God sorts things out totally revolutionary to your thinking. God wants us to link in with each other bearing in mind that the mindset he wants us to have, he will fulfil what he wants to do, in his time, in his way, for his gloronly want to be in what he has for us.
There came a time for Samuel, where he was organising and finding out who God was going to anoint.
1 Samuel 16:6-7
God looks at things possibly differently to how you do. God looks on the heart and his ways of thinking are often different to our own.
Romans 11:33-34
In other words, God knows exactly what he is doing and he is a God of love and a holy God. He knows exactly what he is doing in your life and in the church.
Isaiah 40:25-31
You see it’s totally the opposite with God. You might be at your wit’s end or exhausted, defending the truth. Something else comes along and you need to defend the truth again: “I know my God, and what he starts he’s going to complete.”
“Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.”
Let this weekend be a time for you to focus your attention on Him. My sole aim is this: to lift up the name of Jesus Christ; to glorify his name in our midst; to point you and me to him and the greatness of his might. Last weekend we looked at how God’s provision never fails and he is sorting everything out miraculously for you.
Romans 11:33-36
“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever.”
Romans 12:1-2
You tonight, me tonight, setting our hearts, setting our minds to present our bodies a living sacrifice which means that there is no area of my life that I am keeping separate from God. He is involved with all of me: my thinking, my speaking, my doing.
Here as you present your bodies, set apart, acceptable to God I’m conscious each day that I want to orientate my thinking for that day. He works through me. That’s my reasonable service. Be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind...why?...that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. What does God want me to do in my life, for his will? What am I good at? It’s not building me up, it’s simply in thanks for what he has given me and constantly allowing his life to live through me. To live is Christ, to die is gain. Not for me to live is something which I hope works out; for me to live is Christ. Present your bodies a living sacrifice and the reason is that we might prove what is good, acceptable and perfect will of God.
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Friday, 12 June 2009
Sunday, 22 March 2009
Spiritual Sacrifices to God
The Apostle Peter reminds us that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone, the foundation of our faith. And secure in that knowledge, we are called to offer up spiritual sacrifices which are acceptable to God.
Church is all about people. The church is the people. I want to talk about the fact that the foundation of the church is Jesus Christ, and the foundation of your life is Jesus Christ, if you’re a Christian. Maybe somebody here is rediscovering the orientation of what their lives should be.
1 Peter was written at a time of severe persecution. Peter wrote the letter to a variety of people in different towns around Turkey, and the letter was read out to different groups of believers.
Just like a young baby, we are to desire the sincere milk of the word. Everything else in life apart from Jesus Christ is transient. In v4, Peter talks about who Jesus is in the context of the church.
There isn’t one prayer He hasn’t heard. And He doesn’t just hear prayers, but He answers them too.
1 Peter 2:4-6
I want to look at what is a spiritual sacrifice, because if that’s acceptable to God, I want to be involved in it. We aren’t looking at Old Testament sacrifices. But there’s a spiritual house now.
1 Peter 2:6-11
There’s a total difference between being part of the people of God, and not being a part. There are people again this week who have heard news about employment problems, losing jobs, and so on. One common denominator is that as a Christian, there is no doubt whatsoever that God is more involved with your life than you realise. The circumstances of your life are there because He loves you.
You may say that there are things going in your life which don’t seem to stack up against that. But God is proving Himself as your provider in your life. I can react either by throwing in the towel and ask what this life is about. Or I can face the circumstances of life head on and accept the fact that Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone, loves me and gave Himself for me, and the relationship I now have by God’s Holy Spirit is real. It’s not a haphazard hope.
Peter was keen to encourage people not to forget what it said in the Old Testament – Jesus was chosen before the foundation of the world, and provided as the solution to your life. Even before this world was made, He knew you’d be here in your situation this morning. And the words you are hearing this morning by His Holy Spirit are a direct result of Him wanting to communicate with you. He loves you.
He makes Himself known to us through different routes. He’ll make Himself known.
Isaiah 28:16-18
“He that believeth shall not make haste” has nothing to do with speed. It’s communicating that he who believes is not anxious, not in a panic. I am not going to be anxious. There’s a sure foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.
When the same information comes to me in my work place, the impact of that information on me as a believer in God is received in a totally different way from someone who does not know God. He is your loving heavenly father, and knows what He’s doing.
The progression of your life involves you knowing God inside as your provider, and the one bang in the centre of your life.
There have been quite a few times in my own life where the only solution could be God because I’d run out of ideas. And every time that has happened in my life, He’s done something.
And if you think about the answers you’ve received, and work things back, you realise that God must have set things in motion years ago, and they’ve come to fruition at exactly the right time. Many of you could stand up and give a testimony like that.
Peter was very keen that these new believers should realise their foundation.
