Can you hear Him? - John 10:4-5

Can you hear him?

January 15, 2012

John 10:4-5

Introduction

-         It was back in 1961

-         I was 12 years old, and I was reading through the life of Abraham

-         I read in Gen 12 “The Lord had said to Abram, Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to a land I will show you”

-         This seemed so incredible to me, that God would speak to a human being!

-         I had recently memorized a scripture Acts 10:34 – “God is no respecter of persons”

-         So if God would speak to Abraham, wouldn’t he also speak to me?

-         This started a journey for me to find how to hear God’s voice, for me personally

-         I had no instructor in this and it was in 1996 that I first realized I had heard God’s voice

-         Today we are going to speak about hearing God’s voice

Ways God speaks to us

-         There are many ways in which God speaks to us

-         Dreams

-         Often, as we read through the Bible, we read that God or an angel spoke to people through a dream

-         Matt 1:20, 2:12, 2:13, 2:19, 2:22 - The birth of Jesus was announced in dreams

-         Acts 16:9 – Paul’s dream – Macedonian call

-         Visions

-         Acts 2:17-18 – dreams and visions – young people as well

-         Dreams seem to happen more often than in visions, which are essentially the same, except they happen while we are awake

-         The reason may be that we are not quiet enough to be open to hearing God’s voice during the day

-         God’s word

-         Often in reading the Word, a particular verse jumps out at us

-         This is the Holy Spirit speaking to us, personally

-         The verse may mean something to you which it does not mean to someone else

-         It is God speaking to you personally

-         An example is Isa 54:16-17 - To me this told me God was going to use me in setting people free from the enemy

-         I showed it to my pastor and he told me to remember it, it was something God was saying to me, personally

-         Still small voice

-         Another way God speaks to us is through a still small voice

-         1 kings 19:12 – still small voice

-         Have ear open to hear

-         A still small voice is also translated as a whisper

-         When life is busy and we have all the sounds of life coming at us, it is hard for us to hear a whisper

-         This whisper often comes through our thoughts

-         Rarely is it an audible voice

How to listen

-         Habakkuk 2:1-3

-         1. Quieten down

-         Go to a quiet place, no distractions

-         2. Tune in to God

-         Ask the Lord to speak to you, and ask him to protect you from your own thoughts or the enemy’s influence

-         3. Expect an answer

-         Expect that your prayer will be answered, and that you will receive a response from the Lord

-         4. What is your first thought

-         The first thought is usually from the Lord, the second thought is often us second-guessing what God said

-         The word still needs to be tested by scripture

-         5. Write it down

-         Don’t allow God’s words to you, to fall to the ground

-         Samuel was known for his consistency in responding to God’s words

-         These words are precious, treat them as such

-         6. Be obedient

-         Follow through on what God has said

Conclusion

-         God is a God who communicates

-         He wants to be close with his kids

-         Our human dad may not have wanted to be close to us, perhaps they were remote

-         But God desires to be close to us, love us, be our friend

-         This takes time together, enjoying each others presence

-         Listen to Him!

Who am I? - Rom 8:16

Who am I?

January 14, 2012

Rom 8:16

Introduction

-         Yesterday at the 8am Bible study, we started a discussion which I would like to continue with this evening

-         Someone once said “I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific.”

-         As we started life, we learned lots of lessons

-         We learned that when we when we did what mom and dad said, life was ok, and when we did not, all hell broke loose

-         We learned that we needed to meet the expectations of others, and that they would then reciprocate with approval

-         We learned that when we did not meet the expectations others had of us, we were considered to be failures

-         Life was very black and white

-         We met expectations or we did not

-         We were afraid of being a failure, because there were consequences attached to that

-         So we learned to fit in the mold created for us by the people around us, living up to their standards

-         And when we failed to measure up, we saw ourselves as failures

The chicken and the eagle

-         Eagles have a special meaning for me

-         Easter two years ago I was praying at Lake Shasta, about God’s purpose for me, and seeking His direction

-         An eagle soared towards me from the right, circled in front of me and then climbed into the sky. At the same time there was a crack of thunder in the hills across the lake.

