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Belconnen
46 Lhotsky Street, Charnwood
9am, 11am & 5pm
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3 Macleay Street, Turner
10am
Online
Live at 9am
or on demand
Welcome!
Ps Sean & Lynda Stanton
Senior Pastors, LifeUC
We are a church that is committed to developing loving, caring relationships where you can belong. Our desire is to equip you for life, releasing you into all that God has purposed for you. Whether it be through a Sunday service, a small group during the week or helping in the community, we want to be here for you.
Latest Message
Kingdom People – Carrying the Family Name
Blessed are the Peacemakers and the Persecuted
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt 5:9-10 NLT
Peacemakers - eirēnopoioi (Greek)
Eirēnē - peace Poieō - to make or do
Shalom - far more than the absence of conflict.
It speaks of wholeness - right relationship with God, with one another, and within ourselves.
Rodef shalom - someone who actively pursues or chases after peace
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! Isaiah 52:7 NLT
He was beaten so we could be whole. Isaiah 53:5 NLT
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness… Matt 5:10 NLT
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Matt 5:11 NLT
Persecution is the clash between two irreconcilable value-systems - John Stott
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. V6
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness. V10
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matt 5:9 NLT
Through Christ, God reconciled all things to Himself. He made peace with everything by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. Col 1:19-20 NLT
Christ himself has brought peace to us…he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. Eph 2:14 NLT
The God of peace...who equips you with all you need for doing His will. Heb 13:20-21NLT
Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt 5:3&10
Great is your reward in heaven. Matt 5:12 NLT
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matt 6:10 NIV
Rejoice and be glad. Matt 5:12 NLT
TITLE: KINGDOM PEOPLE – SURRENDERED & HUNGRY
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
MATTHEW 5:3-10 (NIV)
Baruch: (Covenantal Favour): a decree bestowing power, fruitfulness, and protection for flourishing.
Ashrei: (Human Alignment): to walk straight, to advance, a map to align your life with God.
Blessed [Ashrei] is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked … but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night… whatever they do prospers.
PSALM 1:1-3 (NIV)
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
MATTHEW 5:5-6 (NIV)
Meekness is NOT WEAKNESS – it is power brought under the authority of the King.
Hunger for righteousness is not personal piety - it is longing for the whole world to be set right, including yourself.
Meekness is not a natural temperament, but a cultivated posture – the result of having seen God’s power and VOLUNTARILY placing one’s own power under His authority. It is the opposite of both aggression and passivity.
(D. A. CARSON)
Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. And the Lord said, … My servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face.
NUMBERS 12:3,7-8 (NIV)
The horse had to be broken without losing its strength.
A warhorse learned to respond to the slightest cue from its rider.
Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.
LUKE 22:42 (NLT)
A Warhorse was trained not to panic.
You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
ISAIAH 26:3 (NKJ)
A Warhorse learned courage under authority.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
2 TIMOTHY 1:7 (NLT)
I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people. Now I am glad to boast about how weak I am; I am glad to be a living demonstration of Christ’s power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite happy about “the thorn,” and about insults and hardships, persecutions and difficulties; for when I am weak, then I am strong—the less I have, the more I depend on him.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:9-10 (LB)
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:9-10 (NIV)
A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the MEEK will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
PSALM 37: 10-11 (NIV)
Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (MEEK) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.
MATTHEW 11:29 (AMP)
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNDER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, FOR THEY WILL BE FILLED.
The hunger for righteousness in the Beatitudes is not primarily about personal morality, but about justice – the longing for the world to be put right. Kingdom people ache for God’s shalom to come, and that ache drives everything.
(THE LATE TIM KELLER)
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
PSALM 107:8-9 (NIV)
O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.
PSALM 63:1 (NLT)
I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.
AMOS 5:24 (NLT)
KINGDOM PEOPLE
What it looks like to be fully alive in Jesus.
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. Matthew 4:17 (NIV)
Galilee Of The Gentiles
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and illness among the people… Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed Him. Matthew 4:23, 25 (NIV)
One Greater Than Moses
When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them. Matthew 5:1-2 (NIV)
You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded… But you have come… to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant. Hebrews 12:18–20, 24 (NIV)
Empty Handed: The Surprising Place the Kingdom Begins
What if the very thing you believe disqualifies you from God is where His Kingdom begins?
The Beatitudes — The Upside-Down Kingdom
He said: ’Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3–10 (NIV)
The Cult of Self-Sufficiency
At this very point, Jesus affirms that where our self-sufficiency ends, the Kingdom of God begins.
‣ 1st — Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‣ 2nd — Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
The Language of Blessing
Baruch: (Covenantal Favour): a decree bestowing power, fruitfulness, and protection for flourishing. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 28:2–6 (NIV)
Ashrei: (Human Alignment): to walk straight, a wisdom map to align your life with God.“Blessed [Ashrei] is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked… but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night… whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:1, 3 (NIV)
1. Poor in Spirit — The Blessing of Bankruptcy
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3 (NIV)
Woe is me! For I am lost; … for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty. Isaiah 6:5 (ESV)
You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. Matthew 5:3 (MSG)
The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” ‘But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner. ‘I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’” Luke 18:11–13 (NIV)
He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6 (NLT)
As long as you are proud, you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people, and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you. — C. S. Lewis
2. Those Who Mourn — Comfort In The Brokenness
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4 (NIV)
How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? Psalm 13:2 (NLT)
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Ps 34:18 (NIV)
You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. Matthew 5:4 (MSG)
Jesus Unrolls Isaiah’s Scroll
“Blessed are those who mourn…”
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour… to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Isaiah 61:1–3 (NIV)
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’ Lk 4:20–21 (NIV)
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor (as a beggar), so that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV)
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief… Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” Isaiah 53:3–4 (ESV)
SELAH: Where has your self-sufficiency run dry? Bring the empty hands, not the full ones. That is where the Kingdom begins.
The Shift
Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)
"See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19b (NIV)
Proverbs 3:6 (MSG)
"Trust God from the bottom of your heart; Don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He's the one who will keep you on track."