Jesus referred to the same idea Himself. At the end of the parable of the vineyard, we have the following:
Mark 12:10-13
Jesus knew what He was about. He knew He was talking about Himself here. And when He hung on the cross, taking into Himself your sin, He knew about you. He was there to break the power of sin in your life. He knows all about you. And even if you think He hasn’t heard, He has heard, and the answer is coming, because He is not deaf to His children.
We see the concept of Jesus as the cornerstone repeated in Acts 4. This is Peter soon after Jesus had died and risen from the dead.
Acts 4:8-15
The Jewish people rejected Him, and in time the Gospel went out from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth. That’s why you’re here this morning.
Peter was concerned that these people should be aware of their situation and their relationship to Jesus Christ.
We have Paul talking about the concept of the cornerstone as well:
Ephesians 2:19-23
This church building is not where it’s at. The church is you and me – a group of people. The bride of Christ is the church – the group of people. And over this year and onwards, more and more will be added to the church as God’s Holy Spirit speaks to them. There will be a different foundation – Jesus Christ and what He wants to do in their life.
So when I am a Christian, I want to please my Father who is in heaven. I want to fulfil His purposes for my life. You knew that once, but you’ve let it go and drifted. And this morning God is pulling you back lovingly, saying that He is your foundation. You know that without Him you can do nothing.
I’d love to be able to talk to each of you individually, to ask after your circumstances and what impossibilities you are facing. Because I know that the impossibility people recount – that impossibility is a possibility in God. The foundation of your life is Jesus Christ. In no way will He let you down. He loves you. And your reaction to your circumstances will either be one of bitterness, or it will give you pause to consider who is the foundation of your life. Can He change things in your life? Of course! What do I want to do? The answer is that I want to do what is pleasing to Him. I want those spiritual sacrifices to which Peter refers in my own life.
Hebrews 13:15
That is a spiritual sacrifice. What does that mean in practical terms? My mindset needs to be that I am totally aware of what God has done in my life. At a moment’s notice, I could make a list of what I can thank God for. It wouldn’t be difficult, because the spiritual sacrifice of each of us is that we’re aware all the time of what we can be thankful for. That tends to cut across any moaning, any “poor me”. Everyone here can thank God for something.
There are things you have to deal with, I know. But what is your overriding frame of mind when you go about the day? Do you rejoice when you hear what God does for other people, or do you just wish it could happen to you?
Hebrews 13:16
“Communicate” is often in terms of giving and helping financially.
2 Corinthians 9:7-12
Giving thanks, giving to help others, being liberal – a cheerful giver, not tight-fisted, not “me and mine”, not working things out so that it destroys a heart of liberality. Be careful that you don’t work things out the wrong way.
Romans 12:1-3
There’s a spiritual sacrifice of continually giving thanks, of giving, and putting one’s whole life in line, proving what is that acceptable will of God.
Romans 12:2-4
As you think about practical things, what are spiritual sacrifices? What are those things which are pleasing to God? We’ve looked at some. Your prayers are a sacrifice to God.
Revelation 5:8
Revelation 8:3-4
It matters that you pray. God delights for you to become a co-worker with Him in prayer. You get alongside Him and become a co-worker. When you pray, He hears your prayer. He delights to hear. You’re praying because you know you need the answer from God. And those prayers which you pray are like sacrifices in that in the end time, the prayers of all the saints will be there.
Philippians 2:14-17
In the face of impossibilities, hold forth the word of life. And that’s a theme running through today. Peter said Jesus was the cornerstone. Take away the central stone, and the arch won’t be there any more. But with Jesus Christ immovable in the centre of the arch, He is building His church. And bang in the middle of your thinking, your aims and ambitions ... “I want to please you. What do you want me to do?” He’ll make it clear. If you’re trying to sort things out, try different doors. He will guide you. But be on the move – God can’t guide someone who stays put. And there is no way that God will let you down. He loves you. He’s a wonderful heavenly father.
The main message for you today is to live right, offering up spiritual sacrifice, holding forth the word of life, knowing what is the foundation of your life, going forward this week.
Church is all about people. The church is the people. I want to talk about the fact that the foundation of the church is Jesus Christ, and the foundation of your life is Jesus Christ, if you’re a Christian. Maybe somebody here is rediscovering the orientation of what their lives should be.
1 Peter was written at a time of severe persecution. Peter wrote the letter to a variety of people in different towns around Turkey, and the letter was read out to different groups of believers.
Just like a young baby, we are to desire the sincere milk of the word. Everything else in life apart from Jesus Christ is transient. In v4, Peter talks about who Jesus is in the context of the church.
There isn’t one prayer He hasn’t heard. And He doesn’t just hear prayers, but He answers them too.
1 Peter 2:4-6
I want to look at what is a spiritual sacrifice, because if that’s acceptable to God, I want to be involved in it. We aren’t looking at Old Testament sacrifices. But there’s a spiritual house now.
