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GOD’S LOOKING FOR SOMEONE

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Preaching messages, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »

LOVE SEEKS # 4 AM – GOD SEEKS TRUE WORSHIPERS.   449629985_640

This year the theme of the whole year is LOVE. This month the theme is Love seeks.

As we got the preachers together in early January this year to discuss our theme for the month and how our messages should be constructed, we thought about the significance of the prayer and fasting time taking place this month, not only in our church, but right across the whole of the inc church movement in Australia. We saw it was a time of seeking God, and asked ourselves the question, how does that relate to Love? We always begin with God. God seeks, and we used the verse in week one:         Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. We see the heart of God in seeking out lost people and when His great love for people breaches our hearts then we respond by seeking Him; (1 John 4;19 We love Him because He first loved us. (AMP)) and not only Him; but joining in His great commission to seek the lost of our community also. Fasting is the concentration of passion and humbling ourselves to ask for His mercy to be upon this city.

In week one we introduced the year-long theme of love and spoke of its significance. In week two John spoke of the prodigal son and how the Father was seeking the son to return. How great was his love. The father in the story shows us God the father and his love remaining steadfast and seeking for the son to come home, waiting at the farm gate.

In week Three Rhys shared the three stories Jesus told of lost things in Luke 15; the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. In each story someone is seeking the lost item. In each story the item is found and in each story the result was rejoicing. The stories Jesus told illustrate how much God values lost people and the extent to which He seeks them out to save them.

Today I want to show you why God is seeking certain people to give them great victory.

Our key verse for today is: John 4:23 A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers. (AMP)

What does it look like to worship in Spirit and in Truth? If I can understand that, I can be one of those people that God the Father is seeking.

The bible describes King David as a man after God’s own heart. 1 Sam 13:14 But now your kingdom shall not continue(Saul); the Lord has sought out [David] a man after His own[a]heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince and ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.

Why do you think God called David a man after my own heart, after all, he sinned greatly in adultery and murder?

In the bible there are 10 chapters are about Abraham, 11 chapters about Jacob who became Israel, 10 chapters about Elijah and Elisha, but there are 66 chapters that relate directly to David, over 1200 references to David in the bible and he is mentioned 59 times mentioned in New Testament!

When you think of faith, you think of Abraham; when you think of the law you think of Moses; when you think of miracles you think of Elijah and Elisha; but when you think of David you think of praise and worship. David wrote 78 of the Psalms, far more than any other writer.

David was a man after God’s own heart, a man of worship. There must be a reason why God chose to lift up David as the one for us to clearly see. God is saying, “This man is the one I hold up as being after my own heart.” He is more prominent in the bible than anyone else except Jesus. Why? – because he was a worshipper. It was because He loved the presence of God. We see that when he is bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem after he began to reign in Jerusalem and he is dancing before the Lord out in the open in the streets with only a priests linen ephod on as his clothing. This was an act of humility and also an act of joyful exuberance because he was so excited receive the presence of God back to the city of David.

In another time in David’s life he was at his lowest point after he had sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba, and the baby of their union is deathly ill. David humbles himself and asks forgiveness and as he intercedes for the life of the baby; and then he hears that the bay has died. His reaction – he went to the house of the Lord and worshipped. At his highest point in his life and at his lowest point in life he has the same reaction – he worshipped. This is why he is a man after God’s own heart.

David was the greatest King Israel has ever had. The kingdom of Israel grew and extended and had peace for 40 years under the reign of David. And why do you think this man was so successful and why do you think that God has devoted do much of the bible to his life and his legacy? It is because God is seeking such to worship Him.

God is seeking true worshipers!

Listen to me business man, listen to me anyone who wants to see great favour upon your life – become a worshipper. When you think about how blessed you are, worship God for His blessings and goodness, when you think of how much pain you are going through when life is very very hard, worship God; because He is the hope of your life.

What if, during this time of prayer and fasting in this early part of the year, we could practice worship and learn the true value of worship and also receive the revelation of life as a worshiper. Don’t get this one wrong believer, God does not reward us because of works but faith, we are not acceptable because of our own works, but listen, this is how it works. If you truly see how great and amazing God is, how loving and how kind He is, so that you are compelled to love and worship Him; then you put yourself into a place where you can hear His voice and you can see and understand that He is with you, and He is for you, and He will never leave you nor will He ever forsake you. Then you will experience the victory like you have never felt it before. When you worship God comes and sits down at your table. In Psalms 22:3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises[a] of Israel.

Worship brings evangelism. Look at the story of the woman of Samaria in John 4. Jesus meets this woman who had five husbands and the one she was living with now was not her husband. They begin a conversation about worship and Jesus says the statement that we read at the beginning of the message today, God is seeking those who worship in Spirit and in Truth. God is seeking out those who worship Him in a certain way. Often we say that we seek God for His blessing and favour, but in this picture Jesus is saying God is seeking out the one who worships in Spirit and in Truth. How would you like God to be seeking you out?

God is seeking true worshipers!

The result of this conversation is that this woman goes back to the city and brings back with her the whole city, to hear about this Messiah, this one who “told me all I ever did”. Salvation came to that region that day out of a revelation on worship.