-         To me, this was God’s direction for me, and it led to Dianne and I pastoring here in Susanville.

-         I want to tell you a story about an eagle

-         While walking through the forest one day, a man found a young eagle who had fallen out of his nest. He took it home and put it in his barnyard where it soon learned to eat and behave like the chickens.

-         One day a naturalist passed by the farm and asked why it was that the king of all birds should be confined to live in the barnyard with the chickens. The farmer replied that since he had given it chicken feed and trained it to be a chicken, it had never learned to fly. Since it now behaved as the chickens, it was no longer an eagle.

-         "Still it has the heart of an eagle," replied the naturalist, "and can surely be taught to fly." He lifted the eagle toward the sky and said, "You belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings and fly." The eagle, however, was confused. He did not know who he was, and seeing the chickens eating their food, he jumped down to be with them again.

-         The naturalist took the bird to the roof of the house and urged him again, saying, "You are an eagle. Stretch forth your wings and fly." But the eagle was afraid of his unknown self and world and jumped down once more for the chicken food.

-         Finally the naturalist took the eagle out of the barnyard to a high mountain. There he held the king of the birds high above him and encouraged him again, saying, " You are an eagle. You belong to the sky. Stretch forth your wings and fly." The eagle looked around, back towards the barnyard and up to the sky. Then the naturalist lifted him straight towards the sun and it happened that the eagle began to tremble. Slowly he stretched his wings, and with a triumphant cry, soared away into the heavens. Theology News and Notes, October, 1976

-         This story illustrates what happens in our life

-         For whatever reasons, people have expectations of us, like the chicken eagle

-         It was expected to behave, eat and live like a chicken

-         There are expectations for us too

-         If we grew up on the wrong side of town, the expectation is that we will not amount to much, the neighborhood in which we live will somehow limit our possibilities

-         The color of our skin holds us back, we feel we can’t be a somebody in life

-         Perhaps our past holds us back, the mistakes we made and the people we hurt, and we feel it is impossible now to be of value to anyone!

-         We see ourselves as being without hope in the world

-         And there was such a time for all of us

-         Eph 2:12-13 “remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ”

-         Before we accepted Jesus, we were indeed without hope

-         But now things have changed! Eph 2:19-22 “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit

-         Eph 2:4-10

-         What an incredible position to be in!

-         Here we are not hindered by the expectations of others

-         Gal 3:28 Neither Jew nor Greek

-         None of us is better than another!

-         In fact, we are to esteem the other better than ourselves – Phil 2:3

A special relationship

-         We have a special relationship with God

-         He has come to make his home in our spirit!  That is special! John 14:23

-         He has adopted us as his children! Rom 8:12-17

-         He has a purpose and a calling for our life! Jer 29:11

-         He provides what we need for this calling, and will never give up on us! Rom 11:29

-         Whatever we have done, whatever our sin, no matter who we have hurt, the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover it

-         There are no second-class citizens in God’s setup!

-         In this life we may have messed up bad, but God looks way beyond that!

-         He sees someone who is not a washed up failure, but someone he wants to use, someone whose experiences in life will impact another person powerfully!

-         So, even if you may feel put down or maligned sometimes, don’t let it get to you!

-         See yourself like God sees you, the way you really are!

Conclusion

-         People may have called us a chicken for a long time

-         We live among chickens, act like chickens, believe we are chickens

-         But God says you are an eagle

-         Will you stretch out your wings and fly?

-         You were created with a purpose in mind, and nothing you or I can do will stop God from achieving his vision

Come all who are weary - Matt 11:28

Come all who are weary!

January 8, 2012

Matt 11:28

Introduction

• Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.
• Chippie's owner decided to clean his cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She'd barely said "hello" when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in.
• The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned.
• Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.
• Poor Chippie never knew what hit him. . . Sucked in, washed up, and blown over . . . That's the way he felt (adapted from Max Lucado, In the Eye of the Storm, Word Publishing, 1991, p. 11)

• Do we sometimes feel like that? Perhaps that is where we are at right now!
• Dianne and I enjoy driving in the hills around us.
• Often we see stretches of forest that have been blitzed by a forest fire
• Blackened tree trunks, no undergrowth, a scene of devastation
• And yet, here and there you will see a shoot working its way out of the soil
• Years later, the forest will have recovered, the blackened trunks will have been overwhelmed by fresh new trees growing towards the sunlight
• We are told that the forest actually needs these periodic fires, to germinate seeds and clean the forest, and to bring new life!
• How many of us feel as though our life has gone through a firestorm?
• Today we are going to talk about the role of trials in our life

What is a trial?