1 Peter 2:6-11
There’s a total difference between being part of the people of God, and not being a part. There are people again this week who have heard news about employment problems, losing jobs, and so on. One common denominator is that as a Christian, there is no doubt whatsoever that God is more involved with your life than you realise. The circumstances of your life are there because He loves you.
You may say that there are things going in your life which don’t seem to stack up against that. But God is proving Himself as your provider in your life. I can react either by throwing in the towel and ask what this life is about. Or I can face the circumstances of life head on and accept the fact that Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone, loves me and gave Himself for me, and the relationship I now have by God’s Holy Spirit is real. It’s not a haphazard hope.
Peter was keen to encourage people not to forget what it said in the Old Testament – Jesus was chosen before the foundation of the world, and provided as the solution to your life. Even before this world was made, He knew you’d be here in your situation this morning. And the words you are hearing this morning by His Holy Spirit are a direct result of Him wanting to communicate with you. He loves you.
He makes Himself known to us through different routes. He’ll make Himself known.
Isaiah 28:16-18
“He that believeth shall not make haste” has nothing to do with speed. It’s communicating that he who believes is not anxious, not in a panic. I am not going to be anxious. There’s a sure foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.
When the same information comes to me in my work place, the impact of that information on me as a believer in God is received in a totally different way from someone who does not know God. He is your loving heavenly father, and knows what He’s doing.
The progression of your life involves you knowing God inside as your provider, and the one bang in the centre of your life.
There have been quite a few times in my own life where the only solution could be God because I’d run out of ideas. And every time that has happened in my life, He’s done something.
And if you think about the answers you’ve received, and work things back, you realise that God must have set things in motion years ago, and they’ve come to fruition at exactly the right time. Many of you could stand up and give a testimony like that.
Peter was very keen that these new believers should realise their foundation.
Jesus referred to the same idea Himself. At the end of the parable of the vineyard, we have the following:
Mark 12:10-13
Jesus knew what He was about. He knew He was talking about Himself here. And when He hung on the cross, taking into Himself your sin, He knew about you. He was there to break the power of sin in your life. He knows all about you. And even if you think He hasn’t heard, He has heard, and the answer is coming, because He is not deaf to His children.
We see the concept of Jesus as the cornerstone repeated in Acts 4. This is Peter soon after Jesus had died and risen from the dead.
Acts 4:8-15
The Jewish people rejected Him, and in time the Gospel went out from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth. That’s why you’re here this morning.
Peter was concerned that these people should be aware of their situation and their relationship to Jesus Christ.
We have Paul talking about the concept of the cornerstone as well:
Ephesians 2:19-23
This church building is not where it’s at. The church is you and me – a group of people. The bride of Christ is the church – the group of people. And over this year and onwards, more and more will be added to the church as God’s Holy Spirit speaks to them. There will be a different foundation – Jesus Christ and what He wants to do in their life.
So when I am a Christian, I want to please my Father who is in heaven. I want to fulfil His purposes for my life. You knew that once, but you’ve let it go and drifted. And this morning God is pulling you back lovingly, saying that He is your foundation. You know that without Him you can do nothing.
I’d love to be able to talk to each of you individually, to ask after your circumstances and what impossibilities you are facing. Because I know that the impossibility people recount – that impossibility is a possibility in God. The foundation of your life is Jesus Christ. In no way will He let you down. He loves you. And your reaction to your circumstances will either be one of bitterness, or it will give you pause to consider who is the foundation of your life. Can He change things in your life? Of course! What do I want to do? The answer is that I want to do what is pleasing to Him. I want those spiritual sacrifices to which Peter refers in my own life.
Hebrews 13:15
That is a spiritual sacrifice. What does that mean in practical terms? My mindset needs to be that I am totally aware of what God has done in my life. At a moment’s notice, I could make a list of what I can thank God for. It wouldn’t be difficult, because the spiritual sacrifice of each of us is that we’re aware all the time of what we can be thankful for. That tends to cut across any moaning, any “poor me”. Everyone here can thank God for something.
There are things you have to deal with, I know. But what is your overriding frame of mind when you go about the day? Do you rejoice when you hear what God does for other people, or do you just wish it could happen to you?
Hebrews 13:16
“Communicate” is often in terms of giving and helping financially.
2 Corinthians 9:7-12
Giving thanks, giving to help others, being liberal – a cheerful giver, not tight-fisted, not “me and mine”, not working things out so that it destroys a heart of liberality. Be careful that you don’t work things out the wrong way.
Romans 12:1-3
There’s a spiritual sacrifice of continually giving thanks, of giving, and putting one’s whole life in line, proving what is that acceptable will of God.
Romans 12:2-4
As you think about practical things, what are spiritual sacrifices? What are those things which are pleasing to God? We’ve looked at some. Your prayers are a sacrifice to God.
