Psalm 37:1- 5
1Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;
2for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
3Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and you will do this…

This psalm of David is another alphabetical psalm, which means that every paragraph in the psalm begins with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet. This Psalm or song was written by David when he was already in old age.

I like the writings of old people; they often describe experience rather than theory, and that’s what David does in this beautiful Psalm. His experience with Saul, Nabal, Absalom, Ahithophel and others gave him a rich experience in trouble.

Here is what David says about your life: If you do your part, dwelling in the land and doing good, cultivating faithfulness, delighting in the Lord, committing your way to him and keeping His law in your heart, God makes some very strong promises to you.

I want to read you this list which comes from psalm 37 but is based on the conditions of the first five verses.

Your personal list of blessings

    He will give you the desires of your heart

    He will do what is needed in your life now

    He will bring out your righteousness

    He will make a judgment for you

    You will inherit the land

    You will delight in abundant prosperity

    He will judge the wicked for you

    He will sustain you

    Your inheritance will be forever

    You will not be ashamed in evil times

    Even in famine, you will have abundance

    You will be gracious and give

    You will have the ability to meet others’ needs

    Your steps will be established by God

    When you fall, you won’t fall flat on your face–God will hold your hand

    You will have enough money in your old age

    Your descendants will be taken care of and will be a blessing to others

    You will be preserved by God forever

    You will speak wisdom and justice–you will learn this from God

    You will be protected from danger and condemnation

    God will exalt you

    You will see the destruction of the wicked

    God will deliver you; He will be your strength, your salvation and help

This about covers it all. Everything you need right here in one list. Call it blessing, prosperity or whatever you wish, it’s all from God and it’s all good.

There is no question about it.  Many of our worries have to do with our material possessions.  People have need and that often means money. There’s this phrase, “Can you support me?” At one time that meant to stand behind or encourage, but now support seems to mean money.

I will give you some simple guidelines about material things taken from these verses;

 1. Do not worry about money 

 v. 1-2
1Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; 2for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

Do not fret.  Don’t worry about your own lack. To fret is to worry, to have heartburn, to fume, to get yourself all bent out of shape or be distressed.

The second part says “do not be envious of those who do wrong.”  If you’re poor or in lack or in deep trial, it seems to be the most natural thing to hunger for the riches of others.  If you want to follow the teachings of the Bible, evil men are to be viewed with distaste, yet when you look at their fancy cars and abundant possessions and buffet dinners, the immature ones are tempted to covet what they have.

David wants to get this issue out of the way very quickly.  Don’t get envious, because in verse 2, he makes it very clear, that they’re like the grass and the grass is going to be cut.  The destruction of the ungodly will be speedy, sudden, sure, overwhelming and irretrievable.

 Don’t fret because of evil men and their apparent wealth.  Don’t worry about this.  Don’t worry about your own lack.

 Jesus repeated the same instruction in Matthew 6:25.

Matthew 6:25

Do Not Worry
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Psalm 1:1-6
1Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3He is like a tree planted by streams of living water, which yields its fruits in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.
4Not so the wicked!  They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Someone says, “That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have my financial problems.” This could be true, but I am not the one telling you not to worry. It doesn’t say, “Don’t worry because it will all work out.” This is not a cheap, “cheer you up” expression.  This is a statement of fact. Take it from an old man named David. Don’t worry because it’s wrong. God’s people should not worry.

2. Set proper priorities

v. 3-4
3Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

The priorities that David is teaching in this psalm begin in verse 3.

First, we are to trust in the Lord. This is your security. If you trust in the Lord, you will live in the land and be secure and enjoy safe pasture. Remember that these references to “the land” refer to the Promised Land. The Promised Land came with the promise of abundance. Do not fret because of the abundance of evil men but remember, you’re living under God’s promise.

Your number one priority in life is to show others you trust God. Based upon that trust–now do good!

The second part is verse 4: Delight yourselves in the Lord and God is one who will do something for you. Seek for and find your happiness in the Lord or Jehovah. If this were not possible, then David would not tell you to do this. This happiness demonstrates dependence on God. This is priority number 2.

 Again, Jesus preached the same thing in Matthew 6:33:

 Matthew 6:33
But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

So if you like the long list of personal blessings, then you pursue the guidelines as an act of faith.

3. Commit your way to the Lord

Roll your works on the Lord. Commit your highway to the Lord–the path you walk in life. This refers to the path you take that is well worn by much walking–in our language, “your lifestyle”. This is not a faith statement. It is an action statement. You consult with God and you make God a part of your lifestyle in living and business. I am to follow the ways of the Lord in what I do for His promise to take effect in my life.

Solomon speaks of commitment in Proverbs 3:6

Proverbs 3:6
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

There are two clear expressions of this.

