Thank you Rev. John Chance
I WILL John 12:24
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
(KJV)
When the disciples asked Jesus about prayer he responded by saying¦
Matt 6:9-13
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
(KJV)
His opening and his closing statements speak of having the will of God done in our lives.
It is important that the will of God is performed in our lives.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Jesus made sure that he established in the lives of his disciples that it is important that God be first and foremost in their lives.
So it is interesting when Jesus begins to call his disciples that he makes a very different statement.
Matt 4:19
19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
(KJV)
It was a promise of personal revival¦ made by the humanity of Jesus Christ.
There were several things that Jesus wished to do. Each time he spoke it as a promise. I Will!
A promise of stability¦
Matt 7:24
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
(KJV)
A promise of purity¦
Matt 8:3
3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
(KJV)
A promise of healing¦
Matt 8:5-7
5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
(KJV)
A promise of grace and mercy without condemnation¦
Matt 9:10-13
10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
(KJV)
A promise of sustaining power¦
Matt 11:28
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(KJV)
- When you are weak I will be strong.
- When you are down I will lift you up.
- When you get tired from the journey I will give you rest to continue on.
A promise of blessings¦
Matt 15:30-38
30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:
31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
32 Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.
33 And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?
34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
35 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
37 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.
38 And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.
(KJV)
A promise of deliverance¦
Matt 16:13-19
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
(KJV)
A promise of salvation¦
Matt 26:17-18
17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
(KJV)
A promise of a future beyond the grave¦
Matt 26:31-32
31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
(KJV)
Seasons come and go. Summer turns into Fall. Fall turns into Winter. Winter turns into Spring. Spring turns into Summer.
But there can be no Spring unless there has first been a Fall and a Winter.
- Fall is when things start turning colors: Orange, Red, Brown, Yellow.
o One of the trees in the front lawn of the church looked as though it was on fire this last fall.
- Fall introduces Winter.
o Winter is bleak. Winter has the appearance of death.
- But once Winter is over we realize that death was only a mirage.
o Under the ground there was still life.
o In the branches of the trees there was still life.
o In the shrubs and hedges there was still life.
It was dormant waiting on the time of renewal and life!
Everything about the newness of life is waiting on Spring. Spring is waiting on Winter. Winter is waiting on Fall.
The promises of Jesus Christ are useless unless there is something that establishes their beginning.
- Promises are only as real as the person who speaks them.
o Im hungry. Got anything to eat?