If you are going to move forward into all God has for your life, you need to lift your eyes from the place of impossible, and turn them to the One who makes all things possible.
Is there a shift taking place in your life right now?
Mark 2:22 (NIV)
"And no one pours new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins."
The Process
God cannot do the incredible things He has prepared for you in the new wineskin, while you remain in the old wineskin.
Sometimes we have to let go of the good to take hold of the better, but sometimes we think the good looks greater than the better - until we take hold of God's better.
TRUST THE NEW WINESKIN PROCESS
Every new season comes with a new wineskin, and every new wineskin comes with a shift - and that wineskin may look different than the old one.
Isaiah 43:18 (NIV)
"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; Do you not perceive it?"
New wineskin has a different sound than the old wineskin.
Perceiving something is more than awareness.
Isaiah 54:2–3
"Enlarge the place of your tent. Stretch your tent curtains wide. Do not hold back. Lengthen your cords. Strengthen your stakes, for you will spread out to the right and to the left. Your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities."
Living Water
Where do you run when you’re empty?
Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” John 4:4-7
Who She Really Was
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” John 4:9–12, NIV
He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” John 4:16–18 NIV
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14 NIV
Mayin Chayim
Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” John 4:26
Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well.” John 4:6
“…this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words, by God himself.” – Blaise Pascal
So What Do We Do?
1. Recognise Him. (The Source.)
2. Stop Returning. (The Well.)
3. Leave It. (The Bucket.) Go & Tell Someone.
Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. John 4:28-30
God uses people while He’s still changing them.
What are you still carrying that you were always meant to leave at the well?
Plain, Simple, Powerful — First Jesus
I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who He is; then Jesus and what He did — Jesus crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2 (MSG)
A legacy isn't just what you leave behind. It's what you live right now.
ALL SHE HAD
Two Coins. One Life ~ What Happened Next?
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few pence. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.’ Mark 12:41–44 (NIV)
Jesus sat watching ~ Gr. theōreō: sustained, intent observation — not a glance but a gaze with intent.
They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely. Mark 12:40 (NIV)
Two Coins, A Whole Life
A poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins… They all gave out of their wealth (surplus); but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on. Mark 12:42, 44 (NIV)
All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—all she had to live on. Mark 12:44 (MSG)
God judges what we give by what we keep. — George Müller
You shall have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:3 (NIV)
Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ He said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.’
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Mark 10:21–22 (NIV)
Stewardship is not fundamentally about money; it is about ownership. The question is not, ‘How much of my money should I give to God?’ but rather, ‘How much of God’s money should I keep for myself?’ — R.C. Sproul
The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives. Deuteronomy 14:23 (TLB)
The widow of Zarephath
Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow. Deuteronomy 27:19 (NIV)
1. She had heard from God. I have instructed a widow there to supply you with food. 1 Kings 17:9 (NIV)
2. She had a servant's heart. He called to her and asked, ‘Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink? As she was going to get it, he called, ‘And bring me, please, a piece of bread.’ 1 Kings 17:10–11 (NIV)
3. She had to overcome her fear. Elijah said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 1 Kings 17:13 (NIV)
4. God performed a miracle. She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. 1 Kings 17:15–16 (NIV)
At the mouth of two or three witnesses a matter shall be established. Deuteronomy 19:15 (LSB)
Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. Mark 12:43 (NIV)
Put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you. Malachi 3:10-11 (ESV)
Pete Grieg ~ Dirty Glory: Go Where Your Best Prayers Take You
What Happened Next
She, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on. Mark 12:42, 44 (NIV)
His name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. Psalm 68:4-5 (NIV)
Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me. Luke 18:22 (NIV)
Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor.’ Luke 19:8 (NIV)
WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH WHAT HE HAS GIVEN YOU?
I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who He is; then Jesus and what He did – Jesus crucified.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:2 (The Message)
A legacy isn’t just what you leave behind, it’s what you live right now.
For the kingdom of heaven is like a man travelling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise, he who had received two gained two more also.
But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.
After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
“But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
MATTHEW 25:14-30 (NKJ)
1. THERE IS NO LACK WITH OUR MASTER.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
PSALM 84:11 (ESV)
If you, imperfect as you are, know how to lovingly take care of your children and give them what’s best, how much more ready is your heavenly Father to give wonderful gifts to those who ask him?
MATTHEW 7:11 (TPT)
2. THE MASTER IS RETURNING.
I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines … He looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.
ISAIAH 5:1-2 (NIV)
3. WHO IS YOUR MASTER?
Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid.
MATTHEW 25:24-25 (NKJ)
When FEAR is a part of your life, its sister ANXIETY always holds its hand.
The lazy person says, “There’s a lion in the road! There’s a lion in the streets!” Like a door turning back and forth on its hinges, the lazy person turns over and over in bed. Lazy people may put their hands in the dish, but they are too tired to lift the food to their mouths. The lazy person thinks he is wiser than seven people who give sensible answers.
PROVERBS 26:13-16 (NCV)
FIRST JESUS demands knowing the real Jesus.
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
PHILIPPIANS 4:19 (NKJ)
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
2 CORINTHIANS 9:8 (NKJ)
What you are, is God's gift to you; what you do with yourself is your gift to God.
I have a great need for Christ; and I have a GREAT CHRIST for my need.
C.H.SPURGEON
I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].
PHILIPPIANS 4:13 (AMP)
4. JESUS LONGS TO SAY WELL DONE TO YOU.
His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
MATTHEW 25:21, 23 (NKJ)
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord … The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness endures forever.
PSALM 112:1-3 (NKJ)
Serve the Lord with gladness.
PSALM 100:2 (NKJ)
Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for Him is a waste of time or effort.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:58 (The Message)
5. JESUS VALUES YOUR TIME, TALENT, TREASURE.
For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
MATTHEW 25:29 (NKJ)
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
MATTHEW 6:19-21 (NIV)
HERE’S HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE:
· With your TIME & TALENT, commit to SERVING. Join a Serve Team NOW and build our legacy. This is just as much a part of our Life Legacy as any financial gift.