A. BE DILIGENT AND RESPONSIBLE

Responsible living is what God blesses. if you have consistently made bad financial decisions and been irresponsible in the way you handle money, God will not bail you out.

If you violate all the principles of common sense and scripture and then you desperately hope that God will somehow overcome your lack of organization you are sadly mistaken.

If you sleep in time of harvest—meaning, when you should work and you do not, don’t expect God to fix your financial chaos. To be diligent and responsible is to follow the ways of the scripture in the way you do your personal business.

Commitment to God is seen in our commitment to responsible living. One of the first things faith in God does is to make us honest.

B. INVEST MONEY AND SEE IT GROW

The Bible encourages investment.  Investment is a very general word that means you plant the seed and expect harvest.  Seed has to be planted in good ground.  This is not a promise that guarantees that wherever you put your money, it will automatically grow. Sowing and reaping are eternal kingdom principles that work in the spirit world and also in the physical world.

Jesus condemned the servant who refused to use his talent and applauded those who invested their talent and produced more.  You’ll never do good in business or personal finance if you’re not convinced without doubt that it is God’s will for you to earn money, make profits and see increase.

No matter what culture you live in, poverty is never a blessing.  I cannot think of one man that I have ever met who said to me, “I thank God for my poverty because it has made me more spiritual.”

Here’s the thing. Ungodly people make money too. Wicked men can make money. Dishonest men can make money. Corrupt men can make money. Thieves can have money. The difference is that increase that comes from God does not come with trouble.

Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.

There are no ill effects or negative consequences to God blessing. Ungodly money often has negative strings attached and reaping is as sure as sowing.

Money is made by people who know how to use money. Faith alone does not produce wealth.  Ask God and ask advice on how to use your money.

C. BE GENEROUS

There are several Bible verses that talk to us about being generous.  If you have any material possessions at all you will be blessed for being generous.  This has nothing to do with tithing.

There are different principles that come into effect when you become generous with the needy.

Proverbs 11:25
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 22:9
A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

He who gives freely will be blessed.

1Timothy 6:17 -19
17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation  for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

The word for generous in this verse means to be ready to give. You see a need and you make a contribution.

God knew there would always be poor in the land and he gave the people of Israel some very clear instructions about their attitude toward the poor.

Deuteronomy 15:7-11
7If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.  8Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.  9Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing.  He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.  11There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

He calls the poor man, your brother.  He says lend freely to him. This means the poor man should pay it back. If he does not he is a thief. Remember this, if you use the word “borrow”, this means “I will pay you back.” If you borrow money and do not pay it back, then you are a thief. It is absolutely wrong and sinful for Christians to take advantage of other Christians by borrowing money, which they do not intend to repay.

However, God encourages generosity toward the poor. Notice the powerful promises based on your attitude toward the poor.

Now we come to some practical application…

Here’s what the Bible teaches about your finances.  Tithing is without question the single most important financial value taught in the entire Bible.  Unless this value is placed in your life as a fundamental principle, nothing else the Bible teaches about money is going to work for you.

Things we have learned about Tithing as taught in the Bible:

• The tithe belongs to God.
• The tithe is defined as 10 % of your increase or profit.
• The tithe must be brought to God as a sign of your submission to Him.

Now we go a step further- generosity. Generosity only begins after the tithe. Not to tithe is to take what belongs to God and use it for yourself. No wonder that brings trouble because not to tithe is to say to God, “I can manage without you.”

Generosity is what I bring to God over and above my tithe for the need of the church, the family of God, the poor, the cause of missions and evangelism.

Would you like the promise to the generous to be released in your life? Then be generous in a Biblical way. When the church has need, give extra. When you are challenged to give to missions and world evangelism, give something for the gospel. When you have occasion, invest in the poor because God watches that and honors you.

Generosity can be planned. Use your red envelope to plan your generosity. Here is how: Each week plant seeds into missions, humanitarian ministry and church projects and see how God will bless you for it.  Then blessing will finally become a reality and not just a pleasant feeling.

However the greatest investment you will ever make is to invest yourself in the Kingdom of God by:

1. Giving your life to Jesus Christ.
2. Offering your life to Him for His purpose.
3. Making time for Him.

The three statements above are the first expressions of faith that release blessing. It starts there but does not end there.  If God is the source than our lives must be directed towards him. Then and only then will we have the ability to set the rest of our priorities in place. Blessing does become a reality.

Organized by Women’s Ministry on May 17, 2012 (Thursday) at 7pm,  COGM Sanctuary.

Topics include: “Cancer Illnesses of Women and How to Prevent Being a Victim”
and “Osteoporosis and Proper Exercise”
with guest speakers Dr. Lily Kho , MD and Dr. Meleine  Mendoza Ongchuan.

