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113 He will complete it!
The Apostle Paul makes a strong statement to the Believers in Philippi, “being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” Philippians 1:6
What is the good work that He has started in you? Jesus makes this good work clear when He addressed the people seeking Him, “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”, John 6:28 Show More
Do you believe in Him whom He sent?
Remember, a Christian is one who believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Hence the name Christ-ian!
All that we know about God we learn from the Bible, so the obvious question is, “Do you believe in the Bible?”
Do you believe all of it or just parts of it? It’s easy to believe the easy stuff like:
- salvation by Grace,
- the Lord is good,
- we are His children,
- there is a mansion in heaven waiting for us.
However, do you believe the hard stuff, the stuff that challenges your:
- Intellect–
- doesn’t make sense.
- I’m too smart for this.
- This is for children.
- Pride–
- I’m afraid that others will think,
- I don’t want to look like a fool.
The greatest challenge is to believe and trust in God and how He will complete the work!
This is the area that requires us to walk by faith and not by sight! (2 Corinthians 5:7). The real test of faith is to recognize that we must learn to submit to the work of the HOLY SPIRIT in our lives, even when we may feel awkward, embarrassed or afraid. When we walk by faith, we give evidence that we truly believe!
Too Much Information! False preconceptions or beliefs.
We live in a world that is filled with information; books, newspapers, magazines, and on-line. The media in general, is trying to shape your beliefs and opinions.
Most people don’t even know how or when they came to their beliefs or opinions. All opinions are based on a premise. A premise is defined as
“a proposition upon which an argument is based or from which a conclusion is drawn.” It is the foundation of what it is you believe.
- The premise may be true or false. You can build a logical conclusion on a false premise. The argument will still be false!
- People tend to believe what they agree with. Fake news… non-critical acceptance of statements.
- We need to be Critical. I don’t mean fault-finding; I do mean careful or analytical evaluations.
Scripture is based on God’s truths, not opinions!
The Challenges:
Challenge 1: Rehabilitation or Re-creation (Born-again)?
So many believe that being a Christian is a process of rehabilitation. That is, restoring and fixing those parts of our lives that don’t conform to the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is more of learning how to behave like a Christian on the outside. It becomes more about morals and ethics, which are essential but will not deal with the underlying issue, which is our sinful nature.
[testimony of my first house- tear the whole thing down!].
Being a born-again Christian is not about rehabilitation, but about re-creation, tearing down the old, and replacing with the new man/woman!
One must be born-again before the “Helper,” the Holy Spirit, can help!
- 2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
If all things have become new, why hang on to old ways of thinking?
The Apostle Paul warns us in Colossians 2: 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Again, the question is do you believe in the Bible, the whole Bible?
It’s easy to believe in the areas we’re comfortable with. It’s much more challenging to believe in those areas we are uncomfortable with. The challenge is to walk or operate by FAITH!
Challenge 2:
For many, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an uncomfortable area of the Bible.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an event following salvation. It is a gift that is offered by Grace but must be received by faith.
I.E. Pst. Robert Morris: your mother in law has come to live in your house; she is in the house, but have you accepted her? Analogous to the baptism of the Holy Spirit., at salvation the Holy Spirit has come to live in the house (you are the house) but have you accepted Him?
Challenge 3:
Speaking/praying in Tongues is essential for a Spiritual Christian and is a sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Most of the time, you don’t know how to pray, but the Holy Spirit knows how to pray, and He makes intercession for you.
Jude 1:20, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit”
The Holy Spirit knows how to pray when you don’t, Romans 8: 26, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
A common excuse:
I prayed for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and nothing happened!
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit does not have to be an emotional experience, for some it is and others it is not [my testimony].
Two related parables that are often treated separately, but when taken together gives tells us much about the Holy Spirit and the way He works in our lives.
Luke 11:5,
5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.”
Continue…
Luke 11:9 Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Close with Call to Baptism of the Holy Spirit-
I don’t know where you are on the issue of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but it is in the Bible!
- You may not even have heard about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
- You may have been taught that it was for the Apostles and not for today.
- That it was a single event in the formation of the Christian Church on the Day of Pentecost 2000 years ago.
- In extreme cases, that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not of God!
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit simply means that you have surrendered to the work of the Holy Spirit, who is God, in your life.
