Title: Advent 1 - Jesus our King
Date: November 29, 2009
Verse: Matthew 2:1-6
Introduction
- Matt 2:1-6 - “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
- saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
- When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
- And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
- So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
- "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel."
- This is the first week of Advent – a countdown towards Christmas, the day when we celebrate Jesus’ birth, the day when God stepped down from heaven and became a helpless baby who would grow up to become the Savior of mankind.
- This man Jesus, who was also God, was destined to be our King.
- So now I am lighting this first Advent candle to commemorate Jesus coming as our King
- Today we are going to examine what it means for Jesus to be our King
Jesus the King of the Jews!
- Jesus was born to be the King of the Jews
- Mat 2:2 - Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
- Jews were called to be a special people to God
- Ex 19:5-6 – Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."
- The Jews were God’s special people – they were chosen to be lights in the world, to be an example of God’s rulership as King, in a very dark and pagan world
- The Israelites would sin and as a result they had to pay the consequences
- The role of the Messiah was to be the deliverer of the Jews, to come as a Savior of his people
- This is why the Jews, and the disciples, expected Jesus to come at that time as the King of the Jews
We too are Jews, spiritually
- Rom 2:28-29 – For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
- We too have been chosen to be Gods special people
- 1 Pet 2:9 - But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light
- We too messed up and sinned, and have been paying the consequences
- Jesus has come as our Messiah, our deliverer, to save us from our sins
He is the King over the Kingdom of Heaven
- Mat 4:17 - From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
- Jesus preached that the kingdom of heaven was there, it was no longer represented by a future Messiah, but the King was standing right there
- The kingdom was at hand, it was able to be touched, it had approached and was available to them at that moment
- This kingdom of heaven has a King, Jesus
- It has territory, our heart and life
- It has rules, the command that we love God and love our neighbor as ourselves - these rules are for our benefit
- The King has gone before us, living these rules and showing the way
- He showed us how to serve each other, how to have compassion for a hurting world, how to give it a message of hope, both of eternal life on into the future, and of abundant life in the present.
- He showed the way to peace and healing and release from sin that has held us captive all our lives
But the Kingdom of heaven is not only in our hearts today
- Jesus will return to this earth as a King
- Zech 14 describes how Jesus will return
- His feet will stand again on the mount of Olives
- He will rule the nations and show what God’s government is all about
- God wants people to live with his own heart of compassion and hope
- Mat 25:31-46 –
- When Jesus returns he will not lie in a manger as a little baby, but sit on a throne
- He will judge people, some will be invited into his kingdom, and some will be left out
- The basis for determining whom he will choose will be those who evidenced his own heart for people
- People who care about the hungry, poor and needy
- This was evidenced in the way they conducted their lives – v.40
- The others, who refused to live that way, are cast out, into hell fire – v.41
- This is because they did not want to live according to the terms of the kingdom
- They did not want Jesus telling them what to do, or how to conduct their lives
- This was shown by how they conducted their lives, during this lifetime
- So the way we live today will have an eternal impact
- The Kingdom of heaven is for now, in a limited sense, but in the future will come in all its fullness, with Jesus as its King
Summary
- Jesus was born the King of the Jews
- We are spiritual Jews, as we have accepted him as our king
- Jesus does not rule as a tyrant, but is a kind ruler of his people
- He lives and rules in our hearts, when we accept him as our King
- Today, he is with the Father in heaven. The kingdom of heaven is here only in a limited sense, in the hearts of believers
- But one day, Jesus will return to this earth as King
- He will come with a shout and the voice of the archangel
- The dead in Christ will be raised and believers will be changed and receive their glorified body
- Jesus will establish the Kingdom of Heaven, on earth – first in Jerusalem and Israel, and then expanding to fill the whole world
- The whole world will experience the blessing of having Jesus as their King
- The question is, will we be part of this awesome event, or will we be on the outside looking in?
- The only way for us to make sure of this, is to allow him into our life, as our King
- This means that we are bowing the knee before him and asking him to reign: in our thought life and in our actions
- He will not force himself on us
- It is our choice
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Veteran's Day - 2 Cor 10:3-5
Title: Veterans Day
Date: November 11, 2009
Text: 2 Cor 10:3-5
Introduction
- History of Veteran’s Day
- Back in 1918, in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, a stop to hostilities was declared, ending World War I. An armistice to cease the fighting on the Western Front was signed by the Allied powers and Germany.
