
The hospitality custom of the day required women
at the well to offer water to weary travellers, but not to their animals.
It was the time of the day when there were many
women who were going out for water.
The servant was simply asking God to show him a
woman with a servant attitude.
An offer to water the camels would indicate that
kind of servant attitude.
The pots used for drawing water were large and
heavy.
It took a lot of water to satisfy a thirsty camel (up
to 25 gallons per camel and the servant had 10 of them) after a week of travel.
Serving these 10 camels was a great task as
Rebekah filled them all.
A woman who would go this far was unusually
kind and served beyond the call of duty.
So the servant was seeing a live demonstration of
someone with a heart for doing far more than expected.
Rebekah’s servant attitude was revealed as was
her inner beauty and purity.
The servant did not ask for a woman with looks or
wealth - he knew the importance of having the right heart.
In the choice of your future mate, we should put
value on character rather than the “face” .
Look at the heart (inner beauty), not the physical
attributes.
God does all the time.
In preparing yourself to be someone’s mate in the
future, put more effort in developing your inner beauty. (unfading beauty – 1 Peter 3:3-6)
The fruit of the Spirit (kindness, gentleness, self-
control) are the beauty treatments that help us become truly lovely and handsome – on the inside.
c. Family Blessing – seek it
Rebekah’s family showed hospitality to the
servant as they received him into their house (although Laban her brother was motivated by the gifts he saw).
The family realized that God had planned this
marriage and so allowed Rebekah to go with the
servant and become the wife of Isaac.
They sent her away with their blessing. (verse 60)
We should expect the approval and blessing of the
family of our intended partner.
However, in some cases where the family is not
Christian, we may not experience full acceptance especially if they are opposed to the gospel.
But we should always do all that is possible to earn
their respect without compromising our faith.
d. Feelings Mutual – expect it
Rebekah showed positive response to the plan of
marriage with Isaac.
There was no hesitation on her part to go with the
servant.
She was willing to leave her home, her family and
her country to become the bride of Isaac.
On the part of Isaac, he loved Rebekah.
Love is one very important ingredient in God’s
choice for you.
Although love is more than feelings (it is a
commitment), there will surely be an
involvement of romance and emotions in the relationship.
It is never true that God would give us to someone
we do not have desire and love for.
If you seek God’s will in the choice of your future
mate, true love will characterize your marriage.
APPLICATION
Father Knows Best
In this love story we can learn that our Father knows
what is best for us in all areas of our life including the choice of our future mate.
Not only that he knows what is best for us, he is
committed to giving the best to us.
Somewhere in our passage it says that before the servant
had even finished his prayer to lead him to the woman of God’s choice, God answered his request.
(key is God’s perfect time)
God is as excited as you are or even more in your mate
life.
Faith Issue
This is why fully surrendering your love life as a young
person to the lordship of Jesus is a faith issue.
If you believe God knows best and is committed to giving
you the best, put your full trust in Him with regard
to your future mate.
Abraham believed God would supply the need for a wife for his son.
He told his servant that God would send his angel (not
cupid)before him and with him and make his mission or journey a success. (verse 40)
He had seen God’s provisions before and there is no
reason to doubt the provision for the best marriage partner for his son.
God has shown his faithfulness to you through the years,
what makes you think you cannot trust him on this very if not most important area of your life?
The best decision you can make with regard to your love
life is to put your faith in Him.
Putting your faith in Him means letting him write your
love story.
It is trusting his leading in this area, his timing and his
ways.
CONCLUSION
If your heart is fully surrendered to the Lord’s will, you can be sure that when the time is ripe for you to make your choice of a lifetime partner, everything will be under His leading and blessing.
Why settle for less than the best?
Go for the best.
Choose God’s choice.
PRAYER
Thank God for his perfect faithfulness to you through all the seasons in your life.
Thank Him for His commitment to give you the best husband/wife someday when his timing is revealed.
Tell Him that you want his perfect will for your future mate.
Ask for His guidance and confirmation of His choice when the right time comes.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
YOUNG AND SERVING
(DON’T WASTE YOUR LIFE MESSAGES)
ECLESIASTES 12:1
ILLUSTRATION: spray (mist)
James 4:14
New International Version (NIV)
14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
The Bible reminds us in several passages that life is short.
Life is too short to be wasted.
ILLUSTRATION photo of Macaulay Culkin as example of a
wasted life
Growing old is not something we can control (only how
we choose to live as we advance in years).
This is the challenge of this message – that you will
choose not to waste your life in your youth years and onwards.
Ecclesiastes 12:1
1 Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
WHAT THIS VERSE TELLS US:
1. Remember – does not just mean simply recalling
once in a while.
It means that as we live our life as young people, we
do so with the perspective of the truth.
And what is that truth?
