Who you rolling with, Sermon 01/03/09

Posted on January 13, 2010 by growintheword

Who you rolling with?
Synopsis of Sermon 01/03/09
Delivered by Bishop Walker III
Text:
Mark 8:34-38:34And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. 36For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

When we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, it has to be more than a simple profession. It is a lifestyle of conviction, loyalty, integrity, and trust. Many of us follow the Lord simply because of what God can do for us. The reality is our relationship with God should not be unilateral (binding on one side). Instead our relationship with God should be reciprocal (done in return for something else). One cannot just follow the Lord for what he can do for us. It must be also about what we can do for him.
There is an interesting moment in the text. In the text Jesus shares the reason that he has come. Jesus calls the multitude together with his disciples and reminds them or prepares them for an imminent journey of persecution and ultimate death for the cause of Christ. It is literally the cost of Discipleship. We shared some time ago that Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) , German Theologian recorded in a book the “The Cost of Discipleship” the cost of Discipleship. He wrote that when God calls us, he bids or welcomes us to come and die. You must understand that there is s distinct difference between a member and a disciple. A member of a church does what they want to do and they come when they want to come, but a disciple is one who literally follows the Lord and who is a learner or imitator of the teacher. He also observes what the teacher has taught them and manifests it into their day to day lives. When you look at this, it is important to understand that what God is after from us is true discipleship. Bishop explains that he saw some boys a few years ago having a conversation. They were getting ready to take a journey and the question was raised, “Who you rolling with?” Bishop said he didn’t understand it then but since then he has come to understand what they were really saying was, who are you going to be with when crisis come? Whose side are you going to be on? Who you roll with will determine where you will end up. As we begin this new year with fresh opportunities and fresh expectations, the Lord wants to know who you rolling with? Are you going to roll with the Lord or the devil? Are you going to be on the Lord’s side and are you going to trust him? It has to be more than lip service. Who you rolling with? It has to be more than just coming to church or religion. This has to be about a relationship. Who you rolling with? It has to be more than just lifting your hands or shouting Hallelujah! It doesn’t matter how high you can jump when you shout. It is about how straight you walk when you come back down. Who are you rolling with? It has to be more than name dropping (the Lord’s name). When crisis comes, who you rolling with is going to show up! This is why you have to have a relationship with Jesus Christ for yourself. God speaks to us today not only to evaluate ourselves. He wants us to ask ourselves are we truly sold out on him. Are we truly in a committed relationship with him? Many of you have made up in your mind that this year you are going for the real thing. You want to be where God wants you to be and you want to do what God wants us to do.
The gospel of Mark is historically the first gospel though it is the second gospel that appears in your bible. The other gospels drew their material from this one. Mark was written at an interesting time, because Mark’s audience was truly being persecuted by Nero the infamous Roman persecutor. Even though Mark is writing what he hears Jesus say, the audience during the time he is writing this does not hear this metaphorically, they are hearing this literally. It was imminent that they might be crucified. It was imminent that they might actually be persecuted so Mark tells them what Jesus has said which was if a man desires to come after him, he must first deny himself, take up his cross, and follow after him. Let’s understand a Disciples Priorities.

I. Disciples Priorities
Mark 8:34 says 34And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. When he speaks to his disciples, he makes a distinction between them and the multitude. To follow him, he says they had to deny themselves. This is a struggle. In all of us, there is a duality. There is in us nature that wants to do what we want to do and then there is a will inside us that wants to do what God wants us to do. Paul wrote about this in Romans 7. He says what he wants to do, he doesn’t do and what he doesn’t want to do, he does. He says he keeps finding himself going back and forth. Ex-You see that cake and say you can’t have it. What we are trying to say is that we spend a lot of time trying to talk ourselves out of doing what we are not supposed to do. It is about denying ourselves. When you come to this place it is what the song writer wrote about when he says I give myself away so you can use me.
1. Must be Spiritual -You cannot be carnal to achieve this. A carnal man has allegiance to the flesh. Your flesh wants to deny this. When you are spiritual, you begin to understand what is said in 1 Corinthians 15:31: 31I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. Romans 6:11: 11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. – When you are spiritual you wake up every day saying you want to crucify your flesh. It is our flesh that wants to get ahead of God. Once I do this, I understand the value of sacrifice.
2. Must sacrifice – Nobody wants to give up anything which is why this is hard. Romans 12:1 says 1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.- We must sacrifice meaning we are willing to be stretched for a cause greater than ourselves. It is not about us, it is about him. Nobody wants to focus on the goal; they want to focus on the role.
3. Must be submissive – This means we are willing to share. We are willing to do what we must do and be what he is willing for us to be. The dedication to your service or assignment is taking up your cross.
4. See your Purpose -This is literally about you purpose. Even though Jesus may have struggled every now and then, he knew his purpose. Remember when the woman asked if her sons could sit beside Jesus in heaven and he said that it wasn’t for him to give? We are anointed to carry our own cross. Can’t anybody but us do what we do. We are anointed for our purpose
5. Will experience Pain – Taking up your cross will bring pain. Philippians 1:21says 21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 2 Timothy 2:12 says 12If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:-Everybody has got to go through some pain. There is no such thing as a Cross-less Christianity. You can’t get a crown without a cross. Everyone must go through. Just take up your cross and walk. Ex-Bishop Walker explained that he went through a period of time where he had a pity-party before (Referring to the death of his first wife). Bishop explains that God told him that this was just his cross. Your goal is not to focus on yourself. God is trying to get the glory in earth realm.