- President Woodrow Wilson immediately proclaimed the day "Armistice Day," kicking off the annual commemoration on November 11.
- In 1954, Armistice Day was changed to Veterans’ Day
in honor of all U.S. soldiers of any war. But 11/11 still represented the end of the Great War in the public's mind, and the date stuck
- In 1921, unidentified dead from the war were buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia., Westminster Abbey in London, and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The tradition to honor those killed in the war but never identified continues every year in the U.S. The ceremony is held at 11 a.m. at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
- This is a day designated as a time when we honor our veterans
- If you are a veteran who has served the United States flag in any capacity, would you please stand
- On behalf of the Reno-Sparks Gospel Mission, and on behalf of the moral majority of this nation, we want to thank you and all the men and women who have served in the armed forces, for your sacrifice on the behalf of this nation and in the cause of freedom.
- We know that many did not return alive from the battles that were fought. We remember you and honor you.
- Please be seated.
- This nation has been involved in may wars and battles
- The Christian as well is involved in a war, a spiritual war
- Our enemies are not physical troops, but the spiritual forces that want to keep us from experiencing the freedom that is available in Christ.
- This war is not fought on the sands of the desert, or the jungles of Vietnam – it is fought on the battlefield of our mind.
We need to be continually supplied
- The armed forces are made up of servicemen specialized in different forms of warfare
- We have the marines, the army, the navy, and the air force
- Each of these warriors needs to be supplied
- An army can be incredibly strong, but if food supplies don’t get forward to the front lines, this army will fail.
- During WW2 Germany attacked Russia, and they pushed on quickly, trying to do the job before the winter set in. They underestimated the weather, and were unable to keep the supplies coming in
- As a result they had to pull back in defeat
- As a Christian, we continually need to be supplied
- We need supplies of food, spiritual food
- The food has been provided for us in the form of God’s Word, the Bible
- Matt 4:4 – The Bible provides our spiritual sustenance and vitamins, so that we are able to continue the battle
- When we stop eating, we get tired and start making mistakes
- When we stop reading the word and listening to what God is saying to us, we make mistakes, and eventually we will die.
We need tactics
- God gives us ways in which we can fight our battles and win
- In the Bible we are given all the instruction we need in order to know how to attack the enemy, and capture his territory
- As we said, the battlefield is the battlefield of our mind
- Rom 12:1-2 Those of you who were just recognized for your service to the flag, have sacrificed.
- There is sacrifice involved in moving out to the front lines and facing the enemy’s firepower
- But we have a Commander In Chief who knows what he is doing
- Josh 5:13-15
- Jesus has stood the heat of battle
- He has lain dead on the battlefield
- But he arose again, and in doing so he vanquished the enemy
- Isa 53:8-12
- Jesus knows the enemy’s tactics
- He battled him himself in Mat 4
- And he won
- So can we
We need protection
- In a physical battle, the soldier needs protection
- That protection can come in numbers of soldiers fighting together
- The soldier who gets isolated from his fellow troops, is in a dangerous position
- The enemy can pick him off
- As we fight our battles, we too need the protection of not going it alone
- The Rambo concept does not work in the spiritual war
- We need the support of the church and others around us
- But in addition to that, we need armor
- The A-1 Abrams tank is reputed to be able to stop anything thrown at it short of a nuclear blast
- A tank provides protection for those who stay inside it
- The enmy can fire off any number of salvoes at your tank, but you are safe inside
- Now if you poke your head up, it could be shot off
- Pault tells us about our spiritual armor in Eph 6
- Eph 6:10-18
- Most all of the armor is protective
- The helmet, the breastplate, the belt, the shoes, the shield
- The shield is there to extinguish all the flaming arrows from the evil one, the enemy
- But sooner or later, defensive armor will break down
- We will drop the shield, or our helmet will fall off
- We do make mistakes as human beings
- When the enemy pushes in close, God gives us an offensive weapon, the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God
- We receive fresh energy from the Word, fresh instructions from our commander, and we are able to vanquish the enemy, using the truth of the Bible
- The enemy is engaged in deception and counter information
- He wants to portray himself as too big for us, a giant like Goliath
- But before God and his soldiers, the enemy is a weakling
- We need the courage of David, when he went after Goliath
- Our Goliath may be 10 feet tall, but before David, that giant fell
- Our giant can as well, so long as we do not lose heart.