Revelation 5:8
Revelation 8:3-4
It matters that you pray. God delights for you to become a co-worker with Him in prayer. You get alongside Him and become a co-worker. When you pray, He hears your prayer. He delights to hear. You’re praying because you know you need the answer from God. And those prayers which you pray are like sacrifices in that in the end time, the prayers of all the saints will be there.
Philippians 2:14-17
In the face of impossibilities, hold forth the word of life. And that’s a theme running through today. Peter said Jesus was the cornerstone. Take away the central stone, and the arch won’t be there any more. But with Jesus Christ immovable in the centre of the arch, He is building His church. And bang in the middle of your thinking, your aims and ambitions ... “I want to please you. What do you want me to do?” He’ll make it clear. If you’re trying to sort things out, try different doors. He will guide you. But be on the move – God can’t guide someone who stays put. And there is no way that God will let you down. He loves you. He’s a wonderful heavenly father.
The main message for you today is to live right, offering up spiritual sacrifice, holding forth the word of life, knowing what is the foundation of your life, going forward this week.
Friday, 20 March 2009
Do What You Can
By Dr Jerry Horner
Mark 14:3-10
You’ll notice in here, that Jesus was being anointed. We have a way among us of highly esteeming things that God thinks are abominable. We value things totally opposite to how God evaluate things. We think something good is something big, like a big church. We need to look at what Jesus says is good, not what man says is good. That which is abomination to God is that which is highly esteemed unto men.
When this woman broke this alabaster box, it was an extreme sin. She does this thing so out of the ordinary, such a social no-no, so that the people murmured against her. She breaks this bottle and pours the contents on the head of Jesus. They were saying it was such a waste; she could have given the money to the poor. If you think about it, it was a stupid thing to do. Of what use was it? She wasted that costly perfume; it was useless. They were right to criticise her; but what does Jesus says about it.
He says something that we can hardly believe: ‘Let her alone. I think so highly of what she has done, I’m never going to forget it. Wherever the gospel is spoken, this story will be spoken of as a memorial to her.’ This just shows that Jesus is always surprising us.
John 12:1-8
Sometimes I want to ask the Lord, "What did you think about the sermon today?” We may think it was a wonderful message but he might think differently.
The criteria by which our lives are judged, it’s not what you think about it or what others say about it; it’s what Jesus says about it, how he evaluates it? I would like him to say about me “he has done a good work”.
I want to talk to you about how you can have these kind of commendations from God.
What do I have to do to make Jesus say what he said about this woman? How big a sacrifice to I have to make for the Lord to say “I'm pleased for what you’ve done.”
There’s three simple statements that Jesus made and in these, we are told the necessary requirements for having our Lord’s approval and commendation.
1) Do what you can
What is it that constitutes good service? What is a good preacher, church member? Jesus says ‘do what you can’. He was pleased with what this woman did. “She has done a good work in me, leave her alone".
Mark 14:8
She did what she could. That’s all it took! No one else was impressed; they all thought it was a waste of time and money. Jesus said, I do not judge people by how much or what they do, I judge them about the opportunity that is placed in their hands.
It was easy for Martha to express what God had done in her life; she was very efficient. But Mary was the younger sister, her heart filled with love and gratitude just like Martha’s was. She sees Lazarus raised from the dead and the man who did it.
Love has to express itself. Service for the Lord is nothing more than a heart overfilled with gratitude for him. Suddenly Martha remembers the alabaster box. Maybe she was saving it for her marriage or for some financial security. But it’s all she’s got, her treasure. She takes it out and she is commiting a social error but this doesn’t occur to her; she’s totally oblivious. All she sees is Jesus having raised her brother from the dead. Then she anoints Jesus’ hands and feet and he liked this, knowing she did what she could.
All he demanded from her was what he had given her in the first place. He demands nothing more than what he has already given you. I know that in this contemprorary Christianity, we lift up those with many talents. But if we aren’t careful, that will rule the church. The majority of Christians sit in the congregation and think, “But what is there that I could do”. The only thing God expects from you is, “Do what you can.” If you wait to try and do what someone else has achieved, you won’t ever get there.
As it says in 1 Corinthians 12, the body of Christ is made up of all the different parts: the members. Not everyone has the same role to play, but all are just as important.
All Christian service is simply giving back to God what he has already given you. What God has placed in your hands, that’s all that he demands! God will never demand more than he provides. And he will always provide what he demands. You do what you can, even if it may not seem much to you.
2) You do that much
Jesus said, ‘This woman has done what she could’. She had not only done what she could, but ALL that she could. Make sure you do that much. She broke that box. That’s significant. When she broke it, she had to pour it all out. She didn’t come out with a measuring spoon. Love is extravagant. Not a drop left in the alabaster box. I want to ask you, are there any drops left in your alabaster box?
