We must love one another, because as we do, people will see how we relate to each other and will know that God lives inside us. We each have a part to play in the church. God has given us abilities that will enable us to outwork His purposes. The work that the preacher does is in no way better or of more value to God than the work of a cleaner.
It is important that we love one another.
John 15:12-14
I’m sure that when Peter reflected back on what Jesus spoke to him, this concept of a new commandment was a revelation. The disciples knew of the ten commandments, but now, in this New Testament, is a new commandment. We tend to think of God’s law as the ten commandments. Few people would refer to this commandment.
What I’m saying to you tonight is practical. It affects how you relate to the people around you. From what Jesus said in the Gospel of John, it is how we react to one another that will show people that we are God’s disciples.
1 Peter 4:7-8
The word ‘charity’ there could be translated as love. We must have ‘fervent’ love amongst ourselves, because love covers a multitude of sins. There are echoes here from the Old Testament.
Proverbs 10:12
Proverbs 17:9
Does that mean we have our head in the clouds? Not at all. This means that when you are a brother in Christ with someone else, we are commanded to love one another. We will automatically want to do that because Jesus Christ lives inside us. This doesn’t mean that we are in a holy huddle. We want to be open with each other because we are commanded to love one another. If you hear something about someone, you should not find that as a juicy piece of information that you can pass onto other people; that’s not the way we live.
Jesus spoke specifically to Peter here:
Matthew 18:21-27
There was a master who had a debtor who owed him, in today’s terms, a billion dollars. We see here that the person who owed the money begged the lord, and the lord forgave him.
Matthew 18:28-30
You see how Jesus was conveying to Peter the fact that, this guy who had been forgiven the billion pound debt, turned round, caught sight of someone who owed him ten pounds, and threw him into prison. The impact on Peter was that he could not believe that someone, who had been forgiven so much, could behave like that.
Matthew 18:31-35
This is to do with forgiveness. The parable means that when I’m in a situation in my life where there is immense pressure, and I’m asking God for help, I can’t be like that and then effectively ‘throttle’ my brother because of my own situation. You cannot take your anger out on your brother. Peter knew that there was severe persecution on its way to these people he was writing to. So this message was pertinent to them. It’s significant for you and me to find ways of loving one another. You should make the effort to have fellowship with others. Have ‘fervent charity’ among yourselves; the charity shall cover the multitude of sins. This ‘love’ will transcend age groups, cliques and inviting new people into the church.
The local church is the churches that are here in Brentwood. We are also part of the church worldwide. We will see that what God has been doing in our midst is this: inevitably, since March 2008, every one of us has had to re-examine what we believe in, and every one of us has discovered that God by His Holy Spirit has caused each one of us to develop our relationship with Him more than ever before. Prayer and Bible study has become more of a feature of this church. This is all to do with you and me fulfilling what God has for us to do in our lives. As each of us has had to examine ourselves and what is the foundation of our lives, the end result is that we are more confident in what we believe in. The end result will be whatever brings glory to God. I do not know how that will work out, but I know that God is in complete control. I know that God is working by His Holy Spirit in all of us. All of us have become more aware and what God wants to do is to develop that relationship with you, so that you can look up and know that you are a new creation in Jesus Christ.
Acts 18:1-4
Here’s an example of Paul linking up with a couple.
Romans 16:3-5
Acts reveals, in the growth of the Gospel, how God by His Spirit linked people up. There was a love between them in that common cause of spreading the Gospel.
1 Peter 4:10
What’s ‘the gift’? The gift is whatever ability God has given you to outwork His purposes in the church. Paul gives a list of what this ‘gift’ can be:
1 Corinthians 12:28
‘Helps’ is a good word. The work that you do in the church, as unto God, is of equal value to me working up here. It could be that God has organised you to be a ‘help’ in the church. Someone who works in the car park is doing a work of equal value as to a preacher up preaching on the stage. Peter writes: “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” It matters how we go about what God has given us to do in the church. I am confident that, if there is something you will do, we will make contact because I know that you want to fulfil God’s purpose for you in the church. We want to carry on fulfilling God’s will, and each person plays their own part. I am not building my empire. As every person plays their own part people will notice how we relate to each other. Every person has received a gift.