· With your TREASURE, you can bring a one-off offering or a 12 month pledge, or an ongoing monthly giving.
Faithful in the In-Between
A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.
Matt 24:45-47 NLT
“Lord, is that illustration just for us or for everyone?”
Luke 12:41 NLT
Be faithful. Because the way we live today is shaping who we become tomorrow.
1. Faithfulness Is Built in Ordinary Moments
The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of (Potiphar) his Egyptian master.
Gen 39:2 NLT
God often does something in us before He does something through us.
2. What We Do With God's Resources Matters
Every servant who does not know his master’s will and unwittingly does what is wrong will receive a less severe punishment. For those who have received a greater revelation from their master are required a greater obedience. And those who have been entrusted with great responsibility will be held more responsible to their master.
Luke 12:48 TPT
Your Time Matters
Your Talent Matters
Your Treasure Matters
Where your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Matthew 6:21 NLT
3. Legacy Is Built One Day at a Time
‘My master won't be back for a while.’
Luke 12:45 NLT
What has God placed in your hands?
· What relationships?
· What opportunities?
· What gifts?
· What resources?
· What influence?
And what would it look like to faithfully invest those things into what God is doing?
Because a legacy isn't built through one extraordinary moment.
It's built in the ordinary choices we make every day:
· To trust God
· To serve others
· To be generous with our time, our talent and our treasure
· And to be obedient to the next step He’s asking us to take
Well done, good and faithful servant.
Matt 25:23 NLT
Plain, Simple, Powerful — First Jesus
I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who He is; then Jesus and what He did — Jesus crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2 (MSG)
The Kingdom of God is not a matter of negotiation; it is a matter of recognition. Once you see it, you don’t haggle over the price. — Dallas Willard
Living Legacy — a legacy isn't just what you leave behind. It's what you live right now.
Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give.’ Acts 3:6 (NIV)
‘I will open My mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.’ Matthew 13:35 (NIV)
Jesus’ parables are not pretty stories with morals attached. They are like depth charges dropped into the imagination, designed to explode old worldviews and create new ones. — N.T. Wright
The Currency of Joy
When You Find the Real Thing, Nothing Else Compares.
What if Jesus hid a single Greek phrase in a 35-word parable, buried in plain sight, that, when discovered, has the power to transform the drudgery of religious sacrifice into the joy of surrendered worship?
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44 (NIV)
The heart of the Kingdom: apo tēs charas autou — “from his joy.”
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17 (NIV)
The Field
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44 (NIV)
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ. Philippians 3:8 (NLT)
The Discovery
I rejoice in your word like one who discovers a great treasure. Psalm 119:162 (NLT)
1. Where Is Wisdom Found?
There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. Mortals put an end to the darkness; they search out the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness. Job 28:1–3 (NIV)
But where can wisdom be found? Job 28:12 (NIV)
It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli. Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold. Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold. Job 28:15–19 (NIV)
Job is not making a list. Job is making a case.
Where then does wisdom come from? …God understands the way to it, and He alone knows where it dwells. Job 28:20, 23 (NIV)
2. How Is Wisdom Discovered?
My son, if you accept my words and treasure my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then… Proverbs 2:1–4 (NIV)
Blessed (happy, joyful) are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding. Proverbs 3:13 (NIV)
3. What Does Wisdom Cost?
‘Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labour on what does not satisfy? Isaiah 55:1–2 (NIV)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Mt 5:6 (NIV)
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12 (NIV)
The Hidden Treasure
Truly, You are a God who hides Himself… the Saviour. Isaiah 45:15 (ESV)
1. The Treasure in Christ
That they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2–3 (NIV)
2. The Treasure in You
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
We had to celebrate and be glad (overjoyed). Luke 15:32 (NIV)
The Joy-Driven Exchange
…then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44 (NIV)
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV)
For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame. Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Ps 51:12 (NLT)
Caring for the Gift
Children Are a Gift
“Children are a gift from God.”
Psalm 127:3 NLT
Motherhood Is Bigger Than Biology
“…they are a reward from Him.”
Psalm 127:3 NLT
The Power of Words Spoken Over a Child
Words That Shape Identity
“I love you.”
“I’m proud of you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I believe in you.”
The Gift We Can See… and the Gift We Can’t
Only God Sees the Full Picture
a talent
a personality trait
a passion starting to form
We’re the Caretaker, Not the Creator
predict who they’ll become
control the outcome
shape them into what we think they should be
Adults in the Making
Preparing Future Adults
leaders
partners
parents
contributors to society
God Reveals What He Has Placed Inside Them
school
friendships
workplaces
relationships
The Joy of Giving – and Seeing it Received
The Joy of Watching Growth
loving others
using their gifts
making wise choices
bringing something good into the world
You Are a Gift Too
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it. Psalm 139:13–14 NLT
Plain, Simple, Powerful — First Jesus
I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who He is; then Jesus and what He did—Jesus crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2 (MSG)
What on earth is going on in heaven?
“I AM” Alpha And Omega
The revelation from (of) Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants… ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty.’ Revelation 1:1, 8 (NIV)
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands One like a Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around His chest. The hairs of His head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full strength. Revelation 1:12–16 (ESV)
1. Christ Revealed — Risen, Glorified Son of Man
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I AM the First and the Last, and the Living One. I died, and behold I AM alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Revelation 1:17–18 (ESV)
The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which the child of God rests his head. C.H. Spurgeon
2. Christ Revealed — Lord Over the Church
The words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands (the churches). Revelation 2:1 (ESV)
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 3:22 (NIV)
Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken the love you had at first. Revelation 2:4 (NIV)
The letters to the seven churches are not ancient post, they are living words addressed to every congregation in every age that finds itself at the intersection of faithfulness and compromise. — N.T. Wright
3. Christ Revealed — The Slain and Worthy Lamb
Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll. Revelation 5:5 (NIV)
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been (freshly) slain, standing at the centre of the throne. Revelation 5:6 (NIV)
‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!’ Revelation 5:12 (NIV)
Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose. — William Temple
4. Christ Revealed — The Sovereign Judge
O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before You will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Revelation 6:10 (ESV)
A God who cannot get angry at the wrecking of His world is not a loving God; He is an indifferent one.