6. Must Persevere -Members that are disciples that hang in there. They realize they will be hated of men for his sake. No matter how rough it gets, just hang in there! Prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, the cross was a death sentence. Now it is a prelude to the next dimension of your life. Jesus is at the right hand of his father. Many want the elevation without the cross. Without crucifixion, there can be no resurrection. With no resurrection, there can be no elevation. We have to be willing to allow God to take us through whatever we have to go through as long as we are going to be elevated. Some people thank God that they went through the crucifixion (they have been elevated).
II. Destiny in Perspective
Mark 8:35-37: 35For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. 36For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
1. When you recognize your obligations as disciples then it is easier to see your destiny.
2. Jesus raises the question “What does it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your soul. We have a hard time distinguishing blessings and stuff. Our level of commitment is tied to the stuff that he blesses us with. What if God took our stuff away? Would we still be committed? This is what God did with Job. After all he went through, Job was spiritual enough to say,” Naked I came into the world and naked I will return. The Lord gives and he takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord…”
3. Jesus warns us about holding on to stuff at the expense of losing our soul. You have to be careful that you don’t equate your blessings with the tangible accumulation of things. We live in the world where we think stuff brings value. Your blessing should not be tied to stuff money can buy. Your blessing should be tied to the stuff money can’t buy. There are people that are reading this that might not drive what you drive or live where you live, but they can sleep at night. We thank God for peace, joy, mercy, and things money can’t buy.
a. We suffer from an ethic of entitlement. We think that life and everyone in it owes us something. We have this spirit of individualism. We think it is all about us. As long as God is hooking us up, we are alright, but the moment he stops, some of us stop coming to church, stop tithing, and stop believing. Stuff can never take the place of God. Your greatest desire in life ought to be for us to be saved. When the stuff fades away what will you have? There has never been a funeral with a u-haul tied behind it. Whatever you have when you die, you will have to leave behind. What is important is you are going to have to know somebody in that hour.
4. We got to be in a position to give an account for our soul. What good does it do to have a Cadillac and not have Christ? You got jewelry, but you don’t have Jesus. Imagine trying to brag on what you have when you get to heaven. Imagine trying to brag to the Lord on what you gained on earth. He would probably say up here you are poor. Up here is streets paved with gold. Secondly he would say depart from me worker of iniquity.
5. We would rather have Jesus. You have got to put stuff in perspective. Paul declared he learned how to abound. Whether we are driving or walking, we are rolling with Jesus. You may build all this stuff, but only what you build for Christ will last. Stuff is alright, but give us Jesus! We are rolling with the Lord!
III. Devotion must be professed
Mark 8:38: 38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
1. You have this responsibility to share the good news. Whatever is good to you, you don’t mind talking about. Jesus knew his disciples would be put under tremendous pressure. Jesus said he was leaving but coming back. Jesus reminds them all that they will have struggles until he came back. Jesus kept trying to prepare them. He reminded them all the time that this is part of being his disciple. He tried to teach them that in the midst of all the trouble they encountered, they would have to know where they stood in midst of it. They were disciples in the midst of a sinful and adulterous generation.
a. Adultery means to break covenant. It is like being married, but wanted to act like you are not. People that are adulterers want the perceptions, but not the commitment. They want to look married, but not be married. Hosea prophesied that God is like a faithful husband who is in love with this metaphorical Gomer. Here Israel is compared to a prostitute. God is the faithful husband who marries a prostitute (us). Though Hosea, representing God brings the prostitute in, clothes her and elevates her, every night she sneaks back out to the street corner and keeps coming back bloody and bruised. Every day he patches her up and gives her water and loves on her and the next day, she goes and does the same thing over again. The woman represents Israel and the people of God. We are the prostitute and God is the faithful father or husband. We say we are married to God, yet we do what we want to do. In other words, we want the benefit, but don’t want the responsibility. We put God on our money, but not our money on God. We pray at the capital, but we legislate prayer out of schools. We want the perception that we are a nation of God, but when it comes down to it, nobody talks about God until they are in trouble! We don’t talk about God until we are in trouble. We pray when we get in trouble, but do we pray when we have a traffic jam in our driveway or a mall in our closet? Who you rolling with? God says he needs someone to take a stand in this adulterous generation. He needs somebody that will take a stand in the midst of folk making them think you are crazy. You have radio host, talk show host, and movies that have no respect for God. They make everything a joke because they have no respect for the church. This is how they see us. We are not a play thing. We have to let the world know that there is something to this.
2. Your deliverance must be shared. People need to know how we got where we are. They need to know our testimony. Jesus says if your are ashamed of him, he will be ashamed of you when you go to heaven. Last Sunday we talked about where Rome was viewed as evil. Seemed like everything that was evil come from that place. It was Rome that crucified Christ. Roman chapter 1 deals with the immorality of Rome. Paul confronted Rome in Romans 1:16: 16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. – In other words it doesn’t matter what your social background is or your cultural background the same power that saved him is available to save you. He says there is no way he could be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why do you go around like you are an anonymous Christians and then you come to church acting like you all in it? God is ready for somebody to tell their real testimony! He needs someone who is not ashamed!
3. In closing: There was this friend of Bishop that would stand outside of this grade school waiting for his father to pick him up. His father picked them up every day. It would embarrass this friend though, because he had a hoop tie. The hoop tie would smoke and make a lot of noise. The friend tried to get his Dad not to come and pick him up. Some kids use to tease him, despite having to walk 2 miles to get home themselves. Others teased him when they didn’t have a father at all. Despite all of this, the friend’s father would come and get him and pick him up right in front of the school. The friend tried to negotiate with his Dad and have him pick him up in the back of the school, but his father refused. Bishop asked how did he get over this awful feeling? The friend said that when he got older he realized that it did not matter how he rolled up, as long as he showed up. In like manner, when you grow up, you going to realize that it doesn’t matter how God rolls up, you going to thank God that he keeps on showing up on your job, in your family, and in your health. Thank God he keeps showing up!