1 Peter 4:11
2 Corinthians 10:17-18
1 Peter 4:11
In other words, it’s all to do with God. The ability we have came from Him and they are to be used for outworking His purposes in the church. When Peter said this, he knew that persecution that was coming to the people, and he knew that it was important that they continued to fulfil God’s purpose for their lives.
Showing posts with label fulfilled. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fulfilled. Show all posts
Friday, 24 April 2009
Friday, 6 March 2009
Fulfilling God's Purpose
I want to look at you and me fulfilling God’s will. In the same way as Jesus said in the garden of Gethsemane, “Nevertheless not my will, but your will.” He led the way fulfilling his Father’s will.
It’s so important that you and I fulfil what God wants us to do on this planet. There’s no point doing anything else because in the end, we will be judged and it’s going to be looked at: “Was it your will that governed your life or God’s will?”
Matthew 7:15-20
The fruit of a life stems from the nature of that life. What is fruit? I think, as we’ll go on to see in verses 21-23, the fruit of a good life is the one that fulfils Father’s will.
Matthew 7:21-23
So the iniquity is not some list of horrendous sins, it’s the problem of when someone doesn’t fulfil Father’s will for their life, because at birth, our will is contrary to him. The transition in a life, when Jesus Christ comes into that life, is that the iniquity of self-will is replaced by the desire and the fulfilment of doing the will of the Father which is in heaven.
Never underestimate the significance of you on your knees, but in your heart, what I want to do in my life is your will. It’s the most significant thing that an individual can do and it’s a wonderful thing that an individual like you and me can be open and say “Lord, all I want to do in my life, the life you’ve given me, is to fulfil your will in my life. That’s what I want.” And I know there are certain decisions that have to be made. Will God make his will clear for you? Yes 150% he will.
How will he do that? He makes it clear through the preaching of his word possibly, or through what someone else says. Is it the case that you will know inside that you are doing God’s will? Yes you will. What if I have a niggle about something, where I’m weighing something up but I’m not sure; don’t go that way. God is a faithful witness.
Matthew 22:1-3
So we’ve got those who know that they have already been invited to the wedding. This was an important feast; this was the king, it was his son, “you’re invited”. Incredibly, they would not come.
Matthew 22:4-6
So we’re in a situation here where the invitation is repeated yet again. I know the parallel here, that it’s first to the Jewish nation, they rejected them and then he went to the Gentiles. But then it’s also you and me in our lives. There’s an invitation from the king to the feast. “I’ve got everything ready.” But they made light of it. They didn’t care. They went their ways and the rest of them killed off the servants (the prophets of old, as it were).
Matthew 22:7-10
The extension to the Gentiles is paralleled here. “My wedding feast is ready. There’s no way that aren’t going to be people not to enjoy this feast. As many as you can find, get them in”. So they all came. This is the interesting bit.
Matthew 22:11-12
He couldn’t say anything. It was a shock. Somehow, this man had come into the gathering; he wasn’t wearing a wedding garment, but there was some way that the king immediately noted who this man was. He stood out from the crowd. Often robes speak of manner of life. There was something about this man’s heart who wanted the benefits of the meal, but inside he was doing his own thing. He came to the wedding feast for the food, not to witness the bride and the groom.
What does that mean for you and me? It means that when push comes to shove in our lives, it matters what our relationship is between the King and his will. It matters. Father’s will is where it’s at as far as our futures are concerned. His will is paramount, it’s perfect and what we need to do is to prove that acceptable will of God in our lives. It’s a wonderful thing to prove the outworking of God’s will in your life.
That man didn’t come to celebrate what was going on. This whole parable is to do with the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is the church of God.