Jesus received the Holy Spirit at His water baptism by John the Baptist. Then he was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and while there was tempted by Satan. When Jesus left the wilderness, He left under the power of the Spirit. Now Jesus was ready to operate under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. (Read all of this in Matthew 3:13–4:11, Luke 4:18-19)
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was good enough for Jesus it should be good enough for us!
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was promised by the Father and fulfilled by Jesus.
The promise:
Acts 1: 4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The fulfillment
Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Ephesians 3: Appreciation of the Mystery (A mystery is something that must be accepted by faith and not by sight or understanding.
“14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think,according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
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112 Building on the Rock!
Review
Our focus in the last two messages has been on the verse in Matthew 6:33, But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
The first part of the verse is about seeking the kingdom of God. Seeking the kingdom of God has everything to do with seeking the king, and the king is King Jesus. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14). The kingdom is that spiritual kingdom on earth as well as in Heaven. [Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.] We need to learn to seek His Face (relationship) instead of seeking His hand (provision). If you have a relationship with the King, you will have access to all of the provisions of the King!
The second part of the verse is about seeking His righteousness which is also a key ingredient in our relationship with Jesus. Righteousness is simply doing what is “right in God’s eyes!”. As human beings, we have a tremendous capacity to convince ourselves that what we want, is what the Lord wants. We quite easily rationalize and justify our behavior and wind up doing and saying things contrary to what Jesus calls us to. The scriptures are filled with God’s plans, purposes, and pursuits for us, but we often insist on doing what is “right in our own eyes!”
The third part of the verse contains the promise. Matthew 6:33, “all these things shall be added to you.” Jesus is speaking of all of our earthly needs. However, this promise is conditional on doing “first things first”, the first two things, Seek King Jesus first and seeking His righteousness! Keep in mind that while the promise is conditional His love is unconditional!Show More
The Holy Spirit
As a Born-again Believer Jesus speaks to us, teaches us and guides us through the Holy Spirit. Remember you are the temple of the Holy Spirit and He actually lives in you (1 Corinthians 6:19). The Holy Spirit is not a thing or an it, He is the third person of the Triune God. The Holy Spirit is a person! Your spirit has been made alive and therefore is able to communicate with the Holy Spirit of God. This is the key to relationship – communication. Communication is defined as “an exchange of information”. This means it is a dialogue not a monologue; two-way interaction.
God was and is intentional and proactive…
The Lord always makes the first move:
- Proof 1: sending Jesus. John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
- Proof 2: Drawing us to Himself. John 6:44, No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
- Proof 3: Putting His Holy Spirit in us. 2 Corinthians 1:22, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
If the Lord is being proactive then, we who are made in His image, need to be proactive too. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the Lord is beseeching us to seek Him. For example, Jeremiah 19:11, 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. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
The Lord has a plan and purpose for you, and it is clear from verse 11 that it is a good one. Verse 12 tells us that if we seek Him, He will hear us. That’s a promise! Finally, in verse 13 is the promise that we will find Him if we seek Him with all of our hearts. Seeking means being intentional or proactive!
Seeking Him…
Matthew chapter 7 gives clear a picture of what the Lord expects from us as evidence that we are seeking Him. Keep in mind the following; The Jews in Jesus’ day thought by virtue of the promise to Abraham and the fact that they were descendants of Abraham that they would inherit the promise. However, the Lord made it clear to the people of Israel that their relationship was based upon the spirit of the Law, not by association alone. In other words, the Lord is looking at motivation when fulfilling the Law.
How wonderful it is that, as Christians, we are not under the Law, but under grace; Ephesians 2: 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Matthew 7
Verses 1-5 Judging others. These verses tell us that we are not to judge another. Jesus uses the illustration of having a plank or board of wood in your eye while trying to remove a speck of sawdust from another’s eye. The point being, remove your own faults and sins before pointing out or condemning another’s behavior. When you judge condemnation upon another you take the place of God, and that is a dangerous position to take!
V6 Witnessing
“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
Not everyone is ready to receive the Gospel when you are ready to share it. Jesus says in John 6:44, No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. We are called to pick the fruit when it is ripe. In other words, to share the Good News with those who the Lord has prepared to hear the Gospel of Christ. The Holy Spirit will show you when and who to evangelize.