A city can be saved when God finds a church that is set out to be a people of worship. To love and cherish and value God for who He is – that is worship. The Spirit of worship creates the spirit of evangelism. It makes sense when a people are so in love with Jesus that they show it by their worship. Then unsaved people coming in are going to see real Christianity , real love, not hypocrisy, not likewarmness, not a religious ritual, not ambivalence, not a half-hearted attendance, but a people of passion in love with the one true God.

It’s interesting that Jesus quoted more from the book of psalms than from any other Old Testament book, more than from the books of the law, more than from Isaiah. Why? Because He knew the power of praise and worship and He knew the heart of David. He knew worship would bring about evangelism.

How much do you think David loved God?

In the story when David brings back the ark to Jerusalem he brings it 10 kms. from the house of Obed Edom to Jerusalem. (2 Sam 6:13) Every six paces he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. If a pace is about 80 cms. then that’s 12500 steps, or 2083 stops to sacrifice oxen and fatlings. If the priest took say 30 mins to prepare and sacrifice an oxen and a fatling, that’s 43 days nonstop or 86 days or three months if you work only in the day just to travel 10 kms! Imagine the cost of the sacrifices! Can you see the exquisite passion of David for God’s presence?

God is seeking true worshipers!

When you decide to be a worshiper, you’re opening the door for God the Father to seek you out! You’re opening the door for God’s powerful life of victory. You can decide to be a worshiper. It’s not based on feelings, it’s a choice. The bible says, We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) Do you know you are loved by God?

What now?

Receive His love. Meditate on what He has done for you. Begin to express love through praise and worship to God. If you run out of words open the Psalms and speak it out. Get a worship CD and sing the songs to God. Worship at home, worship in the shower, worship in your car on the way to work.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Why do you think God describes David as a man after my own heart?

2. Which Psalm particularly inspires you?

3. How can a person, like David, worship God when things have gone wrong?

4. Can we worship God even when our feelings are negative?

5. What does worship look like for you? – Is it in Spirit and Truth?

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The violence of prayer

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on January 13, 2013| 2 Comments »

BOOT CAMP 2 – THE POWER OF PRAYER PMufc-logo

This month we are holding boot camp. It’s a time for spiritual fitness training. Last week we learned about the value of fasting. This week we are tuning up the prayer muscles. How many prayer push-ups can you do? How long are your prayer runs. What’s your spiritual pulse rate in prayer?

There are two very important messages in the New Testament that Jesus gives His disciples about prayer.

  1. God answers prayers – just ask
  2. It’s important that you are persistent
  • Joh 15:7  If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.

Joh 16:23  In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

  • Luk 11:1  THEN HE was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, [just] as John taught his disciples.

Luk 11:2  And He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come. Your will be done [held holy and revered] on earth as it is in heaven.

Luk 11:3  Give us daily our bread [food for the morrow].

Luk 11:4  And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us [who has offended us or done us wrong]. And bring us not into temptation but rescue us from evil.

Luk 11:5  And He said to them, Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and will say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves [of bread],

Luk 11:6  For a friend of mine who is on a journey has just come, and I have nothing to put before him;

Luk 11:7  And he from within will answer, Do not disturb me; the door is now closed, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and supply you [with anything]?

Luk 11:8  I tell you, although he will not get up and supply him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his shameless persistence and insistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

Luk 11:9  So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you.

Luk 11:10  For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.

 Violence is part of our world.

There’s a fascination for violence – until you experience it yourself.

People watch UFC on television, it’s called as entertainment to watch men kick, punch stamp on each other and throw each other around. How much pain can a person endure? Our heroes are the strong, muscular, violent men who can endure anything and always overcome their opponents.

There is more violence in our own community than ever before.

In a negative way violence in many nations creates endless pain brutality; of lives lost and torture. We see on our TVs and on social media graphic depictions of horrific violence. I received an email this week that I cannot show you because it is too horrific for a public venue. It is a picture of about 150 human bodies burnt to death. They were Christians who were torched in northern Nigeria. Martyred for their faith.

This violence is physical, it’s in the natural world; but it begins in the spiritual world.

The bible says Eph 2:1  AND YOU [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins

Eph 2:2  In which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God].

Eph 2:3  Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behaviour governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings]. We were then by nature children of [God’s] wrath and heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind.

These verses clearly show that godless people follow the prince of the power of the air; that is satan. They are under the control of an evil spirit that is still constantly at work in the children of disobedience.

The truth is the spirit world is influencing us all the time. As Christians we are to be violent in a spiritual sense and harmless in a physical sense.

Mat 11:12  And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize–a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].

 When we pray we are at war spiritually.

Mat 12:29  Or how can a person go into a strong man’s house and carry off his goods (the entire equipment of his house) without first binding the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Mat 16:19  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven. [Isa. 22:22.]

Eph 6:12  For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

At our prayer times this next two weeks we will be training you how to become strong in prayer. We will train you how to know your weapons and how to use them to overcome satan.

As a Christians we are called to overcome, to bind the works of the enemy and take back what was stolen. You are called to be an overcomer, Are you ready to fight in the spirit?

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