With some of you, there’s been a realisation that you, on your own, end speechless. You’ve been surprised at that self will that God has revealed. And for some of you also, it’s been a case of clearing out “rubble” to get to the point of “ok, what’s the foundation of my life” and you know it has to be God.
Some of you have been weighing up careers and projects for God. Why the hesitation? I don’t want to be there in that day where I can quote the phraseology of church and the Bible and He says to me “that’s good but did you fulfil what I wanted in your life or was it a talking away of the convictions of what you know to be right in your life?”
This guy stood out a mile. Look how important verse 13 is.
Matthew 22:13-14
We still have the freedom to preach and we have the opportunity to be able to fulfil both individually and together corporately what God has for us. Everyone is happy and wants to have a good time at a wedding; there is not a ripple of discontent in heaven or a wondering about the future. In heaven, the king reigns supreme; our father who art in heaven THY WILL be done on earth as it is in heaven, because that’s where it’s at. He loves you and me to open our hearts to let him reign supreme in our lives.
Romans 12:1-2
Why is God transforming your mind? So that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. These verses accentuate completely what God is prepared, is doing, loves to do in your life. We present our bodies a living sacrifice, our reasonable service. He’s put in our hearts that we don’t want to be conformed to this world. And he’s transforming our minds so that we can prove what is good, acceptable and the perfect will of God.
Ephesians 5:8-11
Don’t get involved with people who are going to take you the wrong way.
Ephesians 5:12-17
The will of God for your life will never go contrary to this word. His will is the most significant thing you can focus on. Walk circumspectly, redeeming the time.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
There is no way God won’t equip you and me to do his will in our lives. And by his Holy Spirit in our lives, that you and I can fulfil God’s will for our lives, if so be we remain sensitive, walking the path and keeping the principles that are laid before us but most of all allowing him to live through us. It’s a wonderful thing to mirror the kingdom of heaven with a wedding feast. And you and me are the bride of Christ.
Don’t do your own thing and then cover it up by saying “oh that’s God’s will”. Don’t be like that. I know you don’t want to be speechless at a wedding speech. God is faithful. Fulfil his will for your life and for your family.
It’s so important that you and I fulfil what God wants us to do on this planet. There’s no point doing anything else because in the end, we will be judged and it’s going to be looked at: “Was it your will that governed your life or God’s will?”
Matthew 7:15-20
The fruit of a life stems from the nature of that life. What is fruit? I think, as we’ll go on to see in verses 21-23, the fruit of a good life is the one that fulfils Father’s will.
Matthew 7:21-23
So the iniquity is not some list of horrendous sins, it’s the problem of when someone doesn’t fulfil Father’s will for their life, because at birth, our will is contrary to him. The transition in a life, when Jesus Christ comes into that life, is that the iniquity of self-will is replaced by the desire and the fulfilment of doing the will of the Father which is in heaven.
Never underestimate the significance of you on your knees, but in your heart, what I want to do in my life is your will. It’s the most significant thing that an individual can do and it’s a wonderful thing that an individual like you and me can be open and say “Lord, all I want to do in my life, the life you’ve given me, is to fulfil your will in my life. That’s what I want.” And I know there are certain decisions that have to be made. Will God make his will clear for you? Yes 150% he will.
How will he do that? He makes it clear through the preaching of his word possibly, or through what someone else says. Is it the case that you will know inside that you are doing God’s will? Yes you will. What if I have a niggle about something, where I’m weighing something up but I’m not sure; don’t go that way. God is a faithful witness.
Matthew 22:1-3
So we’ve got those who know that they have already been invited to the wedding. This was an important feast; this was the king, it was his son, “you’re invited”. Incredibly, they would not come.
Matthew 22:4-6
So we’re in a situation here where the invitation is repeated yet again. I know the parallel here, that it’s first to the Jewish nation, they rejected them and then he went to the Gentiles. But then it’s also you and me in our lives. There’s an invitation from the king to the feast. “I’ve got everything ready.” But they made light of it. They didn’t care. They went their ways and the rest of them killed off the servants (the prophets of old, as it were).
