Part 4: It’s Time To Take Over 

Posted on January 31, 2025 by growintheword

 

 

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 
Synopsis 1.26.25

Joshua 1:1-8 NKJV 
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

I.          INTRODUCTION

  1. Doesn’t take long to find out God is a god of His timing.
  2. God deals with Kairos time not Chronos.
    1. Galatians 4:4-5 NKJV says 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born[a] of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.- God operates in his own time. It might take a while for God to manifest it, but He will do it in His own time.
    2. Old folk used to day, “He might not come when you want Him, but He’s always on time”.
  3. There is a difference between seconds and time, seasons and moments. When you walk in a season, you will know it.
  4. You can’t get frustrated over time. You have to trust God and know that there are seasons that He works in. Habakkuk 2:3 (NKJV) says 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. – Remember it was Job that said he would wait until his change comes.
  5. There is a moment that happens because of your season. The moment in this text was the death of Moses.
  6. Moses has perished in this story, because he had served out his purpose. His purpose was to bring the Children of Israel out of Egypt.
  7. Joshua’s purpose was to take them into the Promised Land. It wasn’t about stepping into the new place but instead stepping into a new promise.
  8. A promise is bigger than your zip code. It deals with
  9. You came in not to be a visitor but instead take it over.
  10. God wants you to walk into a season, accept the promise, and have the mindset of
  11. There is confidence that comes with this. If you have to be here, you want to be here the way God sent you. You are here, because God sent you here!
  12. The enemy knows it won’t be long before you take over. This is why the enemy is angry when you show up.
    1. The people that hired you might soon be answering to you.
  13. Joshua was Moses’
  14. Things to know about Joshua:
    1. Joshua was a Military Leader- Exodus 17:8-16 says 8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became [a]heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, [b]The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; 16 for he said, “Because [c]the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
    2. Joshua was Moses Assistant – Exodus 24:13 says 13 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.
    3. Joshua was one of the twelve spies – Numbers 14:6-9 NKJV 6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they[a] are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”
    4. Joshua was a successor to Moses – Deuteronomy 31:14-23 (NKJV) says 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the days approach when you must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of meeting, that I may inaugurate him.” So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tabernacle of meeting. 15 Now the LORD appeared at the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood above the door of the tabernacle.16 And the LORD said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ 18 And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.19 “Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel. 20 When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant. 21 Then it shall be, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for I know the inclination of their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the land of which I swore to give them.”22 Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel. 23 Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”

II.          PREPARATION FOR THE PROMISE

  • You don’t always know you are in a season of preparation. When God is preparing you, sometimes He allows us to be in the subway awhile, before he gives us the promise. This is why people think you just popped up. They didn’t see your subway experience.
  • Preparation season is important.
    • David went to the palace and worked before becoming king.
    • Ester before becoming queen. – She learned the politics of the palace and how to navigate that space, before becoming queen.
    • Joseph went through a pit and prison, before becoming second in command in Egypt – God was preparing him to be in command.
    • Paul before his missionary journeys – Galatians 1:17-18 NKJV says 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see [a]Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. – Sometimes God needs to have us unlearn some things, before allowing us to step into our promise.
    • Nehemiah before rebuilding the wall. Nehemiah 1:11 NKJV says 11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”For I was the king’s cupbearer.-
    • Even Jesus – Jesus died at 33. He prepared for 30 years for a 3 yr ministry.
  • Nothing you go through will be lost. God will take every experience and use it to help you.

A.  Acknowledge The Past 

  1. Moses is a person, but he represents a season. You need to acknowledge history before going into something new.
  2. You have to respect the season of Moses. Never walk into an era without respecting what was.
  3. You can celebrate the past, but don’t dwell there.
    1. If you aren’t careful, you will end up having an 8-track ministry in a download season. You can’t dwell on a Moses’ Egypt season, when you have entered Joshua’s Promised Land Season.

B.  Align With The Plan 

  1. What is the plan of God? God told Abraham to go to a land where He would show him later. Abraham took Sarah and Lot with him.
    1. God will never give you vision by yourself. You need people to help you make it come to fruition.
  2. God told Joshua to take these people with you. It’s never about you; it is about us.
  3. When you recognize the attacks on your life, know that it ain’t about you, it is about others.
  4. The enemy knows that if he gets you messed up, it will affect others. Your fight is for those coming up behind you.
  5. Who shouldn’t you take? Sometimes we take the wrong people with us. Mc Hammer will even tell you that he took too many people with him in his rise to stardom. He should be a Billionaire now.
    1. You have to know exactly who to take with you. You have to take people who are aligned with you and who can grow with you. If you can’t grow with me, you can’t go with me!