Posted in Relationship, rolling with | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Life in Perspective Part IV, “I refuse to be defeated” Sermon 12/27/09

Posted on December 31, 2009 by growintheword

Life in perspective Part IV
I refuse to be defeated
Synopsis of Sermon 12/27/09
Delivered by Bishop Walker III
Text: Revelation 12:7-11: 7And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
There is nothing more important to us than our connection and our relationship with Jesus Christ. The bible says in 2 Timothy 2:12 says 12If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: This is why if you are not saved, you need to get saved. If you are saved, you need to rejoice that you know the Lord for yourself. Those that are in relationship with the Lord know that we shall get the victory no matter what we go through in our lives. The work Jesus did at Calvary defeated the devil once and for all. The devil is a defeated foe, but he didn’t get the memo, because he is still busy waging war against the body of Christ. He attempts to frustrate the plans of God’s people and that’s why it is important to know who you have in him and to be secure in your relationship with the Lord. No matter what comes, you can refuse to be defeated.
When you take a look at the book of Revelation you have to realize that this is a book that almost didn’t make the Canon or the 66 compilation books of the Bible, particularly because it was highly metaphorical in its makeup. This book was written by John the beloved disciple who became an Apostle. It was John who was at the cross when Jesus was crucified. It was that same John who was exiled because of his convictions for Christ. He was exiled instead of crucified or mortared like most of the other disciples. He was exiled to an island called Patmos. Here John begins to have visions and the spirit of the Lord would reveal things that were to come, things that had been, and things of the right now. In other words the past, present, and the future were revealed to him. What is interesting is he sees war being waged in heaven. John declares that Michael and the angels were fighting against the dragon. Michael was that angelic warrior representing righteousness. John said Michael and devil representing darkness had waged war against each other. What happens in this text gives us a glimpse into what happens in our own lives. We need to understand that this message is being preached because it has a lot to do with what God is about to do in your life. God is about to take you places that you have never been before and you are about to see what you never have never seen before. The devil is not exited that you are about to go to another level. Going to this level, you have to refuse to be defeated. There are things you learned this year. Looking at the things you went through, you realize that you should have been defeated. There is a reason why you are still here. Through this word we are going to reveal why you are still here and why you are going to go on and not be defeated.
I. Participants in warfare
1. The book of revelation is highly metaphorical. Many people are afraid of the book of Revelations and consequently they never read this book. On the other hand, there are many who read the book and don’t understand it. Let’s give an idea of how we arrive at verse 7 which is where we tart this sermon from.
a. Verse 1- There appeared a great wonder in heaven. This is metaphorical, but it has powerful meaning. The scripture says that the woman was cloth with the sun. Rev 12: 1: 1And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: The woman represents the church. The church always had a feminine connotation tied to her. The sun represents the idea that she is dressed in sanctification and justification. The moon represents the revelation of Moses. It is feebler revelation, because even through the revelation of Moses was great, when the New Testament comes, because we couldn’t live under the Law of Moses we were sanctified and justified by faith. As a result the moon is under her feet representing the foundation, yet she is clothed in sanctification and justification. We don’t throw away the law, because it is our foundation, but we are here, because we have been justified. The 12 stars symbolize the revelation that would come from the 12 apostles proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.
b. Rev 12:2- 2And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. – The church itself is always about to give birth. Those who are saved know that it was not easy being born. We had to fight our way through the birthing process.
c. Rev 12: 3- 3And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. -The dragon is a symbol of everything that represents the devil. 7 heads ten horns represent the Pagan Culture of the Roman Government. Remember Jesus was crucified by the Roman Government. Rome had 10 hills and had 10 different Governments. This idolatry government represented the Dragon. John said that everything that was Devil seemed to come from this place.
d. Rev 12:4- 4And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. – Daniel had already prophesied that the devil was cast out of heaven. Satan caused a revolt and he didn’t want God to have permanent residence on the throne. As a result God cast Satan out. Isaiah said he saw Satan fall like a star. When Satan fell, he took a 3rd of the angels with him. Everything that was evil stood before the woman. The woman was ready to give birth and the dragon was standing there ready to grab her child as soon as it would be born. Remember that Herod wanted to come and kill Jesus as soon as he would be born.
e. Rev 12:5-6- 5And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 6And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. – The woman had a man child and he was Jesus who would be eventually called back up to God. The church was prepared of God in the wilderness and would be feed for 1260 days (remember that a score is 20). Remember the child is ready to be born and the devil wants to kill the child. The mother escapes in the wilderness so the devil heightens the attack.
f. Rev 12: 7-8-7And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. – There is was in heaven and Michael and his angels fought against the devil. Verse 8 says the dragon and his angels didn’t prevail.
g. Rev 12:9-9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.-The devil was cast out of heaven and his angels were cast. There is a real devil wagging real warfare with you. We always picture a devil with a red suit on and a pitchfork, but we must realize that this is a real devil. We wrestle not with flesh. Instead we wrestle with principalities in high places.
h. Why would we preach something like this at this particular season (Christmas Season)? It is because you are at the last Sunday of the year that Bishop said you were going to birth something (As prophesied by Bishop for the year 2009). Why do you think Satan was trying to kill everything you birth? This is warfare. The devil couldn’t kill what you birth. Thank God it got here, but it didn’t get here easy. You have to recognize what is going on.
i. When the devil shows up, you have to learn how to cast him out.