Conclusion
- We are in a war, a spiritual war
- A war is made up of many battles and skirmishes
- It doesn’t matter if we lost a particular battle, the war is not over
- The committed soldier does not give up
- Just as Jesus lay on the battlefield, dead, and then rose again in victory, we too can rise again, and finish the battle
Date: November 11, 2009
Text: 2 Cor 10:3-5
Introduction
- History of Veteran’s Day
- Back in 1918, in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, a stop to hostilities was declared, ending World War I. An armistice to cease the fighting on the Western Front was signed by the Allied powers and Germany.
- President Woodrow Wilson immediately proclaimed the day "Armistice Day," kicking off the annual commemoration on November 11.
- In 1954, Armistice Day was changed to Veterans’ Day
in honor of all U.S. soldiers of any war. But 11/11 still represented the end of the Great War in the public's mind, and the date stuck
- In 1921, unidentified dead from the war were buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia., Westminster Abbey in London, and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The tradition to honor those killed in the war but never identified continues every year in the U.S. The ceremony is held at 11 a.m. at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
- This is a day designated as a time when we honor our veterans
- If you are a veteran who has served the United States flag in any capacity, would you please stand
- On behalf of the Reno-Sparks Gospel Mission, and on behalf of the moral majority of this nation, we want to thank you and all the men and women who have served in the armed forces, for your sacrifice on the behalf of this nation and in the cause of freedom.
- We know that many did not return alive from the battles that were fought. We remember you and honor you.
- Please be seated.
- This nation has been involved in may wars and battles
- The Christian as well is involved in a war, a spiritual war
- Our enemies are not physical troops, but the spiritual forces that want to keep us from experiencing the freedom that is available in Christ.
- This war is not fought on the sands of the desert, or the jungles of Vietnam – it is fought on the battlefield of our mind.
We need to be continually supplied
- The armed forces are made up of servicemen specialized in different forms of warfare
- We have the marines, the army, the navy, and the air force
- Each of these warriors needs to be supplied
- An army can be incredibly strong, but if food supplies don’t get forward to the front lines, this army will fail.
- During WW2 Germany attacked Russia, and they pushed on quickly, trying to do the job before the winter set in. They underestimated the weather, and were unable to keep the supplies coming in
- As a result they had to pull back in defeat
- As a Christian, we continually need to be supplied
- We need supplies of food, spiritual food
- The food has been provided for us in the form of God’s Word, the Bible
- Matt 4:4 – The Bible provides our spiritual sustenance and vitamins, so that we are able to continue the battle
- When we stop eating, we get tired and start making mistakes
- When we stop reading the word and listening to what God is saying to us, we make mistakes, and eventually we will die.
We need tactics
- God gives us ways in which we can fight our battles and win
- In the Bible we are given all the instruction we need in order to know how to attack the enemy, and capture his territory
- As we said, the battlefield is the battlefield of our mind
- Rom 12:1-2 Those of you who were just recognized for your service to the flag, have sacrificed.