Matthew 22:7-10
The extension to the Gentiles is paralleled here. “My wedding feast is ready. There’s no way that aren’t going to be people not to enjoy this feast. As many as you can find, get them in”. So they all came. This is the interesting bit.
Matthew 22:11-12
He couldn’t say anything. It was a shock. Somehow, this man had come into the gathering; he wasn’t wearing a wedding garment, but there was some way that the king immediately noted who this man was. He stood out from the crowd. Often robes speak of manner of life. There was something about this man’s heart who wanted the benefits of the meal, but inside he was doing his own thing. He came to the wedding feast for the food, not to witness the bride and the groom.
What does that mean for you and me? It means that when push comes to shove in our lives, it matters what our relationship is between the King and his will. It matters. Father’s will is where it’s at as far as our futures are concerned. His will is paramount, it’s perfect and what we need to do is to prove that acceptable will of God in our lives. It’s a wonderful thing to prove the outworking of God’s will in your life.
That man didn’t come to celebrate what was going on. This whole parable is to do with the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is the church of God.
With some of you, there’s been a realisation that you, on your own, end speechless. You’ve been surprised at that self will that God has revealed. And for some of you also, it’s been a case of clearing out “rubble” to get to the point of “ok, what’s the foundation of my life” and you know it has to be God.
Some of you have been weighing up careers and projects for God. Why the hesitation? I don’t want to be there in that day where I can quote the phraseology of church and the Bible and He says to me “that’s good but did you fulfil what I wanted in your life or was it a talking away of the convictions of what you know to be right in your life?”
This guy stood out a mile. Look how important verse 13 is.
Matthew 22:13-14
We still have the freedom to preach and we have the opportunity to be able to fulfil both individually and together corporately what God has for us. Everyone is happy and wants to have a good time at a wedding; there is not a ripple of discontent in heaven or a wondering about the future. In heaven, the king reigns supreme; our father who art in heaven THY WILL be done on earth as it is in heaven, because that’s where it’s at. He loves you and me to open our hearts to let him reign supreme in our lives.
Romans 12:1-2
Why is God transforming your mind? So that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. These verses accentuate completely what God is prepared, is doing, loves to do in your life. We present our bodies a living sacrifice, our reasonable service. He’s put in our hearts that we don’t want to be conformed to this world. And he’s transforming our minds so that we can prove what is good, acceptable and the perfect will of God.
Ephesians 5:8-11
Don’t get involved with people who are going to take you the wrong way.
Ephesians 5:12-17
The will of God for your life will never go contrary to this word. His will is the most significant thing you can focus on. Walk circumspectly, redeeming the time.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
There is no way God won’t equip you and me to do his will in our lives. And by his Holy Spirit in our lives, that you and I can fulfil God’s will for our lives, if so be we remain sensitive, walking the path and keeping the principles that are laid before us but most of all allowing him to live through us. It’s a wonderful thing to mirror the kingdom of heaven with a wedding feast. And you and me are the bride of Christ.
Don’t do your own thing and then cover it up by saying “oh that’s God’s will”. Don’t be like that. I know you don’t want to be speechless at a wedding speech. God is faithful. Fulfil his will for your life and for your family.
Friday, 5 December 2008
This Day is this Scripture Fulfilled in Your Ears
Things can be very specific with God when he outworks his purposes. He seems to manage always to get things on time, in time, every time. And I know to some who are here, what we are going to look at in the scriptures will be God’s timing for you. I’m going to look at a section in the gospel of Luke where Jesus refers to what we will be looking at in 2 Kings 5.
God is very careful and specific with you. There is nothing but nothing that takes place in your life without his guiding hand upon it. And what I mean by that is, our God is a faithful God and he makes provision for his children. And our God is clear. And the clarity of his purpose was made clear to this gentlemen in 2 Kings.