• I’m sure we all have our own definition.
• My personal definition, is “hard times”
• I picture it like a place where the soil is hardened like rock! There’s no getting through it
• It’s a place where the mountain seems immoveable
• It’s like a fire that threatens to burn us up
• It is painful, it hurts
• There are problems and there are trials
• A problem is like in math class when we are presented with a problem and have to calculate the answer. We know the answer is there, at the back of the book
• A trial is when the problem does not seem to have an answer
• A trial is intense, not like a problem in a math book
• 1 Pet 4:12 KJV “Beloved , do not think it strange considering the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you”
• Trials are painful, they hurt
• Maybe our trial is being out of work, and fearing the future
• Perhaps our trial is a relationship problem with someone close to us
• Perhaps our kids are going the wrong way, or we have lost our home, or we are struggling with stuff deep inside
• Trials hurt

Why do trials happen?

• 1 Pet 1:6-7 – there is a reason for trials
• When we go through a trial, we learn things we may not have learned other ways
• The trial focuses our attention in a way that we are forced to examine our issues
• The previous verses (3-5) show that the person’s faith or salvation is not in question
• What happens is that through the trials our faith is tested and purified, and becomes stronger
• 1 Cor 3:10-13 – gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay stubble
• The trial shows what we are made of
• Others in the Bible went through hard times too
• How about Abraham who was asked to sacrifice his only son!
• But it is through that trial and Abraham’s faithful response, that God knew Abraham was obedient, and prepared to become the physical father of the nation of Israel, and became known to God as the father of the faithful
• Why is God allowing the trial in your life?
• Because he is wanting to improve you, help you change for the better, prepare you for his purpose for you
• Don’t be discouraged, God is intimately involved in what you are going through
• He assures us it is for a good purpose
• 1 Cor 10:13 – God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it

How do we react to trials?

• 1. Recognize God is in charge of the situation
• Rom 8:28 – we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose
• Expect that there will be a good outcome, in God’s terms
• Try to see what God is doing
• 2. Have your eyes open
• Tell him you submit to what He is trying to show you
• Trust that God will provide the answer, even if we do not see it
• Submit to the answer even if it is not what you would have wanted
• Maybe God is waiting to see us respond in thankfulness
• Maybe what he is wanting to develop in us is faith
• Keep your eyes open
• 3. Be obedient
• God will show you how to deal with the problem.
• Be obedient
• Maybe it will require humbling ourselves before another person and asking forgiveness
• Maybe it will mean repenting of some attitude we have had which we have held dear
• It’s all about living closely with God, not at arm’s length

Conclusion

• If we are weary of the trials we are going through recognize that God has a purpose in it
• Ask God to reveal what he is wanting you to learn
• Be obedient to it
• When we are faithful in little, it shows we can be faithful in much
• Use the trial to grow in character and relationship with Jesus
• Jesus tells us in Math 11:28 – Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
• When we turn to Jesus and trust him with our trial, he takes care of it
• Believe him!

A Fresh Approach to 2012 - Rev 21:5

A Fresh Approach to 2012

January 1, 2012

Revelation 12:5

Introduction

• Charles Swindoll says, “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important: than facts, than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do, than appearances, than giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company. . . a church. . . a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. . . We are in charge of our attitudes.”
• How many of us made new years resolutions last January?
• Did you see improvement during last year?
• It is God’s purpose for us that we grow and prosper and be in health, physically, emotionally and spiritually
• He is doing something in each of us, that we are even unaware of
• But His purposes in us will be completed
• Phil 1:6 – “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”
• In Lamentations we are told “His mercies and compassions are new every morning” (Lam 3:22-23)
• Each day is a fresh opportunity to start with a clean slate
• And the start of the year is traditionally a time when we take stock of ourselves, and commit to grow in our walk with God
• Today we will examine three fundamental approaches toward life, that will make a difference in our lives