- There is sacrifice involved in moving out to the front lines and facing the enemy’s firepower
- But we have a Commander In Chief who knows what he is doing
- Josh 5:13-15
- Jesus has stood the heat of battle
- He has lain dead on the battlefield
- But he arose again, and in doing so he vanquished the enemy
- Isa 53:8-12
- Jesus knows the enemy’s tactics
- He battled him himself in Mat 4
- And he won
- So can we
We need protection
- In a physical battle, the soldier needs protection
- That protection can come in numbers of soldiers fighting together
- The soldier who gets isolated from his fellow troops, is in a dangerous position
- The enemy can pick him off
- As we fight our battles, we too need the protection of not going it alone
- The Rambo concept does not work in the spiritual war
- We need the support of the church and others around us
- But in addition to that, we need armor
- The A-1 Abrams tank is reputed to be able to stop anything thrown at it short of a nuclear blast
- A tank provides protection for those who stay inside it
- The enmy can fire off any number of salvoes at your tank, but you are safe inside
- Now if you poke your head up, it could be shot off
- Pault tells us about our spiritual armor in Eph 6
- Eph 6:10-18
- Most all of the armor is protective
- The helmet, the breastplate, the belt, the shoes, the shield
- The shield is there to extinguish all the flaming arrows from the evil one, the enemy
- But sooner or later, defensive armor will break down
- We will drop the shield, or our helmet will fall off
- We do make mistakes as human beings
- When the enemy pushes in close, God gives us an offensive weapon, the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God
- We receive fresh energy from the Word, fresh instructions from our commander, and we are able to vanquish the enemy, using the truth of the Bible
- The enemy is engaged in deception and counter information
- He wants to portray himself as too big for us, a giant like Goliath
- But before God and his soldiers, the enemy is a weakling
- We need the courage of David, when he went after Goliath
- Our Goliath may be 10 feet tall, but before David, that giant fell
- Our giant can as well, so long as we do not lose heart.
Conclusion
- We are in a war, a spiritual war
- A war is made up of many battles and skirmishes
- It doesn’t matter if we lost a particular battle, the war is not over
- The committed soldier does not give up
- Just as Jesus lay on the battlefield, dead, and then rose again in victory, we too can rise again, and finish the battle
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Discovering our Strongholds - 2 Cor 13:5
Title: Discovering our Strongholds
Date: November 8, 2009
Text: 2 Cor 13:5
Introduction
- Last week we looked at what a stronghold is
- We discovered it is a fortification with a number of characteristics
- It is often built on a hill, and has high walls
- This makes entry difficult for an invading army
- A stronghold is also a place the enemy uses as a base
- From the stronghold the enemy can invade surrounding territory
- When territory has been captured, the enemy plants a fresh stronghold, to control that area
- The strongholds are used to keep control of the captured territory
- Today we are going to look at how to discover our personal strongholds
The Bible defines a stronghold
- 2 Cor 10:3-5 – Paul defines a stronghold as anything that exalts itself against God
- In other words, it can be anything that hinders us in our relationship with God
- Ultimately, it is sin which cuts us off from God
- Isaiah 59:2
- In the Old Testament, when a person broke the law in a big way, it would say that that person would be cut off from his people
- This expression referred to that person being executed for his flagrant breaking of the law (here we are talking about such things as murder, etc)
- It is interesting that the expression cut off is used here
- Because when we sin, we incur a penalty
- Romans 6:23 – the wages of sin is death
- That death is described as eternal separation from God in a place of pain
- So a stronghold can be anything that cuts us off from God
- In other words, a stronghold is a sin in our life
The nature of a stronghold
- The nature of a stronghold is that it is strong, almost impossible to overcome
- When the enemy starts building a stronghold, he lays a foundation, and then starts building on it
- Christianity builds on Jesus, he is our foundation (Eph 2:20)
- I am the way, truth, life (John 14:6)
- The enemy builds strongholds on himself and his nature
- John 8:44
- The enemy is known as the father of lies
- So the enemy plants lies in our life
- These lies are the foundation for the structure he builds, which is so impregnable
Need to examine ourselves
- 2 Cor 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?
- Paul gives us a number of quizzes, to examine where we may have strongholds
- He refers to these strongholds as works of the flesh
- Gal 5:19-21 - "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God".
- Col 3:5-10
- Some of these can be briefly summarized as immorality, idolatry, control, hatred, selfishness, deception and division
- A person who desires to continue living in this manner, cannot be a child of God – we are not talking about temptation, but about a willful choice of direction for our life
- When we examine ourselves, we need to identify which of these strongholds apply to ourselves.
- Col 3:5-10 "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator"
Conclusion
- We are on a journey, right now, looking at ourselves. And what makes us tick
- Today we may have touched some raw nerves, some sensitive areas we know should not be there in our life
- Our next step will be to discover how to overthrow these strongholds
- We will examine how to do that, in the next sermon in this series.
