10 Feb 2019
– Notes on teaching & preaching from the previous Sunday
Inspiration from Brother Gilbert
-
God speaks through scriptures…if we take time to meditate & listen
-
Whatever risky or difficult situation we have to encounter…
-
…APPLY the Sword ( Spiritual Word/ S-Word) of the Lord to it…
Jeremiah 10:23-24
I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.
So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.
-
Hatujui na hatuwezi ( we don’t know & we can’t)
Exodus 33:15
Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place.
-
Tunakuhitaji Mungu ( We need you Lord in this situation)
Deuteronomy 31:8
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
-
Shouldn’t worry – He is with me, indeed ahead of me, & will never leave me nor forsake me
Psalm 37:23-24
The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.
-
Guiding, directing & rebuking me because He cares
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff (guide & protect therefore) they comfort me.
~~~~~~~~~~
# Main Service notes –
Genesis 8 – Noah Inside the Ark
~ Am I Saved but still in bondage?
-
Blessed but still in bondage
-
In a wilderness experience in Ark / salvation with lions & crocodiles around
-
Not a conducive environment for movement, growth, fruitfulness & multiplication
-
…in marriage, children, work, business, ministry
Even in salvation – in The Ark/ Boat of Christ – Yeshua
-
I will still need to go out and interact with the world
-
Being fruitful & multiplying for the Kingdom & Glory of God
-
So others can indeed taste & see that the Lord is good in me & through me
~ What spirit do I operate under / influences me?
Am I guided by the raven or the dove?
Noah sent forth a raven & a dove
-
Like Jacob & Esau – speaks of two nature / spirits of man that we struggle with
-
…The carnal man – Esau – likes the ways of the world / flesh
-
…The spiritual man – Jacob ( though still needs to be born again into Israel ) – likes to be close to home – dove returns
Spirit & flesh – contrary and opposed to one another – Galatians 5:17
-
For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want.
-
Just like Raven & Dove
-
– carnivorous & eats dead flesh vs omnivorous – eats seeds & leaves
-
Raven – spirit / word not of God — will wonder to and fro
-
Dove – spirit / Word of God –Only the dove seems to come back
-
Isaiah 55:11 (NLT)
-
It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
~ I can know the spirit / voice that influences me by the fruit it produces in me
Matthew 7:16
-
You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
-
Raven – anxious & unsettled
-
Dove – Holy spirit – Fruit of the Spirit – PEACE – represented by an olive branch
-
Galatians 5:22-23
-
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
~ We should be guided by the Holy Spirit in all we do…
-
Noah moving in step with the dove
- Not only is obeying WHAT God wants me to do, but also taking time to seek the HOW He wants it done and the WHEN He wants it done
-
John 14:26-27 (NLT)
-
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative–that is, the Holy Spirit–he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
-
“I am leaving you with a gift–peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Living according to the spirit as opposed to the flesh better illustrated in Romans 8
~ Walking in the spirit guarantees the peace of God – dove & olive branch??
any other word, not of God, may just bring anxiety / unsettling – raven wandering to and fro
-
Philippians 4:6-7(NLT)
-
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done
-
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
~ God’s answers to prayers may be a process … not instantaneous
-
Noah had to wait 7 days before sending the dove out again
- God may answer…but always with our best interest at heart
-
…Yes
-
…Yes but not now – delay is not denial
-
…No – but with good reason
-
………Jeremiah 29:11(NLT)
-
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
~ We should take time to meditate on the Word of God –
-
with praise and thanksgiving for even the small things
-
Trusting in God & Leaning not on our own understanding…Proverbs 3:5
-
and in the fullness of God’s time ( 7 days)
-
…when it (The Word ) matures (in us ) to produce (pleasing) faith
- ( basically, the Word of God that we hear has to mature in our spirit for it to produce faith….or….It needs to move from our head to our heart…using our spiritual ears to hear the Word. Possibly why Jesus used to say those with an ear, let them hear)
-
…….Faith comes by hearing & hearing he Word of God …Romans 10:17
-
……..We can’t please God without faith…Hebrews 11:6
-
……..Faith being …The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen…Hebrews 11:1
…as God does not respond to our need, but He responds to our faith
-
……Jesus mentioned many times about peoples faith that healed them
-
e.g. Mark 5:34 (NLT)
-
….. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
-
Then the Word of God will go forth to accomplish that for which it was sent – Isaiah 55:11
~ Mungu anataka
-
What God wants He can bring it to pass
-
There are no IFs in God’s plans
-
Nothing is impossible for our God – Matthew 19:26
God wants us to be fruitful & multiplying – for the kingdom
-
tuzalishe matunda – fruits of the spirit…so that others may ..
-
…Taste and see that the LORD is good. – Psalm 34:8
-
…a tree does not / cannot eat its own fruit…it is for others to benefit
-
&
-
increase the numbers (multiply) those that like (are drawn to ) the good fruit of the spirit in us
-
… Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” – John 13:35
Indeed it is not about me – but about Loving God & loving man with His gifts / fruits / blessings.
- 1 Peter 4:10-11
- God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
- Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
And just like a candle light, the more I share it out does not diminish the brightness of my light….but it still increases the overall intensity in a place / around me.
~ Sacrifice of praise & thanksgiving
We should not go to God …
-
with a laundry list of requirements,
-
….without even thanking Him on the small things He has done,
-
without taking time to wait on Him to answer
-
but waiting in a state of thanksgiving and praise
-
…as we should seek God for who He is and not for what He has
-
…seek His face and not His hand
Indeed offering a sacrifice of praise & thanksgiving
-
a sacrifice of praise & thanksgiving because I praise Him despite the circumstances, whether good or bad
-
because of who God is and not because of or determined by the circumstance
-
Like Paul & Silas praying and singing at the midnight hour in jail – Acts 16
Hebrews 13:15-16
Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.
And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.
Sacrifices – sweet smelling to the Lord – make Him respond in blessing
My lack of praise & thanksgiving, a sacrifice especially when things are difficult
— may hinder the hand of God to open and bless me with the much more He has for me.
-
Just like Noah offered a sacrifice that pleased God
- …despite the circumstances surrounding him…just been through a storm, people around him dying, possibly while on the boat – waiting on God without complaining.
- …At times we are drawn to focus more on the bad things around us and forget the good things God has done for us.
-
The sweet smelling sacrifice made God to respond with even more blessings
-
…no more cursing of the ground & no more total destruction of life
-
Or
-
of the 10 lepers – Luke 17 – the one that returned was healed further due to returning to acknowledge Jesus in thanksgiving
A sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving is therefore a test of faith??
-
Praising & thanking God for who He is and not for what He has is an act of pleasing faith
-
…For we can’t please God without faith
-
…Faith implies we believe that God exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him – Hebrews 11:6
Constantly offering a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving will ensure that I always put focus on God as bigger than my problem / situation and not the problem / situation being bigger than my God.
It is all about – showing by my act of faith…( as faith without works is dead…)
- Hearing God : Can I hear God’s voice? (My sheep hear my voice)
- Knowing / Understanding what He is saying to me ( From God’s perspective)
- Not only what He is saying,
- but when He wants it done and
- How He wants it done
- Obeying / Doing / Executing The Word of / from God
Do I pass my Test of faith?…Like Noah
-
Do I please God with my faith?
-
Could this be why I have trouble having the blessings of God manifest in my life?
THE LIVING WORD 4 LIFE 