He Will Do It

I just want to refer to the groundbreaking time that Paul was involved in as the church extended from Jerusalem to Judea and then worldwide. But we zero in on him arriving at Thessalonica.

Acts 17:1-7

Just note the fact that when Paul came to an area, here he starts at the synagogue and starts talking with people about Jesus Christ, who he is and what he means; who he stands for. He is the Lord, he is the Christ. The accusation in verse 7 that “there was another king apart from Caesar called Jesus.”

So it was that “the world was turned upside down” is so accurate on the strength and power of the gospel.

Acts 17:9

He was only with these people for three weeks and he formed a church, probably in his house. Here we have believers who are meeting in a house and Jason was obviously one of these people And yet in these three weeks that Paul was there, there was a real pulling together of Christ and fellowship.

1 Thessalonians1:2-6

There’s something about the word of God which is in line with his will. God can work through you, by his holy spirit.

There’s no way that there was some weak-knee-ed membership form that they signed up to. They were aware of the power of what they were preaching.

The more we go on, day by day, so it is, that God is revealing what he wants to do in this place, for his glory. The links that we are forming and the way that God is moving in your heart and bringing to your attention that he is faithful. He is being faithful and he will be faithful. To the end that his name with be glorified in his church.

1 Thessalonians 2:13

It’s the word of God, it’s the truth. And as we go forwards we will cherish the word of God. There’s a narrow way and a broad way; there’s good fruit and there’s bad faith; there’s a foundation built on rock and there’s a foundation built on sand.

How do you know if the foundation is right? It’s when the storms and the floods come. They both look the same but when the circumstances hit you, it’s then that you know what the foundation is. And this church in Thessalonica was formed when other people were totally anti-what they believed in. Their lives were changing and the Jews couldn’t stand it because these people weren’t becoming Jews. And the whole world was turned upside down.

And as Paul writes to them, he can’t stop thanking God!

1 Thessalonians 3:9-14

He longed to be there, he’d founded the church and he privately wondered how things were and couldn’t wait for Timothy’s report and it was the truth, God was taking them forwards. And it was the Lord who was causing them to expand.

“Love towards another”.

What is a church? It is a body of people because they have a common goal and purpose to worship him, to lift up His name. It isn’t a place where people are trying to score points off others.

It’s a place where Jesus Christ has the pre-eminence. It’s about who he is.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-19

You notice it’s not “for” everything” it’s “in” everything, give thanks.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-25

Who is faithful? Jesus Christ is faithful. God is faithful. If you want to stand there and hurl at him a heart of mistrust or non thanks! Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. There is no way that God gets involved with a life, injects his power and life into a life and then somehow leaves them or forgets about them or leaves them on their own. Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. In other words, this faithfulness goes all the way until such time as you see him face to face. All the way through. It isn’t that you’re sort of looked after and then left to work things out for a few years. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Children of God

We make life very complicated. But at the basis of life for a Christian are Jesus’s words that to enter the kingdom of God, we need to come as little children. And coming in that way, we can have absolute confidence in God as our Provider.

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Galatians 3:23-26

This shows that before someone becomes a Christian, there’s a way of living which is demonstrated by the law. There’s a way to live which is right, and a way that’s wrong. But before we become a Christian we find we can’t keep that law because our nature keeps failing. But the law is there for a purpose. It’s a schoolmaster. It brings us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. The schoolmaster is the means by which God shows us we can’t live a good life, that our thought life is completely awry. And as we realise that, God uses the law by His Holy Spirit to convict us and make us realise we can’t keep it. When we admit that, it’s often the time when God reveals that eternal solution – faith in Him, His faith in what He did for you and me.

Galatians 3:23-26

Sometimes we rattle off that phrase, but as Christians we are all a child of God. We’re not a mature man or woman of God – we’re children of God. When Jesus was with His disciples, it was a voyage of discovery to realise exactly who Jesus was and His nature on the inside. His reaction to circumstances was often completely the opposite to their reaction. They tried to get it right, but they didn’t because inside they were as they were born – contrary to the things of God.

In Galatians, Paul was writing after Jesus had died, and risen and the Holy Spirit had been given. So he talks in terms of faith coming to a person. After that, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. We are all children of faith.

Galatians 3:27-28

The common denominator is that we are children of God. It isn’t that I’m a man, that my wife’s a woman, not that I’m free or in bondage, not that I’m a Greek or a Jew. All that is washed away. You are all one as children of God in Christ Jesus.

Brilliant! Because each person as an individual given life by God is able to completely trust our heavenly father, to have His life living through us. And as we go forward in life, we have to maintain that knowledge that we are a child.

I want to look at three times when the disciples were with Jesus, and He zeroed in on their heart condition. It’s all to do with you and me as a Christian being a child of God. To be a child isn’t complicated. I don’t have to work everything out. If I think of a youngster aged two, enjoying life to the full, everything is a discovery. Is that child worried about the things that I’m concerned to provide for them? No. Their existence is complete and utter trust. They wouldn’t term it trust. They just live and enjoy life to the full in complete trust. There’s no worry with a youngster where the next bit of food is going to come from, whether there will be a bed to sleep in. There’s no worry in a youngster at all.