Be Honest

• Most of us I am sure try to be honest in the way we conduct our life
• But are we honest about ourselves?
• Often it is hard for us to take a magnifying glass to our own life to see how we are doing, before God
• But God knows where we are at already
• Jer 17:10 "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve"
• Ps 139:23-24 "Search me o God, and know my heart ..."
• David asks God to show him areas where he needs to grow
• It takes real honesty about ourselves to ask God to do this
• If you want to know if you are really being honest about yourself, ask someone who knows you really well, to give you a personal evaluation.
• The hard part is not in asking for their help, the hard part is in wanting to ask the question in the first place.
• Pride and fear get in the way.
• That is why we wear masks, the ways we want others to see us
• But that is not being honest about ourselves
• The way we are on the inside should match the way we appear to others.
• God tells us, lets get together and talk about things
• Isa 1:18 "Come now let us reason together ..."
• God is not wanting to punish us for sin. He does not want us to be fearful of him
• He wants to forgive our sins and give us a clean makeover!
• So there is nothing to be afraid of in being honest about ourselves

Be a person of hope

• We look back at the past year and we may have a lot of pain and hurt back there
• But faith believes that things will get better, because God's hand is in it
• 1 Cor 10:13 " God is faithful, he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear"
• God is watching over us, day and night
• Because of this we can have tremendous hope for the future
• We are each special to God
• He knows the thoughts of our heart, he knows the trials we are going though, but he also knows where he is taking us
• He knows that what we are going through will bear rich fruit
• Rom 5:1-5
• Our character is being forged in the crucible of trials
• So the affliction we are going through today are only temporary, the results are eternal!
• Often we become discouraged when we look at out trials.
• We forget the big picture
• But God is working something in us which we cannot see now, but one day he will say, Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord
• When we are discouraged, remember the times when God has been there for you
• Times when you were healed, a prayer was answered, provision came for a need
• God is there for you, 100% of the time
• So be full of hope and faith

Be in touch with God

• This may need to be the first point, because it is out of our relationship with God that we are able to be honest, and we are able to be hopeful
• But be closely in touch with your heavenly Father
• Jesus lived so closely with the Father
• He did what he saw the Father doing
• He said what the Father said
• He was the living representation for us, of the Father (John 14:10)
• As Jesus lives in each of us, we will be growing to look like the Father, week by week, in increasing measure
• 2 Cor 3:13
• But this happens by the Holy Spirit molding us and changing us, bit by bit
• For the Holy Spirit to grow us in this way, requires close contact with the Father
• Just as Jesus did, on a daily and continual basis
• One way to help discipline ourselves to maintain this relationship with God, is through the use of a Bible reading program.
• If you are interested, look at our church website, a good program is there in the resources section, or ask me and I will give you a copy.

Conclusion

• On this new years day, we can make a choice to turn over a new leaf in some area of our life.
• Or we can go deeper, we can decide to be honest about ourselves, with God and with each other
• We can decide to be hopeful people, not bellyaching because of how hard life is, but instead being thankful that God will work all things out for our good
• And finally, we can decide to stay in constant touch with God, being obedient to Him, and allowing Him to live his life through us.
• Happy new year to Grace Fellowship!

Someone I can trust - Isaiah 9:7

Someone I can Trust!

