Last Sunday I talked about a time when God allowed three of Jesus’ disciples to have a life changing supernatural experience. We found out that what God said during this experience can have in impact on our lives today as well. We looked at Matthew chapter 17 when Jesus was transfigured before His disciples. The word "transfigured" in the original is the word “metamorphoo”. And according the Expositor’s Bible Commentary the word metamorpoo, “suggests a change of inward nature that is outwardly visible”. That sounds a lot like what happens to us when we become born again.
We looked at Matthew 17 verse 5 that says:
"While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"
God the Father told the disciples to just do one thing: “Hear Him” or we could say that God told the disciples to “listen to Jesus”. So how do we listen to Jesus today? In addition to Jesus speaking to us in our spirits, we also hear Jesus today by reading God’s Word – the Bible.
That’s where we can hear the voice of God today. That’s where we see the words of Jesus. That’s where we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit and have Him do something in our lives to make us more like Jesus. We simply need to get into the Word of God if we want to hear from Jesus today. And you know what will happen? God will transfigure each one of us. God will do what He did to Jesus. He’ll change us on the inside so that it shows on the outside.
November 24, 2009
July 13, 2009
The Fire Of The Holy Ghost!
Last Sunday I spoke on Holy Ghost Fire. I need it, you need it, our church needs it, and the body of Christ needs it.
We took a look at what the Fire of God is all about, and then at the end of the service we came together to pray for the Fire to burn in us like never before.
In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist said,
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
John the Baptist came preaching that the one that would baptize with the Holy Ghost was coming. Not only would He baptize with the Holy Ghost but with Fire.
In Acts Chapter 4, Peter and John were entering the temple to pray when they passed by the crippled beggar. It was the power of the Holy Ghost within them that had transformed these disciples from fear to having the boldness to speak to the beggar these words, “In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk.”
It was the power of the Holy Ghost that moved upon the disciples and it was the power of the Holy Ghost that moved upon the beggar to heal him and give him strength to begin walking and leaping and praising God. And we as Christians, must have Holy Ghost Fire if we want to have POWER and BOLDNESS to witness, to preach and to minister to the lost.
The Fire of the Holy Ghost melts the heart of stone, and turns it into a heart after God. Like the heat of a volcano on molten lava, our heart begins to flow with the guiding Hand of God to follow the paths that He has made for each one of us. That’s why some people might now want the fire because when fire starts burning, it destroys everything in its path. The fire of God when turned loose in our life will make some changes. The Fire of the Holy Ghost will bring to light the dross or the (filthiness) of our soul and cause us to repent of the sin in our life. Little by little, the Fire of the Holy Ghost burns away those things that are on the inside of us that shouldn’t be there.
The Fire of the Holy Ghost will light a fire on the inside of us after God’s own heart and kindle a love for Jesus Christ that we never knew could be possible. Just as the fires of passion in a marriage relationship should never grow cold, the Fire of the Holy Ghost will keep our love and passion for Jesus fresh and new and growing.
Deuteronomy 4:24 says,
For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
The all-consuming Fire of the Holy Ghost will consume our life and immerse us in service for the Lord. God is a jealous God, not like men are jealous, but His greatest desire is to see each of us enter into our reward in the Kingdom of God. In other words, enter into the exact calling on our lives. Exactly what God has called us to do.
Church, we need a fresh Baptism of the Fire of the Holy Ghost more than ever before. The days are getting more and more evil and if we don’t have the power of the Holy Ghost and Fire within us we won’t be able to stand in these last days.
Salvation is only the beginning. Getting saved only just puts us at the starting line. There is so much more to do. God can only use us in a limited way until we are prepared for the Master’s use. Each of us needs the refiner’s Fire of the Holy Ghost to prepare us.
We took a look at what the Fire of God is all about, and then at the end of the service we came together to pray for the Fire to burn in us like never before.
In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist said,
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
John the Baptist came preaching that the one that would baptize with the Holy Ghost was coming. Not only would He baptize with the Holy Ghost but with Fire.
