Series: What is the Spirit Saying?
Review:
The expression, "what the Spirit says to the churches" occurs in each of the seven letters to the particular churches in the book of Revelation. In these letters, Christ reminds these churches that he sees what is going on in their churches. He highlights spiritual success and addresses their spiritual failings to each community, and then He offers appropriate encouragement or rebuke. These are the last recorded words of Jesus in the Bible and remind us the church of today that we need to be doing what God has called us to do.
Sermon 1: Know the times
The Spirit today is saying to know the signs of the times and this will only happen in your life when you really know God’s Word and study it to recognize and discern His voice over the many false voices ringing out in this day. Jesus said, “My sheep will know my voice” John 10:14-18: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
Action point: To know the times requires that I know my Bible!
Sermon 2: Know and use your spiritual gifts
Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 tells us all to know our spiritual gifts and know how to use them for the common good of the church. We also need to know that we all have different gifts but this is God’s plan and it’s a good thing to have diversity. We also need to know that each one of us with our gifts is valuable to the spread of the Gospel in our society.
Action Point: Take the Spiritual Gifts test available in the Info booth to discover you top three gifts then find a place to use them!
Sermon 3: Know if you are drifting if so return to your first love!
The church is being called on by the Holy Spirit to return to its first love! That first love is the Lord Jesus and it requires a change of direction on our part as Christians to return to Him. What is the message to this church and also to us? We need to stay awake and guard ourselves from anything (including ministry) that allows us to forsake our love for Christ personally. It screams at us that we need to keep our focus on Jesus Christ and His love, so that we will not leave love behind. Hear this message Christian Hills - Is your love for Jesus exclusive? Do you regularly take quality time to be with him? Or have other things crept into your heart, taking up your thoughts and affection?
Action point: The Spirit is asking you right now to evaluate your heart and repent if needed and start over again with a fresh experience of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit wants you to stop and evaluate your spiritual condition. Today is the day to go back to you first love. Ask him to renew your passion for him and to keep Jesus as the number one spot in your heart.
Sermon 4: Know how to pray and pray with urgency!
The Body of Christ needs to start praying with an urgency of the hour, too much time is being wasted by lack of prayer. Jesus prayed and many others through history have prayed and we need to be praying fervently for our church, family and nation. Too many talk about prayer, push prayer but don’t pray! I have gone to prayer seminars and heard great teachings on prayer but you know what no one prayed.
Action Point: We need pray – we need to make it a daily habit. So let’s take a moment to pray - Dave Fredrick’s - 30-Second Healing Prayer Exercise
Sermon 5: Know how to worship in Spirit and with Truth”
To worship the Lord in Spirit and truth means we are connected to His Spirit and we are worshiping Him with the right motives, our heart is in the right place and our minds are focused and centered on the right person and mission. It means we are linked and committed to worship in truth which is Jesus Christ!
Action point: We need to make sure our spirit is connected to the Holy Spirit and that we are worshipping in truth – this means not being deceived by a religion or by man-made rules and regulations but in alignment with what the Bible teaches.
Observation of the summary: All that we have talked about prior to today relates to spiritual disciplines that are a must for a successful Christian life and a focused spiritual journey. We as Christians must be intentional about our spiritual growth and our spiritual development. No one else will make us grow and develop as Christians because that is our responsibility.
The last message from the Spirit to us is today is:
Sermon 6: Know that God wants to use you for His glory, so go tell the world about Him!
Video Illustration: Chip Ingram Clip 13, and 14 “We’ll Tell the World!”
Thesis: The Body of Christ needs to go tell the world about God’s amazing love and mercy, the church must be active in fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus. That means us at Christian Hills! We must tell others about our amazing Savior.
Scripture Texts: Matthew 26: 16-20: The Great Commission
16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Introduction:
Our ultimate mission as a church is to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus: That is our divine ordained mission – that is our eternal purpose – that is our Kingdom destiny. This is also our individual missions and destinies too.
We need to tell others about our experience in the Spirit and with the Spirit. Believe it or not people do want to hear these types of stories!
Some want to tell . . . and others want to hear.
How do I know this? What do you see when you are standing in line at Walmart or other stores, tabloids of stories and information about others lives? And they sell like hot cakes! So some are telling and others love to listen and some even spend money to get the latest scoops. The same is true about our personal stories of God’s intervention and acts of love toward us.
I. You should want to tell . . . and trust me others want to hear your story!
a. Last week we talked about Acts chapter 2 and the birth of the New Testament church, how it was divinely empowered by the Holy Spirit. We observed from our text a group of frightened Christians crying out to the Lord in a upper room. They were afraid they feared for their lives and were not real sure what was going to happen since Jesus ascended. But the Holy Spirit shows up in power, with tongues of fire and transforms this group of Christians into a powerful spiritual team that goes out and begins to tell the world about Jesus.
i. They went from fearful to being as bold as lions for the sake of the Kingdom and the message of Jesus.
b. A Team Spirit came over these men and women and they emerged from this prayer room as a powerful spiritual team.
i. Do you understand what I mean by a Team Spirit? Coaches push Team Spirit weeks in schools and colleges around the nation to get people excited about up and coming big games. They have pep rallies they sell Shirts, Sweatshirts and other team stuff to generate an excitement for the team’s up and coming big games.
1. The church needs to grab a hold of the Team Spirit mindset and push and commit to being united together to win the big games of life. We need to go out with boldness to tell people about Jesus and the Good News!