December 18, 2011 - Advent 4

Isaiah 9:7

Introduction

• When I was still little, my dad had a workbench
• In my mind’s eye it was very high up, of course it was only at dad’s waist level
• Later on, at that workbench, I would learn to use a coping saw, and learn some elementary woodwork
• But when I was still little, dad lifted me up and set me on the workbench. It seemed so high up
• Then dad stood in front of me and told me to jump.
• I was scared stiff
• But I jumped, and dad caught me
• I trusted that my dad would not let me fall
• How often in life are we faced with situations and we have to trust someone?
• As I grew up, though, I learned not to trust
• I went through experiences where I learned to expect the worst
• There were benefits to expecting the worst, it enabled me to put up a defense and make preparation, so I could limit the damage
• This was useful in later life when I worked as the personal assistant to an international publishing director
• We would enter into multi-million dollar agreements with major printers
• One of my assignments was to read the fine print in the contracts, looking for the loopholes, anything that could damage us.
• So my defensive stance was a benefit in that area.
• But so often it was not a benefit but a handicap
• It meant that to trust someone was a major issue
• I was a very defensive person.
• Thankfully, Jesus set me free from this attribute, and today I generally believe the best of people
• Though occasionally I still find myself expecting the worst to happen, and later find out this had no substance to it at all, it was that old mistrust coming up again.
• Today is the fourth week of advent. In previous weeks we have examined Jesus as Healer, as Savior, as Baptizer with the Holy Spirit.
• Today we will look at Jesus as our King

Jesus born to be King

• Isaiah 9:6-7
• Jesus was born to be King
• As we go through the Old Testament, we see the record of many kings of Israel and Judah
• Usually, their son would be born to be king
• But that was not enough to determine what kind of king he would be
• A good king was often followed by a bad king
• Occasionally a bad king was followed by a good king
• Jesus was born to be King
• But this prophecy tells us he is going to be a good king
• He will reign with justice and righteousness
• This means that he will be a king you can depend upon
• So often in election campaigns you wonder, which of the names you can trust to follow through on their promises.
• Trust is an issue in politics
• But Jesus is going to be the leader we can trust
• Isaiah 11:1-5
• Jesus will deal with people according to their personal choices
• Those who live God’s way will be blessed
• And those who refuse to allow Jesus to be king will be taught the error of their ways
• Trust is a major issue
• At one level, people will learn by experience that God’s way is best
• As they see the good results of submitting to Jesus’ rule, they will flock to Israel to learn from Jesus
• Isaiah 2:2-5
• All this is yet future

Jesus as our personal King

• But how about today?
• Jesus was born to be King in our life today!
• He is trustworthy
• Isaiah 42:1-7 – a bruised reed He shall not break
• This passage was used by Jesus to characterize his ministry
• Matt 12:20
• Jesus came to give help to those who are weary and downtrodden
• We may feel like we cannot trust people any more
• But Jesus came to give us hope, and when we trust him in our lives, we experience freedom in our lives
• He does not tie heavy loads on our shoulders, but he carries our burdens
• Matt 11:28
• His relationship with us today, and with the whole world when he returns to reign over this earth, is based on love
• Jesus love is sacrifial love – he died to give us freedom
• Rom 5:8
• But it takes personal surrender to Him
• Romans 10:9-10 Confess Jesus is Lord
• We are told faith without works is dead
• We can believe Jesus is alive, but that is not enough
• We have to step out in trust, in surrendering ourselves to Him
• Surrender is a hard word to pronounce if we have been betrayed
• But Jesus is different
• All human beings have feet of clay
• But Jesus is faithful and he will guide and help us achieve the finish line
• Philippians 1:6

Conclusion

• Human beings let us down
• They damage the trust that we were born with as babies
• But Jesus has shown himself faithful and trustworthy
• He showed this by dying for us 2000 years ago
• He showed it by opening our hearts to the gospel
• He shows it each day as He answers our prayers and as He helps us along this journey called life
• And He will show his faithfulness that day when we stand before Him and He tells us “Well done good and faithfull servant, enter into the joy of your Lord
• So let go of your inhibi6tions and choose to surrender to your king
• Jesus is the King who was born to reign in our lives, and who is promised to one day reign as King over the whole earth