V7-12 Ask, seek and knock
Verse 7-12 deal with the heart of the matter- asking, seeking and knocking are all metaphors of pursuing the Lord.
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! [in Luke 11 it says, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!“] 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
You see, Jesus was talking about receiving the Holy Spirit by asking, seeking, and knocking. The Holy Spirit is the person we communicate with and through. (Romans 8:26-27)
V13-14 The Narrow gate
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
What Jesus is saying here is that the way to find the abundant life (John 10:10) is to pursue the Lord, that is to actively, intentionally find the time and make the effort of working on the relationship with Him.
V15-20 You will know them by their fruit
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Be careful of who you follow on earth, remember Matthew 15:14 and what it says about the blind leading the blind. Always seeking confirmation in the Bible!
V21-23 I never knew you
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
The most tragic words one can ever hear from Jesus is “I never knew you!” The Lord knows who belongs to Him (John 10:14)) As born-again believers in Christ, we never have to worry about hearing those tragic words. If we are asking, seeking, and knocking we will hear these words from Jesus instead, “Well done good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21, 23)
V24-26 Build on the rock (doers)
The following verses make it clear what asking, seeking, and knocking means.
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Building on the rock means that you are a doer of the Word and not just a hearer. Doing the Word is not always easy, that is the meaning of the narrow gate in verses 13 and 14. Knowing what the Lord expects of you means having discernment and you are taking the time to confirm what you are taught by a man checking it against the Word of God. (verses 15-20) Remember it is only the Truth that will set you free!
V28-29 Conclusion
28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Jesus taught with authority because He taught the truth. Remember John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Seeking the kingdom and His righteousness in order to receive the blessings of the Lord is not simply about obedience, but more importantly, knowing the One whom you obey (Jesus). It is all about developing a spiritual relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit who lives in you. We need to learn to seek His Face (relationship) instead of seeking His hand (provision). If you have a relationship with the King, you will have access to all of the provisions of the King!
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111 “Seek His Righteousness!”
Seek His Righteousness
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33
What makes this verse of scripture so important is that we find it in what is known as Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which He spoke to the disciples and the multitudes. This sermon covers Matthew chapters five through seven. Chapter six is right in the middle of Jesus’ discourse.
This verse is important because it contains a promise. The promise is that the Lord will provide everything that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.)Show More
Let’s look at the context of Matthew 6:33, But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Immediately it is obvious that there are three parts to the verse:
- Seek the kingdom of God
- Seek His righteousness
- All these things shall be added to you
In our last message, we focused on Seeking the Kingdom; today we will focus on Seeking His Righteousness.
Matthew chapter six covers four important areas of a Christian’s devotional life.
- Charitable deeds, compassionate acts towards the poor, alms giving.
- Prayer, communication (dialogue) with the Lord.
- Fasting, giving up food, and then taking that time to draw closer to God.
- Avoiding the seeking of wealth as a means of having confidence in life. Our confidence must be in the Lord alone. (Hebrews 10:35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise
As we will see these four areas should be central to every Christian Believer life. We all know that we should be doing these things, and I am sure that we do to some degree. However, Jesus is not just saying that these are things that we should do, but that we must do them with the proper attitude and motivation. In other words, what’s our heart attitude? Are we doing these things to please some (1) religious system, (2) to please man, or (3) to please the Lord?
Trying to please or satisfy a religious system.
This is a common occurrence to those who believe that belonging to a particular denomination or group is the means of salvation and righteousness. This kind of thinking might be true if you were a Jew living under the Old Covenant of the Law. However, it’s not true if you are a Christian living under the New Covenant. Jesus provided the New Covenant when He went to the Cross, died, was buried, and then resurrected on the third day.
The heart of the New Testament salvation message is found in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Reading carefully, we see that we are saved by GRACE, Grace means that it is undeserved and unearned; it is a free gift of God. This Grace is received through FAITH, that is, repenting and believing that what Christ provided through the Cross was sufficient to receive the love, forgiveness, and acceptance of God.
Verse 9 is critical to the point that I am making that it is not about trying to please or satisfy a religious system, “not of works, lest anyone should boast.” This speaks to the heart of Grace; you don’t deserve it, and you can’t work for it. All of the religious exercises, practices, and rituals cannot save you. Only by turning (repenting) to Jesus and believing in Him can one be saved. Right living or righteousness is the evidence that you truly believe in Him! Right living is not the means of salvation! This is what James meant when he said, “But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2:18 Your righteous deeds or works is the evidence of your salvation.