A 4-session, 1-hour class that will guide you in discovering facts from God’s word
to live a life that is rich and satisfying

Starting on May 20, 27, June 3 &10, 2012 (4 Sundays), 9-10am and 4-5pm
at Church of God Makati

A pre-requisite for  Encounter God Retreat (EGR)

*PLEASE REGISTER AT THE INFORMATION TABLE

Invite your family and friends on this special day!
We will celebrate this occasion in ALL of our worship services
on May 13, 2012 (Sunday) at Church of God-Makati.

Psalm 93, 97, 99

Is God really in control of my life? This is a good question. Does God rule over the daily circumstances of my life? Is everything that happens to me God’s will, plan or purpose?

Today, once again we will look at three psalms. Psalms 93 to 100 all celebrate His rule over the earth but three of them have a unique beginning. Psalm 93, 97 and 99: Each begins with the same phrase-“The Lord reigns”, and each ends with the same theme–God’s holiness. So let’s read a few verses from these psalms.

Psalm 93:1-2
1 The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed in majesty
and is armed with strength.
The world is firmly established;
it cannot be moved.
2 Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.
Psalm 97:1
1 The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.
Psalm 99:1
1 The LORD reigns,
let the nations tremble;
he sits enthroned between the cherubim,
let the earth shake.

I. The Lord Reigns–Receive Him

The Lord reigns. There have been some very evil rulers, kings and monarchs throughout the world history. Human rulers have often brought unimaginable suffering to their world and to their own people. In ancient times, some of Israel’s kings were wicked. King Herod during the time of Jesus’ birth, killed all the children in bethlehem. Then in modern times there’s Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin of Uganda, Joseph Stalin and many more. Sadly, we see that even today, it still goes on.

Part of the problem is the character of the human being. The Bible says:

Jeremiah 17:9
“The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”

It is impossible for anyone to behave consistently in a way that is inconsistent with their character. What you really are inside will come out in the way you live and rule. You may, at times, put your best foot forward. You may turn a new leaf at some point. You may be in full control for part of the time, but sooner or later your character will be seen in your life and behavior. So the character of the king determines the characteristic of the kingdom.

The psalmist says, “The Lord reigns.” The word “Lord” in its Hebrew form is found 6,519 times in the Bible. God, Lord, Yahweh–the God who is in covenant with His people, the God who cares for His people, the personal God of His people–He reigns.

If you’d like to know how the Lord will reign, you will have to look at the character of the Lord.

Questions:

• How will God relate to me?
• How will God treat me?
• What will God do for me and to me?

Answer:
God will treat me in a way that is consistent with His character.

From this psalm, we learn that His character is strong. You could say He is strong and consistent, He is strongly consistent and He is consistently strong.

How strong is the Lord? Well the Bible says in its opening verses, that God created the heavens and the earth. Paul says that creation reveals God’s power.

NLT Romans 1:20 
From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities–His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.

If God is not really God, then His words can be minimized. I receive copies of the National Geographic magazine. I like the pictures in it, but the whole National Geographic society is built on one theory–that the world and everything we know has evolved into what we see today.

Charles Darwin, one of the founders of the theory of evolution wrote in 1860, “I cannot think of the world as we see it is the result of chance and yet I cannot look at each separate thing as a result of design. Again, I say, I am and shall ever remain in a hopeless muddle.”

National Geographic should print that!

Rather than just admit that everything pointed to a God who designed this world, Darwin chose to believe the theory- and it is still just a theory- that the world evolved.

There is an issue here much bigger than evolution. It is a basic attack at the God who reigns, the creator. If God–the Lord we trust–did not create this world as the Bible says, then exactly how powerful is He? What can He do?

These psalms were written to celebrate the Lord who reigns. If Creation stands as God’s masterpiece, then is there anything God cannot do?

If he really reigns, He cannot be manipulated or pressured to do evil. He cannot be changed. He is true to His Word.

NLT Psalm 93:3
3The mighty oceans have roared, O LORD. The mighty oceans
roar like thunder; the mighty oceans roar as they pound the shore.
4 But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than
the breakers on the shore– the LORD above is mightier than these!

There you have it, a tsunami and it’s powerful destructive force- and it only makes you aware that God is greater. The roar, the sound of the seas, they proclaim the Lord’s greatness.

Psalm 93:5
Your statutes stand firm…

His statutes or Word is firm. You can never ignore God’s ways and benefit from His promises. God is so sure and so consistent that he is willing to put it into writing. You know what they say, “If you don’t want to be quoted don’t put it in writing.” God does not mind being quoted.

NIV Psalm 119:89
Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. 90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. 91 Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you

NIV Psalm 119:91
Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.

NIV Psalm 119:97
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. 98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.

NIV Psalm 119:129
Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.

NIV Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

The Lord reigns. Open your heart and life to Him and let Him and His Word reign over you.