— N.T. Wright
Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! Revelation 18:2 (NIV)
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. Revelation 11:15 (ESV)
The wrath of God is not an outburst of divine temper. It is the settled, holy opposition of God's nature to everything that is evil, and the guarantee that evil will not triumph. — John Stott
5. Christ Revealed — The Victorious King
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True… On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Revelation 19:11, 16 (ESV)
He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. Revelation 19:13–14 (ESV)
We are not trying to achieve a victory. We are standing in the victory already achieved. — Donald Gee
6. Christ Revealed — The Covenant Bridegroom
Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Revelation 19:7 (NIV)
The Bible is a love story. From first to last, it is about a God who pursues His wayward creation with a relentless, self-giving love that culminates in the marriage supper of the Lamb. — Timothy Keller
Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25–27 (ESV)
7. Christ Revealed — The Alpha and Omega
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Revelation 22:13 (NIV)
The sovereignty of God does not mean that everything that happens is good. It means that nothing that happens is beyond redemption. — R.C. Sproul
He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!’ Revelation 21:5 (NIV)
When God Seems Silent
God’s silence is NOT God’s absence.
1. WHEN GOD SEEMS SILENT — KEEP PRAYING HONESTLY
I’m hurting, Lord - will you forget me forever? How much longer, Lord? Will you look the other way when I’m in need? How much longer must I cling to this constant grief? I’ve endured this shaking of my soul. So how much longer will my enemy have the upper hand? It’s been long enough! Take a good look at me, God, and answer me! Breathe your life into my spirit. Bring light to my eyes in this pitch-black darkness or I will sleep the sleep of death.
PSALM 13:1–2 (TPT)
How long, Lord, must I call for help?
HABAKKUK 1:2 (NLT)
My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
ISAIAH 55:8-9 (NLT)
2. WHEN GOD SEEMS SILENT — REMEMBER WHAT HE HAS ALREADY SAID
God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
NUMBERS 23:19 (NLT)
My soul feels dry and shriveled, useless and forgotten, but I will never forget your living truth.
PSALM 119:83 (TPT)
Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven.
PSALM 119:89 (NLT)
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
MATTHEW 4: 1-2 (NLT)
The wilderness is not where God abandons His people - it is often where He prepares them.
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
PSALM 119:105 (NLT)
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
MATTHEW 24:35 (ESV)
3. WHEN GOD SEEMS SILENT — TRUST THAT GOD IS WORKING IN THE WAITING
For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.
ISAIAH 64:4 (NKJ)
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.
ECCLESIASTES 3:1 (NKJ)
I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it.
ECCLESIASTES 3:14 (NKJ)
God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
ECCLESIASTES 3:17 (NKJ)
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
HEBREWS 6:10-12 (NIV)
… Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
JAMES 1:3-4 (NKJ)
4. WHEN GOD SEEMS SILENT — CHOOSE TRUST BEFORE YOU SEE THE ANSWER
Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.
ISAIAH 41:10 (The Message)
For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.
HEBREWS 13:5 (NLT)
I’ll give you one more chance. When the music plays, if you fall down and worship the statue, all will be well. But if you refuse, you will be thrown into a flaming furnace within the hour. And what god can deliver you out of my hands then?
DANIEL 3:15 (LB)
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not worried about what will happen to us. If we are thrown into the flaming furnace, OUR GOD IS ABLE to deliver us; and he will deliver us out of your hand, Your Majesty. But if he doesn’t, please understand, sir, that even then we will never under any circumstance serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have erected.”
DANIEL 3:16 (LB)
But suddenly, as he was watching, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisors, “Didn’t we throw three men into the furnace?” “Yes,” they said, “we did indeed, Your Majesty.” “Well, look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire, and they aren’t even hurt by the flames! And the fourth looks like a god!” Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the open door of the flaming furnace and yelled: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God! Come out! Come here!” So they stepped out of the fire.
DANIEL 3:24-26 (LB)
But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
PSALM 13:5–6 (NLT)
Even though my life hangs in the balance, I’ll keep following what you’ve taught me, no matter what.
PSALM 119:109 (TPT)
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
(Corrie Ten Boom)
We live by faith, not by sight.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:7 (NIV)
‘The Greatest Evidence’
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important." – CS Lewis
"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith… And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17 NIV)
"Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word." (Luke 1:1-2 NIV)
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6 NIV)
God is Not afraid of Doubt
"Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." (John 20:25 NIV)
“Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
“My Lord and my God!"(John 20:28 NIV)
“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29 NIV)
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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17 NKJV)
God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it." (Acts 2:32 NIV)
C.S. Lewis: "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."
The absence of a body in a tomb is evidence…but the presence of His life in your life is stronger evidence.
"I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die." (John 11:25-26 NIV)
My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour. — John Newton
The Cross Before the Crown
Now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.’ He said this to show the kind of death He was going to die. John 12:31–33 (NIV)
He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:13–15 (NIV)
Naked and Afraid
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:7 (NIV)
It is one thing to know evil as God knows it, as Judge… but quite another thing to know it by plunging into it. Innocence was replaced with participation. Charles H. Spurgeon
‣ The Fig Leaves: Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:7 (NIV)
‣ The Hiding: ‘I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’ Genesis 3:8–10 (NIV)
‣ The Shock: Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God. Genesis 3:8 (NIV)
The World Hasn’t Ended
The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. Genesis 3:21–22 (NIV)
The father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Luke 15:22 (NIV)
He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness. Isaiah 61:10 (ESV)
The Curse and the Cross
Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil… It will produce thorns and thistles for you… By the sweat of your brow… until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return. Genesis 3:17–19 (NIV)
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole — is crucified.’ Galatians 3:13 (NIV)
‣ The Cursed Ground: The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit.1 Corinthians 15:45 (NLT)
‣ The Crown of Thorns: They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand. Then they knelt in front of Him and mocked Him. ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ they said. Matthew 27:28–29 (NIV)
‣ The Sweat of the Soul: Being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:44 (NIV)
‣ The Dust of Death: He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9 (NIV)
The Cross as Coronation
Glory: to recognise, honour, praise, invest with dignity, to give anyone by putting him into an honourable position.
Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified… When I am lifted up.’ John 12:23, 32 (NIV)
The Cross was not a detour on the way to the throne; it was the throne. In the very moment Jesus was mocked, crowned with thorns, and lifted up, He was being enthroned as the true King of the Jews and the Lord of the world. — N. T. Wright
Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. … and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. John 19:19–20 (NIV)
Plain, Simple, Powerful — First Jesus
I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who He is; then Jesus and what He did—Jesus crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2 (MSG)
“I AM” Changes Who I Am
“I AM” The Resurrection And The Life
The reason my Father loves Me is that I lay down My life—only to take it up again… I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. John 10:17–18 (NIV)
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:19 (NIV)
The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:26 (NIV)
I Am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I Am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:18 (NIV)
Grace Delayed
Lord, the one You love is sick. John 11:3 (NIV)
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days. John 11:5–6 (NIV)
On His arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. John 11:17 (NIV)
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if You had been here, my brother would not have died. John 11:21 (NIV)
But some of them said, “Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” John 11:37 (NIV)
Grace Missed
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:21 (NIV)
Martha = Dominant one: feminine form of the word meaning lord, master.
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15 (NIV)
I AM the resurrection and the life. John 11:25 (NIV)
Grace Activated
She went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” …quickly she got up and went out. John 11:28, 31 (NIV)
Mary = Bitterness: rebellious, obstinate, sorrow.
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:32 (NIV)
The act of surrender transforms her lament into worship. When bitterness bows, sorrow worships, and rebellion surrenders; Jesus responds with life-giving power.
When Jesus saw her weeping… He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” He asked. John 11:33-34 (NIV)
Grace Speaks
For what the law was powerless to do... God did by sending His own Son. Romans 8:3 (NIV)
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” He said. John 11:38-39 (NIV)
Jesus does not approach the grave as a spectator; He approaches it as a conqueror who is enraged by the havoc death has wrought on His friends. — B.B. Warfield
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” John 11:39 (NIV)
So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard Me… When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out. John 11:41-44 (ESV)
Jesus must come to the tomb of Lazarus, and His voice must cry ‘Lazarus, come forth,’ or else the corpse shall remain inanimate… In His omnipotent voice lies the power. — Charles H. Spurgeon
For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first… Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 18 (NIV)
‘I AM’ changes who I am
The Way, The Truth, The Life
FROM GENESIS TO EXODUS
God doesn’t just want to get them out of Egypt; He wants to get Egypt out of them.
John 14:1-7
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God;believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jesus the Way to the Father
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Jesus brings all of that together and centres it in Himself. He is not pointing to something beyond Him. He is identifying Himself as the fulfilment of what people have been searching for.
1. THE WAY
2. THE TRUTH
3. THE LIFE
THE DECISION
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
THE NEW EXODUS FULFILLED
Matthew 5:17 (NIV)
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
Work the Soil
Hosea 10:12
Prov 12:11 "Who works his soil is sated with bread, but who pursues empty things lacks sense."
1. It Doesn’t Tell You to Find Better Soil It Tells You to Work the Soil You Already Have
COL 3:23 (NIV)
2. Cultivating Your Soil Is a Slow, Daily Process
3. Because It’s a Process, You Have to Trust the Process
Mark 4:26-29 (NIV)
Abide, Don’t Strive
John 15:1–11
Exodus 3:14-15 NLT
God was declaring:
I am not defined by circumstances.
I am not limited by history.
I simply AM.
Everything else depends on Him.
I am the bread of life.
I am the light of the world.
I am the good shepherd.
I am the resurrection and the life
John 15:1 NIV - He says: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
John 15:5 NLT - I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing
Historical & Biblical relevance of the vine
I was the one who planted you, choosing a vine of the purest stock - the very best. How then did you grow into this corrupt, wild vine? Jerimiah 2:21 NLT
God prepared the soil.
He planted the vine.
He protected and nurtured it.
He gave it everything it needed to thrive.
“I AM” changes who I am.
If Jesus is the true vine, then we are not self-sustaining.
Branches don’t strive, they abide.
Branch Conditions
1. Connected, Trellised, and Pruned
Joseph - Flourishing
2. Connected but Lying on the Ground
David - Compromised but Restorable
3. Cut Off
Judas - Proximity Without Abiding
Archbishop Trench once wrote:
“It is only by union with Him that any branch can bear fruit: once that union is broken, the sap no longer flows; and fruit in that branch is no longer possible, though the remains of the sap that lay in it may be enough to bear leaves and so for a time give semblance of life” (Trench)
Winter Pruning – cutting back old growth
What it looks like spiritually
God is removing things that once felt important.
Old habits, relationships, roles, or comforts are being cut back.
It may feel quiet… stripped back… even confusing.
What it’s not
It’s not rejection.
It’s not punishment.
It’s not abandonment.
What God is doing
This season of pruning increases the potential for healthy fruit in the future if we stay connected to the Vine.
Questions to reflect on
What might God be gently removing in this season?
Is there something I’m holding onto that no longer produces life?
Can I trust God even when I feel “cut back”?
If this is you: Stay connected. Winter is preparation, not the end.
Spring Training – guiding new shoots
What it looks like spiritually
New hunger for God.
Fresh growth, new habits forming.
Learning spiritual disciplines.
God shaping direction.
There’s growth, but it’s still fresh and new, and needs guidance.
What God is doing
In this season, God is shaping and directing new growth so it develops strength and purpose. Without His guidance, fresh passion and opportunity can spread in every direction but remain shallow and fragile.
Questions to reflect on
What new thing is God growing in me?
Who is helping guide and strengthen this growth?
Am I rooted in Scripture and community?
If this is you: Lean into discipleship because growth needs structure.
Summer Thinning – removing excess growth
What it looks like spiritually
Life feels full.