2. Someone created us – we are accountable to Him
We are free to live the way we want to but it is best
to do so with the perspective that at the end of it we will face the One whom we are accountable to. (Ecclesiastes 11:9)
The underlying reason why evolutionists propagate their
theories however clearly absurd it has become through the years is that they find it unacceptable that there is a Creator – this truth would mean responsibility and accountability.
If there is a Creator, then our life is not our own and it
has to be lived in accordance to His purpose.
To remember you Creator is to carefully acknowledge
God as you live each day of your life – not to simply fit Him into your plans, but to make sure your plans fit into His.
3. Days of trouble – refer to what happens in old age
Verses 2-7 gives us an imagery or metaphor of the aging process.
Examples:
3 when the keepers of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows grow dim;
Keepers of the house tremble – arms and hands by
which we defend ourselves when attacked begin to shake
Strong men stoop – legs (strongest parts of the body)
become bent
Grinders cease because they are few – teeth are lost
Those looking through the window grow dim –
eyesight fades
The best time to decide to serve God is now in your
youth years – the prime of your life.
It would be hard to begin doing so when those so
called days of trouble come.
4. I find no pleasure in them – refers to motivation
Your motivation now is highest while you are in your
youth.
It is usually at its lowest when you are old.
This the time of your life that you welcome
challenges, changes and choices and are excited
about them.
This is the stage of life that you want to conquer the
world.
IN OTHER WORDS, THE BEST TIME TO CHOOSE TO SERVE GOD IS AT THE PRIME OF YOUR LIFE WHICH IS NOW IN YOUR YOUTH YEARS.
(This is not saying that the joy of doing so will waiver as you advance in years, in fact, it is going to get better…as long as you decide to do it now so you won’t face the end with regret.)
REGRETS
I have yet to meet an adult say “I regret giving my life to
the Lord while I was still young.”
But there have been those who said , “I wish I had known
the Lord when I was still young.”
EXCITEMENT – ACTION AND PASSION
Youth always want an exciting life – the more thrilling
and challenging it is, the better it becomes for them.
They want intense passion and dynamic action.
They seek something into which they can give their
commitment.
But sad to say that “something” may not necessarily be
right, thus, they end up wasting their life.
VIDEO CLIP (A Dramatic Surprise on a Quiet Square)
Action and excitement in God’s Kingdom
Recruit for Summer Action – MYX
Winning souls – snatching souls from hell
Battle for lost souls
EXAMPLE OF A HERO OF FAITH WHO STARTED SERVING GOD WHILE YOUNG by REACHING LOST SOULS:
Charles Thomas (C.T.) Studd
C.T. Studd (1860-1931) was an English missionary who faithfully served His Saviour in China, India, and Africa. His motto was: "If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."
C.T. Studd was 18 years old when he followed Jesus. He traded the lifestyle of the rich and famous for the lifestyle of a missionary in China, India and Africa.
It was while in China that C.T. reached the age (25 years old) in which according to his father's will he was to inherit a large sum of money. Through reading God's Word and much prayer, C.T. felt led to give his entire fortune to Christ!
Before knowing the exact amount of his inheritance, C.T. sent £5000 to Mr. Moody, another £5000 to George Müller (£4000 to be used on missionary work and £1000 among the orphans); as well as £15,000 pounds to support other worthy ministries. In a few months, he was able to discover the exact amount of his inheritance and he gave some additional thousands away, leaving about £3400 pounds in his possession.
C.T. seeking to comfort his mother wrote:
"Mother dear, I do pray God to show you that it is such a privilege to give up a child to be used of God to saving poor sinners who have never even heard of the name of Jesus."
"I cannot tell you what joy it gave me to bring the first soul to the Lord Jesus Christ. I have tasted almost all the pleasures that this world can give ... but those pleasures were as nothing compared to the joy that the saving of that one soul gave me."
"...I do not say, Don't play games or cricket and so forth. By all means play and enjoy them, giving thanks to Jesus for them. Only take care that games do not become an idol to you as they did to me. What good will it do to anybody in the next world to have been the best player that ever has been? And then think of the difference between that and winning souls for Jesus."
In a letter home, C.T. gave a last backward look at the outstanding events of his life:
"As I believe I am now nearing my departure from this world, I have but a few things to rejoice in; they are these:
1. That God called me to China and I went in spite of utmost opposition from all my loved ones.
2. That I joyfully acted as Christ told that rich young man to act.
3. That I deliberately at the call of God, when alone on the Bibby liner in 1910, gave up my life for this work, which was to be henceforth not for the Sudan only, but for the whole unevangelized World.
My only joys therefore are that when God has given me a work to do, I have not refused it."
Shortly after 10:30 p.m. on a July day in 1931, C.T. Studd went home to be with His Lord whom he had loved so dearly and served so faithfully! The last word he spoke was "Hallelujah"!