II. The Lord reigns–Respond to Him

Psalm 97:1-2
The Lord reigns-let the earth be glad. Let the distant shores
rejoice. Worship Him all you gods. Rejoice in the Lord, you
who are righteous, and praise His holy name.

We have a long-standing problem in my home country of Canada between the different language speaking people of Canada. Some has consistently received more federal government funding and benefits over the years than other parts of Canada. However, they consistently talk about separating from Canada to have their own autonomous government. They do not want to be responsible for their debts, but they would like to have the privileges of freedom. They want to receive everything without giving anything. This is a simplification and there is much more to it. It may also be said that they have not always been treated right. Yet it illustrates human nature. This is a human problem that we also have with God.

The Lord reigns and we understand that God is good and that Jesus loves us and that God is merciful. But also understand that even though these define God’s character, it does not mean that God does not expect anything from us. He does- He expects gratitude, responsibility, and righteousness.

He expects you to be glad that He reigns. He expects you to rejoice and praise His holy name. He expects you to worship Him.

How do we worship the Lord?

TEV Romans 6:13
Give yourselves to God… surrender your whole being to Him
to be used for righteous purposes.

Rick Warren says, “The heart of worship is surrender”. In a world of competition, “me first”, “take care of number one”, the whole idea of surrender feels like admitting defeat. This whole idea of worship begins when you formally acknowledge that God reigns and then offering yourself to God. You cannot really begin to worship until you see your own limitations. How will I ever give honor to God and allow Him to reign if I think I can do it on my own? Worship begins when you come to the end of yourself and discover Jesus.

A.W. Tozer said:
“The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven’t yet come to the end of themselves. We’re still trying to give orders and interfering with God’s work within us.”

You should not misunderstand my concept of surrender. It is not resignation. It is not this whole idea that somehow God is in control and therefore there is nothing for me to do. This is not some vague idea that because God reigns, He has orchestrated all of the good and the bad and the evil of my life and therefore, there’s nothing I can do about this.

Remember this very important fact: evil and suffering is caused by sin not by God.

Since the beginning of man’s creation, we have consistently rebelled against God and there is the reason for our suffering.

NIV Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

You were made to relate to God but sin has wrecked all that.

NIV Isaiah 59:1
Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

When He does not reign life gets out of order and does not work right.

The apostle Paul says you will need to aggressively surrender to the good.
Make a choice to surrender to what is good rather than what is evil.

Here is Paul’s idea of surrender:

Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer
your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-
this is your spiritual act of worship.

Then take it one step further and understand what it really means to let the Lord reign

2 do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be
able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing
and perfect will.

This worship of God is not passive, it is an aggressive consistent offering of your life to God’s purpose and will. The highest form of all worship has nothing to do with what goes on in this service. This may be a worship service and the singing and clapping and lifting of the hands and raising of the voices is all done for the honor and glory of God but your worship is most clearly seen by your daily life given to His Lordship and allowing Him and His ways to reign over your life. Your participation in the worship of God is directly connected to you lifestyle. Your lifestyle of surrender makes you a worshipper of God.

This means that I trust Him. I follow Him. I want to obey Him.

Psalm 37:7 NIV
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

GWT
Surrender yourself to the Lord and wait patiently for Him

MESSAGE
Quiet down before God, be prayerful before Him.

Then David says, don’t bother with those who climb the ladder, who elbow their way to the top. Practice the daily skill of surrender to the Lord. This is the man or woman of principle. His/her focus is to actively live out the ways of God in his life. This means that everything I do, I want to do God’s way–that’s what it means to be surrendered to God. Sometimes this means I stand up, other times it means I walk away, and then sometimes it means I speak up and then sometimes it means I say nothing because the new bottom line is SURRENDER.

III. The Lord Reigns–Reverence Him

Psalm 99:1
The Lord reigns let the nation’s tremble.

Let the nations live in reverence of God. Fear God in a world where there is no fear of God. Respect God in a world that does not respect him. We must respect his ways and his word.

One day, I sat in a restaurant across the table from a 50 year-old businessman just a short time after his father had died. He said to me, “My father must be in heaven.” Then he looked at me and asked, “Isn’t he?”

I replied the only way that I could. I said, “I don’t know. I did not know your father, but I do know the Bible says how you go to heaven. Because I did not know him and I’ve never spoken to him, I did not know anything about his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I cannot tell you where your father is.”

He was angry that I would suggest any other possibility than heaven. He said to me, “After all the good that my father did, he has to be in heaven!” What can I say? I do not make the decisions about where people go after they die.

We are all going somewhere. We are on a journey. Larry Crabb writes about it; everything people do is moving in a chosen direction. Behavior is never static but always dynamic. Behavior is always behavior-in-motion. We all go after whatever thing will give us what we want.