Opportunities are multiplying.
You’re serving, growing, producing.
What God is doing
Refining focus because not everything fruitful is meant to stay.
Questions to reflect on
Am I overextended?
Is God asking me to simplify?
What needs to be trimmed so deeper fruit can ripen?
If this is you: Ask God what to release - not everything that grows is meant to remain.
Harvest Guarding - protecting ripe grapes
What it looks like spiritually
You’re seeing fruit - peace, wisdom, impact.
God has matured something in you.
Influence and responsibility may have increased.
But harvest seasons require vigilance.
What God is doing
Protecting what He has grown.
In Scripture, harvest is joyful - but also strategic. Fruit can be stolen or spoiled if unguarded.
Questions to reflect on
What fruit has God grown in me?
Am I protecting my intimacy with Jesus?
Is pride creeping in where gratitude should be?
If this is you: Stay humble. Guard your heart.
Remember, every season is normal; every season is necessary; and no season is permanent.
John 15:10 - “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love; just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.” (NLT)
Jesus connects abiding to love; and love to obedience.
Time with God shapes you.
But obedience reveals who is truly leading you.
Abiding isn’t a burden - it’s the pathway to joy.
My Own Striving
During long-service leave, I read When Strivings Cease by Ruth Chou Simons.
I realised that although I was doing a lot for God, somewhere along the way I had drifted into living more like a branch lying on the ground; still connected to the vine, but not drawing from it as deeply as I needed to.
Underneath it all, whether I realised it or not, was a fear that maybe I hadn’t done enough.
In her book, Ruth writes:
The gospel isn’t a recipe for self-improvement. It’s not a mix of working with what you’ve got, sprinkling in a little religious effort, adding in discipline, strategy, and a healthy dash of likability. Unfortunately, this recipe sometimes yields results. It sometimes rewards those who keep on pushing, keep on hustling, keep on perfecting, keep on striving. But the fruit isn’t lasting because the control center that’s keeping us keeping on in this way was broken to begin with. It’ll only run for so long in its terminal condition.
As I read her book, I had a fresh revelation of the finished work of Jesus.
There is nothing more I have to do to prove I’m worthy of His love.
Nothing more I have to accomplish to be acceptable.
Nothing I need to add to what Christ has already finished.
Jesus paid the price once and for all.
The simplicity of this thought and yet the power in understanding and accepting that Jesus has done this for me, was profound, even after years of walking with the Lord, it impacted on an even deeper level.
Eph 2 reinforces this thought when it says:
God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) Eph 2:4-6
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Eph 2:8-10
Striving can produce leaves, but only abiding produces fruit.
C.S. Lewis wrote:
All this trying leads up to the vital moment at which you turn to God and say, ‘You must do this. I can’t.’
Abiding is a choice to stay connected to the vine. It’s a daily decision to depend on Jesus for support, guidance, nourishment and pruning.
What Season Are You In?
Have you ever been busy for God… but distant from God?
What if your exhaustion isn’t from doing too much…
but from staying connected too little?
If Jesus is the vine, and you are a branch, what relationship do you have with him?
What season are you in – pruning, training, thinning, or guarding?
Every season carries the same invitation:
“Remain in me.”
Not:
Try harder.
Do more.
Prove yourself.
Focus on having a genuine, intimate relationship with Jesus, and surrendered to the loving care of the gardener, our Heavenly Father.
The message of John 15 is beautifully freeing:
I am the Vine, and my Father is the gardener. Those who remain (abide) in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit…When you obey my commandments you remain in my love…I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
Plain, Simple, Powerful — First Jesus
I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who He is; then Jesus and what He did—Jesus crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2 (MSG)
“I AM” Changes Who I Am
Encountering Jesus as “I AM” changes who I am!
“I AM” The DOOR and the Good Shepherd
We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3 (NIV)
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. Psalm 23:1 (NIV)
Our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep. Hebrews 13:20 (NIV)
Carrying His own cross, He went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified Him. John 19:17–18 (NIV)
Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralysed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath. John 5:1–9 (NIV)
Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the Gate for the sheep. All who have come before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the Gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” John 10:7–11 (NIV)
The House of Mercy
Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda. John 5:2 (NIV)
1. The Locked Door
2. The Open Door
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all people. 1 Timothy 2:5–6 (NIV)
Do you want to get well?”John 5:6 (NIV)
Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”John 5:7 (NIV)
Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” John 5:8 (ESV)
And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. John 5:9 (ESV)
“I AM” the Door
I AM the Door. To enter through Me is to experience life, freedom, and satisfaction. John 10:9 (TPT)
A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy. John 10:10 (TPT)
I AM the Door… They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. John 10:9 (NLT)I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect —life in its fullness until you overflow!
Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. Revelation 3:8 (ESV)
“I AM” The Good Shepherd
I AM the Good Shepherd. John 10:11 (ESV)
1. He Knows Your Name
He calls His own sheep by name. John 10:3 (NIV).
Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)
2. He Leads You
When He has brought out all His own, He goes on ahead of them, and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice. John 10:4 (NIV)
To follow the Shepherd is to walk on ground He has already conquered. Philip Keller
I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. Isaiah 45:2 (NIV)
3. He Protects You
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd… sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees… He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. John 10:11–13 (NIV)
Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes… We are not ignorant of his devices Ephesians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 2:11 (NIV)
4. He Lays Down His Life
I AM the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:11 (NIV)
No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. John 10:18 (NIV)
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6 (NIV)
He who was the Shepherd of the sheep became a Lamb in the midst of the wolves, that He might by His death deliver the sheep from the jaws of the lion. — Charles H. Spurgeon
I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father. Jn 10:18 (NIV)
He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets. Col 2:15 (MSG).
By His death, He destroyed death. — Athanasius
I AM Changes Who I am
“Don’t come any closer,” God told him. “Take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Exodus 3:5 (LB)
But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.
Exodus 3:13-15 (NLT)
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
John 8:12 (NKJ)
I am the Light of the world. So if you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, for living light will flood your path.