III.          POSSESSION OF THE PLACE

  • When you get there, you won’t be a tourist. God wants you to come there to possess it. This is about a season of
  • God is about to give us:
    • Ownership – God is about to give you authority and stewardship over the land.
    • Influence – Community and culture around it is subject to your influence. You can’t have influence over what you don’t own.
    • Legacy – You are not only supposed to own and influence the land. You are supposed to pass it down to future generations. You must pass down generational blessings.

A.  Step Into New Territory 

  1. You have to walk into this. When you get the word, you have to get up, and step into it. Faith without works is dead!
  2. You can’t be troubled by what it looks like. Joshua was given a promise by God.
  3. What was the problem? The land was already occupied by other people.
    1. God already knows it’s occupied, but He needs you to trust Him.
  4. If He told you to walk into it, He will work out the details.

B.  Secure The Land 

  1. Understand the power of security, when you walk into the land.
  2. Territories are where demons hang out. Demons are assigned to territories.
  3. When you go to certain cities, some things are more prevalent in certain cities. You have to go in with the attitude that I am casting out the spirits that have these territories on hold.
  4. We have to drive out:
    1. Toxic relationships
    2. Complacency
    3. Sinful Habits
    4. Spiritual strongholds
  5. We have to drive out everything that is not in line with God’s word!

 

IV.          PROTECTING THE LAND GOD HAS GIVEN US

  • We have to pray for people.
  • It’s about:
    • Prayerful Petition – We have to pray for God’s protection.
    • Purposeful Position – We have to put our foot down. We have show our presence.
    • Proactive Protection – God came that we might have life more abundantly. We came to protect the land.
  • God defined what he was giving them. He explained that from the wilderness, to Lebanon, to the Euphrates River, to the Great Seas, would belong to them

 

  • Wilderness – Produces strength. Got to go through it to get to the blessing.
  • Struggle – You can’t gain strength without having the struggle.
  • Strength – God is going supply you with all you need in abundance. This will support your strength.
  • Supply – God will provide everything that you need.
  • Scale – Look at the size of the Great Sea. God wanted to demonstrate the size his blessings and provisions could be.

 

A.  Power For The Purpose 

  1. Imagine God saying he is going to give you this and that. It isn’t just for you; it is for everyone.
  2. You are going to a land that is You start putting people out, but they ain’t going out without a fight. Don’t be afraid, because as God was with Moses, He will also be with you.

B.  Depend On Divine Strength 

  1. Demonstrate Courage – God needs you to have courage. This is not the time to be afraid.

V.          PERSISTENCE IN THE PRINCIPLES

  • What’s going to keep you?
  • The challenge of walking in promise is sustainability. The blessing that God wants us to have is not a back in the day blessing. It is a right now blessing! It’s sustainable from generation to generation. You will never be a “once was”
  • What is it that keeps us?
    • Story: Many Pastors around the world want to know how Mt Zion grew so big? How did they go from 175 members to over 30,000.? The answer is it was because of Bible Study.
    • You can tell how popular a church is on Sunday morning. You can tell how popular a Pastor is at by night service. You can tell how popular God is by Bible Study. People love Bible Study, because they are hungry for the word.

A.  Meditate On The Word 

  1. We want the word. Keep this word and bound it around your neck. What’s going to keep you is God’s word.

B.    Manifest Success 

  1. Manifest means I apply God’s word, activate faith through action, and believe God for the word.
  2. The word says, “When you come into the land, yo shall be prosperous in all your ways”. This means that all that we touch, God is going to make prosperous.
  3. The word says “You shall have good success”.
    1. Story – Bishop explains how he and his family were making homemade pizza. All the ingredients have been put together properly, and they now have
    2. Little Joseph gets anxious and wants to eat some of the items on the pizza, but he can’t. Bishop explained that he needed to give the pizza to his father, so that he couldn’t finish preparing what was started.
      1. In like manner, we have to take our success from school and give it to our father. For example, We’ve done well in school, but you want to hear our Father say, “Well done”!! Give it to your daddy!
    3. Getting back to the story, Bishop puts the pizza in the oven, but the kids kept peeping in the window and opening the oven door to see if the pizza is ready.
      1. We do the same thing. We keep asking, is it ready yet?
    4. God has us in the right environment.
      1. Like the pizza, we have to stay in the oven (environment) long enough. If we keep opening and closing the oven, we delay the process.
    5. The father has set the timer. There is a difference between seconds and seasons. Bishop reminded his kids that he had set a timer to let him know when the pizza is done. He told them that when they heard the buzzer, to let him know, because that would let them know that it is done.
      1. God has us at a place for an appointed time and He knows when the time is right. It is time to take over!
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Part 3: The Blessing Is Bigger Than You Think 