So when I say that you are a child of God and I am a child of God, and we are all one in Christ, it’s important we keep that attitude in mind. Yes, difficult questions can be thrown at someone, to try and destabilise them in their faith. We don’t reject intellect. But I want to look at the fact that we as a Christian are a child of God. So when I think about this coming week, are two-year-olds worried about Thursday, about that meeting on Friday, that bill that’s due on Saturday? No – they’re just enjoying life to the full, getting on with life. Life is a voyage of discovery. And it hit the disciples big time when Jesus focused in on this.

Jesus had just been talking about Himself, and the disciples were concerned as to which of them would lead the pack.

Luke 9:46-48

Mark 9:33-34

Jesus knew what they had been talking about. But none of them would admit to it.

Mark 9:35-37

Jesus knew what they had been talking about – who had the rightful claim to be number one, dog-eat-dog. And it was as foreign to Jesus as the east is from the west.

When Jesus picked up the child, He said :-

Mark 9:37

To be child-like is not something to be sneered at, disciples. What you need to be, what you will be, the spirit you will exhibit, is this. You won’t desire to be first. But inside you will be that spirit which wants to be the servant of everyone. That’s the greatest.

So this extends practically into what happens if I learn some information about someone – “How can I help that person? I can pray for that person even if I can’t get near them to speak to them.” It’s not a waste of time – I can get in line with what God wants for that person. “Lord, bless them. Cause them to learn what you want them to learn at this time. Reveal Yourself to them.” That’s the spirit of Christ.

Jesus was identifying Himself with the child. In Philippians, Paul says He made Himself of no reputation. To him, Jesus’ thoughts were always for someone else, never for Himself. The only time He thought about Himself was to ensure He was fulfilling Father’s will.

Was Jesus fun to be with? You bet! He was good to be around. Did He enjoy life to the full? Yes. During the three years they were together, it was a reorientation of thinking.

As He sat there with a child in His arms they felt very small. He wasn’t trying to score points off them. But He was trying – and succeeding – to convey to them the nature of the kingdom of God.

Matthew 18:1-6

Except ye be converted and come as little children, you shall not come into the Kingdom of heaven. This is back a step. We’ve been saying that as a child of God, you can have complete trust in Him. It’s not complicated – so much so that coming into the kingdom of heaven, we have to come as children. There’s something about the nature of a little child, the understanding of a child, the way a child relates to the parent. I don’t have a list of forty questions that I need to have answered to the nth degree before I become a Christian. At some stage will come the realisation that it comes down to a simple faith. We don’t dispel questions. But except ye become as a little child, ye shall not come into the kingdom of heaven.

“Offend one of these little ones” I don’t think this refers just to children, but also to those who have a childlike quality of faith. Do you have that quality? Very simple – in the world’s eyes, simplistic. In God’s eyes, I’m a child of God.

1 John 4:4

As a little child, greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world. It doesn’t matter what the enemy might throw at me. Greater is He that is in me. How big is your problem, that circumstance you can’t get your head round to work out the solution? Well if you come as a little child to God, He has the solution. It’s not a worry to Him, something He has to work out. It’s not impossible. Your future is in His hands. He loves you.

The enemy makes things complicated, so that cause and effect comes into our lives, bringing law back in again, so that we have to do things in a certain way before God will save us. No – that’s not God. The grace of God is sufficient for you and me. Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.

Except ye be converted and come as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven ...

Is a two-year-old self-reliant? No – he’s reliant on his parents. Is He self-sufficient, able to sort everything out? Not at all. A child has complete trust. He has complete peace. There’s no worry about the future. He has complete awareness of having no anxiety, no worries, nothing to worry about.

2 Corinthians 5:17

It’s as if you have been born again. In Christ you are a child of God, all things become new. Life is a constant voyage of discover, because He knows what He’s doing. And the spirit of life working within you will enable to you share your faith with others who are in desperate need.

There’s an answer in Christ that only He can give.

The discovery which is going on as regards parliamentary expenses – it’s just another expression of man’s nature without God.

You and I are children of God.

If you’re not a Christian, that’s what God wants to do for you – to make you become something which is different on the inside. It’s the failure to fulfil His law, that paralysis inside which frustrates you. You know what you ought to do, but you can’t. God in Christ broke all the habits of sin. He took into Himself the power of sin. He took the power which causes us to do the wrong thing.

In Christ, we are a new creation and we are children of God.

I’m a child of God. He’s my Provider in every way – physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, every way. He’s my Provider.

Turn to the Lord

I want to help you focus on the main things in life. The main things in life are God’s relationship with you, and learning more about God. I’m going to look at the life of a man who did know a lot of things about God in his early life, and then things went a bit wrong.

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2 Chronicles 14:1

He began his reign over Judah well.

