August 30, 2017, Wednesday night

The Ministry of Failure

Deuteronomy 8

The Book of Deuteronomy is a book of remembrances...and Moses is rehearsing with God's people all the things that God has done for them and in them during the past years.  

There are a lot of things, a lot of ways, a lot of means that God uses to accomplish His purpose in my life, and yet, many times I miss God in those situations.  

Canaan does not represent physical death or heaven, but it does represent what we might say is heaven on earth.  Canaan represents everything that God saved us to be in this life.  Canaan does not refer to the sweet bye-and-bye...it refers to the sweet here and now.  That's where God expects us to live. 

God does not waste time and He does not waste experiences.  God uses it all to bring about His purpose and plan for our life.

Why does God let us go through the wilderness?  Why does He allow us to fail?  Why are there times when God even actually negotiates for our failure?

1) God uses failure to empty us of pride.

Verse 2

I believe a man will never trust God until he has to.  Man is basically self-sufficient.  He likes to think he can handle it himself.  As long as I have another trick or two up my sleeve I'm going to use it.  As long as I've got a back door, as long as I have a fire escape...as long as I have some other plan, some other gimmick, I'm going to use that.  And if God is going to bring me to the place where He wants me to be...and that is absolutely dependent upon Him...He must first of all destroy my faith in myself.

        
Are you serving God tonight simply because everything's going well?  What if everything in your life were to fall to pieces and you were to lose your health and you lose your family, would you still serve the Lord?  


Oh that we would begin to pray...Lord, make us hungry."   A man won't eat if he's not hungry.  And we'll never discover the resources of God until God first of all puts you in a situation where you're hungry for Him.  

2) God uses failure to expose us to the wickedness that's in our hearts.

Verses 2 and 16 tell us God said that He led them through this wilderness to prove them...to expose what was in their hearts...whether they would keep God's commands.  Now...it wasn't that God wanted to find out what was in their hearts.  God knew.  He wanted them to know what was in their hearts.  

Now, Jesus said, "Out of the heart are the issues of life."  In a man's heart, even though he is saved, there is the possibility of every kind of evil.  

3) God uses failure to educate us as to the true values in life.

Verse 3

One of my greatest problems and one of your greatest problems is a wrong system of values.  We place values on the wrong things and God has to patiently educate us and teach us what really counts in life.

August 27, 2017, Sunday morning

KEEP ON KEEPING ON

Ezekiel 2:1-10

Ezekiel 3:3

The call of Ezekiel into the ministry

Divine call from God

Spirit speaks, and gives him his specific assignment

One of the greatest obstacles to serving the Lord is discouragement

This is what we’ve got to do if you’re going to keep on keeping on…

1…STAND UP

Stand up for Jesus Christ

Verse 1

Fell on his face…good thing…humble thing

But God picks them up

Over 80 times in Ezekiel, he’s refered to as son of man

Speaks of his humanity

This will keep you from burning out…

·       When you understand it’s not you doing something for the Lord

·       The Lord doing something in you

·       The Lord doing something thru you

2 Cor 4:7

We have this treasure in earthen vessels…

2…REMAIN FAITHFUL

God hasn’t called you to be successful

He’s called you to be faithful

When Jesus called his disciples…very up front with them

Matthew 10:8

·       Heal the sick

·       Cast out demons

·       Raise the dead

·       Cleanse lepers

·       Preach the gospel

• Going to be like lambs thrown into the wolves
• Kick you out of the Synagogue
• Family is going to turn on you
• Hated for the sake of Jesus

3…DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED

Lost people will try to intimidate you

Saved people will try also

Verse 6

3 times…do not be afraid of them

4…THRIVE SPIRITUALLY

Verse 8

This is the Word of God given by his own hand

By perseverance and perseverance alone, the snail made it on the ark!

August 23, 2017, Wednesday Night

REVIVAL FROM ABOVE

Ezekiel 47:1-12

Ezekiel 47 is a highly symbolic chapter.  Ezekiel is having a vision. It speaks of rivers of revival.

A…We are the Temple

The house that he's speaking of is the temple. And, flowing out of the temple comes a river. 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.

In the Old Testament, God had a temple for His people; 

In the New Testament, God has a people for His temple. 

B…The River is the Holy Spirit

That river represents the Holy Spirit of God that is to be flowing out of your life. John 7:37-39

The river fills the temple—then, that river, that Holy Spirit river, begins to flow out of us.

Two ways to get water in the old days

          The Pitcher pump
          Artesian well

The River of Revival...

1…It is a Holy Flow

Ezekiel 47:1 - it runs past the altar. 

Spiritual power always begins at the altar. 

2…It is a Humble Flow

It comes from under the threshold. That's about as low as you can get.  Real revival starts with God's people on their face, crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts." 