Posted on January 24, 2025 by growintheword

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 
Synopsis 1.19.25

Ephesians 3:20 (KJV) 
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

I.            INTRODUCTION

  1. As we grow in relationship with God, we also grow in faith. As your faith grows, your visions expand.
  2. Vision has a lot to do with your exposure. Your exposure increases your expectation of what is possible. Taking a bus, a plane, or a boat ride is important. You must get out of your zip code to know how big the world really is.
  3. You can’t be big when little’s got you!
  4. Your expectation grows when your perspective changes. You need to position yourself for great expectations.
  5. There are many things you’ve been praying over. Today’s word will be a prophetic declaration over your life. What you have been hoping for is so small in comparison to what God wants to do for you.
  6. The reason why some things never happen is because we limit our vision to accommodate people. We are concerned about how they feel about it.
  7. Your season is going to be bigger. You must revisit your plan. When you hear this word today, you will see how big God is going to bless you.
  8. The book of Ephesians is an Epistle. It is a book of revelation, of truth, and application.
  9. It is a book of truth in that it tells you what you should know and it gives you life application, in that it tells you how to apply what He says to do.
  10. In today’s lesson, we see that the Apostle Paul is a prisoner. Paul writes this for the Gentiles, the non-Jews of that day.
  11. The blessing of Abraham talks about blessing the Jewish people. There was a mind set at this time where they thought that if you were a non-Jew, you would get the scraps from the blessing and not the blessings. They believed that the non-Gentiles would get the leftovers.
  12. Paul is saying to the Gentile people, he knew how culture had treated them, and because of how culture treated them, their perspective was off. Paul informed them God’s blessings included them too.
  13. Paul told them not to let his current situation (his incarceration) cause them not to understand what God was about to do them. If you were a Gentile, your prayers were limited, because you didn’t really expect the full blessing. Paul wanted them to know to open up their spirt and their mind up. Whatever you thought your blessing was, know that its going to be bigger!
  14. Paul begins today’s scripture by saying “Now unto him…”ma.

II.            HAVE PERSPECTIVE OF HIS AUTHORITY

  • You haveto understand who God is in your life. We recognize who God is and that he can do what non-one else to do. Therefore, we approach him differently. If He has authority and power, He has it over everything

A.   Recognize God’s Sovereign Will 

  1. God does what he does, because He is sovereign, meaning that He does what he does, when He wants to, and how He wants to, and He doesn’t owe us an explanation for why He does what He does. It is His will.
  2. The Wills of God.
    1. Perceptive Will of God –Matthew 22:37 (NKJV) says 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’– This is the instruction of righteous living.
    1. Permissive Will of God – God sometimes allow things to happen that doesn’t align with Gods will. He permits it, even though it is not His will. Job chapters1 & 2.
    1. Perfect Will of Christ – He aligns His will with our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) says 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. – God not controls our income, He also controls our outcome.
    1. Directive Will of Christ – This is how God uses the Holy Spirit to give us guidance. Acts 16:6-10 (NKJV) says 6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. – You have your plans, but God will redirect you.
    1. Sovereign Will of Christ – His will can’t be hindered. Acts 2:23 (NKJV) 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;– It was part of a Divine plan. Whatever God’s will is, we will accept it and not fight against it.
  3. God is a God that not only speaks it, but makes it come to pass.

B.   Know When It’s Time To Give It To Him 

  1. When you try to work your problem out, God will put you in a situation where you have no choice, but to give it to Him. Stop trying to be so heroic. It’s ok to cast your cares on Him.
  2. The word “Now” as used in the phrase “now unto Him…”, has a lot to do with timing.
    1. Lateral time – means immediately or at this moment.
    1. The word “Now” is transitional – It means that the writer is shifting to another thought. “Now unto Him” implies that now it’s going to happen when God says its going to happen. We are not going to worry about it. We are going to leave it up to Him.