Mark 1:23-24 says 23And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. – Many people bought demon possessed people to Jesus and Jesus cast these unclean spirits out.
j. Matthew 8:28-32 says 28And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 29And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? 30And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.31So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 32And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.-Again, Jesus cast out the devils.
k. Mark 3:14-16 says 14And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: 16And Simon he surnamed Peter; -God ordained us to cast devils out. We have got to stop letting the devil think he has authority over us. We have to cast him out of our marriage, cast him out of our jobs, and cast him out of our lives! We don’t just cast him out we replace him with the fruit of the spirit, the mercy of God, and with praise!
2. We know who Satan is. We know how Satan shows up. Ephesians 4:27 says 27Neither give place to the devil. 2 Corinthians 2:11 says 11Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.-You got to know the devil when he comes no matter how he looks. You have been through too much. You are not a pushover. This is warfare. This ain’t the time to accommodate the devil or a time to run. Put on the whole armor of God and tell the devil you got to go!
3. Preachers call December vacation month, because you usually don’t preach about deep topics in this month. Instead they preach about Christmas and things like that. Seldom do you start anything deep during December. So why would we at this time? Because we are trying to teach you the “Power of Worship”
II. Power of worship
Rev 12: 10 says 10And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
1. Verse 10 says John heard a loud voice in heaven. This was worship. Worship represents spiritual maturity. There was a loud voice of worship when the devil was cast out. There is nothing we can go through, that God can’t get us out of. Somebody reading this right now can testify that they thank God right now for how God saved them.
2. Salvation is about God saving us. When we are weak he gives us power. We need to know that no matter what happens up the road, we have salvation. With salvation we are saved from our problems, before we ever get in them. When we go into a storm, we know we are coming out of it because of our salvation. When we are weak, God gives us strength.
3. The Kingdom of God has come. Rev 12:10b says Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God… When John came preaching in the wilderness, he said the kingdom of God is at hand. The “kingdom is God” is God’s order brought down from heaven into the earth realm. All the drama you had in 2009 is not of God. God is about to change order (kingdom coming down) in the earth realm. God says the devil tried to keep you in carnality so he could control you. Satan’s kingdom can only be powered through our carnality. God is about to put things in order. The “kingdom of God puts things in order. The devil puts things out of order and causes chaos. Salvation comes and now God gives us strength to get through. God establishing his kingdom in the earth realm represents divine order. Now everything that is out of order gets put it in order.
4. There is a reason why we don’t teach Biblical Numerology that often in church. Theologically, its meanings can end up on slippery slopes. However, there is a revelation that can be received concerning the number 10 in verse 10. The number10 does mean divine order. Many people were displaced in 2009. Verse 10 is saying God has come to set things back in order.
III. Attention to the savior
Rev 12: 10 says 10And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
1. Attention to the Savior. The devil is cast out. The first thing that happened when the devil was cast out was a loud voice. This suggests that the attention shifted to the savior. God needs our attention back on the savior.
2. Accuser is silenced. – Praise confuses the enemy. How does worship silence the enemy? It is because through worship, we make a lot of noise and for the first time, the accuser has to be quit. Ex-Bishop had the privilege of being in Los Angeles on Christmas morning. He was at the staple center watching the basketball game. He said the Lakers got off to a good start, but the accuser was silenced. What he noticed was they make a lot of noise in the Staple Center. They were trying to confuse the opponent. The Cavaliers understood something. They had King James (James LaBron) on their team so to speak. Every time the Cavaliers made a score the stadium began to become quiet. If you just work with king and let him do what he does best, he will silence your enemies. Like the Cavaliers, you might be behind, but you will end up on top if you keep working with the king!
3. Adoration and surrender-Based on what you have been through, you can’t help but to give God glory that you are still here. If he never does another thing, he has already done enough. Based on what we’ve been through we just throw our hands up and give him glory.
4. Proclamation of a winner- We are a winner. Rev 12:11 11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. – This verse identifies us as winners. An over comer is somebody who came over. It is simple as that. It is somebody that made it over. We are over-comers.
5. God keeps his word is what this is really about. No matter what we go though, God keeps his covenant with us. God made a covenant with Abraham by saying he was going to bless those that bless him and curse those that cursed him. He says to Abraham that there was something in his bloodline. It was God’s covenant. No matter what we go through, God keeps his covenant. We are part of that covenant, because we are in the bloodline, but our sin blew it. God had to seal that covenant with blood. There is woman that represents the first church who is pregnant with a man child whose name could potentially be Jesus. The dragon standing there ready to kill him. The Dragon knows if that child is born, that child is going to redeem people back to God. This is why salvation has come. Remember that the dragon represents Pagan Rome. When the child is born he goes from the cradle to the cross (his destiny). The child grew and when the child was 33, they hung the child on the cross. Guess who crucified him, the Roman Government. Jesus had already forewarned them that they could do what they wanted to do as long as they didn’t lift him up. He was telling them that if they lifted the cross up or in other words lifted him up, he would draw all men unto him.