You say, I’ve prayed...but have you done all that you know to do? I am convinced that God judges me on what I could and should have done, not on just what I have done. I believe that the greatest sin is that I have not done all that I can do. It’s easy to settle for just a little bit, as long as the people are satisfied. No that is not enough, if Jesus is not satisfied.
Don’t be content with being mediocre, which is settling for less that the best. The failure to do all that we can do and develop our abilities. A mediocre person is one who has searchlight ability but is shining like a penlight. It’s one who just gets by. Don’t be feeble when you can be strong. Don’t be content with paddling when there is a whole ocean to explore. Do all that you can do. Everyone wants to be successful, but what is success? It’s not a comparison of what we have done to what someone else has done. It’s coming up to the level of our best and making the most of our abilities and possibilities. We don’t compare ourselves with ourselves. Do all that you can.
3) Do it now
Jesus said, “Let her alone, she did what she could.” Then he said, ‘she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.’ Why would he say that when he isn’t even dead yet?
If Mary had not anointed his body a week ahead of time, the body would never have been anointed for burial. Whatever you do, do it now. Next week may be too late.
Mary was surprised at what he said. She didn’t know he was going to die in a week’s time.
It teaches me, that sometimes, if we do what God does asks us to do, we don’t have the complete idea of what we are doing. Mary had no idea of what she doing and yet far beyond that simple act of obedience was a meaning known only to God. And someday when we stand in his presence, we are going to be highly surprised at the significance and thne outcome of the simple things we did.
There may be some things you do in the service of God, that you may never know the results of. Some life that you touched, you don’t even know about it. Something that God uses. Now, you notice that Mark says, that Mary anointed the head of Jesus; John says she anointed his feet. I want you to notice this...John gives another detail: that she wiped his feet with her hair and the place was filled with the scent. What she had poured out on Jesus, came back on her. Whatever you pour on Jesus will always come back on you. You can tell when you are around someone who has poured out their life to Jesus, because there is a certain perfume on their life. Jesus says, ‘you do what you can, do that much and do it right now’.
Amen
Mark 14:3-10
You’ll notice in here, that Jesus was being anointed. We have a way among us of highly esteeming things that God thinks are abominable. We value things totally opposite to how God evaluate things. We think something good is something big, like a big church. We need to look at what Jesus says is good, not what man says is good. That which is abomination to God is that which is highly esteemed unto men.
When this woman broke this alabaster box, it was an extreme sin. She does this thing so out of the ordinary, such a social no-no, so that the people murmured against her. She breaks this bottle and pours the contents on the head of Jesus. They were saying it was such a waste; she could have given the money to the poor. If you think about it, it was a stupid thing to do. Of what use was it? She wasted that costly perfume; it was useless. They were right to criticise her; but what does Jesus says about it.
He says something that we can hardly believe: ‘Let her alone. I think so highly of what she has done, I’m never going to forget it. Wherever the gospel is spoken, this story will be spoken of as a memorial to her.’ This just shows that Jesus is always surprising us.
John 12:1-8
Sometimes I want to ask the Lord, "What did you think about the sermon today?” We may think it was a wonderful message but he might think differently.
The criteria by which our lives are judged, it’s not what you think about it or what others say about it; it’s what Jesus says about it, how he evaluates it? I would like him to say about me “he has done a good work”.
I want to talk to you about how you can have these kind of commendations from God.
What do I have to do to make Jesus say what he said about this woman? How big a sacrifice to I have to make for the Lord to say “I'm pleased for what you’ve done.”
There’s three simple statements that Jesus made and in these, we are told the necessary requirements for having our Lord’s approval and commendation.
1) Do what you can
What is it that constitutes good service? What is a good preacher, church member? Jesus says ‘do what you can’. He was pleased with what this woman did. “She has done a good work in me, leave her alone".
Mark 14:8
She did what she could. That’s all it took! No one else was impressed; they all thought it was a waste of time and money. Jesus said, I do not judge people by how much or what they do, I judge them about the opportunity that is placed in their hands.
It was easy for Martha to express what God had done in her life; she was very efficient. But Mary was the younger sister, her heart filled with love and gratitude just like Martha’s was. She sees Lazarus raised from the dead and the man who did it.
Love has to express itself. Service for the Lord is nothing more than a heart overfilled with gratitude for him. Suddenly Martha remembers the alabaster box. Maybe she was saving it for her marriage or for some financial security. But it’s all she’s got, her treasure. She takes it out and she is commiting a social error but this doesn’t occur to her; she’s totally oblivious. All she sees is Jesus having raised her brother from the dead. Then she anoints Jesus’ hands and feet and he liked this, knowing she did what she could.
All he demanded from her was what he had given her in the first place. He demands nothing more than what he has already given you. I know that in this contemprorary Christianity, we lift up those with many talents. But if we aren’t careful, that will rule the church. The majority of Christians sit in the congregation and think, “But what is there that I could do”. The only thing God expects from you is, “Do what you can.” If you wait to try and do what someone else has achieved, you won’t ever get there.