3…It is a Heated Flow

It comes from the south side of the altar.

If you don't have a radiant, warm love for Jesus, you're probably doing more to hold back revival than anybody else in the world. 

"Some Christians are like arctic rivers: frozen at the mouth."

Dr. Stephen Olford

4…It is a Hard, Sweeping Flow

Verse 2   

You can't stop a river. You just can't stop a river. The only way that you can stop a river is to stop it at its source.  If the source is a God-given source, then you cannot stop that river. 

5…It is a High-Rising Flow

Verses 3-5

As this river flows, it gets deeper and deeper, and wider and wider. 

May the river get deeper and our influence to get wider.  

6…It is a Health-Giving Flow

Verse 6-9

·       Where the waters go, the trees will grow—that's, verse 7 

·       Where the trees grow, the fruit will show—that's verse 12

·       Where the fruit will show, the health will glow—that's verse 12

7…It is a Harvest-Calling Flow

Verses 9-10

Jesus called us to be fishers of men. 

Galatians 5:22

John 7:37-38

First, you drink of Him

Then, He flows out of you.

The question is...Are you thirsty? 

August 20, 2017, Sunday Morning

DANGER OF BACKSLIDING

JEREMIAH 8:4-9

God’s people can backslide

·       It's a long term process...i'ts not a fall, it's a slide.

Biblical Examples…backsliding

LOT

I don’t think when Lot started out, he ever thought he’d be in Sodom

Process of time…

SAMSON

Started out a strong judge

Ends up grinding at a grist mill

Didn’t happen overnight

·       Long slide

·       Long drift

·       Long process

Marks of a backslider you can find early on…

1…DENIAL OF REALITY

Verse 5

Come to the place where you’re not real about where you stand with God

You’re still involved in…

·       Worship

·       Life groups

·       Reading Bible

BUT THE

·       Passion

·       Zeal

·       Joy of Jesus…all are gone

2…PRETENSE OF COMMITMENT

Verse 6

Say all the right word

Pretend

3…SELF COMPLACENCY

Verse 6

No man repented

• Do not grieve the Holy Spirit
• Do not quench the Holy Spirit

4…Operating in the Flesh Instead of the Spirit

Verse 6

There is an enthusiasm that is a fleshly enthusiasm

Galatians 5

Flesh is still embedded in this body

We have this new nature the Lord has put in us

We've still got this old nature

Anything that distracts you from receiving the Word is not Spirit induced

5…BREAKDOWN OF DISCERNMENT

Verse 7

When you begin to backslide, You lose your sense of discernment

Become easy pickings for the devil

6…MISPLACED CONFIDENCE

Verse 8

You begin to put more confidence in human direction

Than divine revelation thru the Word of God

POSITIVE THINGS TO MAKE SURE YOU DON’T BACKSLIDE

1…REPENT 

2...LOVE GOD

3...Worship God

4...Serve God

5...Make sure of your salvation

Judas was not fueled by the flesh

He was fueled by the Devil

Take ownership of your spiritual growth

Quit making excuses

Wednesday, August 16

LOVING THE CHURCH

Nehemiah 10:39

Woodland Hills Baptist Church was 66 years old on June 26, 2017.  

·       In the Old Testament, God had a temple for His people.

·       In the New Testament, He has a people for His temple.

1 Timothy 3:15 

How do we preserve the church?

1…Examination On A Personal Level

Nehemiah 9:1-3

1. Humiliation

Humiliation means getting low to the earth. It is wrong on our part to sit in church as haughty, unbroken, unbent. And, God says, "A broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God"  Psalm 51:17

2. Separation

Nehemiah 9:2

What does that mean? It means that they got alone by themselves; they got quiet; and they came out from the world; and they were separate. 

3. Confession

·       If everybody sang as you just sang in the song service

·       If everybody prayed as you prayed in the invitation

·       If everybody were to give as you will give during the offering

·       If everybody invited people as you will invite people next week

·       If everybody studied their Bible as you study your Bible

·       If everybody witnessed as you witness

What kind of a church would our church be? 

Our Duty to Our Church

1. Attend Church

Hebrews 10:25

Some folks come to the church three times:

·       when they're hatched

·       when they're matched

·       when they're dispatched

2. Defend the Church

Churches of God in America today are under bombardment as they have never been before. We live in a secularist, humanistic value system today, and they are plodding to destroy Bible-believing, not-compromising churches. 

3. Extend the Church

Luke 14:23. Have you ever won a soul to the Lord Jesus Christ? If not, why not? Do you invite people to church on Sunday? 

4. Commend the Church

Let the criticism come from the devil's crowd. Let it come from those outside the Church. Don't criticize the Church. Love the Church. The Church is not perfect. 

It's a society of sinners who finally realized it. 