The Pilgrim's Progress - Matthew 3:11

The Pilgrim’s Progress
December 11, 2011 - Advent 2 & 3
Matthew 3:11

Introduction
- On June 4, 1783 at the market square of a French village of Annonay, not far from Paris, a smoky bonfire on a raised platform was fed by wet straw and old wool rages.
- Tethered above, straining its lines, was a huge taffeta bag 33 feet in diameter.
- In the presence of "a respectable assembly and a great many other people," and accompanied by great cheering, the balloon was cut from its moorings and set free to rise majestically into the noon sky.
- Six thousand feet into the air it went -- the first public ascent of a balloon, the first step in the history of human flight.
- It came to earth several miles away in a field, where it was promptly attacked by pitchfork-waving peasants and torn to pieces as an instrument of evil!   (Today in the Word, July 15, 1993)
- Often in life something new or different causes fear
- People in general do not like change
- You see it in addiction, the force to stay where you are is almost insurmountable
- When an addict recovers from his addiction and reunites with his family, there is a process called homeostasis
- In short this means that the family continues to see the person as he was rather than as he is now, and expects him to fail
- This is a major temptation for the addict to relapse
- Yet, the way forward involves change – change in actions, change in attitudes
- God gave us laws to live by.  They are outlined in the 10 commandments, and summarized by Jesus when he says we should love God with all our heart mind and soul, and love our neighbor as ourselves
- When we break these laws, God calls this sin (1 Jn 3:4)
- When we look back we see all kinds of sin in our life
- This sin separates us from God
- It doesn’t matter if we accepted Jesus 30 years ago, sin still separates us from God
- It’s because we carry guilt, and when we carry guilt it damages our relationship with the one who was sinned against
- We often don’t want to face up to our sins, because that would be an admission of guilt and loss of face
- But the way forward starts with facing our sin

Jesus comes as Savior – Advent 2
- Jesus came to save us from our sins.  Whether we are Christian or not
- He paid the price that a just God requires for disobedience to God’s higher law
- Because of Jesus dying on the cross for us, we can face our sins, deal with them and move along in our journey with God
- Jesus makes it possible for us to face our weaknesses, and address them
- His will for us is that we move forward, not that we stand still in our spiritual journey
- But when we refuse to face our issues, we are stagnant and ignoring God’s intention for our life.
- Change is needed.  It goes against our nature, we are very happy with homeostasis, and staying where we are at
- Some of the issues to face, are seemingly small things
- But some of our issues are very ingrained
- Some seem almost insurmountable, like a Mount Everest in our life
- So how can we deal with these things?

Jesus comes as our Baptizer – Advent 3
- The Israelites in the old Testament had problems
- They were whiners and complainers and idolators
- They turned away from God, wanting to do things their own way
- But from time to time there would be a revival
- Josiah, for instance
- He cleaned out the temple, he threw away and demolished all the pagan idols
- Revival entered the land
- But after he died, things went back to the way they were before
- His son turned against God and the land relapsed
- To make permanent change we need the power of the Holy Spirit
- Jesus came to send us the Holy Spirit, to give us the power to be obedient to God
- Matthew 3:11
- When a person turns to Jesus, they receive the Holy Spirit
- Acts 2:38, Eph 1:13-14
- The Holy Spirit makes us a child of God
- Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit become a part of our lives, and make their home in us (John 14:16-17, 20, 23)
- We are now a new creation, we are different and we desire to be obedient to God (2 Cor 5:17)
- Jesus breathed on the disciples on Resurrection Day, and said “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22)
- The disciples were now a new creation!
- Jesus had just said, “As the Father sent me, I am sending you” - John 20:21
- But in the next chapter we read that Peter relapsed to his former life – he went back home to Galilee and restarted his old business!  Can you imagine?
- Peter, the disciples who went with him, and all of us, need power to live our Christian life to fullest
- This power come through being filled with the Holy Spirit
- Acts 2:8
- Being filled with the Spirit gives us a boldness that cannot be quenched
- We receive the Holy Spirit in a way that He fills every part of our life
- He is a special gift from God, for us
- Being filled with the Holy Spirit empowers us to live in obedience to our God
- When we receive this gift, He gives us a heavenly language to speak
- It is a language between God and us, which builds us up spiritually and helps us to love others the way God loves them (1 Cor 14:2, 4, 18, 39-40)
- It is a prayer language between us and God, which enables us to pray according to God’s will (Rom 8:26-27)
- This may be something new for us, or it may not
- Don’t be afraid of something new, God only gives us good gifts (Luke 11:9-13)
- Even if we have been filled with the Spirit before, we need to be filled continually (Eph 5:18)
- The experiences of life deplete the spiritual resources the Holy Spirit once gave us
- We need God’s touch again

Conclusion
- The Christian’s journey marches forward
- It was made possible by Jesus coming as our Savior, and as our Baptizer
- Today we will open up the altar for prayer
- If you want to accept Jesus for the first time, if you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, or if you would like prayer for any other reason, today is the day the Lord has made for you!