Now I am sure that someone is thinking about Romans 4: 22, but hasn’t the righteousness of Christ been imputed to me? “22 And therefore “it was accounted to him (speaking of Abraham’s faith) for righteousness.” 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”
The answer is yes, the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us because we are born-again, and the seal of the Holy Spirit is upon us, the Holy Spirit living in us. Spiritually speaking, we are righteous, but it is in the natural realm that we must learn to be led by the Spirit, to walk in righteousness so that the world would see that we are (1) Christians and (2) see that is why we receive the blessings of God.
Pleasing man is an age-old problem.
Jesus had to deal with this during His ministry. As you know, Jesus did not hold the religious Jews, the Pharisees in particular, in high regard because they often sought to circumvent the “spirit of the Law” with the “letter of the Law.” The Pharisees were more concerned about how they appeared to people. They wanted to appear pious and holy in public. In effect, they were man-pleasers and not God-pleasers.
Jesus said of the Pharisees, Matthew 15:14, “Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” This is a rebuke to those who lead others astray with false teaching and a warning to those who follow a person, a leader, or authority figure blindly. I think the Apostle Paul said it best as to what our attitude should be in 1 Corinthians 1:2, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
Perhaps you can begin to understand the tendency to obey the letter of the Law and not the Spirit of the Law when you realize that the Old Testament had 613 laws, rules, and regulations. Six hundred and thirteen laws tended to lead people into the attitude of religious ritual or practice—thereby neglecting the motivation of love for obeying the Lord. The term “legalism” describes the literal interpretation of the Law and missing the Spirit or purpose of the Law. Whereas we are to operate with the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15)
When you understand that the Lord desires to bless us and that we punish ourselves when we violate His commandments. For example, everyone knows John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Now, look at verse 17, which follows, 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Can you see it! God doesn’t need to punish; people punish themselves when they disbelieve what He has said in His Word.
Keep in mind, God cannot bless what He doesn’t approve of. That is why righteousness is so important. The purpose of the Law was to show the Jews what was right in God’s eyes. This is what righteousness is, “doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.”
In the book of Judges, we see a series of seven military leaders called judges whose sole purpose was to deliver the Jews out of destruction by their enemies. The destruction was of their own making. They walked away from the Lord and sinned. The people continually did “what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6, 21:25). This simply means that people did what they wanted, ignoring the principles of God. They got themselves into serious problems because they were unrighteous. Sadly, many Christians do the same thing. They violate the principles of God and expect the Lord to bless the mess! 1 Samuel 15:22 says, “obedience is better than sacrifice.” In other words, it is better to be obedient from the heart than it is to be sorry afterward with tears and regret or penance.
The Lord has created a moral universe.
What I mean by a moral universe is that the Creation described in Genesis operates in the following way: obey the Ten Commandments, and you will be blessed, break the Ten Commandments, and you will suffer the consequences. Even before the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses in the Book of Exodus, every human being then and today has a conscience to know right from wrong. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, God was simply codifying or putting in writing the moral principles put in place at Creation. Ever since Adam and Eve ate of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,” mankind has a built-in compass that can distinguish good and evil. Now, it is true that as human beings, we can choose to over-ride our conscience and do evil or neglect to do good. After all, the Lord has given us the ability to make free-will choices. However, make the wrong choices, and you must pay the consequences; in a sense, the moral universe “punishes you”! It is no different from breaking civil Law; if you commit a crime, you will be caught and have to pay the consequences. So, it is in the spiritual realm.
When a person does wrong or evil in God’s, it is not God who punishes you! It is the consequence of living in a moral universe. For example, gravity is a scientific law; essentially what goes up must come down. So, if you jump off the roof of your home and you are badly injured as a result, should you be surprised? Did you really expect to fly? You don’t have to learn the principle of gravity in school before gravity takes effect. Gravity is always in effect. The same is true of the principles associated with the Ten Commandments. They are always in operation.
So, what are we to do?
If you want your needs met by the Lord, follow these guiding principles from the Word, and you will do well!
Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”
Matthew 22: 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.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law (613 of them) and the Prophets.”
Romans 13:8, “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the Law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.”