As it says in 1 Corinthians 12, the body of Christ is made up of all the different parts: the members. Not everyone has the same role to play, but all are just as important.
All Christian service is simply giving back to God what he has already given you. What God has placed in your hands, that’s all that he demands! God will never demand more than he provides. And he will always provide what he demands. You do what you can, even if it may not seem much to you.
2) You do that much
Jesus said, ‘This woman has done what she could’. She had not only done what she could, but ALL that she could. Make sure you do that much. She broke that box. That’s significant. When she broke it, she had to pour it all out. She didn’t come out with a measuring spoon. Love is extravagant. Not a drop left in the alabaster box. I want to ask you, are there any drops left in your alabaster box?
You say, I’ve prayed...but have you done all that you know to do? I am convinced that God judges me on what I could and should have done, not on just what I have done. I believe that the greatest sin is that I have not done all that I can do. It’s easy to settle for just a little bit, as long as the people are satisfied. No that is not enough, if Jesus is not satisfied.
Don’t be content with being mediocre, which is settling for less that the best. The failure to do all that we can do and develop our abilities. A mediocre person is one who has searchlight ability but is shining like a penlight. It’s one who just gets by. Don’t be feeble when you can be strong. Don’t be content with paddling when there is a whole ocean to explore. Do all that you can do. Everyone wants to be successful, but what is success? It’s not a comparison of what we have done to what someone else has done. It’s coming up to the level of our best and making the most of our abilities and possibilities. We don’t compare ourselves with ourselves. Do all that you can.
3) Do it now
Jesus said, “Let her alone, she did what she could.” Then he said, ‘she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.’ Why would he say that when he isn’t even dead yet?
If Mary had not anointed his body a week ahead of time, the body would never have been anointed for burial. Whatever you do, do it now. Next week may be too late.
Mary was surprised at what he said. She didn’t know he was going to die in a week’s time.
It teaches me, that sometimes, if we do what God does asks us to do, we don’t have the complete idea of what we are doing. Mary had no idea of what she doing and yet far beyond that simple act of obedience was a meaning known only to God. And someday when we stand in his presence, we are going to be highly surprised at the significance and thne outcome of the simple things we did.
There may be some things you do in the service of God, that you may never know the results of. Some life that you touched, you don’t even know about it. Something that God uses. Now, you notice that Mark says, that Mary anointed the head of Jesus; John says she anointed his feet. I want you to notice this...John gives another detail: that she wiped his feet with her hair and the place was filled with the scent. What she had poured out on Jesus, came back on her. Whatever you pour on Jesus will always come back on you. You can tell when you are around someone who has poured out their life to Jesus, because there is a certain perfume on their life. Jesus says, ‘you do what you can, do that much and do it right now’.
Amen
Sunday, 21 September 2008
Our Situation and God’s Solution
Just as Moses raised up the serpent in the wilderness, and those who looked upon it were healed, so there is a solution today for man’s sin condition. That solution lies in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
For quite a few of you, it’s true that you are thankful for the change in your life. Others would like it to be so, but it’s been some time since you’ve had the opportunity to respond what God has to say to you. Today, God is going to speak to you by His Holy Spirit.
I was recently talking about the global problems we find ourselves in, something which has been forced on all of us – the financial problems of the whole world, the inter-relationship of money. The whole world is looking on. How can we solve this problem? On Friday we looked at the global problem in Noah’s time, and how God provided the Ark for the continuation of mankind. In Romans 5:12 we see the global problem again:
Romans 5:12–14
From Adam, the global problem has been sin. And the reason you can’t align yourself in your heart and be thankful for the change in your life is because there is sin. God isn’t condemning you for that; He’s saying He has the solution for that. And in the same way that toxic debt can be moved out of the world and everyone is happy, there’s a wide issue of toxicity in the world – sin. And in Adam, sin entered into the world, and with sin, death.
Ezekiel 18:19–20
In sin terms, we are on our own. Each of us individually needs to be involved and come to terms with the fact that sin is inside us and we need that sin to be dealt with. That’s why you try and you can’t succeed. You keep trying and it doesn’t work. Why? Because sin has not been dealt with in your heart. The power of it has not been broken. You try, and things go wrong again and you try again. I’m not saying don’t try – but there’s a reason why it isn’t working. It doesn’t matter what anyone else has done – you are what you are.
Ezekiel 18:21
But if the people then were born in sin, they were sinners, so how could they keep His statutes? Well, they knew that there were procedures laid down, a lamb could be sacrificed, and its blood would save them.
Ezekiel 18:22-23
Numbers 21:4–5
God had just brought them out of the land of Egypt, and their complaint was that things were not what they wanted, and they spoke against Moses.