Date: November 8, 2009
Text: 2 Cor 13:5
Introduction
- Last week we looked at what a stronghold is
- We discovered it is a fortification with a number of characteristics
- It is often built on a hill, and has high walls
- This makes entry difficult for an invading army
- A stronghold is also a place the enemy uses as a base
- From the stronghold the enemy can invade surrounding territory
- When territory has been captured, the enemy plants a fresh stronghold, to control that area
- The strongholds are used to keep control of the captured territory
- Today we are going to look at how to discover our personal strongholds
The Bible defines a stronghold
- 2 Cor 10:3-5 – Paul defines a stronghold as anything that exalts itself against God
- In other words, it can be anything that hinders us in our relationship with God
- Ultimately, it is sin which cuts us off from God
- Isaiah 59:2
- In the Old Testament, when a person broke the law in a big way, it would say that that person would be cut off from his people
- This expression referred to that person being executed for his flagrant breaking of the law (here we are talking about such things as murder, etc)
- It is interesting that the expression cut off is used here
- Because when we sin, we incur a penalty
- Romans 6:23 – the wages of sin is death
- That death is described as eternal separation from God in a place of pain
- So a stronghold can be anything that cuts us off from God
- In other words, a stronghold is a sin in our life
The nature of a stronghold
- The nature of a stronghold is that it is strong, almost impossible to overcome
- When the enemy starts building a stronghold, he lays a foundation, and then starts building on it
- Christianity builds on Jesus, he is our foundation (Eph 2:20)
- I am the way, truth, life (John 14:6)
- The enemy builds strongholds on himself and his nature
- John 8:44
- The enemy is known as the father of lies
- So the enemy plants lies in our life
- These lies are the foundation for the structure he builds, which is so impregnable
Need to examine ourselves
- 2 Cor 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?
- Paul gives us a number of quizzes, to examine where we may have strongholds
- He refers to these strongholds as works of the flesh
- Gal 5:19-21 - "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God".
- Col 3:5-10
- Some of these can be briefly summarized as immorality, idolatry, control, hatred, selfishness, deception and division
- A person who desires to continue living in this manner, cannot be a child of God – we are not talking about temptation, but about a willful choice of direction for our life
- When we examine ourselves, we need to identify which of these strongholds apply to ourselves.
- Col 3:5-10 "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator"
Conclusion
- We are on a journey, right now, looking at ourselves. And what makes us tick
- Today we may have touched some raw nerves, some sensitive areas we know should not be there in our life
- Our next step will be to discover how to overthrow these strongholds
- We will examine how to do that, in the next sermon in this series.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The Prayer of Jabez - 1 Chron 4:9-10
Title: The Prayer of Jabez
Date: November 4, 2009
Text: 1 Chron 4:9-10
Introduction
- We set limits for ourselves
- I could never be . . .
- Have I disqualified myself?
- And yet . . .
- Is God limited?
- 1 Chron 4:9-10 NKJV "Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested"
What name do you have?
- Do you have a good name or a bad name?
- Prov 22:1 "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold".
- Jabez had a bad name
- My son caused me pain
- We may feel we have caused our family pain
- We feel we have caused God pain
- We have the wreckage of relationships all around us
- “His mother called his name Jabez, saying “I bore him in pain”
What if you were born with the name Jabez?
- Wouldn’t this set limits on what you felt you could accomplish
- Oh, there’s that guy who causes pain
- Oh, there’s Jack, who’se always using, he’ll never amount to anything
- Oh, there’s that person who made a huge mistake in his last job, he’ll never get anywhere
- What is your name? Jabez?
- Your reputation goes before you
- Your reputation opens doors for you, or it closes doors
- What does a name like Jabez do for your prospects?
- It limits your horizons, your future becomes claustrophobic
Jabez prays to God
- There comes a point when we turn to God
- Jabez says a 2 letter word – “oh”
- That word means a lot to me
- It means, Jabez is exhausted by his past
- He has reached the end of his rope
- He has seen pain and disappointment and hurt and devastation
- Jabez wants something more than the same old same old
- He has reached his limits, but he wants something more
- He cries out to God, he sighs about his past, and he makes a request
"Oh that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory"
- Jabez is not satisfied with the status quo
- Jabez decides, I am going to turn to God, and ask him to turn my life around
- My life has been one of causing pain and hurt
- I want my life to become one of blessing
- So he asks for God’s blessing
- He asks for God to enlarge his territory
- Does this sound selfish?