6. What does the blood do?
a. The blood – They pierced his hands and his feet and his side. When the blood came flowing down, the blood is what sealed the covenant. There can be no atonement or reconciliation without the blood of that child. That is why the devil wanted to kill that child. When that child’s blood was shed that blood would reconcile his people back to himself. That’s why the dragon is standing between you and your relationship with God. He knows if you get in the blood family, there is nothing he can do, because you are under the blood. It is a Passover. The death angel passes over the place the blood is shed.
b. Removes my guilt- No matter what I did, the blood removed the guilt. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh. Romans 8:1 says the blood redeemed me by grace.
c. Redeems by grace-Because of his grace we are redeemed.
d. Restores the glory-The blood reconnected you to the fellowship you had with the Father. Never get to a point where you minimize the power of the blood. It will never lose its power. There is power in the blood. It will never lose its power. There is a fountain filled with blood that was drawn from Emanuel’s vein. Is there anyone that knows something about the blood! This
e. Power in your Testimony-You are here today because there is something on you that you can’t see. The enemy sees it though. We survived what we survived, because there is something on us. We are covered in the blood. Every time the devil sees the blood, he has to pass over us. They overcame by the power of their testimony. They reminded themselves of what they had overcome and this gave them strength to know God could do it again. There is power in your testimony. When you go through, just remember what you have gone through and know if God could do it then, he can do it again. You got to remind yourself of what God has already done for you. There is power in your testimonies. You have had set backs, bout lost your mind, but you have this testimony right now. You are still here! Been through recession, but you still here! Been sick, but you still here! Give God the glory that you are still here.

Posted in perspective | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Life in Perspective Pt III, “The Gift that keeps on giving” Sermon 12/20/09

Posted on December 31, 2009 by growintheword

Life in perspective Pt. III
The Gift that keeps on giving
Synopsis of Sermon 12/20/09
Text: Isaiah 9:6 says 6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
It should be no secret to us that God knows what we need when we need it the most. God is keenly aware of our plight and he always has a divine strategy to get us through. The prophet Isaiah reminds Israel of God’s commitment to them. Though they have not been as committed to God, he is a God of covenant. He always keeps his promises and doesn’t forget his people. When Israel turned from God to serve idol gods, God still loved them and never gave up on them. Isn’t it amazing how no matter what we have done in our lives, God never gives up on us. Even in Israel’s darkest hour, God sends a word to them. It says unto us a child is born, a son is given. Here is a prophetic word uttered 750 yrs before Jesus would come. In the year 740BC, the prophet Isaiah speaks to the people about the coming messiah. Matthew even declares in Matthew 4:16: 6The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.- People were in such a dark place and in need of a revelation of who God was. The word for us today is no matter what you have gone through and no matter what your situation looks like, God has fast forwarded through your further and made plans for you up the road. What we are trying to get to, God has already worked out for us. When you look at this gift, all the gospel writers record what this gift was. John 3:16 says 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life – So when Isaiah speaks of the gift, he shares how this gift keeps on giving. If you knew what you had in Jesus, you wouldn’t get your feathers ruffled when you didn’t get what you asked for Christmas. It is about moving above rituals. It is really about moving and progressing in the relationship with God, rooted in revelation, that when you know God for yourself, you understand that your blessings are not based on tangible things. It is tied to a relationship with him that has come to save our soul. It is tied to him that can give us what money can’t buy, like peace, joy, goodness, and mercy. This is what Christmas is really all about. We got a gift 2000 yrs ago that keeps on giving. The prophet Isaiah shares with us that unto us a child is born and a son is given and the government shall be on his shoulders. This is really about a gift of grace.
I. The gift of grace
Isaiah 9:6a says 6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
1. Grace is a gratuitous endowment given by God to us. We didn’t deserve grace. There is nothing we can do to ever deserve it. The scripture says unto us child is given. Who is” us” mentioned in the scripture? We are like Israel who is in an interesting predicament. The only way to put grace into perspective is to compare it to who you really are.
2. We were naughty by nature. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:3: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.- We were by nature the children of wrath. We were messed up. If we could drink it we would. If we could smoke it, we would. If we could sleep with it, we tried to. Whatever we could get away with, we would do.
3. We were laced with:
a. Iniquity-We shouted at church but were still filled with iniquity. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God. Jeremiah 3:14 says 14Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: – It was in our nature to back slide.
b. Inconsistent-We were inconsistent and not faithful. God looked for us and we weren’t there. Thankfully his grace is offered new to us every morning.
c. Individualistic-We thought about only ourself. We were caught up in pride. It never was about you. You dilemma was sent to get a blessing through you. In the midst of all of our flaws of iniquity, inconsistencies, and our individualistic attitude, look at what God has done for us.
4. When you begin to see this, what we received was grace that we didn’t deserve. When we look at what we could have been or should have been, we thank God for his grace. God’s grace to us was a child being born. The bible says he was tried and tempted on every hand, yet he was without sin. He was humanity.
5. The scripture says his son is given. The son deals with deity and the child deals with his humanity. When you look at his “son-ship”, he was born in a manager, but he was the son who was given. He was the son of the living God. Micah 5:2 says 2But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.- This scripture reminds Bethlehem that out of them would come the son of God. Jesus was born of a virgin named Mary. He was a younger than and older than her at the same time. He created the woman that gave birth to him. In fact, at one time Jesus tried to explain who he was. John 8:58 says 58Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
6. Jesus didn’t just begin when he showed up in the manger. He was the son of God that was given for our sins. John 1 says 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
7. Son suggests that in order for a mends to be given for our sins, there must be a shedding of blood. Galatians 4:4 says 4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, – Before Jesus, priest had to kill lambs and bullocks and sacrifice them for our sins. When lambs and bullocks begin not to be enough, God said he would send his son and he would become the lamb. Son, in the Hebrew bible had some significance. The only way heritage would or could be handed down was through a son. Remember when God said for Abraham to go up on the hill and sacrifice his son? This had real significance. Remember when Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he wouldn’t let the children of Israel go? When the last plague came and he lost his son, Pharaoh changed his mind. Remember Samuel and Hannah. Hannah prayed so hard for a son, the priest thought she was drunk. Knowing the significance of a son in those days, the mere fact that God would give his son to us shows he gave the best that he had. Knowing this, there should be no reason to be upset because of what you can’t buy somebody for Christmas or to be upset over what you didn’t get for Christmas? God gave us his son.