Only One Life Poem (last three paragraphs)
Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e'er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, "twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, "Thy will be done";
And when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say 'twas worth it all";
Only one life,' twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
You will never regret living each day for Jesus.
Serving God while you are young is not only the most
exciting, thrilling and challenging life, it is the most
satisfying, rewarding and fulfilling thing to do.
It is never too early to serve the Lord.
To serve Him years from now may be too late.
COMMITMENT:
Life is too short to be wasted.
Don’t waste your life.
Don’t waste your summer – join MYX!
ONE CALL TO PRAY - MALACHI 1:11
VIDEO – AWAKEN THE WATCHMEN
ONE CALL SERIES
This series – a response to the urgency of the times
Times we are in – last days – last generation
The last generation – will witness the greatest revival ever in the history of the Church – Jesus will come for a victorious Church GOD’S WORLWIDE MOVE
God is moving greatly globally – accelerating prayer and missions movement
All over the world God is calling people to pray.
His Life and YX context…
Malachi 1:11 New International Version (NIV)
11 My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD Almighty.
God is stirring up hearts everywhere toward UNCEASING
adoration and intercession – night and day worship and prayer.
TABERNACLE OF DAVID
The Bible speaks about the restoration of the Tabernacle of David in the last days.
Acts 15:16-17 New International Version (NIV)
16 “‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, 17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’[a] —
We are told in 1 Chronicles 25 that King David built a tent for the ark of the Lord that became known as the Tabernacle of David.
It was filled with continuous praise and worship for the Lord 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year after year for 30 years by singers and musicians (Levites) appointed by King David.
The restoration of this Tabernacle of David according to Acts 15 will result in the outpouring of God’s grace and mercy that will cause the gentiles to seek Him.
PRAYER AND MISSIONS TOGETHER – THE MORAVIANS
If we take a careful look at church history, we find that missions movement would usually be preceded by a revival in prayer.
In the early 18th century, there was a group of missionaries from Europe called the Moravians led by Count Zinzendorf.
This man made a famous confession at age 16: “I have one passion; it is Jesus, Jesus only.”
Flowing out of this passion for Christ was a life disciplined in prayer.
Under his influence was birthed the amazing prayer movement called the “Hourly Intercession”.
It was a 24/7 prayer for the works and wants of the Church that went on uninterrupted for more than 100 years.
As Zinzendorf’s passion for Jesus grew, so was his love for the lost.
He became determined to evangelize the world with a handful of saints equipped only with a burning passion for Jesus and the power of prayer.
Two first Moravian missionaries on board a ship bound for the West Indies cried out the famous words that would one day become the rallying call for all Moravian missionaries: “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.”
Their passion for souls was surpassed only by their passion for Jesus.
They had learned that the secret of loving the souls of men was found in loving the Savior of men.
CALL TO INTIMACY
The One Call to Pray is actually a call to intimacy.
David’s Example – passionate worshipper of God
Psalm 27:4 New International Version (NIV)
4 One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
THE CONTEXT OF OUR MAIN PASSAGE
In contrast, the people in the days of Malachi have reduced worship to a meaningless ritual that insulted God rather than honoured Him.
We will appreciate verse 11 more when we read the other verses of chapter 1.
Malachi 1:6-14 New International Version (NIV)
6 “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ 7 “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the LORD’s table is contemptible. 8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty. 9 “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says the LORD Almighty. 10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. 11 My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ 13 And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously, ” says the LORD Almighty. “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the LORD.14 “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king, ” says the LORD Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.
Malachi announces that a time is coming when God’s name would be honoured worldwide.
God is telling the priests and the people that in later times, people from other nations would bring Him acceptable offerings and give Him true worship coming out of a heart that loves Him passionately.
The problem with the priests and the people in Malachi’s generation was they failed to recognize the greatness of God – His position, power and prestige.
A GLIMPSE OF GOD IN HIS THRONE
Revelation 4 New International Version (NIV)
4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a] of God.6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’[b] who was, and is, and is to come.” 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
GOD IS WORTH IT
We worship God because He is worth it.
He deserves more than what we can ever give.
The call for an unceasing night and day worship and prayer to God may seem too much for some, but God deserves more than 24/7.
Worship – highest calling of a believer Privilege – to be able to worship Him in His presence
CONCLUSION
The last days church will harvest a great number of souls for God’s Kingdom.
But the church’s intensified work of reaching the lost is the result of her deep intimacy with the Lord.
This is why alongside this great move of evangelism and missions is the intensified move of night and day worship and prayer.
This worldwide move is God’s doing (Acts 15:17).
For such a time as this we were born … He wants you to be part of this great and final move before Jesus returns.
The last generation is a Joshua David generation – mighty conquerors (winning battles as they fight for the souls of men) and passionate worshippers (giving God the glory that is rightfully His).
LET’S WORSHIP HIM…
