2nd Corn. 5:17 HCSB.
17. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.
It's always a nice feeling, when you get something new isn't it?
Have you heard all the commercials on the radio and TV, as far as the new cars getting ready to come out for 2014?
Their wanting to sell the new models and are pushing all the benefits they have, but their in a catch 22 situation.
Because before they can focus completely on pushing the value of the new ones, they have to get rid of the old ones first
if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.
In a way, were kind of like that too, that's what sharing the gospel is all about,
Telling and letting someone know, that they have the option, to trade in their old life for the new and improved one that God has prepared and has waiting for them to experience. Amen?
The salvation experience is undoubtedly, the most important experience one will ever have with the Lord,
Because, its in that moment that you know for sure, where you are going to be spending eternity,
and while it may be the most important experience one will ever have with the Lord, He doesn't want it to be the only one, He wants you to know, its only the beginning.
It’s the first chapter out of hundreds of chapters just waiting to be written about our journey and our relationship with our Saviour and our loving Abba Father. Amen?
And that's what it's really all about, the journey that we take with Him, through life
God never intended salvation to be, the beginning and end of our getting to know Him.
Salvation is just a starting point, in our relationship with Him, an introduction so to speak of.
Oft to many times people never make it to the growing period, in our relationship with Jesus,
which is your whole life long, if you will let it be.
Getting to know the Lord up close and personal seems like it should just be a natural thing that evolves with time.
Wouldn’t you think, you would want to get to know Someone, before you went to spend eternity with them?
It seems like a no-brainer to me, huh?
So many want to go, but so few really want to get to know the one who’s coming to pick them up, before He gets here!
God didn’t design it that way you know, He made it easy to get to know Him, that was the whole intent, of Jesus coming in the first place,
To reconcile man back to God, to reestablish a relationship with mankind!
John 3:16 NKJ
16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
All we have to do is believe, how could something so easy be so hard for so many?
So many church’s in every community, practically one on every corner,
So many opportunities to worship the Great creator,
So few willing to make a commitment to a new life and to be found faithful.
If the world would just wake up and realize, everything their looking for,
*happiness
*contentment
*love
*joy
*peace
*wealth
*knowledge
*wisdom
*favor and opportunity
All those things and more, can be found in and only through the one who created them, why would anyone look anywhere else, but to the source it originates from?
2 reasons come to mind,
Because they don’t know,
Or they know and refuse to believe.
John 10:6-10 MSG
6-10 Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
Jesus came so we could experience all that God has to offer us, which is everything, a real and eternal life, a more and better life than we have ever dreamed of.
With everything that Jesus has available to Him on the line,
Why wouldn’t everyone want to Know Him? That’'s a question that has been asked all down through history!
And for the ones who do know Him as their Lord and Savior,
why wouldn't ’they want to know more of Him and strengthen their relationship with Him on a daily basis?
Because the more we get to know of Him, the less it becomes about us!
The more of the control in our lives we turn over to God, the less control we have to hang on to.
2nd Corn. 5:14-15 NASB.
14. For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
15. and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
Does turning over control of our lives and destiny to God, mean that we have lost control?
I think sometimes, people think and feel that way.
Most would never admit it, but control issues,” keep us from receiving everything that God has for us!
Listen, if being out of control of my life means having God’s goodness, blessings
And unmerited Favor showered on and all over my life.
Then I want to be “totally” out of control of my life and let God Have His Way In My Life.
Isn't it about time we let God drive the car and we ride shotgun for good and let Him take us, where He wants to take us?
You see, the Power of God in your Life, should be and is, “a Life Changing Experience”
No one can ever be in His Presence and remain the same!
Each time someone comes to church and experiences the Presence and Power of God, they should never leave the same as they were when they came in.
If you come to worship God in Praise and Worship and you leave the same, then you've got a control issue!
One moment of His Marvelous Favor, is worth a million lifetimes of toil, or control! Amen?
Gods life changing “Power” is available to all who will choose to experience it, and that being the key word, (Will).
Its amazing how much our “will” influences what we do and what we become,
not only in life but our spiritual walk too!
Some people don’t want to experience anything new in their life or walk with the Lord, their stuck on the way things are,
If thats you this morning, How's that been working out for ya?
My question is, why in the world would any one stay the same, when you have a plan available for your life, that the creator of the universe
Was willing to go to such great lengths so you could have it?
Is. 43:18-19 NKJ
18. “ Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
19. Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
God is all about doing a new things in your life, yes if your here this morning, I'm talking to you, wether your 9 or 99,
so much so, that it springs forth from Him and He wants you to be aware of it.
He wants to take you to new levels, He wants to take you to new heights in your life and in your walk with Him.
And still you say,
Do you know how old I am?
Do you know how tired my body feels
All I can say is, Do you know how big God is?
Let me tell you, He is bigger than the way your body feels and the age your body tells you, you are!
Abraham became the father of many nations and he was older than anyone in this room,
Again I say, God is not a respecter of persons, how big do you see Him, in your life?
Psalm 2:8 NKJ
8. Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
Thats how big God is!
God is willing to go to great length’s for His Children, TBS.(the bible says)
He will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
God says; forget about the former things, forget about what you think you know, I want to do a new thing for you!
But in order to experience it, you have to be willing to walk out of the old life and into the new one with Him that’s available to you.
You see, the enemy (the accuser) knows this better than anyone,
Because he has experienced defeat many times when someone gets a hold of what were talking about here,
and he will go to great lengths as well
to keep you from experiencing any thing at all with the Lord,
he knows once you do, its like an taking off the blinders, a night and day, type of experience!