- In one sense maybe it could be
- God, I’ve gone through so much pain, please send me a time of blessing
- God, I’m asking you to bless me and enlarge my territory
- I’m not just in it for myself, God
- I want to reach an impact others with blessing
- Bless me so that I can be a blessing to others
- Matt 22:39 – You shall love your neighbor as yourself – Lev 19:18
- On the other hand, the rest of the verse shows it is not just for himself that he is asking this
"That your hand would be with me"
- He prays that God would not give up on him, that God would stick with him
- We have done so many things wrong, we wonder if God could ever forgive us
- He prays that God would not give up on him, that he would stay with him
- After David sins with Bathsheba, he cries out to God, “Lord, don’t cast me away from your presence, don’t take your Holy Spirit from me” – Psa 51:11
- God responds to this prayer that has echoed through the ages
- Jesus promises he will never leave us
- Matt 28:20 “Lo, I am with you always”
- Heb 13:5 “For he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you”
“That you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain”
- Lord save me from myself
- My natural walk is to go back to doing the same old things
- Lord, I’m asking you to keep me from evil situations which would lead me back to my past
- I’m asking for protection
- I’m asking you to guide me down new paths, paths that go towards blessing and enlarged territory
- Paths that lead me to not just receive blessing, but to BE a blessing to others
- Keep me from evil that I may not cause pain
- Lord, let the days of causing pain be over
- Let this be the generation when the cycle of abuse stops
- Let this be the year that the generations of alcoholism in my family come to an end
- Let this be the year that your blessing starts, and that instead of being the one who destroyed everything around them, I may be called the restorer of the breach
- Isa 58:10-12 "If you extend your soul to the hungry, And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. 11 The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 12 Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.”
- Your name will no longer be, “He who causes pain”
- You will be known as the Repairer of broken down walls, the Restorer of streets to dwell in
- You will be known, not for causing hurt, but for being a restorer, a repairer, a peacemaker
- You will be a blessing
Conclusion
1 Chron 4:10 “So God granted him what he requested”
Date: November 4, 2009
Text: 1 Chron 4:9-10
Introduction
- We set limits for ourselves
- I could never be . . .
- Have I disqualified myself?
- And yet . . .
- Is God limited?
- 1 Chron 4:9-10 NKJV "Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested"
What name do you have?
- Do you have a good name or a bad name?
- Prov 22:1 "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold".
- Jabez had a bad name
- My son caused me pain
- We may feel we have caused our family pain
- We feel we have caused God pain
- We have the wreckage of relationships all around us
- “His mother called his name Jabez, saying “I bore him in pain”
What if you were born with the name Jabez?
- Wouldn’t this set limits on what you felt you could accomplish
- Oh, there’s that guy who causes pain
- Oh, there’s Jack, who’se always using, he’ll never amount to anything
- Oh, there’s that person who made a huge mistake in his last job, he’ll never get anywhere
- What is your name? Jabez?
- Your reputation goes before you
- Your reputation opens doors for you, or it closes doors
- What does a name like Jabez do for your prospects?
- It limits your horizons, your future becomes claustrophobic
Jabez prays to God
- There comes a point when we turn to God
- Jabez says a 2 letter word – “oh”
- That word means a lot to me
- It means, Jabez is exhausted by his past
- He has reached the end of his rope
- He has seen pain and disappointment and hurt and devastation
- Jabez wants something more than the same old same old
- He has reached his limits, but he wants something more
- He cries out to God, he sighs about his past, and he makes a request
"Oh that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory"
- Jabez is not satisfied with the status quo
- Jabez decides, I am going to turn to God, and ask him to turn my life around
- My life has been one of causing pain and hurt
- I want my life to become one of blessing
- So he asks for God’s blessing
- He asks for God to enlarge his territory
- Does this sound selfish?