Listen–God, who made you, knows that you thirst and hunger for spiritual reality. This business about the Lord and His reign and His strength, His consistency and His word cannot be minimized. This is all about the Lord who, even though He reigns, uses His word as His guiding practices. He understands your sin problem. He understands His own holiness. He knows that He cannot tolerate sin in any form and that there will be no sin in heaven. Therefore, if sin still holds your life. there will be no heaven for you.

So God sends Jesus to pay for your sin and bear your rebellion and then, as in all of God’s promises, He lays down the conditions on which you can be free of your sin.

First Believe…

NIV John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

NIV Acts 16:30
He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved– you and your household.”

NIV Acts 2:38 
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off– for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

That repentance he speaks about, will be a complete turning away from every other basis of faith so that your entire faith is in Jesus Christ. There are no exceptions because the Lord reigns. We are all free to choose whom we will serve.

How is it that we humans want to know there is a God who is powerful and yet spend most of our lives ignoring Him? Is this not ironic? If we need Him, we would like Him to be available 24 -7. However, we care very little for His ways.

So the psalmist says, “The Lord reigns; let the nations tremble.” Let them be aware that He will hold them accountable.

Here is where God is at:

• He can do anything.
• He can orchestrate your life to its full potential IF you let Him reign.
• His specific will is not automatically fulfilled in us. It is a choice. Jesus Himself said, we should pray “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.
• He knows that our sinful human nature will always pull us away from God’s way unless we willfully choose to walk in it. Only then will His control be extended to our daily lives.
• He will control the ultimate end based upon our cooperation with His reign.

Can we stop here and review our lives today? Can we consider what road we are on? Can we think about what part the Lord plays in our life’s direction and decisions?

Your life choices, are they really submitted to God? If so, that is worship! If not, then what or whom do you worship?

Why not let the Lord reign in you today? Decisions are important. You may need to make one today. You understand. The decision to get a new job, to get married, to immigrate to another country, to spend money or whatever are regularly made. Each of those is a decision that has far reaching consequences or blessings.

To choose to let the Lord reign will alter your life in ways you never thought possible. With Jesus in charge things must get better.

Expect God’s Favor
by Pastor Dennis Heppner, January 8, 2012

Colossians 1:9-14
“9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”

What is going on in your life today?
Do you really understand your life?
Have you wondered why things don’t often work out the way you expect?
“I have tithed and given but I still have financial problems…”
Have you prayed and yet the trouble persists?
Have you cried out to God and God doesn’t seem to answer?

Maybe this is not you. Possibly you have no problems. Maybe you are not struggling with basic issues. You have settled into the life where you truly believe God is in control, but something is still missing. You have no passion for Christ. You feel spiritually dry, unmotivated, a Sunday-only Christian, just a bystander in the faith. This, too, is a meaningless and unfulfilled life.

WHAT IS GOING ON IN MY LIFE??!!?

To understand the above issues, let’s go back to the beginning of the Bible:

Long ago, God made the world and it was good and beautiful. Then God made man and not just man, but he made man in HIS image–and God saw that it was good. Man was, and remains, God’s highest creation. He placed his good and perfect man in a perfect place called the Garden of Eden and then he said;

Genesis 1:28
“28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Man was given the right, the authority and was ordered to rule and subdue the earth. He was given the highest valued commodity on earth–freedom, the right to choose. But freedom is often misunderstood.

Freedom is not irresponsibility where I can do anything and everything I want.

Freedom is the ability to do the right thing. When men are irresponsible with freedom then freedom is lost.

This freedom had a restriction. You can do anything except eat of one tree.

Not only did Adam have freedom, he had relationship. God came down and talked with Adam. I don’t know how often but they spoke frequently. Imagine having this kind of relationship with God- that you could ask Him and He would simply respond as in our human conversation. A holy God speaking with a holy man— that’s right, a holy man, a man without any sin. That was Adam.

What a picture! It is perfection. However, man was not the only one in the garden. Satan the serpent (previously known as Lucifer, the worship leader of heaven) was there and he had an agenda. His agenda was to corrupt God’s creation. He was and is in rebellion to God. He had been removed from heaven for his open opposition to God. He wanted to take advantage of man’s free will and pollute the purity of man through sin and rebellion. So he tempted man by questioning God’s authority.

“Did God really say…?”

He still uses the same kind of words. Does it really mean that? Does that really mean you? The worst of all is when he says, “God understands, you are weak and He is merciful.” Adam directly disobeyed God. Adam sinned- and that is what sin is- disobedience, and then sin entered the world.

Romans 5:12
“12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—”

A new authority entered the world. Satan had no authority over man to begin with, but when Adam sinned, he gave Satan a right to his life and his descendants. Spiritual darkness had entered the world.

The human battle with darkness began and has not stopped. Satan, the enemy of God is your enemy, the enemy of all that God loves.