III.            HE HAS PROVEN HIS ABILITY

  • Now unto Him who is able… This is about ability.
  • History says God is able. He can do what no man can do.  He is able to exceed our expectations.

A.   He’s Able To Do What Seems Impossible 

  1. This is not theoretical. He has a track record. Remember the fiery furnace, or Daniel in the Lion’s den? If you look over your life, you have seen God do the impossible.

B.   His Record Is Reliable 

  1. Have you ever heard of the company Nvidia? It is a tech company that manufactures computer chips. From your smart phone to self driving cars, they are involved.
    1. Most people don’t think about them, but we are benefactors of their work. Likewise, aware or not, we are benefactors of God working behind the scenes.
    1. God woke you up this morning. Something miraculously happened between good night and good morning. He woke you up!
  2. Our faith reinforces our directive.

IV.            HE HAS PROMISED US ABUNDANCE

  • This hasa lot to do with what you are exposed to. Abundance is more than materialism. It’s about peace, joy and grace.

A.   God Is About To Exceed Your Expectations 

  1. Verse 20 is really a doxology. It does two things.
    1. Shows that God can do things that exceed our expectation.
    1. Shows that God never gets tired of doing it.
  2. We come to God for one thing, and He always exceeds our expectations.

B.   Embrace This Season Of Overflow 

  1. God will not just give you tangible blessings. He will also give you things that money can’t buy!
  2. Your blessings have a lot to do with “how do you see?”.
  3. Story: When Bishop was first called to the ministry, he thought he was going crazy. He was seeing stuff. You drive by a field and see cow pastures, but he would see condos. When you are a seer, you see stuff others don’t see, and it is hard to communicate it.
    1. We come to tell you that you are not crazy.
    1. The moment you see something; you start saying it.
  4. How you see affects:
    1. How you speak – How you speak matters. If I see what’s possible, I speak what’s possible, even if people in my situation don’t see it.
      1. Example: You have seen more, and you go back to share with your family or friends, and they say you think you are better than everyone else. Even your language begins to change.
      1. Story: Bishop tells how his dad was an entrepreneur when they were growing up. His dad is 96 years old. He started a Window Cleaning business in his 20s and he used to clean houses too. Rights of passage for Bishop and his siblings was they had to work on the business truck.
        1. Going with his dad, gave Bishop exposure as a young lad. Back then, they all had to go through the back door to clean houses.
        1. He explained how his dad would get on his hands and knees to put the wax down and then they would buff the floors. As his dad was doing this, Bishop walked through the house they were cleaning, just looking around. He began to dream about having the same nice stuff when he got older.
      1. When you see blessed people, you don’t really realize where it comes from. Bishops dad always wanted his kids to have more than he did so he exposed them to more.
    1. How you Scale things – Once you see it and say it, you will start believing God for it. The exposure allows you to change your scale for measuring the things you want and the goals that you set.
      1. Example: When Mt Zion went to the location to make plans to buy Antioch, God showed Bishop the whole mall. When they just wanted one area, God showed them more. This is overflow!
      1. 2025 is your year. You have to thrive in 25!
  5. Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we can ask or think.  

V.            HE WORKS THROUGH THE POWER OF ALIGNMENT

  1. According to the power that worketh in you. God does it according to the power that is at work in your life. It is about alignment and abundance.
  2. Ask God to bring you into alignment. Don’t miss the buffet, thinking about the snack.
  3. Whatever God does in the season is because you fall into alignment. It is about truth and application.
  4. The gentiles didn’t even understand. This is Post Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit came in Acts 2, and people thought they were drunk, Peter reminded them that this was the manifestation of what was prophesied.
  5. Everybody now has access to the Holy Ghost, which is at work in you.
  6. Story: Bishop said he got into the EV world. He purchased an electric vehicle. Joseph likes the car and pretends that it is his.
  7. When you pull into the garage, you have to plug it up at night. Little Joseph decides he wanted to plug the car in. So, Bishop allowed Little Joseph to plug the car in.
  8. The next morning, when they got ready to use it, the car wasn’t starting. They found the car was only at 20%. Lil Joe plugged it in, but it wasn’t aligned properly, so the car did not get fully charged.
  9. This is a lesson for us. You can be in a thing but not aligned. You can go to church, but not be aligned with God and therefore, miss receiving the power that you are supposed to have.
  10. God works though the power of alignment. God is going to do it, but you have to be properly aligned. The blessing is bigger than you think!!
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Part 1: HE’S CALLING YOU INTO SOMETHING GREATER 