- In one sense maybe it could be
- God, I’ve gone through so much pain, please send me a time of blessing
- God, I’m asking you to bless me and enlarge my territory
- I’m not just in it for myself, God
- I want to reach an impact others with blessing
- Bless me so that I can be a blessing to others
- Matt 22:39 – You shall love your neighbor as yourself – Lev 19:18
- On the other hand, the rest of the verse shows it is not just for himself that he is asking this
"That your hand would be with me"
- He prays that God would not give up on him, that God would stick with him
- We have done so many things wrong, we wonder if God could ever forgive us
- He prays that God would not give up on him, that he would stay with him
- After David sins with Bathsheba, he cries out to God, “Lord, don’t cast me away from your presence, don’t take your Holy Spirit from me” – Psa 51:11
- God responds to this prayer that has echoed through the ages
- Jesus promises he will never leave us
- Matt 28:20 “Lo, I am with you always”
- Heb 13:5 “For he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you”
“That you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain”
- Lord save me from myself
- My natural walk is to go back to doing the same old things
- Lord, I’m asking you to keep me from evil situations which would lead me back to my past
- I’m asking for protection
- I’m asking you to guide me down new paths, paths that go towards blessing and enlarged territory
- Paths that lead me to not just receive blessing, but to BE a blessing to others
- Keep me from evil that I may not cause pain
- Lord, let the days of causing pain be over
- Let this be the generation when the cycle of abuse stops
- Let this be the year that the generations of alcoholism in my family come to an end
- Let this be the year that your blessing starts, and that instead of being the one who destroyed everything around them, I may be called the restorer of the breach
- Isa 58:10-12 "If you extend your soul to the hungry, And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. 11 The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 12 Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.”
- Your name will no longer be, “He who causes pain”
- You will be known as the Repairer of broken down walls, the Restorer of streets to dwell in
- You will be known, not for causing hurt, but for being a restorer, a repairer, a peacemaker
- You will be a blessing
Conclusion
1 Chron 4:10 “So God granted him what he requested”
Sunday, November 1, 2009
What is a Stronghold? - 2 Cor 10:3-5
Title: What is a Stronghold
Date: November 1, 2009
Text: 2 Cor 10:3-5
History of Strongholds
- When we look at Reno today, we might not recognize it as a stronghold
- Cities today generally do not have walls, nor are they fortified
- Walls would make very little difference today as aircraft could bomb a city into oblivion (ROTTERDAM)
- Even before aircraft were invented, walls became obsolete when cannon were invented
- With the right sized cannon, any wall can crumble
- When the walls come down, the inhabitants of the city would be shocked into quick surrender, like with “shock and awe” during Desert Storm
- The cannon signaled the end of walled cities
- Until that time, though, walled cities were considered to be strongholds (NINEVEH)
- If an invader were to come into your country he could not allow your stronghold to remain
- This is because you would use it as a base to counter-attack and drive out the invader
- The main purpose of armies is to remove strongholds inside conquered territory
- As Christians we have allowed Jesus into our territory, we asked him to come into our life
- He actually comes to dwell in us (John 14:23, 2 Cor 13:5)
- When we ask Jesus to take over the throne of our life, he now starts to consolidate His territory
- This involves removing the strongholds
- Mehmett II was the sultan of the Turkish or Ottoman empire (MEHMET)
- He had a Hungarian gunsmith construct cannons whose size was unheard of before
- He used these cannon to pulverize the walls of Constantinople and the city fell in 1453.
- Mehmet’s intention was to use the stronghold of Constantinople as a base to expand the cause of Islam throughout Europe and the Middle East
- He died before he was able to do so
What is a stronghold?