8. Remember the gate called Beautiful. Peter and John said they didn’t have silver or gold to give the man begging for alms, but they had the son to offer him. Ex- There was a time that somebody interviewed the late James Cleveland. In the interview he said, “I’ve had my share of life’s ups and downs. God’s been good to me, and the downs have been few. I would guess you can say, God has blessed me, but there’s never been a time in my life, he didn’t bring me through. If anyone should ever write, my life story. For whatever reason there might be. You’d be there (God), between each line of pain and glory. Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to me” Rev James Cleveland was trying to say, we have a gift of grace.
II. Greater than the government
Isaiah 9:6b says “and the government shall be upon his shoulder:”
1. The text is declaring that Jesus will be in conflict with government. There is a portion of the text that says, “Government on his shoulders”. Jesus would be in conflict with the principalities of the earth realms and the spiritual realm. Jesus stood before a court that falsely convicted him. Jesus stood there on the deck facing Pilate. Pilate’s conscious started bothering him. Pilate tried to remind Jesus that he had the power to let him live or die if he would just say what he wanted him to say. Jesus reminded Pilate that he would not have that power if it wasn’t given to him by his father.
2. Those of us that are in relationship with God, because he has authority, know that he has authority over everything trying to have authority over us. Colossians 2:15 says 15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.- Jesus embarrassed them openly. John 14:12 says 12Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
3. It is funny how the devil tries to attack you on every level. Some of those levels are:
a. Ground level-Demons possess.
b. Occult level-demons empower witches. This folks speaking crazy stuff in your life.
c. Strategic level-territorial demons that come into your life. Demons can be assigned to certain regions.
d. Regional spirits
e. Witchcraft and generational curses.
4. The devil is a defeated foe and we have a gift greater than whatever the enemy tries to bring into our life. 1 John 4:4 says 4Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5. No matter how hard the government tries to think they are better, there will be a day that they too will have to confess. Romans 14:11 says 11For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. – There will be a day they will have to confess. God is in control. Ex- There are people that had to “stuff- its”. You have so much stuff in your closet and you used to get frustrated because you couldn’t get more stuff inside. The last year has taught us not to rely on our stuff, because the stuff we went through turned our focus back to God. The recession taught us that you can have a lot of clothes, a lot of shoes, and a big house but still not have peace. We have to realize that we have a gift that is greater than depression. We got a gift that is greater than low self esteem. We got a gift that is greater than suicide.
III. Glory of God
Isaiah 9:6c and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
1. The text shows what we completely have in Jesus. What did you get for Christmas? This will be the question come Saturday morning. When people ask you what you got for Christmas you can tell them you got a wonderful counselor, a mighty God, an everlasting Father, and a Prince of Peace.
2. You must understand:
a. Wonderful means things will happen that defy statistical analysis. We can’t put a framework around it. It falls in category of miracles that blow our mind. When you look at some things you have gone through in your life and there’re is no reasonable explanation for why you made it through it, then all you can say is it is just a wonder. You ought to give God the glory just because he is wonderful.
b. Counselor-This has a dual meaning. He is the discerning of the thought needs of man. He can put the heart thoughts of man into a framework or program to get us to a place of wholeness. God is a divine counselor. We don’t have to be able to articulate to him exactly what we have need of. The text says that he knows what we have need of before we even ask. God occupies the seat of both Counselor and the counselee. This is why we cast our cares on him. The other side of counselor is that we call attorneys counselors, because they speak for us and defend the oppressed. Counselor/ Attorney stands between the offended and law. You don’t speak for yourself; your counselor speaks for you. Like this, we have a counselor. When the law said I should die, we had someone pleading our case on our behalf. We had somebody there that said drop the charges. We had a rap sheet, butwe had a dream team working on our case (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost). He has power over sickness and oppression. No matter what is going on, he has the power to change our mind and our life.
c. Everlasting father- No matter what is going on, we can cry daddy and give him glory. Ex- Serena William down 0 to 5. Her father was sitting in the rafters that day. He was out of her eye view. Serena’s father came down and sat closer to the side line. Serena came back and won the match. The media wanted to know how she came back and won after being so far behind. She told the media that her daddy was sitting up high and she couldn’t see him, but he latter came down so that she could see him. She said this motivated her to take here game to the next level. Just like this, when we can see the Father, it should motivate us to go to the next level. You can make a comeback! He is the Prince of Peace. You must understand what you have! When you look at peace, you have to understand what you really have in this.
3. Jesus said he was going to leave us with what we need. When Jesus went back to heaven to be with his father, he told us that he would leave us with Peace. Peace reconciles us back to God. Romans 5:1 says 1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:- You won’t have peace with man or with yourself until you have peace with God. The text tells us of an amazing progressive relationship. It is not about religion, but about relationship. A child is born, a son, an everlasting Father. Look at how this relationship grows. When you first get into relationship he is a child, and then he becomes the son of God when you go through some stuff. When you show nuff start to go through some stuff you thank God is is an Everlasting Father.
4. Peace is “enduring tranquility”- it is consistent. How can you preach about Christmas, without telling the story? There is no glory without story. 750yrs after the prophecy Jesus was born. Luke 2:8-16 says 8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. – It is impossible to have encounter Christ and not give him glory. We complain about too much. You don’t realize what Jesus had to go through just to get here. If nothing else this Christmas, thank him for his glory. Joy to the world the Lord has come!