Numbers 21:6–7
Circumstances were such that they ended up admitting that they had sinned. “We’re ungrateful. We’ve forgotten what has happened. We’ve been complaining about everything”. Over recent months, you’ve got to the point where you don’t know who you can trust, or whether you believe in church any more. And the enemy of your soul has emboldened you in your thinking, and you’ve wondered what the point is.
I want to convey to you, via your intelligence, that the problem is inside, and the reason you ask what the point is, is that deep down you know there is something which needs to be sorted. You know it. We can all put on a brave face with one another, but you know it.
Numbers 21:8–9
There was a solution
There was a solution. Don’t say God brought the serpents so He had to bring a solution. No – the soul that sinneth shall die. He hadn’t misled them. It is the same now. The soul that sinneth shall die. That is where we are at. You had to get into a situation where you saw the serpent on the pole.
What if my only child was bitten by one of these serpents. I know that as a result of that bite, they will die. Others have been dying. What I have to do is to get my child to see the serpent on the pole. I tell him he has to look at me because he has to see the pole. Don’t close your eyes. You have to see it. I take him and tell him to open his eyes and look. He does so, and sees, and he is all right; he lives.
There came a point in time when Jesus came to this earth.
John 1:10
John 1:29
That is the comment you need on the strap line in the financial world. Not a new fund for toxic debt: “Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world”.
John 3:1–13
We are talking about Jesus Christ, who was physically speaking to Nicodemus. He was talking to someone who had come to earth for a reason – for Nicodemus and for you. Why do we have to keep talking about Jesus? Why did it kick off in Bethlehem? Well, Jesus Christ came to this world to save sinners. John the Baptist acknowledged Him – “Behold the Lamb of God”.
John 3:13–15
When Moses was told to create the serpent and anyone who sees it would live, Jesus was involved with that. And now He recounts these same things to Nicodemus – “Even so must the son of man be lifted up”.
What was the mechanism in Moses’s time for them to live? They just had to look. The moment they saw the serpent, they would live. “Nicodemus – the son of man must be lifted up in the same way”. And we have here the emblem of the Cross.
And now we have the global solution again...
John 3:16–17
Does that mean the whole world will be saved? We have just read “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him...” Now we come down to it. If there was a pole here at the front, and if I could get you to look at that pole, you would change and live; that would be the way we would do it.
At this point, we’re looking back to the time when Jesus was lifted up on the Cross. He broke the power of sin in your life when He was lifted up like that. He was buried, rose from the grave, and conqurered death. The soul that sins, it shall die. Life in Jesus Christ is eternal, it is a life where the power of sin is broken. Your intellect is not ignored, but the message is quite simple – “Come as a little child”. If the son of man is lifted up, just believe. “Will that deal with the doubts in my heart?” Of course! Sin may grip you, but this will deal with it.
John 3:18–21
“He that doeth truth”. Are you going to be true to yourself today? Are you going to face the facts that you know are true? Are you going to admit that inside yourself you can’t do it, and that inside you have a sinful nature which needs to change. You know what you need to say to appear to be right, but inside you know it’s not true. You are the one God is speaking to you this morning. I know it, because He loves you. “Nicodemus, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...Me”.
John 9:5
He’s still in the world by His Spirit.
John 12:28-30
What you are hearing is for you.
John 12:31
Jesus knew why He came to the earth, and He knew that the global sin problem which affects every individual problem had to be dealt with. There had to be a solution because God loved the world.
What did Jesus mean? That as a result of Him being on the Cross, of giving His life to take into Himself the power of sin, He rose from dead and conquered it, and the prince of the earth was cast out, and could not cause death any more.
That’s why in your thought life at times, one thing leads to another, to another, and it’s as though you can’t help it. But Jesus says, “Now is the prince of this world cast out”.
John 12:32
Whoever believes on Him… As a result of what happened on the Cross as He was lifted, now the work has been done and the judgment has been dealt with. What about the judgment on you? Where are we this morning with the judgment on you? Deep down you have been longing to get yourself cleaned out. God has been drawing you by His Spirit.
Jesus told Nicodemus he needed to be born from above. He’d started off in the wrong way and “You need to believe what I could be doing for you”.
In our situation we believe by God’s Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ came to break the power of sin in my life, and cause me to go right, not wrong. And in the simple matter of belief, it is as if you start again. Not kidding yourself. But it is His life on the inside. “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to me”.
In Numbers, they just had to look. And here you look, and by God’s Holy Spirit you know that He has every right just to let you die, through what you’ve been thinking and doing, and you’re ashamed of it. He’s not here to expose you, but because He loves you He has provided a solution. Jesus spoke about Himself and the fact that He submitted Himself and gave His life for you.
