We continued our Rise & Build 2009 series this morning in church. Paul Benger shared a great message from Nehemiah all about us taking up the sword and the trowel.
The church is the city within a city. We are here for the good of that city…to be a blessing.
Matthew 5:14 – "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden”
Proverbs 11:10 – When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices
Let your light shine…let it become visible. It has to be seen!
Nehemiah 4:11-23
Enemies like Sanballat and Tobiah came and ridiculed Nehemiah the people as they set about rebuilding the walls. They came to try and make them think ‘small’. We also have an enemy that wants to do that…to come and cause us to think about smallness. Wanting the church to just fade away…fade into irrelevance. For us not to shine and be that City of Hope.
Like them, God wants us to take up our sword and trowel. God has called us to build this way, to work and defend all that God has called us do. We’re building with God and building for God in this generation.
Opposition comes to us because what we are doing ’matters’. Challenge comes. We have an enemy that wants us to focus on smallness…to have a small vision. When the church is building the house of God nothing sends a shiver down the devil’s spine more than this.
Our vision is much more than a building…it’s a net of light across this area winning souls for Christ.
Throughout the rebuilding of the walls and later the temple opposition kept on rising against them.
Haggai 1:2-4 – This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the Lord’s house to be built.' " Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your panelled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
The prophets had to stir the people up. They’d assumed the time had not yet come for the building…it’s for the next generation. Sense of lethargy. Lost their focus.
What is our focus? What are our priorities?
When we get involved with building God’s house he gets involved in building ours.
Now is the time to build it! Take up our sword and trowel. We need to build and protect and defend what God is building.
What has God called us to build in our lives? What do we need to defend?
Defend Your Spiritual Life
- Against apathy – the biggest killer (I can’t be bothered)
- False teaching – the weird and the wacky!
- Religion – hate religion, love God
- Isolation – even amongst Christian friends
- Attacks from the enemy
Defend Your Marriage
- From folly with wisdom
- Against bitterness
- From isolation and wrong relationships with friendship and intimacy
Defend Your Children
- From some people they’re not meant to hang out with…take responsibility
- Dangers - build some walls that protect them
Defend Your Business
- With Integrity
- With Accountability and honesty
Defend Your Ministry
- Against sin with humility and repentance
- False teaching/teachers
- Insufficient funds with tithing/generosity
- Against competing
We ‘defend’ because we are ‘building’!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Building a City within the City
We began our Rise & Build 2009 series this morning in church, which will run for the next two weeks. Paul Benger started us off with an excellent message on Nehemiah entitled ‘Building a City within the City’.
The vision for our Rise and Build is more important than the actual giving of money.
Matthew 5:14 – "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden”
Often churches and Christians have been associated with the ‘rural’. The Bible has the view of the church as a City. Where the culture and tone for life is set…where much is happening. The community of God’s people who are here for the good of others.
‘We are the City within our City’ – here for the good of our area. Today we are rising and building something that will last, something of permanence...here for generations to come.
The church…we are here to establish the culture of our city.
We are looking at Nehemiah this morning. He was one of the greatest leaders in the Bible…someone who set the tone and culture of the city.
Nehemiah 1:1-11
Nehemiah had received ‘old news’ about the city of Jerusalem and yet he began to view this with a ‘new perspective’.
God wants to give us a new perspective on ‘who we are’ for our city. We have a destiny unfulfilled.
On some of the things we know already our prayer is that we get a new perspective. The city of Jerusalem was meant to be a model city for the name of God…a place of blessing for the people. For us also, CLC is meant to be that place for our city.
We have to care about our church…because our well-being is important to the people of our city. They are looking to us.
Let us get this into our hearts, Jesus is building His church. We are here for the call to build with Him…to make it happen, to get things started!
It’s the heart of human beings…to make progress. God’s call for us is to be a people of progress.
Three things that happened to Nehemiah that is important for us today as we rise and build…
1) Nehemiah is clear about God’s will
(Verses 5-10) – God is a covenant keeping God, Nehemiah knew about this. God’s word to us, “I will build my church”. “You the light of the world…a City in a Hill” – don’t ever hide this! We want to set the tone in our city…set the culture.