In Acts Chapter 4, Peter and John were entering the temple to pray when they passed by the crippled beggar. It was the power of the Holy Ghost within them that had transformed these disciples from fear to having the boldness to speak to the beggar these words, “In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk.”
It was the power of the Holy Ghost that moved upon the disciples and it was the power of the Holy Ghost that moved upon the beggar to heal him and give him strength to begin walking and leaping and praising God. And we as Christians, must have Holy Ghost Fire if we want to have POWER and BOLDNESS to witness, to preach and to minister to the lost.
The Fire of the Holy Ghost melts the heart of stone, and turns it into a heart after God. Like the heat of a volcano on molten lava, our heart begins to flow with the guiding Hand of God to follow the paths that He has made for each one of us. That’s why some people might now want the fire because when fire starts burning, it destroys everything in its path. The fire of God when turned loose in our life will make some changes. The Fire of the Holy Ghost will bring to light the dross or the (filthiness) of our soul and cause us to repent of the sin in our life. Little by little, the Fire of the Holy Ghost burns away those things that are on the inside of us that shouldn’t be there.
The Fire of the Holy Ghost will light a fire on the inside of us after God’s own heart and kindle a love for Jesus Christ that we never knew could be possible. Just as the fires of passion in a marriage relationship should never grow cold, the Fire of the Holy Ghost will keep our love and passion for Jesus fresh and new and growing.
Deuteronomy 4:24 says,
For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
The all-consuming Fire of the Holy Ghost will consume our life and immerse us in service for the Lord. God is a jealous God, not like men are jealous, but His greatest desire is to see each of us enter into our reward in the Kingdom of God. In other words, enter into the exact calling on our lives. Exactly what God has called us to do.
Church, we need a fresh Baptism of the Fire of the Holy Ghost more than ever before. The days are getting more and more evil and if we don’t have the power of the Holy Ghost and Fire within us we won’t be able to stand in these last days.
Salvation is only the beginning. Getting saved only just puts us at the starting line. There is so much more to do. God can only use us in a limited way until we are prepared for the Master’s use. Each of us needs the refiner’s Fire of the Holy Ghost to prepare us.
June 9, 2009
Making The Right Decisions
Last Sunday we looked at the process that will help each of us in making the right decisions. Some decisions we make are easy ones because we can just look at the situation and know in an instant what to decide. Others are not so easy and those are the ones that we need help with. Those are the ones we may even struggle with. Some decisions are BIG, and others are small, but no matter how big or how small the decision is, many of them can be important. It’s amazing to me how many places people will turn to when they need help in making a decision. But when we’re faced with making a decision there’s one place that we should always turn to and that place is the bible.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says,
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
These two verses have a lot to say about decision-making. God wants us to make wise decisions. He wants us to follow His guidance. In these verses God gives us three steps we need to take when it comes to making decisions.
The first thing God tells us to do is trust in the Lord. To trust in the Lord is to make a commitment to the Lord. To trust in the Lord is to rely on God and believe that He is big enough to take care of the situation. Then Proverbs tells us how much we're supposed to trust with the words, “with all your heart.” God doesn't want partial devotion, He doesn't want partial trust. He wants our total devotion and our total trust.
The second thing these verses tell us to do is to not lean on our own understanding. Why? Because our understanding is limited. There is no way we can understand everything. From our vantage point we can't see the entire picture. We don’t have all the facts.
The third thing these verses tell us is to acknowledge God in all our ways. God wants us to trust Him because when we trust in our own understanding in all ways of our life we’re in trouble. Notice verse 6 doesn’t say “some” of our ways. It doesn’t say “most” of our ways. It verse says “all” of our ways. All means means trusting God in everything you and I do.
And finally the last phrase of verse 6 tells us that God will direct our paths. Our part is to trust God, not trust our own understanding, acknowledge God in all our ways and then He will do His part, and He shall direct our paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says,
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
These two verses have a lot to say about decision-making. God wants us to make wise decisions. He wants us to follow His guidance. In these verses God gives us three steps we need to take when it comes to making decisions.
The first thing God tells us to do is trust in the Lord. To trust in the Lord is to make a commitment to the Lord. To trust in the Lord is to rely on God and believe that He is big enough to take care of the situation. Then Proverbs tells us how much we're supposed to trust with the words, “with all your heart.” God doesn't want partial devotion, He doesn't want partial trust. He wants our total devotion and our total trust.
The second thing these verses tell us to do is to not lean on our own understanding. Why? Because our understanding is limited. There is no way we can understand everything. From our vantage point we can't see the entire picture. We don’t have all the facts.
The third thing these verses tell us is to acknowledge God in all our ways. God wants us to trust Him because when we trust in our own understanding in all ways of our life we’re in trouble. Notice verse 6 doesn’t say “some” of our ways. It doesn’t say “most” of our ways. It verse says “all” of our ways. All means means trusting God in everything you and I do.
And finally the last phrase of verse 6 tells us that God will direct our paths. Our part is to trust God, not trust our own understanding, acknowledge God in all our ways and then He will do His part, and He shall direct our paths.
May 25, 2009
A Special Memorial Day Sunday
Our Memorial Day Sunday service was a special day as we honored those people in the past who wore uniforms representing our country. People who fought against those who were trying to steal our freedom away. On Memorial Day Sunday we also remembered the people in the present, who still fight for our freedoms today. As an American, we can enjoy a freedom and a quality of life that many people in the world don’t have. That freedom that quality of life didn’t just happen out of the blue, it’s something that was earned for us by other people. That’s why we have Memorial Day, to remember and honor those people.
We celebrate Memorial Day once a year to remember those who died for freedom. But every week, every Sunday can be a memorial day as we come to celebrate our life in Christ. Those who were sacrificed in war gave us political freedom, but Jesus Christ gives us eternal freedom. The Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:13 tells us that we as believers have been made alive in Christ. Last Sunday we found out what being alive in Christ really means.
●Being alive in Christ means that we have His life on the inside of us.
1 John 4:13 (NKJV) says "we abide in Him and He in us".
●Being alive in Christ means that we have been forgiven and raised up in Him as His workmanship a new creation.
Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
●Being alive in Christ means that He has joined Himself with each one of us.
Jesus said in John 15:5 (NKJV)
"I am the vine; you are the branches"
●Being alive in Christ means that we are seated with Him in heavenly places.
The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:6 (NKJV) says that Jesus has,
Raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
A devout Scotchman, being asked if he ever expected to go to heaven answered, “Why man I live there”. Heaven is not a far distant place of which we know very little about, it can be experienced here and now because of the sacrifice that Christ has made for each one of us. On Memorial Day Sunday we celebrated both being alive and those who have gone on before us. As we prepared to enter into a day to remember those who died for liberty, we also remembered the One who died to set us free. We came together to celebrate being alive in Christ.
We celebrate Memorial Day once a year to remember those who died for freedom. But every week, every Sunday can be a memorial day as we come to celebrate our life in Christ. Those who were sacrificed in war gave us political freedom, but Jesus Christ gives us eternal freedom. The Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:13 tells us that we as believers have been made alive in Christ. Last Sunday we found out what being alive in Christ really means.
●Being alive in Christ means that we have His life on the inside of us.
1 John 4:13 (NKJV) says "we abide in Him and He in us".
●Being alive in Christ means that we have been forgiven and raised up in Him as His workmanship a new creation.
Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
●Being alive in Christ means that He has joined Himself with each one of us.
Jesus said in John 15:5 (NKJV)
"I am the vine; you are the branches"
●Being alive in Christ means that we are seated with Him in heavenly places.
The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:6 (NKJV) says that Jesus has,
Raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
A devout Scotchman, being asked if he ever expected to go to heaven answered, “Why man I live there”. Heaven is not a far distant place of which we know very little about, it can be experienced here and now because of the sacrifice that Christ has made for each one of us. On Memorial Day Sunday we celebrated both being alive and those who have gone on before us. As we prepared to enter into a day to remember those who died for liberty, we also remembered the One who died to set us free. We came together to celebrate being alive in Christ.
May 9, 2009
Thanks Mom!
Exodus 20:12 says,
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
Last Sunday on Mother’s Day we honored mothers. We were there to praise mom. We were there to honor our mothers. Paul tells us in Romans 13:6 to give honor to whom honor is due. Honor is certainly due to mothers.
We also looked at three things that we found in the life of the special mom found in Proverbs 31:10-31. The first thing we found was that this mom was a hard worker.
Verse 14 says, “She brings her food from afar.”
Verse 15 says, “She provides food for her household...”
Verse 16 says, “She plants a vineyard...”
Verse 17 says, “She is energetic and strong, a hard worker”.
The second thing we found was that this mom spoke with wisdom. The first part of verse 26 says, "When she speaks, her words are wise”. Then we looked at the many things that mom’s teach us as we are growing up. Mom taught us about contortionism when they said things like, "Look at the dirt on the back of your neck?" Mom also taught us about perseverance with the words, "I don’t care you are going to sit here until you eat every last piece of that broccoli."
The third thing we found from these verses in Proverbs was, she has a hart that loves.
Verses 11-12 says, “Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it. Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long.
If a husband has full or complete trust in his wife, then you know that she is a woman who loves her husband. Mom’s can be so unselfish at times. They give to others what they should of received themselves. Many of us can remember the times that our mom gave and gave out of a heart of love.
One mother described her life this way:
"I will not have a temper tantrum nor stomp across the floor-
I will not pout, scream or shout or kick against the door-
I will not throw my food around or pick upon another-
I’ll always try to be real good because I am the Mother…"
-author unknown
God bless you mom for all that you have done all that you do and all you will do you are special.
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
Last Sunday on Mother’s Day we honored mothers. We were there to praise mom. We were there to honor our mothers. Paul tells us in Romans 13:6 to give honor to whom honor is due. Honor is certainly due to mothers.
We also looked at three things that we found in the life of the special mom found in Proverbs 31:10-31. The first thing we found was that this mom was a hard worker.
Verse 14 says, “She brings her food from afar.”
Verse 15 says, “She provides food for her household...”
Verse 16 says, “She plants a vineyard...”
Verse 17 says, “She is energetic and strong, a hard worker”.
The second thing we found was that this mom spoke with wisdom. The first part of verse 26 says, "When she speaks, her words are wise”. Then we looked at the many things that mom’s teach us as we are growing up. Mom taught us about contortionism when they said things like, "Look at the dirt on the back of your neck?" Mom also taught us about perseverance with the words, "I don’t care you are going to sit here until you eat every last piece of that broccoli."
The third thing we found from these verses in Proverbs was, she has a hart that loves.
Verses 11-12 says, “Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it. Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long.
If a husband has full or complete trust in his wife, then you know that she is a woman who loves her husband. Mom’s can be so unselfish at times. They give to others what they should of received themselves. Many of us can remember the times that our mom gave and gave out of a heart of love.
One mother described her life this way:
"I will not have a temper tantrum nor stomp across the floor-
I will not pout, scream or shout or kick against the door-
I will not throw my food around or pick upon another-
I’ll always try to be real good because I am the Mother…"
-author unknown
God bless you mom for all that you have done all that you do and all you will do you are special.
May 5, 2009
Our Road to Emmaus
Last Sunday we talked about two weary travelers that had many great expectations, but all of their great expectations came crashing down one day. These two guys really had a bad day. A day when it seemed that evil had won and all hope was lost.
We looked at Luke 24:13-35 where these two weary travelers while walking on the road to a village called Emmaus are joined by Jesus. As Jesus joins them, their eyes are blinded to exactly who He is. Jesus and the travelers talk about the things have happened concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.
Then beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus gave them a quick bible study from the Scriptures concerning Himself. After the study was over, the two travelers invite Jesus to spend the night with them. As Jesus takes the form of a servant and passes them the bread, their eyes are open to who He is. At that moment they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
We looked at many things that these travelers learned from their time with Jesus including:
They learned not to believe every thing they saw with their own eyes. These two had seen Jesus die on the cross but they soon learned that God was in the business of changing the imagine they saw earlier to the imagine they saw standing in front of them three days later which was Jesus raised from the dead. When things go wrong in your life. When your job doesn’t work out, when people give you problems, when you have problems in school, just remember, God hasn’t given up on you, and if you love the Lord, He is working it to your good.
The second thing they learned was that God can take the worst and bring about the best. These two travelers had witnessed the greatest tragedy the world has ever known. A perfectly righteous man, who had never done anything wrong, was crucified at the hands of wicked and evil men. Yet, when mankind was at it’s worst, God was at His best, and on the darkest of days, He was using the worst act in history to bring about His great redemption plan. If God can take the most tragic event in history and turn it into the grandest gift of all time, just imagine what He can do with your life and mine.
The third thing they learned was that God could exceed their greatest expectations. They had witnessed the greatest miracle of God. They had witnessed Jesus raised from the dead but they would also witness amazing acts of God the rest of their lives. For after Jesus was gone into heaven they began to see how God loved all people and how He wanted everyone to have a relationship with Him. They saw thousands upon thousands of people born again and baptized. They saw a ruthless persecutor named Saul change from someone who once victimized the Church, to someone that would bend his knee to the risen Lord. God exceeded their greatest expectations and God will do the same for each one of us. I pray that each of us has high expectations for what God will do in our life.
The "Road to Emmaus" is in many ways a lot like our life because we are on a road of our own. A journey of life, a journey in which God longs to use us to far exceed the greatest expectations WE have of ourselves. And on this road we call life; we will encounter many disappointments and setbacks. Like the two travelers, we will have many times when we find our heads hanging low as the struggles of the world weigh heavy on our live. Many times when our disappointments and our heartaches cause us to lose joy and hope. But just when we think all is lost, for the Follower of Jesus, we find that someone else has joined us on our journey. And that person is not a stranger, He is Jesus and He walks along the road of life with us.
We looked at Luke 24:13-35 where these two weary travelers while walking on the road to a village called Emmaus are joined by Jesus. As Jesus joins them, their eyes are blinded to exactly who He is. Jesus and the travelers talk about the things have happened concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.
Then beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus gave them a quick bible study from the Scriptures concerning Himself. After the study was over, the two travelers invite Jesus to spend the night with them. As Jesus takes the form of a servant and passes them the bread, their eyes are open to who He is. At that moment they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
We looked at many things that these travelers learned from their time with Jesus including:
They learned not to believe every thing they saw with their own eyes. These two had seen Jesus die on the cross but they soon learned that God was in the business of changing the imagine they saw earlier to the imagine they saw standing in front of them three days later which was Jesus raised from the dead. When things go wrong in your life. When your job doesn’t work out, when people give you problems, when you have problems in school, just remember, God hasn’t given up on you, and if you love the Lord, He is working it to your good.
The second thing they learned was that God can take the worst and bring about the best. These two travelers had witnessed the greatest tragedy the world has ever known. A perfectly righteous man, who had never done anything wrong, was crucified at the hands of wicked and evil men. Yet, when mankind was at it’s worst, God was at His best, and on the darkest of days, He was using the worst act in history to bring about His great redemption plan. If God can take the most tragic event in history and turn it into the grandest gift of all time, just imagine what He can do with your life and mine.
The third thing they learned was that God could exceed their greatest expectations. They had witnessed the greatest miracle of God. They had witnessed Jesus raised from the dead but they would also witness amazing acts of God the rest of their lives. For after Jesus was gone into heaven they began to see how God loved all people and how He wanted everyone to have a relationship with Him. They saw thousands upon thousands of people born again and baptized. They saw a ruthless persecutor named Saul change from someone who once victimized the Church, to someone that would bend his knee to the risen Lord. God exceeded their greatest expectations and God will do the same for each one of us. I pray that each of us has high expectations for what God will do in our life.
The "Road to Emmaus" is in many ways a lot like our life because we are on a road of our own. A journey of life, a journey in which God longs to use us to far exceed the greatest expectations WE have of ourselves. And on this road we call life; we will encounter many disappointments and setbacks. Like the two travelers, we will have many times when we find our heads hanging low as the struggles of the world weigh heavy on our live. Many times when our disappointments and our heartaches cause us to lose joy and hope. But just when we think all is lost, for the Follower of Jesus, we find that someone else has joined us on our journey. And that person is not a stranger, He is Jesus and He walks along the road of life with us.
May 2, 2009
Don't Fight The Crowds Come And Receive!
As I sit at my desk preparing for Sunday morning, I am thinking about all of the thousands of people that will be in downtown Spokane tomorrow morning at Bloomsday 2009. They are expecting over 5000 runners, joggers and walkers. Those of you that don't want to fight the crowds at Bloomday are welcome to join us at Destiny Church and receive from Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit!
April 28, 2009
Can You Hear Me?
One of the basic claims we have as Christians is that God is alive and He wants to have a relationship with us. In fact our salvation is based on the relationship we have with God. But we can’t have a relationship with someone without communication. In order to have a relationship with someone we must speak to them, we must listen to them and they must speak and listen to us.
Last Sunday we talked about our communication with God. Not just talking to God in prayer but actually having God speak back to us. Actually hearing and receiving God’s plans for our lives. Receiving His guidance concerning specific decisions we need to make so we make wise choices. God speaking to us is one of the special blessings we have as one of God’s kids that we need to take advantage of today. Jesus had something to say about hearing God’s voice and it’s found in John chapter 10…
Jesus said in John 10:27,
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
Since Jesus said in verse 27 that we believers can know His voice and follow that voice, the question we should be asking is, “How can I know the voice of God?” Knowing the voice of God results in finding the will of God and God wants you to know His will.
Jesus said in Matthew 4:4,
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
The word “proceeds” in this verse is talking about something that’s continuing. It means something that happened in the past, is happening in the present, and will continue in the future. God speaks to communicate His will to mankind. That’s why it’s important to know the voice of God.
In John 10:3-5 Jesus said believers could know the voice of God and distinguish it from “strange” voices that give wrong guidance. In the scriptures believers are compared to sheep. Many times sheep not to know where they are going so they need to be led. Jesus said He was the shepherd or leader of the sheep. He said His sheep know His voice and follow Him instead of the "strange" voices.
Psalms 85:8
I will hear what God the LORD will speak...
Psalms 85:8 (Amp)
I will listen with expectancy to what God the Lord will say…
Jesus talking about the Holy Spirit said in John 16:13,
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
Today God speaks to us in so many different ways. We really can’t lock Him into only one way. But most often how we are going to hear the voice of the Lord is by the Holy Spirit that dwells and abides in every believer. It is by the Spirit. God is a spirit and God ministers to us through the Holy Spirit so we can still hear that tender voice of the Lord. Most of the time it’s going to be a strong impression that just seams to come out of know where. You may be driving down the street or walking some where and all of a sudden there’s just a strong impression where you just know you need to do this or need to do that.
Every one is different and the Lord knows just what is right for you. He knows just how to get your attention and how to speak to you. If you’re a believer, I can guarantee that the Lord has spoken to you in one way or another. It may not be with words but like I said before it may be a strong impression to do one thing or another. Have you ever had a thought and it just kind of came from know where and you may of thought, “Why did I think that”? But once you considered that thought, it was wisdom for that situation. Many times the Lord is speaking and people are just no recognizing that it’s the Lord speaking into their life. We can lean to recognize the voice of the Lord just like a little baby learns to recognize the voice of their parents.
Many times when the Holy Spirit speaks to our spirit, it will come to us in a different manner than we would speak to ourselves or speak to someone else. I think God does that so He can get our attention. So we will know it’s not ourselves speaking. God has many ways of speaking into the lives of His people but what need to see that God can speak in a small quiet voice in our heart.
Jesus said in John 10:27
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
We just need to find out how God by His Spirit speaks to each one of us. God wants to speak into your life today. He wants you to be able to hear Him. He will do what ever is necessary to help you understand what He wants to tell you. What we need to do is trust Him, we need to listen because God is speaking, and know that God wants to speak into our life.
Last Sunday we talked about our communication with God. Not just talking to God in prayer but actually having God speak back to us. Actually hearing and receiving God’s plans for our lives. Receiving His guidance concerning specific decisions we need to make so we make wise choices. God speaking to us is one of the special blessings we have as one of God’s kids that we need to take advantage of today. Jesus had something to say about hearing God’s voice and it’s found in John chapter 10…
Jesus said in John 10:27,
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
Since Jesus said in verse 27 that we believers can know His voice and follow that voice, the question we should be asking is, “How can I know the voice of God?” Knowing the voice of God results in finding the will of God and God wants you to know His will.
Jesus said in Matthew 4:4,
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
The word “proceeds” in this verse is talking about something that’s continuing. It means something that happened in the past, is happening in the present, and will continue in the future. God speaks to communicate His will to mankind. That’s why it’s important to know the voice of God.
In John 10:3-5 Jesus said believers could know the voice of God and distinguish it from “strange” voices that give wrong guidance. In the scriptures believers are compared to sheep. Many times sheep not to know where they are going so they need to be led. Jesus said He was the shepherd or leader of the sheep. He said His sheep know His voice and follow Him instead of the "strange" voices.
Psalms 85:8
I will hear what God the LORD will speak...
Psalms 85:8 (Amp)
I will listen with expectancy to what God the Lord will say…
Jesus talking about the Holy Spirit said in John 16:13,
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
Today God speaks to us in so many different ways. We really can’t lock Him into only one way. But most often how we are going to hear the voice of the Lord is by the Holy Spirit that dwells and abides in every believer. It is by the Spirit. God is a spirit and God ministers to us through the Holy Spirit so we can still hear that tender voice of the Lord. Most of the time it’s going to be a strong impression that just seams to come out of know where. You may be driving down the street or walking some where and all of a sudden there’s just a strong impression where you just know you need to do this or need to do that.
Every one is different and the Lord knows just what is right for you. He knows just how to get your attention and how to speak to you. If you’re a believer, I can guarantee that the Lord has spoken to you in one way or another. It may not be with words but like I said before it may be a strong impression to do one thing or another. Have you ever had a thought and it just kind of came from know where and you may of thought, “Why did I think that”? But once you considered that thought, it was wisdom for that situation. Many times the Lord is speaking and people are just no recognizing that it’s the Lord speaking into their life. We can lean to recognize the voice of the Lord just like a little baby learns to recognize the voice of their parents.
Many times when the Holy Spirit speaks to our spirit, it will come to us in a different manner than we would speak to ourselves or speak to someone else. I think God does that so He can get our attention. So we will know it’s not ourselves speaking. God has many ways of speaking into the lives of His people but what need to see that God can speak in a small quiet voice in our heart.
Jesus said in John 10:27
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
We just need to find out how God by His Spirit speaks to each one of us. God wants to speak into your life today. He wants you to be able to hear Him. He will do what ever is necessary to help you understand what He wants to tell you. What we need to do is trust Him, we need to listen because God is speaking, and know that God wants to speak into our life.
April 20, 2009
My Favorite Person To Talk About
Last Sunday I felt the Lord leading me to bring a message on one of my favorite people to speak about and that is Jesus.
I talked about how we can have the wrong idea about many different things. We can be wrong about people, we can be wrong about science, we can be wrong about pizza toppings, we can even be wrong about what brand of deodorant we should buy, and that could really stink!
I talked about how we can have the wrong idea about many different things. We can be wrong about people, we can be wrong about science, we can be wrong about pizza toppings, we can even be wrong about what brand of deodorant we should buy, and that could really stink!
Then to make sure we had the right ideas about Jesus, we looked at what the bible had to say. And we found the bible says that Jesus is:
1. Jesus is the divine Son of God.
He is God in the flesh. He is part of that wonderful mystery known as the Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God in three Persons. Jesus is God in the flesh.
2. Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice.
He shed His blood on the cross. And because He was perfect – He never sinned – He was the only one qualified to bring forgiveness for our sins. The sinless, perfect, Lamb of God laid down His life because we sinned. Without the sacrifice of Jesus, we would have to die for our own sins. And there would be no hope of heaven for any of us.
3. Jesus rose again from the dead.
One of the proofs of Jesus’ divinity is the fact that He rose from the grave, just as He said He would. He rose physically – with a body that bore the scars. He didn’t just rise “spiritually” like a ghost or just in the hearts and minds of His disciples. The grave is still empty and there is still no body. His resurrection proved His power over death and the grave, giving you and me hope that when we die as believers in Jesus, we will be raised to be in heaven with Christ for all of eternity. Because of Christ’s resurrection, life doesn’t end at the grave. It continues forever in the presence of God.
4. Jesus will return to judge all people.
The Bible says that Jesus will return, and when He does, two main things will happen. He will gather His people to Himself and He will judge those who have rejected Him. And those who have refused Him on this earth will find out that their standard of whether Jesus should judge them doesn’t count. What counts is what Jesus says the standard is and Jesus’ standard is faith in Him.
Next we looked at our part as believers in all of this:
1. We need to make sure our faith is in the Jesus of the scriptures which is the Son of God. The Bible should be our primary source of information about Jesus. The eyewitness testimony of His followers. We also have first hand quotes from Jesus recorded by those who heard them.
We need to be like the folks in Berea when Paul came to them with the message of Jesus.
Acts 17:11 (New Living Bible)
11And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth.
They didn’t just suck it all up from Paul. They checked it out.
2. We need to proclaim the Jesus of the scriptures to others. Talk to others about the Jesus of the Bible, and defend Him against the misunderstandings and wrong ideas others have about Him. When we hear others talking about Jesus and their getting it wrong, we need to gently but firmly tell them what the Bible says about Jesus. We don’t need to be rude, but truth needs to be proclaimed. It’s too important for people to walk away with a wrong idea about Jesus. It could cost them their very soul.
So now it's up to each of us as believers to make sure we are serving the Jesus that the bible talks about. Because missing out on who Jesus really is means the possibility of putting our faith in something false, and that will literally effect where spend eternity.
And if your reading this and your not a believer in Jesus, I encourage you to check out the Jesus I've been talking about in the bible and then fill that void in your heart by asking Jesus to come in and be your Lord. I know He will and I can tell you by personal experience, it will be the best decision you will ever make.
April 16, 2009
Resurrection and Restoration
Last Sunday was wonderful as we gathered for our Easter service at Destiny Church. Once again we remembered the real reason for Easter, the resurrection or our Lord Jesus from the dead! (John 20:1-7)
Some people have some different ideas about Easter. What counts is what the Bible has to say about it? What really happened that first Easter morning?
Last Sunday we not only looked at what the bible has to say about Easter, we also looked at why it's important for Christians, and why Easter is important for the world?
We also looked at Mark 16 verse 6 and 7 where the angel said to the ladies that came to the tomb:
“Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
We noticed how the angel specifically mentioned Peter by name so that he could be restored after he denied Jesus 3 times, and how Jesus wants to restore each of us into a right relationship with Him like He did Peter.
Some people have some different ideas about Easter. What counts is what the Bible has to say about it? What really happened that first Easter morning?
Last Sunday we not only looked at what the bible has to say about Easter, we also looked at why it's important for Christians, and why Easter is important for the world?
We also looked at Mark 16 verse 6 and 7 where the angel said to the ladies that came to the tomb:
“Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
We noticed how the angel specifically mentioned Peter by name so that he could be restored after he denied Jesus 3 times, and how Jesus wants to restore each of us into a right relationship with Him like He did Peter.
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