- A stronghold is a defensive position. (CASTLE)
- It is a walled city, a castle, anything which is protected from intruders or invaders
- A stronghold can also be offensive
- A stronghold can give an army a secure base from which to launch operations
- It would be a place where soldiers can rest and recuperate between offensive attacks
- The more secure the location, the more effective and powerful the force inside it could be
- From this secure position, the army could move out into the surrounding area and capture more territory
- As they moved away from the initial stronghold, they would create another fortification further away
- Dances with Wolves - Kevin Kostner
- In this way they would establish control over a region and eventually empires would be created this way
Strongholds were hard to defeat because of their design
- The design included the walls, their location, often on a hilltop, and the strength of the army within
- The army would be protected inside the city, would launch attacks outside the city and then return to the safety of the stronghold
- Spiritual strongholds are the same
- They are points of operation from where attacks are launched on outlying areas
- They become centers of offensive operations which are hard to remove without a concerted effort to eradicate them
Bible definition
- 2 Cor 10:3-5 – Paul defines a stronghold as anything that exalts itself against God (PAUL)
- It is a point of operation from where Satan can keep the unbeliever captive, or make the believer ineffective
- An example of physical warfare
- Israel enters the promised land
- Sent out spies
- Beautiful country
- Spies had even brought back some of the produce
- But as they cross Jordan and enter the land – someone else’s territory, their first obstacle was a walled city – Jericho (JERICHO)
- This obstacle was obvious, it faced them immediately
- This city had a double wall, 18 feet high, built on top of a hillside
- It seemed impregnable
- The fall of the city of Jericho is described in Joshua 6
Need to examine self, to discover strongholds
- Moses sent out spies to discover where the strongholds were
- We are told to examine ourselves as well
- 2Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
- We need to examine ourselves for various reasons, but one of these is to know where our weaknesses, our strongholds are
- We will continue this series about overcoming strongholds, in the next few weeks
Date: November 1, 2009
Text: 2 Cor 10:3-5
History of Strongholds
- When we look at Reno today, we might not recognize it as a stronghold
- Cities today generally do not have walls, nor are they fortified
- Walls would make very little difference today as aircraft could bomb a city into oblivion (ROTTERDAM)
- Even before aircraft were invented, walls became obsolete when cannon were invented
- With the right sized cannon, any wall can crumble
- When the walls come down, the inhabitants of the city would be shocked into quick surrender, like with “shock and awe” during Desert Storm
- The cannon signaled the end of walled cities
- Until that time, though, walled cities were considered to be strongholds (NINEVEH)
- If an invader were to come into your country he could not allow your stronghold to remain
- This is because you would use it as a base to counter-attack and drive out the invader
- The main purpose of armies is to remove strongholds inside conquered territory
- As Christians we have allowed Jesus into our territory, we asked him to come into our life
- He actually comes to dwell in us (John 14:23, 2 Cor 13:5)
- When we ask Jesus to take over the throne of our life, he now starts to consolidate His territory
- This involves removing the strongholds
- Mehmett II was the sultan of the Turkish or Ottoman empire (MEHMET)
- He had a Hungarian gunsmith construct cannons whose size was unheard of before
- He used these cannon to pulverize the walls of Constantinople and the city fell in 1453.
- Mehmet’s intention was to use the stronghold of Constantinople as a base to expand the cause of Islam throughout Europe and the Middle East
- He died before he was able to do so
What is a stronghold?
- A stronghold is a defensive position. (CASTLE)
- It is a walled city, a castle, anything which is protected from intruders or invaders
- A stronghold can also be offensive
- A stronghold can give an army a secure base from which to launch operations
- It would be a place where soldiers can rest and recuperate between offensive attacks
- The more secure the location, the more effective and powerful the force inside it could be
- From this secure position, the army could move out into the surrounding area and capture more territory
- As they moved away from the initial stronghold, they would create another fortification further away
- Dances with Wolves - Kevin Kostner
- In this way they would establish control over a region and eventually empires would be created this way
Strongholds were hard to defeat because of their design
- The design included the walls, their location, often on a hilltop, and the strength of the army within
- The army would be protected inside the city, would launch attacks outside the city and then return to the safety of the stronghold
- Spiritual strongholds are the same
- They are points of operation from where attacks are launched on outlying areas
- They become centers of offensive operations which are hard to remove without a concerted effort to eradicate them
Bible definition
- 2 Cor 10:3-5 – Paul defines a stronghold as anything that exalts itself against God (PAUL)
- It is a point of operation from where Satan can keep the unbeliever captive, or make the believer ineffective
- An example of physical warfare
- Israel enters the promised land
- Sent out spies
- Beautiful country
- Spies had even brought back some of the produce
- But as they cross Jordan and enter the land – someone else’s territory, their first obstacle was a walled city – Jericho (JERICHO)
- This obstacle was obvious, it faced them immediately
- This city had a double wall, 18 feet high, built on top of a hillside
- It seemed impregnable
- The fall of the city of Jericho is described in Joshua 6
Need to examine self, to discover strongholds
- Moses sent out spies to discover where the strongholds were
- We are told to examine ourselves as well
- 2Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
- We need to examine ourselves for various reasons, but one of these is to know where our weaknesses, our strongholds are
- We will continue this series about overcoming strongholds, in the next few weeks
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