John 8:12 (LB)
The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
John 1:9 (NLT)
Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me and keep me from stumbling.
Psalm 119:105 (LB)
People loved darkness better than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 3:19 (LB)
The Lord is my light and my salvation; He protects me from danger — whom shall I fear?
Psalm 27:1 (LB)
1. JESUS DOESN’T REFLECT LIGHT — HE IS THE LIGHT
Life came into being because of him, for His life is light for all humanity. And this Living Expression is the Light that bursts through gloom— the Light that darkness could not diminish!
Isaiah 9:2 (TPT)
The LORD is my light and my salvation.
Psalm 27:1 (NLT)
The LORD will be your everlasting light.
Isaiah 60:19 (NLT)
In Him was life, and that life was the LIGHT of all mankind.
John 1:4–5 (NCV)
The true LIGHT that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
John 1:9 (NCV)
Light Does More Than Inform — It Transforms.
For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6 (NLT)
Light exposes what is hidden.
There is no eternal doom awaiting those who trust him to save them. But those who don’t trust him have already been tried and condemned for not believing in the only Son of God. Their sentence is based on this fact: that the Light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the Light, for their deeds were evil. They hated the heavenly Light because they wanted to sin in the darkness. They stayed away from that Light for fear their sins would be exposed and they would be punished.
John 3:18-19 (LB)
Jesus doesn’t just change what we believe - He changes who we are.
2. LIGHT (JESUS) HELPS US WITH LIVING.
HEALING & WHOLENESS.
The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for He has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favour has come.
Luke 4:18-19 (NLT)
The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking; He rescues those who are humbly sorry for their sins.
Psalm 34:18 (TLB)
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18 (ESV)
HOPE.
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:5 (NKJ)
Jeremiah 29:11 (LB) For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
PEACE.
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
John 14:27 (NASB)
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.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
3. LIGHT (JESUS) REVEALS THE WAY FORWARD
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
Proverbs 4:18 (NIV)
Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.
John 12:35 (NIV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
John 1:1 (NIV)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 (NIV)
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
Since the Lord is directing our steps, why try to understand everything that happens along the way?
Proverbs 20:24 (LB)
4. THOSE WHO FOLLOW THE LIGHT, CARRY IT!
Once your life was full of sin’s darkness, but now you have the very light of our Lord shining through you because of your union with him. Your mission is to live as children flooded with his revelation-light!
EPHESIANS 5:8 (TPT)
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV)
You are the world’s light - a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.
Matthew 5:14–16 (LB)
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
John 8:12 (NKJ)
PLAIN, SIMPLE, POWERFUL — FIRST JESUS
“I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who He is; then Jesus and what He did—Jesus crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2 (MSG)
“I AM” CHANGES WHO I AM
“The angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” Exodus 3:2–3 (NIV)
“Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go?” Exodus 3:11 (NIV)
“Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” Exodus 3:13 (NIV)
“The essential qualifications for encountering God are unshod feet and a hidden face.” — THEODORE EPP
“I AM” THE BREAD OF LIFE
“‘I AM’ the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 (NLT)
”Yes, I am the Bread of Life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the Bread from heaven, however, will never die. John 6:48–50 (NLT)
“I am the Living Bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this Bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is My flesh.” John 6:51 (NLT)
A NEW EXODUS — OUT OF CHAOS AND DARKNESS
“If our age is marked by the cross, it is because the cross is shorthand for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ—the centrepiece of redemptive history. But before the cross, there was the Exodus.” — DON CARSON
1. THE FICKLE CROWD — PROVISION WITHOUT PRESENCE
“Very truly I tell you, you are looking for Me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” John 6:26 (NIV)
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” John 6:27 (NIV)
“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” — C. S. LEWIS
AM I PURSUING JESUS FOR WHAT HE CAN DO FOR ME, FOR TEMPORARY BENEFITS, OR FOR WHO HE IS?
2. THE MIGHTY DELIVERER — THE “I AM” IN THE STORM
“I am the LORD… I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.” Exodus 6:6 (NIV)
“They saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But He said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” John 6:19–20 (NIV)
“He who made the sea can certainly walk upon it. There is no water so deep that it can drown the ‘I AM,’ and no storm so fierce that it does not provide a pavement for His feet.” — CHARLES H. SPURGEON
WHAT STORM ARE YOU EXPERIENCING? LISTEN FOR THE EGŌ EIMI. YOU'RE NOT AWAITING RESCUE, BUT A PERSON.
3. THE ETERNAL PROVIDER — I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE
“Then Jesus declared, “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 (NIV)
AUDIT YOUR APPETITE: WHAT KIND OF ‘BREAD' ARE YOU PURSUING THAT LEAVES YOU HUNGRY A FEW HOURS LATER?
THE GRACE-FILLED INVITATION
“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each person which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.” — BLAISE PASCAL
“From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.” John 6:66 (NIV)
”Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68–69 (NIV)
Plain, Simple, Powerful — First Jesus
“I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who He is; then Jesus and what He did—Jesus crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2 (MSG)
What if the limit on your life isn’t what God has withheld… but the ‘Yes’ you’ve withheld from Jesus?
Does Jesus Have Your ‘YES?’ — Say ’Yes’ To The Holy Spirit
‘Yes’ to Jesus is a ‘Yes’ to the Holy Spirit
“I baptise you with water for repentance. But after Me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matthew 3:11 (NIV)
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:5–7 (NIV)
“I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Lk 24:49 (NIV)
“God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5 (NIV)
“The Spirit is given not only to transform us morally, but to draw us into a lived experience of God’s love and empowering presence for witness and service.” Clark H. Pinnock
“Without the Spirit of God, we can do nothing. We are as ships without wind.” A.W. Tozer
A Spirit-Led Life Begins With ‘Yes’
“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit… You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be…” Acts 1:4–5, 8 (NIV)
“It is not enough for us to have the Spirit; the Spirit must have us! Only then can He share with us the abundant, victorious life that can be ours in Christ… He is “the Spirit of Life.” Warren Wiersbe
”You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” Acts 1:8 (NIV)
“The power of the Holy Spirit is not given to make us happy, but to make us effective.” Watchman Nee
Two Lives, One Spirit—Led Moment
“You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all… While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.” Acts 10:36, 44–46 (NIV)
The Holy Spirit is the ultimate Architect of the unexpected.