Posted on January 10, 2025 by growintheword

 

Synopsis of 01/05/25 Sermon

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 

Genesis 12:1-3 NKJV 
1 “Get out of your country, 
From your family 
And from your father’s house, 
To a land that I will show you. 
2 I will make you a great nation; 
I will bless you 
And make your name great; 
And you shall be a blessing. 
3 I will bless those who bless you, 
And I will curse him who curses you; 
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

I.            INTRODUCTION

  1. Everyone needs to understand that God will never allow us to settle beneath the plans for our lives. The tensions we feel is because we go through the push that God is giving us..
  2. Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.- God sees in us and speaks to us based on potential that is resident in us.
  3. Quote from Theologian
    1. “God knows us completely. No tale bearer can inform on us, no enemy can make an accusation stick, no forgotten skeleton can come tumbling out of some hidden closet to abash us and expose our past; no unsuspected weakness in our character can come to light to turn God away from us, since He already knew us utterly before we knew Him and called us to himself in the full knowledge of everything that was against us.” A.W. Tozer – Theologian– It is important to know it is not about your past, but rather your promise.
  4. Many of you have felt God pushing you to more. You realize that where you are is not where you’re supposed to be.
  5. This word today is about the moment that you realize that God is pushing you into something greater. It is not time to whine, it is time to win!
  6. In Genesis 12, we are introduced to God calls him from a privilege lifestyle, and God asks him to go to something that He wouldn’t give him the details to, upfront. God would give him the details over time.
  7. When you’re walking into this story, you will discover that God made this covenant promise to Abraham. Abraham lived in a time of Nomadic Lifestyle.
    1. A Nomad is someone who lives by traveling from place to place. They usually bring their tents with them. Genesis 13:2-4 NKJV 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
    2. Abraham also lived in a polytheistic world meaning that they believed in many gods. Polytheism pulled people from worshipping the one and true living God.
  8. Abraham is called out of polytheism and called into a place of stability; he would worship the one true living God.
  9. Abraham is considered the “father” of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which are collectively referred to as the Abrahamic religions, because they all trace their lineage back to him as a central figure in their respective scriptures. 
  10. Explanation:
    1. Judaism:
      1. In the Hebrew Bible, Abraham is seen as the patriarch of the Jewish people, with the covenant between God and Abraham forming the foundation of Jewish faith. 
    2. Christianity:
      1. Christians also recognize Abraham as a key figure, as Jesus’ lineage is traced back to Abraham through his son Isaac. 
    3. Islam:
      1. In the Quran, Abraham is highly revered as a prophet who submitted to the one God, and Muslims consider him an important ancestor through his son Ishmael.
    4. God established a covenant with Abraham. God promised that He would bless his Land, his descendants, and that he would be a blessing to all nations.
    5. God promised to bless his descendants. God would make Abraham the blessing.
    6. What does it mean when God calls you into something greater? Abraham means “father of many nations”. This was the reason for his name changing from Abram to Abraham.
    7. God deals with Abraham in Genesis 12.

II.            RECEIVE A PERSONAL CALL

  • The Lord spoke to Abraham. Every call from God is a personal call. You have to make sure it is God calling you and not others.
  • When God calls us, He knows where we are emotionally and spiritually, and he is just looking for our “yes”.
  • You will never be settled in your spirit until you say yes.

A.   When God Calls You, He Knows Where To Find You 

  1. God knows where you are. You can’t hide from God.
  2. If you look in the scriptures, you will notice that everyone God called, he knew where each and every one of them.
  3. Moses was living in Midian. God called him from a burning bush. God calls Moses at 80 yrs old to do something greater.
    1. Old or young, God can use you.
  4. Gideon was in the wine press when God called him to help you defeat the Midianites.
  5. Samuel was in the temple. He didn’t recognize who was calling him at first, but God kept calling.
  6. Saul was on Damascus Road. After God’s call, the same man that had been tearing down the kingdom, spent the rest of his life building it up.
  7. God calls us at the right moment and right time, even though we might not think so. When you do what God calls you to do, you will never work another day in your life.