2) Nehemiah contracts God’s Heart
(Verse 4) – God is saying ‘give me your heart for the lost…for your city, region and the world’.
3) Nehemiah calls on God’s help
(Verse 11) – God’s hand is upon us. He wants us to be people who are here for the city. Building a centre within the city…a place of hope, faith, restoration and healing.
The vision for our Rise and Build is more important than the actual giving of money.
Matthew 5:14 – "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden”
Often churches and Christians have been associated with the ‘rural’. The Bible has the view of the church as a City. Where the culture and tone for life is set…where much is happening. The community of God’s people who are here for the good of others.
‘We are the City within our City’ – here for the good of our area. Today we are rising and building something that will last, something of permanence...here for generations to come.
The church…we are here to establish the culture of our city.
We are looking at Nehemiah this morning. He was one of the greatest leaders in the Bible…someone who set the tone and culture of the city.
Nehemiah 1:1-11
Nehemiah had received ‘old news’ about the city of Jerusalem and yet he began to view this with a ‘new perspective’.
God wants to give us a new perspective on ‘who we are’ for our city. We have a destiny unfulfilled.
On some of the things we know already our prayer is that we get a new perspective. The city of Jerusalem was meant to be a model city for the name of God…a place of blessing for the people. For us also, CLC is meant to be that place for our city.
We have to care about our church…because our well-being is important to the people of our city. They are looking to us.
Let us get this into our hearts, Jesus is building His church. We are here for the call to build with Him…to make it happen, to get things started!
It’s the heart of human beings…to make progress. God’s call for us is to be a people of progress.
Three things that happened to Nehemiah that is important for us today as we rise and build…
1) Nehemiah is clear about God’s will
(Verses 5-10) – God is a covenant keeping God, Nehemiah knew about this. God’s word to us, “I will build my church”. “You the light of the world…a City in a Hill” – don’t ever hide this! We want to set the tone in our city…set the culture.
2) Nehemiah contracts God’s Heart
(Verse 4) – God is saying ‘give me your heart for the lost…for your city, region and the world’.
3) Nehemiah calls on God’s help
(Verse 11) – God’s hand is upon us. He wants us to be people who are here for the city. Building a centre within the city…a place of hope, faith, restoration and healing.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Give me this Mountain
Great time at CLC yesterday both morning and evening. In the morning I spoke about Caleb..."Give me this Mountain".
Joshua 14:6-15
If there were ever a Bible character that displayed a right attitude or "different spirit" toward God and His Word, it was Caleb.
I believe for us today the time has come to declare, “Give us this Mountain, whatever your Mountain might be today.
By faith Caleb and Joshua stood on the promises of God. Their faith was bigger than the giants. And God was bigger than their faith. It's not the size of your faith that makes the difference, but the size of the God that we put our faith in”
Like the Israelites…we too are on a journey, we are not at the end of our destination. We've seen the faithfulness of God. His faithfulness has proved sufficient beyond measure. The test of our faith is to press on…keep going…to remain that “Unstoppable” force.
Today as we look at the life of Caleb I want us to look at three tests of our faith:
1) Faith focuses on Possibilities, the Potential, not the Problems
The task of the spies was not to spy out the problems. They were to first examine the potential, the possibilities, the abundance that the land had to offer.
God wanted these leaders to come back and ignite the hearts of the 12 tribes.
God wanted to use these leaders to encourage the people to take possession of the promised land.
Numbers 13:27-29
They forgot their mission. Their mission was to report on the possibilities, the potential - not the problems. Their report started out great but then they lost their focus. When it comes to matters of faith, too often we can shift our focus and lose sight of God.
"We can't attack these people; they are stronger than we are.' …"We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."
God's chosen people saw themselves as Grasshoppers.
Those with faith challenge and motivate and point to the possibilities, but those who have no faith criticize and focus on the problems
Our actions are not to be determined by the problems, but by faith that God will provide! Numbers 13:2 "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites." God had promised the land to them.