Posted in perspective | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Life in perspective Pt II “A word while you are waiting” Sermon 12/13/09

Posted on December 31, 2009 by growintheword

Life in perspective Pt 2
A word while you are waiting
Synopsis of Sermon 12/13/09
Delivered by Bishop Walker III
There is an incredible tension among all of us that is tied to our expectation. The tension is our expectation against God’s timing. We know God has made us promises. The challenge is in waiting for God to deliver. The promises of God remain yeah and amen. They are given to us through obedience. As a Christian, it is our responsibility while waiting on the promise of God, we must do good. Regardless to how people act to us, we are instructed to turn the other cheek and pray for those who despitefully use us. We are instructed to love those that are unlovable. Sometimes the best of us struggle with this. This is hard because when we try to do well, evil is on every hand. We do this because we love God. We realize that we are ambassadors for God in the earth realm. We literally understand what we are expected to do for good. Our expectation gives rise to our toleration. We are able to tolerate things because of our level of expectation. We would not do it, if we were not expecting something. We would have told that person off if we were not expecting something. We would have acted a fool in this situation or that situation if we weren’t expecting something. All of us come to place where we get tired. Corporate fatigue sets in. God wanted this message preached because resident in the pews today is a spirit of fatigue and weariness. Paul shares a word just like this with the church of Galatia. It is a twofold message. One is to remind them of their responsibility as Christians to represent the Christ they proclaim and second to look at his life (Paul’s life) as an example of how to hand life at a time of struggle.
In Galatians 6:9 it says 9And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.-There is a season where Satan wants us to faint. He wants to destroy us before our destiny manifests in our life. He knows if he can frustrate us, then he can retard the process of what God wants to do in and through us. The fact that God would send a word like this at this particular time should be confirmation to you that you are close to what God has promised you! The devil knows it is his last chance and this is why he is trying to throw everything that he can at you right now to try and take you out. We come to tell you to wait on it! Don’t compromise with devil. Wait on it! Don’t break down your standard, wait on it! No matter how long it takes he might not come when you want him to come, but he is always on time.
I. Learn to be faithful beyond your frustration
1. You have got to manifest spiritual maturity. Paul speaks this trying to get his church to grow up. Problems are inevitable. There are reasons people get weary. One is your flesh. Your flesh will wear you down. You spirit is willing but you flesh is tired. 2 Corinthians 4:15-16 says 15 All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. 16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are[a] being renewed every day. –When your outward man grows, your inward man is renewed day by day. There is no way a child of God can fulfill their assignment in the kingdom of God in their flesh. You must move to the spirit of God and recognize that it is the anointing of God. In Luke 4:18 Jesus says 18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, – Jesus says he was not doing this in his flesh. He explained he was doing it in his spirit. All the stuff we deal with, we have just gotten tired. When you are hungry or tired, Satan uses this as an avenue to frustrate you. He wants to make the thing that God intended to bless you become a burden to you. Your flesh is a mess.
2. There are folk who are reading this right now that has gotten tired of fighting. They have to fight on every hand. It’s not that you mind fighting. You just need a break every now and then. 1 Timothy 6:12:12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. -Fight the good fight of faith. Never let the devil rob you of your fight. Some of you act like you forgot how to fight. As Christians we don’t forget how to fight. We just change our weapons.
3. Struggling to produce fruit. What gives validation to our profession as a Christian is our ability to produce fruit. We are tired of having to produce. Every time you show up you have to constantly create or bear fruit. This makes you tired too. Ex-Bishop explains that when he was going through with the death of his wife, the congregation still wanted to receive a word. Regardless to what you are going through, people who look up to you want you to show up and produce. There is an amount of pressure connected to having to produce. This is why you have to learn the power and greatness of your purpose. You must be faithful to your purpose. Galatians 6:9 says 9And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not – Don’t give up what God has assigned you to do. You have to realize that your purpose is greater than your pain. If you find yourself complaining, you have allowed the enemy to minimize your contribution to the kingdom. God never promised you the road would be easy, but he did promise that he would be with you and walk with you through what you go through.
4. Validation that your are faithful through your frustrations:
a. You will always have peace- Philippians 4:6-7 says 6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. -We give God glory for peace. No matter what frustration comes in our life, God will give us peace. We might not live where you live or drive what you drive, and might not wear what you wear, but we have peace!
5. Your ability to be productive-This is other evidence that you have been faithful past your frustration. You are constantly productive.
a. 7 steps to productivity
i. You have to put God first- Remember the bible say seek the Kingdom of Heaven first and all these things will be added.
ii. Establish structure and order-We have to get the clutter out of our life.
iii. Firm commitment to solid foundational principles. – This is the principles that we stand on.
iv. Must create an environment conductive of perpetual growth, development, and creativity. – You got to get trifling folk out of your life and be around people that can stimulate creativity, development, and growth.
v. Plan and implement strategies for abundance-Productivity is not just doing something. We want the thing to be successful. Since God goes from glory to glory then everything we put our hand to must go from glory to glory.
vi. Implement a management system to sustain productivity. We start out well, but we don’t have a management system to keep us productive. You have to have something that will keep you growing. Something that keeps motivating you.
vii. Learn how to preach to self. Incorporate a regimen of rest. Recognize if you work hard you can rest harder.
6. Your Presence. If you can still show up, you are a blessing. Ex-Bishop explains he never did well on pop test in a certain class, but he got good grades over all. He explained that he got extra credit because of his attendance which offset his short fall on pop quizzes he didn’t do well on. You don’t realize who is sitting with you. Somebody is sick, laid off, and believing God for a breakthrough. They are expecting extra credit because they are still showing up!
II. Focus on the facts
1. Focus is hard. Some people are so distracted; they have to be pulled back into focus. The enemy loves to distract us. Paul says shift your focus and remember that the scripture says, in due season.