Ephesians 6:12
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Sin is horrible, evil, wicked, filthy and destructive. Sin twists, corrupts, cripples, binds, ruins and torments the sinner. It always destroys and controls the individual. I have never met a human who, through sinful practices, became a better person. With all of its present evil and negative effects do not forget that it also has eternal consequences.

The bottom line about the word “sin” is that it is rebellion against God. It is not failure. It is not weakness. It is not an accident. It is just plain willful open rebellion against God.

What does that mean? It means that every man and woman who has not dealt with that sin issue is in rebellion to God. That rebellion has eternal consequences. It has consequences after this life. There is no neutral place after death. There is no intermediary place. There are no second chances.

Just as in this life, you live in one of two spiritual dimensions, so too, in eternity you live in one of two worlds.

Heaven would be the destination of choice, but not everyone will go there. No one goes there by accident. It is a choice as clear as it is to take a bus. Where is this bus going? It is written on the window.

Sin and sinners are not headed for heaven. If you are living in sin, do not ignore the Word of God today–you will not go to heaven. If you refuse to give up sin, you will end up in an eternity without God.

Romans 6:23
“23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This death is not physical. Everyone dies physically. It is separation from God-eternally, forever and ever. That is where the sinner goes.

Separation is not being suspended in nothingness. You are not lost in space–you are cast into hell.

Jesus taught more about hell than He did about heaven. One example is His reference to the rich, selfish man who was cast into hell.

Luke 16:23
“23In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.”

Hell was not made for man. It is the final destination for Satan, Lucifer or that serpent we read about in the beginning.

Revelation 20:10
“10And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

But others will be there;

Revelation 21:8
“8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

All humankind filled with rebellion is headed there.

Jesus spoke of it in the book of Matthew…

Matthew 7:13-14
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13″Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Jesus made it clear that the road to heaven has restrictions on it. If you want to have your own way, you cannot and will not go to heaven. Some have lied to themselves. They believe they have time. They know the truth and what they need to do, but they want to wait.

This picture is very dark until you read verse 14. He rescued us–Jesus came and rescued us, He showed us the way, He is the way.

Read the following verses again:

Romans 5:12
“12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—”

Romans 6:23
“23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Read John 3:16:

John 3:16
16″For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”

You see, Jesus is God’s lifeline. He is the only way for us to be rescued—saved. The question is, “Is everyone rescued?”

The rescue is a choice. “He who believes” – using Jesus’ own words. He rescues us by faith. He throws down the rope. When you take a hold of the rope, you are rescued. Through faith – your faith, you choose to place your trust in Jesus Christ.

The heathen man, no doubt an idol worshipper, when he saw the reality of Paul and Silas’ faith he asked, “What must I do to be saved?”

Acts 16:31
31They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

What must I believe to go to heaven?

You must:

• Know and understand that you are a sinner going to hell.
• Know that you cannot save yourself.
• Know that Jesus died for you.
• You must place your faith in Jesus Christ as the only and complete way. Nothing more needed.

How do I know that I have believed the truth?
When I have thrown out all my other gods.
When I have removed all idols and images from my life.
When I have stopped trying to earn my way to heaven through good works.
When I am unashamed to be called a follower of Christ. Then I am a believer!!

Faith is not inclusive, it is “exclusive.” Faith is not adding something else to my list of beliefs. Faith is excluding all other options and placing all our hope in one person- that is Jesus.

However this was only the beginning. This is where so many people stop. This was never the end of the gospel message.

When Jesus called his disciples, he said: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” That following is called becoming a disciple. But also know that there is opposition to your progress.

Romans 8:28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Problem is, there seems to be a great misunderstanding here. Many have attended discipleship classes and churches and yet have not become disciples.

If you’ve been here awhile, you’ve heard me push discipleship. Why do we need to be discipled?

The disciple takes the role of the learner. When one refuses discipleship, they’re saying: “I have no need to learn”. They have not yet started to follow Jesus.

The follower of Jesus will catch the spirit of Jesus, the vision of Jesus, the thoughts of Jesus. Jesus humbled himself. Have you humbled yourself and willed to become a disciple of Christ?

In Matthew 28, Jesus told us what to do: “Make disciples…”

What is a disciple? Based on Matthew 28, we learn the following:

A disciple:

• He has heard the good news and has believed in Jesus Christ,
• He has repented of his sins and demonstrated that by being willing to be water baptized.
• He has been willing to apply the teachings of Jesus.
• This willingness to be taught, to be the learner, to follow Jesus shows one thing, he is willing to make Jesus the Lord. (Satan opposes this!)

That is discipleship!!

There are promises to this kind of person. For example:

John 8:31, 32
31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Are you struggling? Are you wondering what is going on in your life? I know what Jesus wants to do in your life, He wants to make you like the master—Jesus. He wants to mold you into His own image.

The same serpent, called Lucifer and Satan is against your progress. He does all He can to prevent you from being and doing what God wants.

The disciple has the discipler’s vision and values. What was Jesus all about?

Luke 19:10
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

2 Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Matthew 9:37-38
37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Know that God has only ONE agenda: HARVEST. Souls are the highest value to a Christian. Now, look at your life and ask yourself the question, “Who am I following?”

How can I be in harvest?

1. Pray for the souls of men to be saved – by name
2. Pray for God to send people to His harvest
3. Take advantage of the opportunities whenever and wherever they come
4. Pray in Jesus’ name for anyone and everyone you can
5. Bring someone to church with you
6. Bring someone to your Life Group
7. Get trained, get involved
8. STOP MAKING EXCUSES and start following Jesus

If you have not become involved in the harvest because of your problems, you sins, your schedule or any other reason, then Satan has won the victory in your life.

Anyone who is not involved in the harvest ministry is out of the will of God – for that is the mission of every disciple of Christ.

Problems, they exist and will always exist. So much of our effort and faith is focused on these problems, inconveniences, troubles and issues of life. Yet for God, he sees what he is making and keeps working. He is not working to solve our problems. He is working to make us like Jesus. In the process, he does solve many of our problems. You may never solve all your problems but you will grow out of most of them as you let Jesus work in your life.

Pre-requisite: Must have completed SOL 1 (Doctrines of  Faith)

 ²⁶In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.  The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

 ²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

 ³⁴“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

 ³⁵The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. ³⁷For nothing is impossible with God.”

 ³⁸“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Do you believe in miracles today? Well, I do. I can say very positively that there are many people here today that would not be here If they had not had a miracle. The birth of Jesus is one of those phenomenal miracles and that’s what this scripture is all about.

A miracle is defined as an extraordinary event showing God’s intervention in human affairs.

Here is how it happened. The angel Gabriel is sent to a young engaged woman named Mary to inform her that she has found favor with God.  Gabriel then informs her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the power of the Most High will overshadow her and she will give birth to a son. She is rather startled by the announcement because she is not yet married.  I’m sure Mary did not fully comprehend all this but she replies by saying, “May it be unto me as you have said.”

To understand this story we must consider three things:

• God is perfect in His plans.
• God’s methods are powerful.
• God uses people to fulfill His purpose.

1. God’s Perfect Plan

One of my favorite Bible verses is Galatians 4:4

But when the time had fully come, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

On time, every time, every circumstance, every person—God is always on time.  That’s very hard for us to comprehend because that does not apply to us.  At times we are late, inconsistent, unfaithful and unreliable. We are taken advantage of occasionally, lied to and disrespected.

So how do you ever get it through your mind, based on your experience in life, that there is someone powerful enough to always be in control of their agenda and never be late? Truthfully, you can’t really understand that.

This sequence of events involving, Mary, Joseph, the Holy Spirit etc. was not accidental in timing. “When the time—at the right time—had fully come, God sent His son.”

The first prophecy found in the Bible regarding the coming of Jesus is Genesis 3:14-15. This happened right after Adam and Eve had fallen into sin.

Genesis 3:14-15
So the Lord God said to the serpent, because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel. 

Satan, the serpent had just won a tremendous victory over mankind.  The most developed part of God’s creation–man and woman–had fallen because of Satan.  As Satan is cursed and rebuked by God, he is told that someday God will use the child of a woman to crush his head.  How many of you know that to kill a snake, you have to hit him on the head?

This happened hundreds and thousands of years before Jesus came.  I’m not a Bible scholar and I cannot tell you why it was all those years before Jesus came but I do know that God had an agenda and was raising up a people and that in His mind, He was going to bring redemption to mankind.

This fall, this curse that came upon mankind would someday be lifted when someone born of a woman was going to place his foot on the head of the serpent and Satan was going to lose his power over mankind.

That is what Jesus is all about. The birth of Jesus, you could say, was the first step to victory for man over Satan and all he represents.

Jesus was born to die. His life, from the moment he was conceived, was heading for the cross to pay for the sin of Adam and the whole human race.

A rather arrogant young man once approached a preacher and said, “You say unsaved people carry a weight of sin. I feel nothing. How heavy is sin? Is it 5 kilos? Is it 20 kilos?”

The preacher replied by asking the young man, “If you laid a 200 K weight on a corpse, would it feel the load?”

The young man replied, “It would feel nothing because it’s dead.”

The pastor concluded, “That spirit too is indeed dead that feels no load of sin or is indifferent to its burden and flippant about its presence.”

That is exactly how we are before Jesus came into our lives–dead and without feeling for God–but when the Holy Spirit starts to work in our lives, we become aware of the load of sin.

Paul puts it clearly in Ephesians 2:1

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. 4 but because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive.