Col 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
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110 Seeking the Kingdom in 2021.
Seeking the Kingdom and His righteousness…
I have a message that I believe the Lord has put on my heart having to do with our approach to the New Year. It has to do with Seeking the Kingdom and His righteousness.Show More
But before that let me tell you about some changes we are making here at the ministry.
- To all those who listen to my podcast I want to make you aware of two things:
- Downloads of the audio mp3 file and the transcript documents are available at my website pastorvic.com or pastorvicsnuggets.com
- The numbering of the podcast will jump from 55 to 110 in order to be in sync with the video blogs.
- Something brand new that is being offered for free downloads are what I call “Sermon Helps”. These are sermon outlines and notes that you can use for your own study and preparation. They cover 8 areas:
- Gospel Sermon Helps
- Christ Centered Life Sermon Helps
- Discipleship Sermon Helps
- Holy Spirit Sermon Helps
- Faith Sermon Helps
- Finding Purpose Sermon Helps
- Stewardship Sermon Helps
- Miscellaneous Sermon Helps
New Sermon Helps will be added every two weeks or so.
The Message: Seeking the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness…
As we begin to enter a new year, I think we can all agree that the last year has been a challenging year in every respect. The Covid 19 pandemic has affected all of us. Some more dramatically than others. However, if we “get stuck” at looking at the past we will miss our future. It would be like driving a car and only looking at the rear-view mirror. We would see where we have been but miss out on what is ahead. Life is the same, it is dangerous to focus on the past for we shall surely miss something important in front of us.
Our God is the God of the present as He prepares us for the future. The present is the only thing we have influence over and if we prepare rightly, we will impact our future. We don’t have to operate in fear wondering what tomorrow brings, but we can operate in the assurance that God is with us and for us. His word says that He will never leave us nor forsake us. His Word also says if He is for us, who can be against us.
- Hebrews 13:5b, … For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
- Romans 8:31, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Fear is the enemy of Faith
Fear is a natural emotion and is appropriate in certain circumstances, but we should not have the “spirit of fear”. The spirit of fear arises when we start to believe the lies of the Devil and it causes paralysis which prevents us from acting in the wisdom of God.
Paul the apostle wrote to Timothy his son in the Lord, that God has not given us the spirit of fear, this statement alone makes it clear that it is a wrong spirit. However, what God has given us is the ability to substitute that spirit of fear with the spirit of love, Power and a sound mind.
- 2 Timothy 1:6, Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Love is a powerful antidote to fear and our focus is to love God first and then others. Power is the power of the Holy Spirit and the spirit’s ability to destroy the works of the enemy, Finally, a sound mind so that we don’t make judgements and decisions based upon fear, but judgments and decisions based upon the mind of Christ.
So, how should we approach the coming year.? We must go back to the basics and place our focus on the correct goals and outcomes based upon what God has said in His Word. In other words what should we be seeking, remember, we are told to ask, knock and seek. The promise is that if we ask, seek and knock correctly the Lord will make the provision available.
- Luke 11:9, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Resolutions:
The beginning of a new year is often a time when we make all kinds or resolutions to change. It is in fact a good time to examine where you are and where you want to be in the coming year. For most of us life is about seeing the opportunities or doors the lord opens in our journey through life. If we are looking to the past, we will miss what He is doing right now. If we look to ourselves to accomplish a better life, then we miss out on the opportunity for the holy Spirit power and authority that has been purchased for us through the Cross of Jesus.
Most of the time resolution to change have to do with,
- Losing weight
- Exercising to become more physically fit
- Improving our education, trade or skill
- Making more money
- Finding a wife or husband
- Being a better husband or wife
- Being a better mother or father
And, the list goes on. Making resolutions to change, only to break that resolution in a short time.
So, what is the problem? The problem is that the focus is upon “you”. These resolutions have to do with what you want and your ability to attain the goals you set for yourself.
The question we should be asking ourselves is, “Lord, what would you have me do? What should I focus on what should I be seeking?” Fortunately, the answer can be found in the scriptures.
What should I seek?
- Matthew 6:31, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.”
- Seeking the kingdom means that you are to seek the King, King Jesus!
What should I seek to do:
- Micah 6:8, He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Seek to fulfill the Two commandments
- Matthew 22:36, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? 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.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Feed a man a fish.
