Scriptures: Joshua 24: 14-18; Philippians 2:12-13
Intro: this is the 3rd sermon on preparing us to face 2011 with the Lord.
a prepare your heart
b plan your vision
(1) GOD’S PURPOSE:
Math 6 :9-13 Thy will be done on earth as in heaven
1. 2 Pet 3:9 God’s will is that no-one should perish
2. 1 Tim 2:4 God’s will is that all people should be saved eg star fish story
3. John 3:16 brings both the negative and positive parts of salvation together
Eg Shop owner in Kovalam who was touched and comforted by Jesus
Eg. Joyce in Oamaru dying
(2) CPAC PURPOSE:
To be a people equipped to serve God’s purpose.
Connecting people and Christ to bring healing, hope and life
Ÿ To the people of Churton Park and Northern Wgtn
Ÿ Wherever we have connections in these suburbs; our schools; our work places; where we live and play
Ÿ Amongst our families and friends
Ÿ In NZ and overseas
Ÿ To bring people to faith in Christ including healing the sick, bringing hope to young and old and abundant life to all who we come across.
(3) HOW CAN WE DO THIS?
We can commit our wills to Christ (for 2011).
Description of the function of our wills from “The Spiritual Man” by Watchman Nee. Page 75 A Believers Will…… This shows the importance of the decisions we make.
Our will is an extremely important function of our being. With our will we can decide for good or bad with the most important decisions in our lives. The greatest choices we make in life are with our will. For instance when we marry there are just 2 words which seal our marriage. When the marriage minister said to me, “Will you take Daphne as your lawful wedded wife…?” I said, “I will.” With your will you can decide to serve the Lord or to serve yourself. God has more exciting plans for your life than you could ever imagine.
But you are created by God with a free will: you can choose to follow the Lord or you can decide to pull back and do your own thing and even deny the Lord. Adam and Eve were free to obey God and do what He said or to disobey. They had all the fruit trees to eat from in the garden but they deliberately chose to eat the forbidden fruit. This led to their banishment from the garden then mankind’s downward spiral into envy and murder and violence. Jesus disciples were free to follow Him or desert him. We have the same free will today. That’s why I want to challenge you today. Will you decide today to serve the Lord this year or will you pull back?
By our wills we can both follow the Lord and we can overcome evil. Last weekend I had the privilege of praying with a man called John. As I prayed with him about putting on the armour of God when we came to putting on the shoes of the gospel of peace I told him to remember that Satan is a defeated foe under our feet. To demonstrate this I told him to stamp his feet a couple of times which he did. Then he took a packet of tobacco out of his pocket and stamped on it. As he did so he felt the Holy Spirit was helping him to break the addiction of nicotine off his life. James 4:7 tells us, ‘Submit yourself to God, resist the Devil and he will flee from you.’
A positive verse about using our will as we work out Jesus Lordship in our lives is Philippians 2:12-13, ‘Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.’
(4) JESUS EXAMPLE:
Jesus as a human chose to do the will of his Heavenly Father. In John 5:30 He said, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgement is just, for I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” In John 6:38 he says,” for I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” and in Luke 22;42 at Gethsemene before the cross he prayed, “nevertheless not my will but yours be done.”
(5) DECISION TIME:
Joshua challenged the people to decide who they would serve. In Joshua 24:15 He said, “Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the river or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” God promises to send the power of the Holy Spirit on those who choose to serve Christ.” now is the time to commit ourselves to Him for today and this year of 2011.
