What do you want out of your walk with God? What is it you desire the most from God? A closer relationship, a deeper understanding and wisdom, or do you just want an insurance policy. Most of us, I’m sorry to say act like we just want God to be an insurance policy. We treat the Creator of the Universe like a card in our wallet for health insurance. I’m not saying this so everyone feels bad; I’m not condemning anyone just stating a fact. We love to coast, and camp out where ever we are but if we are not moving forward than we aren’t selling out for God.
Jesus said in Luke 9:57-62: “Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Then He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God." And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." NKJV
Do we obey God’s voice without question? If God says go do we say well sure but first I need to take care of this matter over here Lord. Do we look backwards more than we do forwards? Paul said to keep our eyes on the prize and run the race to the end. Jesus said seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. We sometimes look at people who just up and go when they believe God has said to go with disbelief and discontent. We say things like they’re kind of off a little you know a few bricks short of a full load. God just doesn’t do that kind of thing anymore. Faith ministries just a thing of the past It’s all about having a Meta church now.
The bigger the better than they can support us as we travel about spreading the gospel of Jesus! Maybe just maybe if we all started to listen for the voice of God and do what He asks of us we might see the kingdom of God advancing. But we’ll all look crazy yes we will imagine that being ridiculed by the devils kingdom for activating the Kingdom of God within us. Look a little foolish diligently seek God and He will reward you. Seek first His Kingdom and no other voice will you follow.
Matthew 5:38-48: “ 38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” NIV
We say we love God with all our hearts but we hate our brother. What! I never!!! How do I hate my brother? Do we get jealous when our brother is blessed, does our heart seem downhearted because it’s not us? Do we invite the brother who we know talked about us and is angry with us out for coffee? Will we go to the same church meeting as him? Or do we sit back and wait for them to come to us and apologize? If you remember last week I spoke on the scripture that says if you know your brother has something against you lay your gift at the altar and go straighten it out ( Mathew 5:23-24).
At the end of this passage it calls us to be perfect. How can we be perfect? The word used here for perfect means to be complete. “Be complete therefore as your heavenly Father is complete”. We are made complete in Jesus, you remember John 15:9-17: “9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.”
NIV
We have the completeness of God within us. We need to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness so that the light within dispels the darkness around us. Jesus called us to be salt; a light on the hill not to hide in the shadows in case someone thinks it’s just us. False humility is pride under a disguise. If we are a light we will stand out and that’s okay we are called to stand out for God. For the record you are dead Jesus is alive in you so it’s His light not yours that shines. Turn up the light Lord I’ve had the dimmer switch turned down for too long. Whoo!!!
Matthew 5:13-16: “13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” NIV
Let’s look at this passage, we are called to be salt first. We know salt is a seasoning, I know it makes food taste so much better. We are to flavour the world for the Kingdom of God. How do we do that? When God gives us ideas and dreams we need to seek Him on how to follow them through. What is wrong with the most ingenious inventions coming from the mind of God through people? How about the greatest dancers dancing for the kingdom? Why doesn’t the Church lead out in the arts community? Why do we copy everything that the world does? The church should be the trendsetters not the devil. If we were the gay community would not be the leaders of the fashion industry. Where are the Kingdom of God’s fashion designers? God wants to restore all that was lost. We need to walk into our destiny and become the people God has ordained us to be.
A city on a hill, a light to all nations, this is the destiny of all of us who believe. It says in John 1:5: “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” NKJV
The light that shines through us is Jesus and the darkness is dispelled. We have to be willing to stand out for God so His light can shine into the darkness and bring salvation to the world. Let your light shine.
Finally I want to look at signs and wonders. Jesus spoke about what signs we should look for to confirm the Word.
Mark 16:17-18: “17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." NKJV
Well now you’re thinking this is the good part oh yeah you know what I’m talking about. Signs and wonders, let’s start shouting, bring out the snakes pastor. Whoo I’m ready I’m in the Spirit now!!! It’s party time oh yeah let’s party oh yeah let’s party.
You want the signs that Jesus talked about here than believe. We don’t see it happening in our midst because we don’t believe. We don’t expect God will really do it. I’m very happy if you can believe this way already. Let this sermon make you pray for those who aren’t there yet. I must confess I don’t see a lot of people healed, or demons cast out in Jesus name, people are coming in and going out with the same garbage. We are changed from Glory to Glory but we don’t see it because we don’t believe.
It’s like a man who stands before a judge and confesses his wrong doing. The judge looks at him and says “sir do you regret what you have done? The man answers “yes your honour I do and I will never do it again. The Judge lets him go and the very next day the man commits the same crime. He said he understood what he did was wrong yet he still did it again. This time the judge puts him in prison hoping to have him rehabilitated and in time he is released. We believe he has paid his debt to society so he must be rehabilitated.
The very next day he goes out and commits the same crime again. This time when he appears in court the judge sentences him for a much longer period of incarceration almost ready to give up on him. Just before the sentence is read though a gentleman stands up and asks to speak. The judge allows him to come forward because he is a respected pastor in the community. The pastor tells the judge he has known the man since he was a young child and asks for permission to council him while he is incarcerated. The judge agrees and makes it part of the sentencing.
At first the inmate is hard and distant to the pastor keeping up a tough exterior. The Pastor keeps on going in and just sits and listens to him rant and talk. Soon enough the young man starts to confide in the pastor and the pastor is able to start to council him. As time goes they are able to deal with the root of his problems and he sees why he did what he did. By the time the man is ready to leave prison this time he is really changed and ready to go out into society. Someone took the time to get to know him and work with him from where he was at one step at a time. Why, because relationship is what people want out of other people. We want to be accepted for who we are. We won’t change if we keep looking at our sin we will only change if we keep looking at Jesus knowing and believing He will change us. Such is like the Kingdom of God.
God loves us unconditionally where we are and then grows the relationship and builds trust within that relationship. God knows who we are in Him; He knows who we are supposed to be even when we don’t. God doesn’t expect us to change overnight so He changes us from glory to glory. As we begin to soar with Him the Father is always lifting us up and encouraging us. Jesus told us to do the same. We should always be an encourager, lifting up our brothers and sisters bringing a word of life to them.