I am sure you have heard the saying, “Feed a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime!” In the same way if you seek the hand of God, what He can give you, then you satisfy for the moment. However, if you seek the face of God you will be satisfied for a lifetime!
If you have Him or I should say if He has you, you will have access to everything in the Kingdom of God!
- Proverbs 8: 17, I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. 18 Riches and honor are with me, Enduring riches and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold
- Psalms 27: 8, (David) When You said, “Seek My face,”My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”
This is the real challenge for the coming year, to seek the face of the Lord and to trust Him that He will fulfill His Word to take care of all of our needs.
- To all those who listen to my podcast I want to make you aware of two things:
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Post 109 – The Commission!
As Believers, our primary responsibility is to make disciples. You see, only disciples can beget or make disciples in the same way as only sheep can beget sheep. It is easy to lose sight of our primary ministry with all of the challenges and responsibilities of life. Our motto must be to “keep first things first”!
We must be disciples who train others to become disciples. The “Mission Statement” of the church I pastored was and still is “To win the Lost, Train them up, and send them out!” You see, making disciples Is not just a practical thing to do to expand the Body of Christ, but Jesus makes it very clear in each of the Gospels that we are to make disciples. In other words, we are commanded to make disciples. Evangelism is not an option. Show More
What is a Disciple?
In the last three or four episodes, I made some statements about what a disciple of Christ is.
- You must be Born-again. This means that you have repented of your sin; the sin of not believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Also, to believe that He died for you and you are forgiven. 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
- You are not a Christian by elimination! Testimony of intake at CPC, not a Hindu, Muslim, or Buddhist therefore, I must be a Christian?!
- Baptized in the Spirit. This means that you are embracing the work of the Holy Spirit in you and through you. Learning to be led by the Holy Spirit is necessary to become the person the Lord wants you to be, and the Holy Spirit essential to fulfill the call of God upon one’s life.
- 2 Peter 1:2, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
- Testimony of my experience. As a Believer, it is impossible to produce lasting change without the Holy Spirit’s work in your life.
- Zechariah 4:6, “So he answered and said to me: This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.”
- Recognizes the mission Jesus was sent for and has accepted the manner in which he or she is called to fulfill that mission. My testimony of surrendering to the call of God.
- Learning how to be a “voice for God and not an echo of man!”
Commission
Before we take a look at what Jesus said in each of the Gospels about making disciples, let’s define the word commission.
The word commission is made up of two parts, com and mission.
The prefix Com– is defined as to be “with” or “along side.” Think of these two important examples:
- Communion – “to be with”, fellowship, kinship, friendship, fellow feeling, community, togetherness, closeness
- Comforter – the Holy Spirit who is with you, or the one who comes beside you.
The word Mission is defined as- “The vocation or calling of a religious organization, especially a Christian one, to go out into the world and spread its truths or faith.”
In the Great Commission, Jesus is asking us to join Him in His mission of “Destroying the work of the devil.”
Commissioning of the Apostles/Disciples/Us
Matthew 28:18, “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Mark 16:15, “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Luke 24:46, “Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
- Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
John 20:21, “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
We are working with Jesus; we are not working for Jesus.
Recall what Jesus said in John 15:15, He call us His friends! As Jesus’ friends we become partners in His mission remember what Jesus said in 1 John 3:8b, “… For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. The devil is at the root of every kind of pain and suffering and by the Spirit of God we have the authority and power to overcome Satan’s plans and deeds!
The works of the devil cover three of the miseries of mankind.
- Spiritual loss
- Emotional loss (Soul)
- Physical loss of health
So, what would be the evidence that Jesus has overcome the works of the enemy? The answer is obvious; Jesus demonstrated the Kingdom of God by healing those who were sick and oppressed. He used the scriptures and He used the Holy Spirit’s anointing to heal the sick, in body and mind.
- John 10:37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
In Closing
When I was a full-time pastor, I would preach on the threefold message of Hope, Healing, and Wholeness!
- Hope- The Gospel is the message of Hope. (John 3:16)
- Healing- The ‘Laying on of hands” for the healing of the body and soul.
- Wholeness- The making of disciples and helping them find their place in the Body of Christ.
May God richly bless you in this season of time…
- You must be Born-again. This means that you have repented of your sin; the sin of not believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Also, to believe that He died for you and you are forgiven. 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