Jesus heals today - John 5:8

Jesus Heals Today!

December 4, 2012

John 5:8

Introduction

• Today we are going to talk about the subject of healing, specifically about a miracle Jesus performed 2000 years ago
• Around 9 years ago, Dianne and I vistited Harvest Rock church in Pasadena
• During the worship there was a general expectancy for healing, the presence of the Holy Spirit was totally evident
• I was standing at the front, worshiping, and noticed someone praying with a person who was on his knees
• I joined in and others did too
• This man was leaning on his crutches
• For two years he had been paralyzed and unable to walk without the aid of his crutches
• He had come, expecting healing.
• We prayed and prayed for this man. He would try to pull himself up on his crutches, time and time again.
• He received strength in his legs, gradually, and first he was able to stand, then take one step, then another. Finally he could walk normally! He threw his crutches down, walked on the podium and worshiped God
• The rest of the conference we saw him walking around, carrying his crutches, telling everyone about what had happened
• Today I want to help you understand some principles that are evident in the miracle Jesus performed at the Pool of Bethesda
• John 5:1-9

Background

• This was just before the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Jesus went up to Jerusalem to keep the Feast, in obedience to Deut 16:16
• This is a reminder to us that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together – Heb 10:25
• We need these times together in the presence of God to receive encouragement, otherwise we can become isolated and depressed.
• In Jesus day there was a pool at the north side of the temple area
• This pool has been uncovered by archaeologists
• In times past it seems to have been a place where sheep were cleaned before being slaughtered, but in Jesus day it became a place where the infirm would hang out
• John mentions the blind, the lame and the paralyzed
• They would wait here for something special to happen
• Remember that for 600 years there had been no prophets in Israel, no sign of God’s involvement with his people
• But now, at the appearing of the Messiah, God does something special. Periodically, and angel would come and stir ip the waters of this pool
• The first one into the water would be healed
• The disabled who were waiting around the pool were eager to be the first one in

The paralytic

• There was one person there who was paralyzed
• The Greek word here refers to weakness, so he was probably either lame or paralyzed
• He had been an invalid for 38 years
• Time after time he had seen the waters be stirred up by the angel, time after time he had seen people be healed
• But he felt it was not for him because he couldn’t seem to get to the water fast enough
• How many of us have seen healings, maybe many times?
• We have seen God do extraordinary things
• Yet when we are ill ourselves, we feel, it’s not for me
• We can have faith that others will be made well, but we’re not that sure about ourselves
• In some ways we may be like this man
• Maybe it is not physical healing that we need
• Maybe it is some relational issue
• Maybe we have been married for 38 years and we have given up that things could ever be better
• I tell you this morning that God wants to bring healing into your life like a flood of refreshing water
• God wants to pour out His grace and mercy in your life
• Bethesda means House of Mercy
• Come to the waters and be washed and be set free from the shackles that have held you back

The healing

• This particular morning Jesus goes out of his way to visit this man, personally. He did what the Father was saying to Him
• Jesus normally entered the temple area from the east, from the Mount of Olives
• He normally would not go to the area of the Pool of Bethesda, because it was very close to the Roman garrison called Antonia
• This morning he took a side trip to visit this man
• What does this mean?
• This man was special to God
• Despite the years of suffering, disappointment and discouragement, there was a time that this man was going to be healed
• God stepped into his life, told him, “Take up your mat and walk” and performed a miracle
• You may have gone through difficult stuff in your life and you may have despaired that could ever change
• With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible
• All we need to do is to come boldly to the throne of grace to find help in time of need

Conclusion

• So don’t despair
• Believe that God can change your circumstances, he can heal your body, he can make all things new
• Today is the first day of your future
• Are you going to allow your future to stay the same as your past?
• Or are you going to ask God for a miracle this day?