B.   God Calls Us Into Something That Started Before Us 

  1. This happened before the foundation of the world. This is preordination. Preordination means to Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV says 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified[a] you; I [b]ordained you a prophet to the nations.” . – God always has a plan.
    1. Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) says 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. – What God does, he creates us with the temper and personality to fit the call that he will summon us to.
  2. When you are young, people might give up on you, because the world is not wired to handle who you really are.
    1. Bishop always tells the story about him being hyper as a young child and the teachers thought something was wrong with him. Turns out that God was preparing him then for what he would be doing now. He needs that type of energy to carry out the assignment today.
  3. When God calls you, its based on the capacity inside of you, and then He anoints you to do what he called you to do.

III.            RELEASED FROM THE PLACE OF COMFORT

  • Abraham is called from a place of comfort.
  • When you leave your security, some people will question your call.
  • Genesis 12:1 (NKJV) 1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house,To a land that I will show you.- It is a call to leave behind your comfort to do what God wants us to do.
  • God doesn’t call us into lateral moves. He takes us from glory to glory!

A.   It Takes Courage To Break Contentment 

  1. I got to be willing to let go of that which is familiar.
  2. When Abraham got the call, he was 75yrs old, but he trusted God.
  3. When you step out, you will realize:

B.   Obedience Opens The Door To Divine Opportunities 

  1. Ever been in a rush and park near the exit door of Home Depot? Because you are in a hurry, you want the door to open for you, but the door wasn’t designed to open on the side that you’re on. The door is not going to change the rules, just because you are in a hurry.
  2. Rules don’t change, just because you’re in a hurry. God will not change the rules, just because you’re in a hurry.
  3. It takes a level of When you walk in faith, you have to get beyond:
    1. Public Optics – You can’t worry about what people think.
    2. The People’s Opinions – It’s not about how they feel about it. It’s about what God wants you to do.
    3. Rely on his Providential Care – You have to know that God has a plan and that He has it all in control.
  4. The call will not be a setback for you!

IV.            RELY ON HIS PROVIDENTIAL CARE

A.   God’s Provision Always Aligns With His Assignment 

  1. It doesn’t matter if people don’t like you. If the blessing of God is on your life, you will be
  2. In Chapter12, Abraham stepped out to his call. In Chapter 13, God blessed him. In Chapter 14, Abraham became a
  3. Some people hate on saved people that are blessed, yet they celebrate unsaved people that have things. We should celebrate blessed people when they accomplish things and accumulate blessings. If anyone should be blessed, it ought to be the people of God.
  4. 3 reasons why God blesses us like this.
  5. He knows that He can trust you. Genesis 14:20 (NKJV) 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.
  6. God knows that you will be transformational. – God knows that you will make something out of your blessing!
  7. He knows you will share your testimony.- God knows that you will tell others about your blessing.

B.   Your Name Was Intended To Be Greater Than Your Title 

  1. Your name represents who you are at the core.
  2. Every name in the Bible meant something whether it was good or bad. They were descriptive of the person’s personality.
  3. A Title represents a temporary role that can fade over time. If you have to have a title, then it means you believe your name doesn’t have enough weight by itself.
  4. God said he would make Abram’s name great, not his title. God is changing his name from a noun to a verb.
  5. Proverbs 22:1 (NKJV) 1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.
  6. Xerox Story: Back in the early 60s a company called Xerox came up with a process by which you could get a photocopy of your documents. They became very popular. They had so much success that they really became big in the industry.
    1. A year or two later, a guy opened up FedEx whose purpose was to ship products. He thought it would be good if he could come up with a little shop inside his establishment, where you could make photocopies while you were there shipping product. Pretty soon, people were coming into the FedEx shopping asking if they could Xerox a copy of their documents.
    2. People will cause your name to be so great, it will be brought up in your competitors establishment.
  7. When God makes your name great, it speaks for itself.