“He saw heaven opened… Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times.” Acts 10:11–15 (NIV)
Sometimes, God will offend our minds to reveal what’s in our hearts.
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)
“It is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ — the things God has prepared for those who love Him— these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:9–10 (NIV)
Mountain Moving Faith
Mark 5:25-34 NKJV
Now acertain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”
Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”
But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”
And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
Hebrews 11:1-3NKJV
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Romans 10:17 NKJV
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Proverbs 18:21 NKJV
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ
2 Corinthians 4:13 NKJV
And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak
Joel 3:10 NKJV
Beat your plowshares into swords. And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ”
2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Mark 11:22-24 NKJV
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Plain, Simple, Powerful — First Jesus
“I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who He is; then Jesus and what He did—Jesus crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2 (MSG)
Do you want a quick fix—or true transformation?
Does Jesus Have Your “YES?” — Say “Yes” To Transformation
”Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1–2 (NIV)
The “old you” cannot go where God wants to take the transformed “new you.”
Transformation Begins With An Offering
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1 (NIV)
1. Our Motivation: Mercy That Moves Us
Grace: Receiving something we don’t deserve — Mercy: Not receiving what we do deserve.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” Romans 5:1–2 (NIV)
2. Our Response: Worship That Alters Us
“The problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps crawling off the altar.”
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
Transformation Requires Renewal
”Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1–2 (NIV)
1. Do Not Conform — Resisting the Mould
“Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould.” Romans 12:2 (J.B. Phillips)
“Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” Colossians 2:8 (NLT).
The heart drifts to where the eyes dwell.
2. Be Transformed — Renewing Your Mind
”Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2 (NIV)
“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life… Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” Ephesians 4:22–24 (NLT)
“We have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:16 (NIV)“The Bible is not there simply to inform you; it is there to transform you.” — N. T. Wright
Transformation is not about becoming someone else, but becoming who God always intended you to be.
Transformation Is A Journey
“He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.” Luke 9:23 (NIV)
Cross-bearing means:
Self-denial — dethroning my ego.
Obedience — choosing His way over mine.
Perseverance — continuing regardless of the cost.
“The Christian life is a long obedience in the same direction.”" — Eugene Peterson
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22–23 (NIV)
A First “Yes” to Jesus as Lord and Saviour
“What if the greatest evidence that Jesus has your yes
isn’t found in what you believe…but in how you treat people?”
John 13:35 (NIV)
“By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
“The measure of a life is not its duration, but its donation.” Corrie Ten Boom
Matthew 22:37–40 (NIV)
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
How I SEE people.
How I TREAT people.
How I GIVE myself.
1. HOW I SEE PEOPLE: A YES TO LOVE
John 13:34 (NIV)
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
“Who is God asking you to see differently through His love?”
2. HOW I TREAT PEOPLE: A YES THAT CONFRONTS RELATIONSHIPS
Matthew 5:23–24 (NIV)
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
Corrie ten Boom said:
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.”
Philippians 2:5 “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.”"
“For love to be real, it must cost — it must hurt — it must empty us of self.” — Mother Teresa
Who am I called to LOVE?
Who am I called to RELEASE or RESTORE?
Where am I called to SERVE or REACH?
“If Jesus really has my yes… who is going to feel it?”
The people who are the most present, the most whole on the inside, tend to be the most merciful on the outside.
An undivided heart is a heart pointed in one direction.
The Beatitudes. Matthew 5.
Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Blessed are those who mourn.
Blessed are the meek.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Blessed are the merciful.
Blessed are the pure in heart.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Blessed are the persecuted.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:7-8 NIV
“The beatitudes set forth the balanced and variegated character of Christian people. These are not eight separate and distinct groups of disciples... They are rather eight qualities of the same group.” John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount
“Each of these beatitudes is a revolutionary aphorism... together they can, when properly understood, utterly overthrow secularism and radically transform insipid Christianity.” D.A. Carson, The Sermon on the Mount
1. MERCY • CHESED חֶסֶד • THE LOVE THAT STAYS
Chesed. חֶסֶד. Covenant faithfulness. Loyal love. The love that stays.
Just as the Holy One is merciful and gracious, so you be merciful and gracious.
The Talmud, Sotah 14a Later coined in Latin as Imitatio Dei - imitating God.
You don't extend chesed (חֶסֶד) because they earned it. You extend chesed because when you hadn't earned it, your Father extended it to you.
2. PURE IN HEART • LEV TAHOR לֵב טָהוֹר • THE UNDIVIDED WILL
Hebrew, the lev (לֵב), the heart, is not primarily where you feel. It's where you DECIDE. The lev is the seat of the will. The control room. The place where your choosing happens.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 NIV
“Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing.” Søren Kierkegaard
“Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.” Psalm 24:3-4 NIV
Jesus relocates access to God from a place you climb to a heart that's undivided.
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 NIV
Why They Belong Together
Mercy is the outside. Purity is the inside.
THE PROMISE - THEY WILL SEE GOD
“Then Moses said, ‘Now show me your glory.’” Exodus 33:18 NIV
D.A. Carson notes in summary that this promise runs in two directions: it's eschatological... one day, face to face, fully... and it's present: the undivided heart begins to perceive God at work now.
SO HOW DO WE DO THIS...
1. POINT IT TO GOD FIRST
2. PRACTISE HIM EVERYWHERE
“The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquillity as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.” Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God
3. MOVE BEFORE YOU FEEL
“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” Corrie ten Boom, “I'm Still Learning to Forgive”
THE TWO QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1: Where have you received mercy... and withheld it?
QUESTION 2: What is competing with Jesus for the centre of your heart right now?
“We are drowning in freedoms but thirsting for meaning.” Mark Sayers, Reappearing Church
You don't have to be perfect. You just have to want one thing. And even that wanting... God can create in you.