Daniel 7:25
When the enemy encounters a Christian standing in the armour of God, he knows full well that he can’t just bring him down. He’s too strong!! “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:10-11). What’s he going to do? He will attempt to wear out the Saints of God. If the city is too strong to conquer in one swift effort, wear it down over a sustained period and then go up and take it!!!
Leviticus 25:20-22
When God asks us to trust Him, seldom is it ever convenient for us to do so. As human beings we like things to be smooth and pain-free; we don’t cope too well with being inconvenienced. “So long as what’s being asked of me doesn't threaten my comfort, then I’m happy to consider it”. But when God comes asking in a matter requiring my obedience, nine times out of ten it will come at a personal inconvenience to me. You say, Pastor, why does it have to be on this wise? Why can’t God make it easier for us? My simple answer is...God wants us to trust Him!!!
Revelation 21:1-7
One day there shall be a new heaven and earth, where the sea shall be no more. One day there shall come down from God out of heaven, a new Jerusalem prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. One day a great voice shall be heard out of heaven saying, “...Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Rev. 21:3). One day God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes and there shall be no more crying or sorrow! One day there shall be no more death, neither shall there be any more pain for these former things/earthly things shall pass away. Oh Brothers and Sisters, what precious things shall be ours one day!!
Matthew 11:28-30
It’s been rightly said, the devil makes work for idle hands, but did you know the devil can be just as much in business as he is in idleness? If he can’t get you one way, he’ll get you another way, and one of his most disguised weapons is placing upon the backs of well-meaning Christians, the burden of false guilt! A true burden from the Lord is a burden to be given back to God in prayer. It has an outflow/release value through which the pressure can be eased. By way of contrast; a false burden has no outflow, it’s a pressure cooker if you like without the release valve!! It is a counterfeit — it’s not a genuine article. It sometimes feels like the real, but alas, it soon reveals itself to be a fraud. The pressure is seemingly there, but upon inspection, instead of a pure conviction, the pressure/burden is tainted with accusatory blame and wave after wave of false guilt. One quickly realises, this is not the life-giving conviction of God the Holy Ghost but rather the life-sucking condemnation of the devil!!
May this sermon be of help to those weighed down with false guilt.
Exodus 32:26
The question posed by the title of this sermon is one of great importance. There are many questions a man can be asked and understandably, there’s an order of importance to each one. “What do you want to eat for dinner?” is a valid question, and whilst it is meaningful, i.e. we do have some feelings about how we answer, we wouldn’t consider the question to be critical. Compare that with other questions, like, “Who do you want to marry?”, or “Who do you want to include in your will”, and I think you get the point I’m trying to make. In enquiring of the Lord, what it was that He would have me to bring to share with you, I have not been able to shake from my thinking a question that has gone round and round in my mind. You say, what’s the question? In six words I give it to you; “Who Is on the LORD’S side?”.
1 Peter 3:7
One of the chief reasons why prayer has been abandoned en masse amongst the assembly of God is because of unbelief. God’s people, whether they want to admit it or not, do not believe in a God who answers prayer; and because of this the prayer closets are empty and the corporate prayer meetings have long been forsaken!! As one looks at the weekly calendar of Church activities, one will find every sort of meeting going, from Zumba through to tiny tots, but to see any serious coming together for the purpose of prayer, one will generally look in vain to find even the slightest whiff.
This sermon is not aimed at the prayerless but at the praying. In it, I ask the question; “Why do the prayers of God’s people largely go unanswered?” In answer to it, I present five Biblical reasons, hindrances to answered prayer.
Acts 12:1-5
It is with joy, I am able to enclose this month's featured sermon, titled "Only God Could Have Done It!". May it be a blessing to your soul.
What farmer sows the precious seed, never expecting to reap a harvest? What fisherman goes out to sea, casting out his nets but never expecting to receive a catch? On the contrary, a vineyard is planted in hope of new wine, and the foundations are laid in the hope of a building being raised. Could you imagine a man going out to find gold with the predetermined mindset of finding only a rusty bit of old tin? Could you imagine a beggar, sitting by the roadside fully persuaded that by the end of the day, he’d be no better off? Why, he wouldn’t bother leaving his shack, he’d give up the ghost there and then! No one operates like this, even in the worst of environments, hope, no matter how small, keeps the souls of men from fainting! If it is thus in the world, why is it that when it comes to prayer, so many of God’s people have cast off this enduring quality? Why is prayer wholly wanting amongst those who profess faith in Christ? No one would be so brash to admit it, but if the truth be told, God’s people don’t pray because deep down they don’t believe in a God that answers prayer.
This sermon is an exhortation to seek the Lord in prayer, and having prayed, to keep praying until God comes through! May you be encouraged to lay hold on God and in so doing, receive as your reward the thing sought.
Matthew 26:41
No one ever plans to go adrift, just like no one ever plans to get lost! Nine times out of ten, it happens through complacency and lack of watchfulness. We take our eye off the ball, we lose sight of the dangers of the environment we’re in, and before long, it suddenly dawns upon us that we’ve lost our way!
In this sermon, a warning shot is fired across the bow, warning the Church against spiritual drift.
Romans 6:14
What strongholds are you pulling down at present in your life? Does sin reign unchecked in your life? Are you gaining mastery over sinful lusts and passions, or are they gaining mastery over you? Does sin have dominion over you or do you have dominion over sin?
Brothers and Sisters, we must vow to fight! We’re in a war and as God said to Cain, “...sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him” (Gen. 4:7). You say, but Brother, the sinful desires are so strong, I can barely resist the pull towards evil! I hear you! But can I ask you this question, which man are you feeding? The carnal man or the spiritual man? Your flesh or your spirit? There’s a principle that holds true, “...whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7). If I sow a field full of tares/weeds, then it should be of no surprise if when I come back after several months, the field is overgrown with weeds!! I’m not going to find a healthy crop of wheat Maize, for that to happen, I need to sow the right kind of seed.
1 Corinthians 4:20
The desperate need of the Church in this perilous hour is not to discover another five-step program for Church growth. See where the arm of the flesh has gotten the Bride of Christ, she looks just like the world!! Where is the cutting distinction? Where is the Kingdom of God in the midst of her? Where is the unfettered reign of Christ and the overflow of His Spirit? Instead, we’ve exchanged divine power for earthly power; God’s wisdom for man’s wisdom, and the saddest thing about it is, God’s people don’t know it any other way!! They’re happy to have it so!! The number one question that should be being asked is not, “How can we get people back into Church; but how can we get God back in!!” FRIENDS, WE NEED GOD!! We need urgently to recover again the power of the Kingdom of Heaven, “For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power” (1 Cor. 4:20).