2 Chronicles 14:2-9

There was an army’s strength of 580,000, and all of them were men of valour.

2 Chronicles 14:9-11

So he had 580,000 men against a million. And this is what Asa cried.

2 Chronicles 14:11

Asa had totally the right perspective. He had a good ten years, and now is in this battle.

2 Chronicles 14:12-16

Not only a good start to his reign, but now when the first war appeared out of the blue, there was not a problem, because it was God’s name that he went forward in.

2 Chronicles 15:1-7

So he came to Asa and told him that he’d got it right. He’d got the right balance, because everything he did he went forward trusting God to deliver.

2 Chronicles 15:8-12

This is now fifteen years into his reign. He first had ten quiet years, and then the Ethiopians rose up and God defeated them, and now, to mark the occasion, there was a massive offering unto God.

2 Chronicles 15:12-16

Everything was fine at this point. The reason why it was fine was because he trusted in God. He knew his position was from God. No one has any power except from God. In your life, you need to know where God is. Where’s his perspective in your life?

2 Chronicles 15:16-20

This was quite a time.

2 Chronicles 16:1

Something now has happened in Asa’s heart. Before, his instant solution was asking God for help. He rested on him and went out in his name. But thirty-five years in, everything was quiet. Asa didn’t bring it to God.

2 Chronicles 16:2-7

There was no hint in getting God involved. He knew what to do. He had money in the treasury, in the church, in the king’s house. So a deal was done. But God didn’t get a look in.

2 Chronicles 16:7-10

Asa had no relied on God in all this. He knew what to do, and it actually worked. But thirty-five years in, God was forgotten about. One thing you and I need to do, if you’re aware of how it all started off with God in your life, is not forget we’re were from. We mustn’t forget the origin of our faith, and that we started off in God. We mustn’t forget the foundation of your life, if you’re a Chroniclesistian. Are you just going through the motions? Are you letting things go by? You think you know what you’re doing, that you can sort things out. It’s not a coincidence that God’s brought you here and caused you to focus on your walk with Him.

This got to Asa because he knew inside what he had done, and he got angry.

2 Chronicles 16:10

As a leader, things had been found out, and then he took it out on the people.

2 Chronicles 16:11-13

He was still in a rage. As far as he was concerned, he’d dealt with his problem. He’d sorted it. But it wasn’t done in the right way. He cut God out of it. And now he has diseased feet, but he still doesn’t go to God.

2 Chronicles 16:13-15

1 Peter 3:10-13

It might be that you know, in your heart, that God has been getting hold of you. I want to confirm to you, that this is for the reason that he wants to change you on the inside.

What happened, Asa? You started off so well, and yet it ended up like that. It was as if you got too sure of yourself, and you became in charge of Judah. You forgot that God appointed you.

God wants you to turn around. He wants you to realise that you’re dealing with a God who changes people on the inside. It’s that simple. Learn from the life of Asa. Those of you who’ve been a Chroniclesistian for some time, remember the order of things. It’s God with whom we have to do. He is the author of our faith. He is the one who is faithful and in control. We can’t take everything for granted. Our heart is one of thanks that we rest on him, our shield and our defender. We’re going forward in him.

Trust in God

Jesus Christ is the centre of our worship and our being. When we come to church, we join together in lifting up his name. We will extol him. There is nothing deeper. Jesus Christ will be lifted up in our midst, and in doing that, we will be drawn unto him.

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Philippians 2:9

Psalm 37:1-2

Don’t be envious against the workers of iniquity.

Psalm 37:3

Your trust in your life is in God. As we go forward together, our trust is completely in him. He gave us our faith, and he will guard it and develop it.

Psalm 37:4

He fashions the desires of your heart, and your desires will become one with him as you live your Christian life.

Psalm 37:5-6

You haven’t gone wrong by placing God first in your life. You’ve done the right thing in trusting him. He loves you. He is the origin of the faith that you have, and he will perfect that faith until such time as you see him.

Psalm 37:7-8

Trust in God. No matter what we see going on around us, our trust is in Him. He is the author and the finisher of our faith.

Psalm 37:9-15

It doesn’t matter what’s happening in your life, trust in him. God is revealing more and more of himself to you. He is the one who is leading you. It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing or how they are prospering. We’re trusting in God. It doesn’t matter what circumstances seem to suggest, or what people are saying about you.

Psalm 37:16-19

God’s supernatural ways automatically make provision for his children, and you are one of his children.

Psalm 37:20-22

Don’t borrow money from people and not pay it back

Psalm 37:23-28

God won’t let you down. My source and my base is in heaven, not in earth. My future and my present is in him. It doesn’t matter what happens. He will never allow the righteous to be forsaken.

Psalm 37:29-37

Who’s the perfect man? Jesus. In your life and my life, we will serve the Lord. As for me, it’s Jesus first. He is my saviour. He is my everything: my provider, my present and my future.

Psalm 37:38-40

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.

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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.