Wednesday, January 23, 2013

"Called To A Solemn Assembly, The Reason"

January is "Solemn Assembly" at MWC.  A time we set aside to seek the face of God for the Church, families & our nation.  We discontinue all activities other than those related to Word, Worship & Prayer and focus on crying out to God for His intervention in the affairs of the world around us.  Through Him we will tear down the strongholds of the enemy...through Him we shall overcome.  I pray you are blessed....

The Message Bible: 2 Timothy 3: 1-7  “2As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, 3dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, 4treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. 5They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people.  6These are the kind of people who smooth-talk themselves into the homes of unstable and needy women and take advantage of them; women who, depressed by their sinfulness, take up with every new religious fad that calls itself “truth.”

 Joel 1:14 - “Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly; gather the elders and  all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God and cry unto unto the Lord.”

Intro.  In II Timothy we see the condition the world will be in when the last days come upon us.  Sound familiar?   In Joel, we hear the heart cry of a prophet who has heard from God.  He sees the condition Israel (Nation / Church) is in and the judgment that has come their way and the continual judgment that is coming because of their sins and he calls for “all the people” to come together and do whatever it takes to stay the hand of God’s judgment.  He “Called For A Solemn Assembly”.  

SOLEMN ASSEMBLY IS: Note Eccl. 3:1-4, 1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4A time to weep, and a time to laugh;  a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

 Solemn (demonstrating sincerity and gravity) assembly (the coming together of people for a common purpose) is a corporate and personal call to separate ourselves unto God for a time of… 

a. Consecration:  Declare sacred; devote to a solemn purpose.

b. Prayer: An earnest request for something; one who asks (as for a favor or gift) humbly. Ps.55:15, “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.”

c. Fasting: An abstaining from food or drink. Ezra 5:21-23  “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. …. The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.  So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.”

d. It is a time of seeking His face for a specific purpose.    Ps. 27:7-9, “Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.  When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will  I seek. Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.”

    Bartimaeus - Mk. 10:51, And Jesus said to him, What do you want Me to do for you? And the blind man said to Him, Master, let me receive my sight. (Mark 10:51 AMP)

e. It involves humbling ourselves before God in repentance. II Chron. 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

f. It is a time of prayer-intercession as we wait on God. It is God finding someone that will stand in the gap and make up the hedge for a people who have gone astray from His way.  Eze. 22:30 “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”

g. It is a time of preparation. Make or get ready. Ex.15:1-2, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Conc. The easy thing to do is to say what we want…I want my family saved…I want a good marriage….I want peace,….I want revival…I want Jesus first in my life….but.....

our wants are never accomplished by what we say but by what we do.”   

Note James 1:22, "Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only."

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

"Looking Beyond - The Ability To Disconnect"


(Ministered 12/29/12 in the AM service.  The last Sunday of 2012)

Intro.  It is so easy to get weighted down with the daily problems and circumstances that surround us.  To become encumbered with the daily grind of life; paying bills, raising kids to be productive Godly citizens, overcoming the consistent problem of making ends meet.  But in spite of it all I believe one of the greatest abilities given a Christian is the ability of “Looking Beyond" what is to what will be. It is in truth "faith sight ".  No matter what the circumstances, good or bad, things will change.  

The Problem:  The problem most of us have is the ability to dis-connect.  We find it hard, if not impossible, to disconnect from the pain, the problems, the offenses, the hurts, the weights of our yesterday's.  They have become the un-necessary weights that keep, and will continue to keep you, locked in your present prison of anger, loneliness and despair, hindering you from looking beyond what was and what is and receiving what will be.  

Note Paul's encouragement in Phil 3:13b-14, “ forgetting those things (the pain, the problems, the offenses, the hurts, the weights of our yesterday) behind (past), reaching forth for those things (peace, joy, inner healing) which are ahead (present),.  I press toward the mark (future) for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. “   He had his eyes upon tomorrow, the mark, the high calling”. (God calling me on high. Dake)

Jesus said in Matt. 11:28, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

We must determine to not allow anything or anyone control or destroy what we are or what we are destined to become.  We must “Look Beyond”!

Note with me others before us that looked beyond.

I. God Looked Beyond: 
  a. Man had disobeyed.
  b. Did what God said he should not do.
  c. God kept His Word.  Man suffered spiritual death... separation from Spirit Life.
  d. The curse was placed upon man.
  e. The serpent had won!
   f. But God looked beyond the darkness and despair of the hour....looked beyond to
   Calvary and said in Gen. 3:15, " And I will put enmity ( a feeling or condition 
   of hostility; hatred; ill will; animosity; antagonism) between thee and the 
   woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise (crush; fall upon) thy 
    head..."

II. Moses Looked Beyond: 
     a. Miraculously raised in the home of the enemy of God’s people.  Never lacked 
         for anything.
b. It is easy to become comfortable surrounded by prosperity though they that are around you are living in bondage of sin and moral poverty of a depraved society. 
c. BUT there came a time that Moses chose to look beyond the prosperity and the privilege ( sometimes a problem ) of being called the son of Pharoah’s daughter. Note Heb. 11:25-27  “ By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God , than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.  Esteeming ( hold in  high expectation ) the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasure in Egypt; for he had respect unto the recompence ( give compensation to ) of the reward.  By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king:  for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible “. Faith that a better thing was in store for God's chosen! 

III. Isaiah Looked Beyond:  
a. During Isaiah’s time Israel was in bondage and controlled by heathen nations.
b. Time and time again God had sent His Word through the mouths of His 
     prophets calling for the repentance of Israel.  For a season they would return 
     and be blessed but the pull of the world around them would pull them back to 
     the sins of their surroundings.
c. Isaiah looked beyond and said in Isa. 9:6 , "For unto us a child is born, unto  
    us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his 
    name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting
    Father,  The Prince of Peace." 
    “ And the redeemer shall come to Zion...” Isa. 59:20
    " In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, 
     high and lifted up, and his train ( glory ) filled the temple.  " Is.6:1

IV. Jesus Looked Beyond:
      a. In Matt. 16:18 He said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not   
          prevail ( overpower it,  or  be strong to its detriment, or hold out against it ) 
          against it.      
      b. In John 14:3 He said, “ I go to prepare a place for you " He also said,  " I will 
           come again receive you unto  myself; that where I am, there ye may be 
           also.“  John 14:3


V. We Can And Must Look Beyond:
    a. Ps.91:2  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge ( the state of being covered or  
        protected: something to which one turns for assistance in difficulty or need in 
        the absence of a usual means or source of supply ) and my fortress ( a place 
        offering resistance to a hostile force ): my God; in him will I trust 
       ( lean and rely ).
      
Conc. To each present here today I want you to know God has given you the ability to “Look Beyond” the present circumstances and know there are better days ahead.  You do not have to be satisfied with the bondage, the darkness, the despair of the hour.....this same Jesus is saying that to us today in " And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. " Lk. 21:8
        
It is time to “Look Beyond"!!

“I Am Free…I Am Free…I Am Free At Last”

MC Sermon - 2/20/22 Intro.  Many within the church are being distracted by what is going on around them. The distraction disrupts the pursu...