 

V.            REJOICE IN HIS PROMISED COVENANT

A.   There Are Consequences Tied To How People Deal With You 

  1. The blessing of Abraham is on our lives.
  2. There is a generational blessing on your life. Genesis 12:3 (NKJV) 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

 

B.   There Is A Generational Blessing On Your Life 

  1. How do you know it’s a real thing? When you go to the doctor, they try to find out your family history. It is because you are predisposed to whatever medical issues they may have had. This is a form of a generational curse.
  2. We have generational curses, and we have generational blessings.
  3. If one person in your family, decides to stop the curse, then they start a generational blessing.
    1. For example, if all the males in your family were drunks, and you make the choice not to drink, you stand a good chance of breaking the generational curse in your family.
  4. When you are blessed, you don’t have to get back at people. God can deal with people much better than we can!
  5. Generational Blessings
    1. Legacy of Finance – you have to teach this to your family. How to budget, how to save, how to spend
    2. The Legacy of Faithfulness – If you live a life that demonstrates faith, then more and likely, your kids will demonstrate faith.
    3. Legacy of Favor – There are some things that God will do that doesn’t make sense. Somethings God does, you can’t explain.

 

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Part 3: Behold His Glory 

Posted on January 3, 2025 by growintheword

 


Synopsis of December 22, 2024 Sermon

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 

John 1:1-14 
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

I.          INTRODUCTION

  1. The beauty of our relationship with God is in who He is. He is the son of the living God. God sent his son as a savior to the whole world.
  2. Everything we have, would not be possible without Jesus. He is then the reason for the season.
  3. You can’t embrace his glory fully without the birth narrative. He was born of a virgin in Judah. Jesus began long before Mary gave birth to Him.
  4. He is the Word. The more you get to know him, the more you will realize that the Word was always at work.
  5. John was in Jesus’ inner circle. He was a fisherman when Jesus first called him. John was an Apostle which meant He witnessed Jesus up close. John was so close to Jesus; he witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration on the Mount of Transfiguration, and he witnessed the agony Jesus suffered on the cross. He was standing with Mary at the foot of the cross.
  6. An Epistle is a formal letter with a purpose. John is accredited for writing 3 Epistles in the New Testament. They are I John, II John, and III John. He also wrote Revelation and John the gospel.
  7. He writes love truth and the divinity of Jesus Christ.
  8. John wrote in a pattern. In John 20:31 (NKJV) it says 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.- John says these things I write that you might believe.
  9. In one of the Epistles, 1 John 5:13 (NKJV) it says 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.- John writes this one so that that we might know and believe. You must not only believe, you have to know too.
    1. If you don’t know, you can have Jesus and not know it, meaning you that you can lose him and not miss him. It is important to believe and know.
  10. Another of John’s book is John. It is written about the past, the present, and the future.
    1. The distinction of John from the other synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) is they write about Jesus chronologically from birth. Unlike them, John starts with the beginning of everything, explain how Jesus was the Word. John wants us to know who Jesus really was. He was the preexisting God. In the beginning he was preexisting, coexisting, and self-existing all at the same time)
  11. Through this message, you will understand the relationship between the word of God and the Jesus whom we celebrate today.

II.          THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE WORD

A.  The Word Was Before The Beginning 

  1. The beginning did not begin the Word. Logos, the Latin word for “Word”, signifies Jesus Christ. It is the breath of God.
  2. The Word coexisted with God himself. The Word is eternal. The Word was before us, then it was with us, and will be after us.
  3. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the word will last forever. John said God so loved the world that God gave his only begotten son. When you accept Him, you go to your spirit self where you inherit eternal life.

B.  God And The Word Are One 

  1. The sun’s light gives us light and warms us. Sunlight is not separate from sun. Like unto it, the Son is not separate from God. He is the part of God that we can comprehend. God sent Himself in a form that we could comprehend.
  2. The Old Testament always pointed us to heaven. The Old Testament can be complicated. For example, if you need to get directions to the airport and you were getting them from someone that lived here, they would give you so much detail, that you couldn’t remember it all. This is how the Old Testament operates.
    1. The New Testament simply says, take up your cross and follow me. The New Testament shows you what to do and where to go.
  3. The Bible says the Word was God. The Word and God is one. The Word, the Son, and God can’t be separated. This is how we get the Trinity.

III.          THE CREATIVENESS OF THE WORD

  • All things were created by the Word. God used the word in the beginning of time to create the heavens and earth.
  • When we have a relationship with God, we have creative power. Every visions we have is connected to a creative word.