2) Faith relies on God's Abilities not our own abilities
Not only does FAITH focus on the possibilities instead of the problems, but FAITH focuses on God's abilities and not our own!
Ten of the spies measured the giants against themselves: we can't do it, they said. They are stronger than we are. We're like grasshoppers compared to them.
Caleb measured the giants, not against themselves, but against God.
PERSPECTIVE – View life from a different place (see things from Above and not from the ground up (grasshoppers)…BUT from the Mountain!)
The way we look at life determines everything we do in life. Where you look from…changes everything you see. If you look from a lowly and downcast position everything looks huge and hard to overcome.
Even average challenges appear like giants when we look from a grasshopper perspective.
How to see yourself…
- See yourself as complete in Christ.
- See yourself in heavenly places with Christ
Ephesians 2:4-6 – But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus
You’re sat in heavenly places! When we’re seated in heavenly realms it changes our view on things. Maybe it’s a view about you or your circumstances; a view about your ability or skill; your future. But when you’re sat in the right place, heavenly perspective, you see things differently…you change you view!
- See yourself helping others to lift their lives
Caleb and Joshua saw things from God’s perspective - To a great God those giants were small!
3) Faith Asks for the Mountain
Look what God says about Caleb in Numbers 14:24 "But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it"
That's what I like about Caleb: he looks at life with the attitude “All things are possible” - one who sees himself walking into the future, not alone but leaning on the strong arm of his God.
Here is a man who had learned to trust in the promises of God and stake his whole future on them. "Give Me This Mountain" (14:12)
Let this be our cry today!
Joshua 14:6-15
If there were ever a Bible character that displayed a right attitude or "different spirit" toward God and His Word, it was Caleb.
I believe for us today the time has come to declare, “Give us this Mountain, whatever your Mountain might be today.
By faith Caleb and Joshua stood on the promises of God. Their faith was bigger than the giants. And God was bigger than their faith. It's not the size of your faith that makes the difference, but the size of the God that we put our faith in”
Like the Israelites…we too are on a journey, we are not at the end of our destination. We've seen the faithfulness of God. His faithfulness has proved sufficient beyond measure. The test of our faith is to press on…keep going…to remain that “Unstoppable” force.
Today as we look at the life of Caleb I want us to look at three tests of our faith:
1) Faith focuses on Possibilities, the Potential, not the Problems
The task of the spies was not to spy out the problems. They were to first examine the potential, the possibilities, the abundance that the land had to offer.
God wanted these leaders to come back and ignite the hearts of the 12 tribes.
God wanted to use these leaders to encourage the people to take possession of the promised land.
Numbers 13:27-29
They forgot their mission. Their mission was to report on the possibilities, the potential - not the problems. Their report started out great but then they lost their focus. When it comes to matters of faith, too often we can shift our focus and lose sight of God.
"We can't attack these people; they are stronger than we are.' …"We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."
God's chosen people saw themselves as Grasshoppers.
Those with faith challenge and motivate and point to the possibilities, but those who have no faith criticize and focus on the problems
Our actions are not to be determined by the problems, but by faith that God will provide! Numbers 13:2 "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites." God had promised the land to them.
2) Faith relies on God's Abilities not our own abilities
Not only does FAITH focus on the possibilities instead of the problems, but FAITH focuses on God's abilities and not our own!
Ten of the spies measured the giants against themselves: we can't do it, they said. They are stronger than we are. We're like grasshoppers compared to them.
Caleb measured the giants, not against themselves, but against God.
PERSPECTIVE – View life from a different place (see things from Above and not from the ground up (grasshoppers)…BUT from the Mountain!)
The way we look at life determines everything we do in life. Where you look from…changes everything you see. If you look from a lowly and downcast position everything looks huge and hard to overcome.
Even average challenges appear like giants when we look from a grasshopper perspective.
How to see yourself…
- See yourself as complete in Christ.