It is tragic that so many remain uncomfortable with God. They don’t want anything to do with Christians, church or Bible study mainly because it makes them feel bad or uncomfortable. That discomfort is just sin. Jesus came to liberate us from that discomfort by setting us free from it.

That’s it, God’s agenda: to deal with the fall of man.

 2. God’s Powerful Method

The Holy Spirit is mentioned seven times in the first two chapters of Luke. “The Spirit will come on you,” Gabriel said to Mary.  It is important to understand that the Holy Spirit, who is God, does not work independently of God’s agenda.  The Bible tells us in Genesis 1 that the Holy Spirit was present at creation and that the Holy Spirit moved upon the waters or influenced the waters.

Powerful–powerful is the only way to describe Him.  He- the Holy Spirit- will come upon you.

Why did the Holy Spirit come upon Joshua? — To lead the people into God’s promises

Why did the Holy Spirit come upon Gideon? – To bring deliverance to the people of Israel

 Why did the Holy Spirit come upon David? –  To defeat Goliath and bring victory to Israel

Why did the Holy Spirit come upon Jeremiah, Isaiah and others? – To speak the Word of the Lord to the people

These were all supernatural experiences.

As written in the book of Joel, the Lord says:   “I will pour out my spirit and they will prophesy, see visions, dream dreams and they will bring men and women to Jesus.”

God’s agent is no less powerful now than He’s ever been. However, many Christians have tried to use the Holy Spirit rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to use them.  If only we could fully understand that the pouring out of the Holy Spirit and His anointing on our lives is for the purpose of fulfilling God’s agenda.

In Acts chapter 1, agenda and power are connected.

 Acts 1:8
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses…”

This is God’s agenda being clearly described and at that time, the Holy Spirit was outpoured.  God’s agenda to redeem a fallen race can only be done supernaturally.

There was a picture circulated after the second world war of a soldier standing on the road and this huge tank bearing down on him. The odds don’t look good. He looked like he would be crushed until you noticed he was standing facing the tank with a bazooka on his shoulder. That’s the picture of what the Holy Spirit does. He gives you the weapon to be a victorious Christian against all odds.

3. The Role of Mary

Mary makes an incredible statement in response to the announcement of Gabriel.  “May it be unto me as you have said.”

Who was Mary? She was a young Jewish woman, possibly 16 years old- we know very little about her. She had a father and mother, a family. She was very human. But what made her out-of-the-ordinary was that she was submissive to God.

Now, let me ask you these questions…

How badly do you want to succeed in life?

How much do you really want to enjoy life?

Do you want your life to end knowing that you fulfilled God’s purpose for your life?

Do you want your life to make an eternal impact here on earth?

There isn’t any human possibility that you can do a better job of running your life than God can.  There is no way that you could do better.

Consider this: God is a spirit and Satan is a spirit, which means they are both supernatural–having more power than a human. Remember, even though they are both Spirit, that does not make them equal.

Then consider that you are merely human. There is nothing supernatural about you.

But what gives you a supernatural side is man’s ability to connect to the spirit world.

If you are merely human, what possibility do you have of overcoming Satan without the Holy Spirit? Not a chance!! You are doomed, destined to fail without the Holy Spirit.

I don’t want to scare any of you nor do I want to attack any of your view of theology, but I do want to ask you this question:  When the angel made this announcement to Mary, what do you think would have happened if she would have said, “No, I will not do this!”?

She made a choice and that choice changed the future of the world.

When God is involved, nothing is impossible.  To phrase it another way, let me quote the Bible in Luke 1:37: “For nothing is impossible with God.”

Years ago, Stuart Hamblim recorded a song, and it goes like this:

It is no secret what God can do
What He’s done for others He’ll do for you
With arms wide open He’ll pardon you
It is no secret what God can do

The whole message of the Bible shows us both the evil and the good.

The hope we get from the Bible shows us that nothing is impossible with God.

Never give up on God! He never gives up on you.

Let’s summarize this today.

God works with purpose for His people, for His church and for His children- that includes you.

His plans for us are entirely supernatural. None of God’s plans for you are merely human. You can do the human stuff on your own.

The real purpose for your life is bigger than you- but you will never see it unless you say, like Mary, “Let it be as you want.”

Finally God’s will and purpose will not happen in your life if you are unwilling to let him become involved.

]]> http://cogmakati.org/index.php/2012/04/when-god-is-involved-nothing-is-impossible/feed/ 0 http://cogmakati.org/index.php/2012/04/breakthrough-youth-camp-2012-5/ http://cogmakati.org/index.php/2012/04/breakthrough-youth-camp-2012-5/#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 23:45:39 +0000 admin http://cogmakati.org/index.php/2012/04/breakthrough-youth-camp-2012-5/ Title: Breakthrough YOUTH CAMP 2012
Location: Sacramento Valley Resort, Tanay Rizal
Link out: Click here
Date: 2012-04-27