2. We need to cheer and have pep rallies –we need to celebrate and promote our Divine Dream Team!
c. So let’s do a cheer – Can you please repeat after me – Give me a J – “J” and then spell out Jesus and then say, “What do you have?” “Jesus” then say it again “Jesus” – let’s clap and get excited about Jesus! Just like we do for football games, baseball, hockey and basketball!
d. Reality Check: If you become bold in your witness for Jesus then you will be amazed at what God will do through your life:
e. Kathy Khatib’s testimony: From last Sunday
i. Hi Pastor Mike, This is the story. I called Direct TV to set up service at my home. I had spoken with the same woman for around 45 minutes. At the end of our conversation she asked me if I had any other questions that I wanted to ask her. I remembered in church that morning that you had told us to be bold in bringing in the harvest. I told her I did have one more question, but it was of a personal nature and she didn’t have to answer if she felt uncomfortable. I then proceeded to ask her if she had anything that she needed prayer for. God prompted me to tell her that He is sending healing into her life. The phone went dead silent for almost 20 to 30 seconds and I thought that she was going to "let me have it." I then heard a sobbing voice come back on the line and tell me that she was a born again Christian and had been praying this very day with her girlfriends for some sort of confirmation from God. She then told me that her 14 year old son had died sometime earlier and it was his birthday today. God then gave me the words to counsel her and I can still hear her saying over and over, "I can’t believe this." After our conversation and prayer I realized how good God is to those who love him. Yes, He wants us to bring in the harvest, but He still wants to pour out His love and goodness on His faithful ones. He kept telling me over and over, "No good thing will He with hold from those who walk uprightly." God is amazing! Hope that was brief enough, Kathy
1. Can I hear a rally cry for Jesus and an offer of praise to Him!
2. We must celebrate these victories with each other and tell others about God’s faith fullness!
3. I want each of you to know that you can make a difference with your life, and you can impact people for the Kingdom of God just like Kathy, so let’s hear some more testimonies!
T.S. - Let’s take a moment this morning to hear and see what the Spirit is doing to transform Christian Hill’s ministries and people today:
Interview with Pastor Moy:
Video of the Youth Group “U-Turn” and what is happening – how the Spirit is moving in the youth group and speaking to the youth.
Video from U-TURN!
Pastor Moy what has the Spirit been saying to you and how has this series challenged you and the youth about experiencing His Spirit in a relevant life changing way today?
How important is it to tell the world about Jesus?
How critical is it that we must be willing to make ourselves available to God to be used by Him?
Interview with Pastor Beth:
What has the Spirit been showing you through this series and how has it impacted you personally and the worship dimension of Christian Hills?
How important is it to be willing to tell the world about Jesus?
How vital is it to let yourself be used by God?
Does it matter if I use my gifts?
Summary of the discussion:
We need to share with others our testimonies because others want to hear our stories and because God want s to use us to impact others with our lives.
Revelation 12:11: They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Conclusion:
2 Timothy 1:8-10: 8So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,
9who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Paul tells Timothy above why he needs to go tell people about Jesus! We should do it because of what He has done for us – he us given us more than we could have imagined and this great gift of mercy, grace and salvation should propel us to want to tell others about this amazing Lord we serve!
Go and Tell -- By David Eichenberger
We humans have a way with words; the ability to speak makes us different from all other forms of life. We tend to tell others about information and events that stimulate our minds and emotions.
It comes as no surprise, then, that when we are a captive audience, such as when we go through a grocery store checkout lane, we are bombarded with celebrity gossip. In a recent week those tabloids carried such juicy tidbits as an actress who discovered her boyfriend’s tryst with a cheerleader, a celebrity singer’s secret wedding, and an actor and a country music sensation who went house hunting together.
What is one of the hardest-to-believe headlines you have encountered while standing in a grocery line, and why do you think people are so fascinated with tabloid headlines?
Some want to tell . . . and others want to hear. That is a truth with a very long track record.
Unfortunately, we have a tendency to tell and receive much information that is of little value (such as that which appears in the tabloids). In contrast, the Bible passage we are studying today contains one of the most significant truths of all recorded history—Jesus of Nazareth conquered death!
… The challenge for all believers today is to be a part of the group that will continue to spread the good news of Jesus. If we do, the promise of Jesus’ presence will be ringing in our ears as we go and tell—“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Consider people you know—friends, neighbors, coworkers, and others. Whom do you feel you are doing the best with in terms of obeying the Great Commission? Whom do you need the most help with to reach effectively? Commit to pray for and help one another in practical ways as you live to fulfill Christ’s final message on earth.
I add he saved me, he delivered me, he broke the curse off of me, he healed me, he loved me, he died for me and I should be willing and excited to tell others of what He has done!
Story: Woman Led to Christ through an Act of Kindness
Craig Groeschel, The Christian AtheistThe Christian Atheist (Zondervan, 2011). p. 210
It’s amazing what a difference the little things will make. For example, years ago when I was a new believer, I always wore a tiny cross pin on my shirts. Because they were an inexpensive way to witness, I’d purchase a dozen or so at a time. Every time someone commented on mine, I’d give it to them as a gift. Once in a 7-11 convenience store, the female clerk complimented my cross pin. Instinctively I offered it to her. For several moments she tried to refuse, finally reluctantly accepting the small gift.
Years went by, and I’d almost forgotten about the 7-11 woman. After church one week, a woman stopped me in the lobby and said she had to thank me. Trembling as she spoke, she explained, "You probably don’t remember me, but years ago you gave me this." She reached into her purse and pulled out the small cross pin. "When you offered me this cross, my life couldn’t have been any worse. I didn’t feel worthy of such a generous gift. But God showed me that he still loved me. My life is different today because of what you did for me."
What I did was almost nothing. But to someone else it meant almost everything.
We just need to make ourselves available to God because He does want to use us for His glory and to change a person’s life!
Action Step: So let’s go out this week and tell others about our amazing Jesus – the Savior of the world! Let’s be intentional everyday and ask God to use us for His glory and to bring someone in our path to tell them about Jesus!
Invite people out to church next week and be amazed at what God does1