- See yourself in heavenly places with Christ
Ephesians 2:4-6 – But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus
You’re sat in heavenly places! When we’re seated in heavenly realms it changes our view on things. Maybe it’s a view about you or your circumstances; a view about your ability or skill; your future. But when you’re sat in the right place, heavenly perspective, you see things differently…you change you view!
- See yourself helping others to lift their lives
Caleb and Joshua saw things from God’s perspective - To a great God those giants were small!
3) Faith Asks for the Mountain
Look what God says about Caleb in Numbers 14:24 "But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it"
That's what I like about Caleb: he looks at life with the attitude “All things are possible” - one who sees himself walking into the future, not alone but leaning on the strong arm of his God.
Here is a man who had learned to trust in the promises of God and stake his whole future on them. "Give Me This Mountain" (14:12)
Let this be our cry today!
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Miracles
Another great day at CLC today…Andy Marsh shared about ‘Miracles’ and the importance of ensuring that we don’t see the miracle and miss the Maker.
Luke 5:1-12
Why did Jesus stand on the boat when he spoke when he could have stood on the water!?
We need to make sure we see Jesus and not just the miracle. Everything about our faith on what we believe is based on miracles…creation, salvation. All miracles are based on God’s word.
A word of caution when it comes to miracles…
1) Some of us can look to a miracle to be the cure for all
We’re not going to avoid difficult times and discouragement but God will see us through. His timing for answers to our prayers is perfect. The miracles happen to glorify God.
2) Something to covet
3) Deceptive
Some miracles can be deceptive…the work of satan, 2 Thessalonians 2:9
4) Distraction
Let us not get so focused on the miracle that we are distracted from what is really important…the miracle maker.
The Purpose of the Miracle…
1) To glorify God
2) To restore – heal
3) To show who He is
4) To bless…he loves to bless his children (with the unexpected!)
5) To attract new believers
6) To confirm the Apostle’s teaching
7) To increase faith
Jesus didn’t stand on the water to speak his message…it would have been a distraction to the people listening.
He wants us to keep our focus on him and not the miracle. Peter began to sink as he walked on the water when his focus went away from Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 – Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
Keep our eyes on him and not on the problem.
Don’t go to God for a miracle…go for relationship and you can walk in His miraculous every day.
Psalm 91:1 – He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty
You can’t have a relationship with the miracle. Ephesians 3:20 – Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us
Don’t let our vision be too small. Don’t commute…stay connected. Don’t keep coming and going to God. Never be surprised with what God can do and what he does!
Luke 5:1-12
Why did Jesus stand on the boat when he spoke when he could have stood on the water!?
We need to make sure we see Jesus and not just the miracle. Everything about our faith on what we believe is based on miracles…creation, salvation. All miracles are based on God’s word.
A word of caution when it comes to miracles…
1) Some of us can look to a miracle to be the cure for all
We’re not going to avoid difficult times and discouragement but God will see us through. His timing for answers to our prayers is perfect. The miracles happen to glorify God.
2) Something to covet
3) Deceptive
Some miracles can be deceptive…the work of satan, 2 Thessalonians 2:9
4) Distraction
Let us not get so focused on the miracle that we are distracted from what is really important…the miracle maker.
The Purpose of the Miracle…
1) To glorify God
2) To restore – heal
3) To show who He is
4) To bless…he loves to bless his children (with the unexpected!)
5) To attract new believers
6) To confirm the Apostle’s teaching
7) To increase faith
Jesus didn’t stand on the water to speak his message…it would have been a distraction to the people listening.
He wants us to keep our focus on him and not the miracle. Peter began to sink as he walked on the water when his focus went away from Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 – Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
Keep our eyes on him and not on the problem.
Don’t go to God for a miracle…go for relationship and you can walk in His miraculous every day.
Psalm 91:1 – He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty
You can’t have a relationship with the miracle. Ephesians 3:20 – Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us
Don’t let our vision be too small. Don’t commute…stay connected. Don’t keep coming and going to God. Never be surprised with what God can do and what he does!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