What is your future to be? Where are we at? Is your future going to be hoping it will be all right because you know the right things to say and do, but you’re not sure? Or will it be a realisation that the power of sin needs to be broken, and it’s a case of you determining that you need to get this sorted out? Now is the time! “I was thinking about this yesterday. I knew I would come to this point in time. What do I do?” What I need to do is to encourage you now, not to think about anyone else. I want you to think about you. And if just one person responds, that’s brilliant. The global problem, the toxic debt, the problem of sin actually comes down to the individual. God loved the world, person by person by person, that He gave His only Son that whosever believed on Him should not perish.
It is not an insurance policy; it’s a different life, a life where you can be yourself and not play-act, where you can rejoice in what God has done for you – He’s broken the power of sin in your life and given you His life. That’s what He’s saying to you this morning.
I am going to ask a question of you on behalf of God. I want you to be honest, and I want you to realise we are not messing around. We are talking about why Jesus Christ came to this earth, and He is here for you. By His Holy Spirit, there are people for who today is the day and you know it is. I don’t know who it is, but I know what I was meant to say.
Are you going to believe in Jesus Christ and all He has done for you? Are you going to ask Him to change you on the inside? What does that change mean? It means the breaking of the power of sin in your life. It means you taking life and walking away from sin and death.
Sunday, 31 August 2008
Present Your Bodies a Living Sacrifice
As Christians we need to be open to the moving of God’s spirit in our lives, presenting ourselves to God and trusting Him.
What is God communicating to you at this time? Before Jesus went to heaven after His resurrection, He communicated things directly to the disciples and I want to look at the end of each Gospel, at what Jesus said when He spoke to different people after He had risen from the dead.
Matthew 28:18
All power. So it doesn’t matter how anyone tries to achieve power, “All power is given unto me, Jesus said, in heaven and in earth.”
Matthew 28:19 – 20
‘I am with you always’
Mark 16:15 – 18
Luke 24:45 - 48
All nations: there it is again. Mark, “Go ye into the world.” Luke, “Among all nations.”
Acts 1:7 – 8
The uttermost part of the earth
You are of value to God. What God has done in your life is unique. The faith He has given you is from above and He Himself is working through you by His Spirit. There is no one who cannot and will not be used of God by His Holy Spirit to reach other people. Every single person here, God is going to speak through you. You might say, “I’m not an extrovert.” But I’m talking about the supernatural, as you go about our normal daily life, God will speak through you. There are some people who have written themselves off for whatever reason. I want to pick up on that in Romans 12.
Romans 12:1
It doesn’t matter how old you are in life, you are of value.
Present your bodies as a living sacrifice
A verb is a doing word. Here the verb is ‘present.’ What does that mean? “Present your bodies a living sacrifice.” It means that you’re always open to the moving of God’s Spirit in your life. You’re open for what He wants to do through you. You are just presenting yourself. You haven’t got a closed mind. You know God is guiding you and working out your future. But you are presenting yourself as a living sacrifice. You know that He is the one who saved you and took you out. Now it is a case of being a living sacrifice. “Whatever it is you want me to do, whatever it is you want me to say and be, Lord, I know that I am trusting you in every way in my life.”
Romans 12:2
We’ve got the verb ‘prove’ here. How do you prove out what God is doing in your life. Well, you keep God conscious in your life. You make the effort to keep those lines of communication with God open, via prayer and communicating to other people about what God has done.
I often wonder what Paul thought when he wrote this sentence, “...that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” It’s good, it’s not bad. It’s not something you would shun, it’s perfect.
He has the answer for you sorted out already. You’ve just got to prove it out. So don’t get tied up in the wrong things. Be a Christian that you might prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:3
God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith
“Hath dealt to every man.” Not the elite. To every man. And that includes you. So if I’m thinking, “I can’t be right with God; that hasn’t happened in my life,” think soberly, according as God has dealt, not will deal, has dealt to every man the measure of faith.
You are a believer because of the faith God has given you to believe. Each of us has the measure of faith but, obviously, we are all different. We aren’t all the same personality. Each one of us is unique to God. “Think soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
Romans 12:4 – 5
Are you more valuable than another person in your church? No. What is the common denominator between you: the measure of faith. God inside you and inside that person.
Where is all this leading? It’s leading to this phrase: “Present your bodies, a living sacrifice.”
We are outward looking, loving each other. If we are inward looking we devour.
It’s God who initiates the faith. He works things to His glory. Everything He has done through the gift of His Son, raising Him from the dead, meeting the disciples who would be witnesses throughout the world. Jesus said to the disciples, “Of one accord,” the mindset being Jesus and what He is doing through you and me. We are going to fulfil what God told the disciples after He had risen from the dead. “Freely you receive, freely you give.” If there’s ever a need for people to find an answer, it’s now.
We want to be open to what God is doing in our midst. I know that you will be able to prove what God is doing in your life. Whatever situation you are in, He is the answer, and He will prove what is good and acceptable and perfect in your life.
He has not been deaf to your prayers: He’s heard. Make a note of what you have shared with God. And then when the answer comes, you can see it links in. God is the answer for you.
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