Why Should We Love the Church?

Because, Jesus Christ loves the Church. Ephesians 5:25

2…Prayerful Reminiscing

Nehemiah 9:4-6

This is the longest prayer in the Bible.  

·       verses 19-31, they spoke of the provisions of God;

·       verses 22, 23, they spoke of the promises of God;

·       verses 24, 25, they spoke of the power of God;

·       verses 26-28, they spoke of the patience of God;

·       verses 29-30, they spoke of the punishments of God.

3…Determination with a purpose

A. A Covenant Before God

Nehemiah 9:38

Nehemiah 10:28

1…A Commitment to Faithfulness

Nehemiah 10:29

They said, "We are going to live by the Word of God. 

2…A Commitment to Their Families

Nehemiah 10:30

Our family life is going to glorify God. 

We are not going to lose our children to the world. 

How to Make your Home the Kind of a Home where You Can Bring your Children up for God

1. Make your home attractive
2. Let your children invite friends home
3. Make your children responsible for daily duties 
4. Never punish your child in anger
5. Talk about the Lord
6. Do not criticize the child as a person
7. Live uprightly before him at all times
8. Tell your child you love them
9. Making character is more important than making money
10. Pray for a humble heart

3…Concerning their Finances

Nehemiah 10:31

They said, "We're not going to transgress God's laws in business." 

Matthew 6:21

Malachi 3:10

Sunday morning, August 13

JESUS – NO WORDS CAN EXPLAIN

ISAIAH 9:6-7

Isaiah gave this prophecy 7 centuries before it happened!

Reminds me that God…

·       Sees future

·       Plans future

·       Controls the future

Isaiah is quoted more than any other prophet in Old Testament

1…JESUS IS A WONDERFUL GIFT

"A Child is born..." Speaks of humanity

Human side of Jesus

God became flesh and dwelt among us

Salvation is a gift

·       Can’t earn salvation

·       Can’t work enough to get salvation

·       Can’t buy salvation

Only thru the grace of God...Free gift

We’re saved by grace

We must live by that same grace

     

That is a constant struggle because we act like we have a Performance based salvation.

Ephesians 1...We are accepted in the beloved

2…JESUS IS A WONDERFUL NAME

Names were revelations...

You shall call his name Jesus…Why?

Because He’ll save his people from their sin

1)…Wonderful Counselor

Why God is a good counselor

     1…He is sympathetic

     2…He is compassionate

        Will never turn you away

     3…He’s every patient

     4…He’s all wise

        

God can…

·       Put marriages together again

·       Make your Mind right again

·       Restore your Health

2)…Wonderful in that He is Mighty God

That means He saves completely

Hebrews…saved to the uttermost

Doesn’t just get us out of hell…

He begins to get all that junk out of us

3)…He Is Everlasting Father

The Hebrew translation means...He is the Father of Forever

Jesus is forever in the…

        Past

        Right Now

        Future

3)…Wonderful that He is the Prince of Peace

1)…Jesus imparts peace

It’s a gift

2)…He maintains peace

When I rest my cares on Him, I have peace

3)…He perfects peace in the life of His children

Blessed are the peacemakers

        

God has called us to a ministry of reconciliation

3…MORE THAN WONDERFUL BECAUSE HE GIVES US A WONDERFUL PROPHECY

The King is coming

Nothing can stop the Kingdom from being established

My efforts to spread the gospel is not in vain

The gospel is going to take root

I’ve got a Jesus who is

·       On fire

·       Whole hog

·       All out

·       Passionate

·       Zealous

TO SAVE MY SOUL

TO BLESS MY SOUL

TO PROVIDE ETERNITY FOR ME

Wednesday Night, August 9, 2017

His Name is Wonderful

Isaiah 9:6

1…JESUS' SUPERNATURAL NATURE.

Not just another child. He was supernatural. 

John 1:1-3 "And in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 

Everything that God is, Jesus is

Everything that God has, Jesus has

Everything that God does, Jesus does. 

2…JESUS IS LORD

He was born a king. 

Some people say, "Well have you made Him Lord?" You're a little late...God has already declared Him Lord. 

3…HIS SAVING NAME

1)…There is wonder in the name of Jesus

Do you stand in awe of the Lord Jesus Christ? Or have you become oblivious? Do you not get excited when you think of Jesus? If you don't, you've lost the wonder. You have calluses on your soul. 

2)…There is wisdom in the name of Jesus

3)…There is wealth in the name of Jesus

He is the mighty God.  T

All came from Him

All is for Him

All is coming back to Him

4)…There is worship in the name of Jesus

5)…There is welfare in the name of Jesus
The thing that our hearts are yearning for is peace. 
And He is called the Prince of Peace. 
Romans 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God, peace with God."