He will do things to trick you and totally confuse you!
The accuser will even take the things of God and make them seem foreign to you and seem like there not of God at all.
Remember, he never plays by any rules!
Take the apostle Paul, before his conversion, he was already a highly educated religious leader.
He was there when Stephen gave his great sermon on the history of Israel
and all that God had done for them and how they had resisted all along the way,
and we pick up on it in Acts 7:51-60 MSG.
51-53."And you continue, so bullheaded! Calluses on your hearts, flaps on your ears! Deliberately ignoring the Holy Spirit, you're just like your ancestors.
Was there ever a prophet who didn't get the same treatment?
Your ancestors killed anyone who dared talk about the coming of the Just One. (talking about Jesus here)
And you've kept up the family tradition—, traitors and murderers, all of you. You had God's Law handed to you by angels— gift wrapped, and you squandered it!"
54-56. At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls and whistles and invective. (which means violent)
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed— he only had eyes for God, whom he saw in all his glory with Jesus standing at his side.
He said, "Oh! I see heaven wide open and the Son of Man standing at God's side!"
57-58. Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede, they dragged him out of town and pelted him with rocks.
The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them.
59-60. As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, "Master Jesus, take my life." Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to hear, "Master, don't blame them for this sin"—his last words.
After Saul, as he was called then, watched this awesome display of courage by Stephen,
this man Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost and the new thing God was doing, what did Saul do?
He held their coats, while they stoned him to death. But that was just the beginning.
Acts 8:3-8 MSG.
3-8. "And Saul just went wild, devastating the church, entering house after house after house, dragging men and women off to jail.
Forced to leave home base, the followers of Jesus all became missionaries. Wherever they were scattered, they preached the Message about Jesus.
Going down to a Samaritan city, Philip proclaimed the Message of the Messiah.
When the people heard what he had to say and saw the miracles, the clear signs of God's action, they hung on his every word. (They wanted what he had) When it's real, they always do!
Many who could neither stand nor walk were healed that day. The evil spirits protested loudly as they were sent on their way. And what joy in the city!"
What Paul had witnessed, the accuser made it seem foreign to him, made it seem like something totally of God, was not of God at all.
The life changing message was spreading like wild fire and the devil was pulling out all the stops, to extinguish it!
The accuser knew, someone like Saul would be extremely dangerous if they were really to get a hold of the life changing message of Jesus and the Holy Spirit!
And he was right, probably for the first time in his life.
Fact is: Everyone is extremely dangerous as far as the accuser is concerned, when they get a hold of the Life Changing Grace Message of Jesus!!
That's why the temptation of the world is so great, the accuser doesn't know who the next Paul or Billy Graham is going to be,
So he is pulling out all the stops, he wants to ruin everyone,
But he is no match for Gods Grace, or for Gods destiny He has for your life, if you are willing to step into it,
Acts 9:3-6 MSG.
3-4. He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?"
5-6. He said, "Who are you, Master?"
"I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you'll be told what to do next."
At this point, the Lord had his undivided attention, sometimes the Lord has to do extreme things to get our attention!
Vs. 10. There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: "Ananias."
"Yes, Master?" he answered.
11-12. "Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He's there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again."
13-14. Ananias protested, "Master, you can't be serious. Everybody's talking about this man and the terrible things he's been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he's shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us."
You can imagine how he must have felt, he was probably shaking in his boots saying,
Lord you know who this is don’t you, the guy who has come here to do us all in, but the Lord told him,
He is the one I have chosen, to take my message to the Gentiles, to Kings and to the Jews.
17-19. So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, "Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul's eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal.
When you are willing, God is willing,
The Lord got a hold of Saul and what a powerhouse for the Lord he came to be, and still is today!
His name as you know was changed to Paul and he took the Life Changing Grace Message of Jesus to all the world!!
As Paul learned, just because you may not be used to the new things God is doing in and around your life and in His church,
It's not yours to question, and it
DOESN’T MEAN ITS NOT OF GOD!!!!
I encourage you to embrace the change, don’t let the devil steal the new things God is wanting to do,
in your life and in the ones around you,
Because the change that God wants to take place in your life is going to do you Good!
The accuser knows it, like he knows the back of his hand and that’s why he fights so hard to keep it from happening!
If you will let the Lord have his way in your life, you too can have a Saul to Paul experience!
It not only will change your life, it will change your whole world, Praise God!!!
Sometimes in the natural, we don’t see how God’s promises are going to come to pass in our lives and in the church.
But we have been reassured many times, through a prophetic word, “He will be faithful to complete the work He started”
This world in which we live, is changing so fast around us, that we can hardly keep up with the changes, even with round the clock news coverage.
There has never been a time in the history of the church, that has been closer to the second coming!
TBS. (the bible says) Jesus is coming back for a “Glorious Church”
And in order for that to happen, we have to be willing to draw closer to Him,
The methods that used to bring people to Christ no longer work like they used to,
If they did, our church's all across the country would be full this morning!
But one thing remains the same, the more we focus on Him and the new things He wants to do in our lives and in His Church,
The more He will be lifted up and the more He is lifted up, TBS. I will draw all Men unto me!
Won't you lift Him up this week?
Embrace the new, set aside the old and get ready for the exciting things God is going to do,
in your lives, in your church, in your world!
Praise God, Amen?
Lets pray.