2 Kings 5:1-7
It’s amazing what God allows to happen at particular times to work things out. He will fulfil his purposes.
2 Kings 5:8-9
He expected Elisha to come out and heal him.
2 Kings 5:10-12
Sometimes our reaction to the way God has provided an answer to our problem is hard to accept. We need to submit to his way of answering. This answer was not the one Naaman wanted. Don’t prejudge the solution God is bringing to you. Don’t prepackage the way it should come. Don’t have preconceived ideas of the way he will answer. We’re talking here about the God of love and who has the answer to all our problems; everything and anything.
2 Kings 5:13-19
Luke 4:16-21
When Jesus read those words from Isaiah, they were incredulous in the synagogue; they couldn’t believe the authority with which he spoke those words. He fulfilled that scripture. Two words: ‘this day’. There comes a time when God, like a shaft of light, causes things to be in certain order such that at that point, by his Holy Spirit he reaches inside, and his work is done. It might well be, that what you’re hearing right now, is sufficient for you to wonder, ‘Is this my day for what I want and need to happen?’ The fact that I’m speaking these words in this way in this time, is significant to you. There is no way God has brought you here for any other reason than for you to hear his words of truth and for that shaft of light to be real to you. His name is Jesus. It doesn’t matter what you already know about him; it doesn’t matter what your past experiences are; it doesn’t matter that you would have worked things out differently for the solution to come. He knows what he is doing and he loves you.
Luke 4:22-27
This is Jesus talking about the story we read earlier. Why did he mention Naaman? What was he trying to get at? He just read out the prophesy concerning himself and those five or six things were about to be fulfilled in front of them.
Luke 4:28-30
The specifics of God is involvement, constant involvement in your life, is to bring you to the point where your eyes are opened to who he is. And he is the answer to your prayer. He is the solution to your predicament. He is the miracle you need. He is.
“This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”
God is very careful and specific with you. There is nothing but nothing that takes place in your life without his guiding hand upon it. And what I mean by that is, our God is a faithful God and he makes provision for his children. And our God is clear. And the clarity of his purpose was made clear to this gentlemen in 2 Kings.
2 Kings 5:1-7
It’s amazing what God allows to happen at particular times to work things out. He will fulfil his purposes.
2 Kings 5:8-9
He expected Elisha to come out and heal him.
2 Kings 5:10-12
Sometimes our reaction to the way God has provided an answer to our problem is hard to accept. We need to submit to his way of answering. This answer was not the one Naaman wanted. Don’t prejudge the solution God is bringing to you. Don’t prepackage the way it should come. Don’t have preconceived ideas of the way he will answer. We’re talking here about the God of love and who has the answer to all our problems; everything and anything.
2 Kings 5:13-19
Luke 4:16-21
When Jesus read those words from Isaiah, they were incredulous in the synagogue; they couldn’t believe the authority with which he spoke those words. He fulfilled that scripture. Two words: ‘this day’. There comes a time when God, like a shaft of light, causes things to be in certain order such that at that point, by his Holy Spirit he reaches inside, and his work is done. It might well be, that what you’re hearing right now, is sufficient for you to wonder, ‘Is this my day for what I want and need to happen?’ The fact that I’m speaking these words in this way in this time, is significant to you. There is no way God has brought you here for any other reason than for you to hear his words of truth and for that shaft of light to be real to you. His name is Jesus. It doesn’t matter what you already know about him; it doesn’t matter what your past experiences are; it doesn’t matter that you would have worked things out differently for the solution to come. He knows what he is doing and he loves you.
Luke 4:22-27
This is Jesus talking about the story we read earlier. Why did he mention Naaman? What was he trying to get at? He just read out the prophesy concerning himself and those five or six things were about to be fulfilled in front of them.
Luke 4:28-30
The specifics of God is involvement, constant involvement in your life, is to bring you to the point where your eyes are opened to who he is. And he is the answer to your prayer. He is the solution to your predicament. He is the miracle you need. He is.
“This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”
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