A. The Word Makes Something Where There Is Nothing 

  1. This idea of creation stands apart. A sovereign God creates the universe with nothing but His word. It is the doctrine of ex nihilo which is a Latin word meaning “out of nothing”.
    1. When you build a house, you talk to builder, but they have to talk to the subcontractors, before giving you a quote. In other words, the builder has to go to secondary source before building your house. God doesn’t, because He is already the source.
  2. God came from nowhere, used the word to create everything that exists. He came from nowhere, because there was nowhere for Him to come from. He stood on nothing and created something. No one said anything, because there was no one around to say anything.
  3. This is why the power of life and death is in your tongue. Your speech is to bring creativeness in places where there is nothing. The more word in you, the more word you can release into the world.
  4. When in a relationship, you never despise small When we start with nothing, we know this is when God creates. Everything you have, started with the word of God.

B. Everything You Have Started With The Word 

  1. Your children stared with a word. Your relationship started with a word. Everything starts with word. Whether its instructions, your thoughts, or whatever, it all starts with a word.
  2. God used the word to create everything that exists. The enemy loves high jacking our word, to prevent our destiny.
  3. Music creates modes. King Saul for example, used to have bouts of depression. David played music and brought his spirit back.
  4. Before the beginning began, humans weren’t the first thing God created. God created the angels before us. One of the first things God created was a heavenly court that would give him praise! Ezekiel 28:13 (NKJV) says 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. – God created Satan and his anatomy was nothing but music.
  5. Satan was responsible for the sound in glory. God let him control the sound, but God would create the lyrics which were, “holy, holy, holy”.
  6. Satan got kicked out of heaven, because he tried to change the lyrics. Satan wanted the glory to go to him.
  7. Satan wants to control the melodies and control the message. The words have the ability to change your mindset.
  8. If you were in the studio for the song, “Back That Thing Up”, you wouldn’t have a problem with it until you hear the lyrics. The track itself doesn’t get you, but the lyrics change your whole mindset.
  9. Once you hear the lyrics, it doesn’t matter if you have just the music playing, you will go back to that same mindset, because you can’t unhear the lyrics.
  10. This is why we have to be careful of what you let your kids listen to. Satan is trying to change their morality. The lyrics is about changing your morality. Remember, you can’t unhear it.
  11. If you can hear, you can’t unhear what you know is right. The same goes with talking about the word of God. Once you hear the word, you can’t unhear it.

IV.          THE CLUELESSNESS OF THE WORLD

  • This Word came into the earth. The Word that created the world, came into the world and the world didn’t even know him.
  • The world is so materialistic, it doesn’t know what it has in Jesus. You look for joy in a broken relationship, not knowing that you have a friend in Jesus

A.    The World Doesn’t Know What It Has 

  1. We don’t chase paper, we chase purpose! We chase Joy, goodness, peace, and love!

B.    Culture Rejects What It Cannot Control 

  1. All rejection ain’t bad!

V.          THE CHRIST OF THE WORD

  • That word that was self-existing, became flesh and dwelt among us.
  • This is why the angel had to talk Joesph off the ledge. That which was above us, came among us.
  • Gods’ presence is so amazing, you can’t comprehend it. God had to package himself in a body, so that we could comprehend him. So, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

A.    The Word Became Flesh That Flesh Might Become The Word 

  1. Our life should be the manifestation of the Word. It’s about our understanding.
  2. The more word you get, the more you look, walk, and talk like the Word. You are advertisement for the Word.
  3. If you have the word I have, you will have peace. It’s not what you believe, it’s about what you know. This is how you handle a season when everything is falling apart.
  4. Your life is a manifestation of the Word.

B.    Whatever The Word Manifests Is For God’s Glory 

  1. It isn’t about you. It’s for God’s glory. When you behold his glory, you know where the glory goes.
  2. Psalms 91:1 (NKJV) 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.- Even the heavens behold His glory. Look at the times you almost had a nervous breakdown, but God kept us.
  3. Look at how you could have walking to church instead of riding.
  4. Lots of people don’t appreciate your glory, but we beheld His glory.
  5. Full of grace and truth – The enemy tried to tell us what he thought we should hear. Truth brought change. Grace makes salvation possible, and truth eliminates the path to freedom.
    1. The enemy said you were unworthy, but grace and truth said you were more than a conqueror.
  6. Mistakes will find you – You are a new creature. Old things have passed away, but this doesn’t mean you won’t make mistakes.
  7. Depressed – I will bless the Lord at all times. Whether things are good or bad, we will bless the Lord at all times.
  8. When you know what you know you can behold his glory!.

 

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