2. Due season is a period of time that God operates and chooses to bless you. Due seasons suggests a due date. The due date is always in the hands and the control of the owner. When you borrow money, you are not in charge of due date. The lender is. God is in control of the due date. Just because God doesn’t tell you the due date, it doesn’t’ mean there isn’t a due date. The due date is not tied to our time and realizing this lets us know it will come. 2540. Kairos – is an indefinite period of time or eternity 5550. Chronos –is our sense of time. Some of us are tied to chronos, our time. If we were to take some people’s phone, you would think we were taking their oxygen. Their schedules and numbers and appointments are all in the phone. We are so restricted to our time (chronos) we couldn’t live without our phone. In our lives, we are enslaved to our calendars and due dates. Job wrestled with this in Job 7:1: 1Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?
3. Is there a due date? Job 14:5 says 5Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; – God knows when we will be born and when we will die. Job 14:13-14 says 13O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! 14If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. – In verse 13, Job asks the Lord to hide him. In verse 14, Job asks if a man dies, will he live again. He also says he will wait until his change comes. This sounds good if we knew how long “until” was…When God gives to us, it is in “due season”.
In due season we find:
a. Prophetic evidence-Faith is the evidence. The date is prophetic.
b. . Proper ethic-This is by doing while we are waiting for our blessing to come. It is sort of the same principle as the Santa Claus theology. If you are naughty, you won’t get the gift. The problem is, most of us are nice until we get the gift. After we get the gift, we become naughty again. When you can be nice just because it is right and you can be good just because it is right that’s called righteousness and your ethic is not attached to God doing. If God don’t do it, I will still do right.
c. Posture of expectancy-the promise of God comes when there is a cosmic collision. It is when there is a divine interruption between due time and the manifestation of the promise in my life. In God’s word, he has over 3000 promises. That means Satan has to throw at least 3000 distractions to get our mind off of the 3000 promises. All a child of God needs is just one promise to get them through. Hebrews 6:13 says 13For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Numbers 23:19 says 19God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?, Hebrews 6:18 says 18That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:- We have to learn to trust the promises of God. No good thing will God withhold from them that walk upright. He promises that if we bring the tithe into the storehouse he will open the windows of heaven and pour us out a blessing that we won’t have room enough to receive. He promised that we will be like a tree planted by the river that brings fruit in your season. He promised by his strips we are already healed. He promised that he will supply all of our needs! All a children of God needs is one promise.
III. Fight to the finish
1. We have generation that is good on starting, but we do not know how to finish. Some of us are already thinking about what you are going to do in 2010. We said 2010 is going to be our year. We said we were going to do the same thing in 2009. Paul says we will reap if we faint not. Reaping is a result of perseverance.
2. To persevere you:
a. You have to plant. You can’t reap if you don’t plant.
b. You have to sow while you are preserving. You can’t reap if you don’t plant or sow anything. Galatians 6:7 says 7Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.- Keep shouting over nothing. You can’t reap if you don’t sow.
c. You got to serve. Perservance is about service. It is about doing something for somebody else and not just yourself. It is about being loyal. It is about blessing people while your blessing is on the way. You see people blessed, it is because they served. Matthew 23:11 says 11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.- Learn how to serve.
d. You got to be spiritual-You can’t be like everyone else. Be spiritual. If you are spiritual, you shouldn’t pop pills to go to sleep and pop pills to get up! You can’t be dropping it like it’s hot and cursing and everything that everyone else does. You are spiritual waiting on the promises of God.
e. Know that the weapons of warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God pulling down strongholds. Spiritual people don’t pout while it is coming. We must praise God while the blessing is on the way. We must praise God before it is released on our life. Our fight is in our praise. David went through this. In Psalm 102:1-11 David writes. 1Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee. 2Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily. 3For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth. 4My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread. 5By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin. 6I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. 7I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. 8Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me. 9For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping. 10Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down. 11My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass. 12But thou, O LORD, shall endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations. 13Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.-David says he needs an answer. He said he is in pain and people don’t’ realize how much pain he is in. He said he is in so much pain, he is himself sick. In verse 6 he says he feels out of place. Verse 7-8 says that his enemies are against him. Verse 10-11 he says he doesn’t know if God is blessing him or cursing him. In verse 12, he says he recognizes that he might not know what God is up to, but we realize he is still God. Verse 13 he says he realize that God is coming at a set time which has come.
Preaching to a text:
We opened up preaching from a text, but now let’s preach to a text. Ex- There was this Mother had 3 children. Things were very bad for her around this time of year. They didn’t have clothes nor food to eat. She got frustrated, because whe didn’t have money to buy them clothes for her kids nor toys for her children. She decided because she could not provide for them that she would go home and take them out first and then herself. The kids got wind of it and ran out the house. When they hear their mother coming up the steps, they jumped out the window and ran to grandmother’s house to escape. After not finding them, the Mother decided she wanted to take her life. She took pills and woke up strapped to bed. The nurses wanted to know what drove here to this wanting to kill her kids and herself. Grandmother comes to sign some papers on her behalf and the doctors asked what could have drove her (her daughter) to this state. Grandmother said that she had been struggling and was frustrated that she could not buy the kids clothes that they needed. Grandmother said what she didn’t know is that while she was out, Grandmother had bought clothes and toys and was going to surprise her by filling her closest, but the Mother took these pills. Grandmother said if the woman had just looked in the closet she would have known that she had a surprise for her and everything would have been alright. Here’s where we preach to the text. Matthew 6:6 says 6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.- I know you are tired, I know you are frustrated, but the answer is in your closet. If you would just spend time in your closet you will realize that God has a surprise for you in your closet! He might not come when you want him, but he is always on time!

Posted in perspective, word | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment