 Father’s Day 2018
Part of being a great father is being a great husband and being a great friend and being a great son… I watch my kids watch me in every area of my life and I think it is important as we focus on Fathers and fatherhood this morning to remember that it is a much more comprehensive subject than one morning can cover… Children are supposed to come from a man and a woman united in marriage and while this doesn’t always happen I think it is important to always remember God’s intention before His redemption… Ephesians 5:25-27 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Can our children from the time they are born until the time when we as Father’s breath our last breath look at us as men and say “he was a good and faithful husband”?… There are tons of stories of redemption of bad husbands who don’t get it right until later in life or even on a second or third time around but that is not God’s intention… It’s important this morning for the husbands in the room right now and those who are here who will be husbands before they know it… John 15:13 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. Can our children from the time they are born until the time when we as Father’s breath our last breath look at us as men and say “he was a good and faithful friend”?… It is actually much harder to lay down our lives for our friends than it is to lay down our lives for our wives and for our children… Initially this is hard for families and children to understand but at some point they begin to realize the blessing of caring for other people and helping other people and going without so that others don’t have to… Honestly I think I do this well in the church but not nearly as well as I should outside of the church… I wrestle with energy and time and where to focus my efforts but in my heart I know that I can do more for my friends… I want my children to look at their Father and see a great friend to all who are in his life… Exodus 20:12 12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Can our children from the time they are born until the time when we as Father’s breath our last breath look at us as men and say “he was a good and faithful son”?… God starts off the 10 commandments with you shall have no other God’s… Then you shall not take the Lord’s name in vain or have fake faith… Then you shall remember the sabbath or be sure to make time for the Lord… Then you shall honor your father and your mother… How father treats his parents is so important for a child to see… Yesterday I was talking to one of the men about what they had planned for their Saturday afternoon and he said “I want to go see me Father-In-Law because he’s been sick and they told him yesterday it is pneumonia”… That really struck me and I thought to myself what a good son and then I thought about how important that is for a Father to show his children… I thought it was important to lay this foundation before sharing about Fathers today because we tend to judge a Father by how he makes his children feel and I want us to look at Fathers this morning more broadly and judge them for who they are… I want Fathers to look at themselves this way and children to look at them this way and the church to look at them this way… God Is Calling Gardeners God calls men to be gardeners both to plant and to tend to His creation… Father’s have to be strong enough to plow and tender enough to keep from destroying the flowers and fruit… Father’s have to be wise enough to understand the seasons and crazy enough to think that things can grow even when the soil and weather are saying the opposite… Genesis 1:1-31 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. 6 Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day. 14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 20 Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens." 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind"; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. God creates the whole earth as a “Garden” and says to the “Man” I am calling you to be the gardener… God says to the man I have made everything but I need you to keep it all alive and I need you to see that it multiplies… Father’s are still called to this simple but amazing work of gardening… God says that our children are a gift from Him within the seed He has given to man but we must tend to it to bring forth life and then we must make sure that the seed or child lives… We must be strong in rules and regulations and vision and direction and goals and discipline… But we must also be tender in touch and with our words realizing that in every stage of a child’s life the gardener must care for it according to that stage… Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. 9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. 12 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor--it is the gift of God. Gardening is the great work of the man of God and to eat and drink and enjoy our labor is to look at children who have grown well… I want to be as simple as possible and look at 3 things a good father and good gardener must do in the lives of their children… They must:
I am going to read David’s story and we are actually going to see how The Fathers and Gardeners in his life failed to do these things and how God actually made sure that these things were accomplished in David’s life… We can all learn from good fathers and from bad fathers but hopefully we all aspire to be good ones ourselves… 1 Samuel 16:1-23 1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons."2 And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' 3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you." 4 So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" 5 And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him." 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 8 So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." 10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here." 12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!" 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. 14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. 15 And Saul's servants said to him, "Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. 16 Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well."17 So Saul said to his servants, "Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me." 18 Then one of the servants answered and said, "Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him." 19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep." 20 And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul. 21 So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer. 22 Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight." 23 And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.
David is forgotten and discounted by his father but God will not allow this… You are special… you are unique… you are not just one of many you are the only David… This is not a condemnation of the others this is God showing us that He desires to plant confidence in every single child and this is a Fathers responsibility… Many children experience this but sadly there is no one there to point them to their Father in heaven… God sends David to a spiritual father in hopes that he can help David to have confidence planted in his life… David is able to bless and put a smile on Saul’s face which is every child’s desire and David connects himself to Saul and becomes his armor bearer… That is in many ways to say “Dad” I can’t fight like you yet but I can carry your armor and be there to watch you fight… 1 Samuel 17:1-51 1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered together at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. 2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. 4 And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. 7 Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. 8 Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." 10 And the Philistine said, "I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together." 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul. 15 But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. 16 And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening. 17 Then Jesse said to his son David, "Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. 18 And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them." 19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle.21 For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. 22 And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 23 Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. 25 So the men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel." 26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" 27 And the people answered him in this manner, saying, "So shall it be done for the man who kills him." 28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger was aroused against David, and he said, "Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle." 29 And David said, "What have I done now? Is there not a cause?" 30 Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did. 31 Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. 32Then David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." 33 And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth." 34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God." 37 Moreover David said, "The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you!" 38 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them." So David took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. 41 So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking.43 So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.44 And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" 45Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands." 48So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 1. Plant Confidence 2. Water Courage David’s earthly father Jesse apparently just disregarded him but His spiritual father Saul watered the courage that God had placed in David… When Jesse wasn’t focused on David God was watering courage and helping him to defeat lions and bears… Saul may not have known exactly what he was doing in David’s life and sometime spiritual father’s can’t really see the impact they are having but David needed his courage to be watered and it was… 1. Plant Confidence 2. Water Courage 3. Bring Forth The Fruit Of Christianity In this portion of scripture we also see that David did not wear the armor of His spiritual father when he went out to fight for the faith… David was able to fight his own fight after growing up in a home with an earthly father and learning about the kingdom from his spiritual father… Neither of these two fathers were the best but God always makes a way… But are we sure that the fruit of Christianity has come forth?… 1 Kings 2:1-4 1 Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: 2 "I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. 3 And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 4 that the Lord may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,' He said, 'you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' David struggled as a husband… And Solomon his son struggled in the same area with women… David was a great friend to everyone like he was to Jonathon… And Solomon when offered anything from God he asked for wisdom to bless all the people in his care… David never bad mouthed his father Jesse and he remained faithful to Saul even when Saul tried to kill him… And Solomon found a way to live for God and lead others to do the same… There are no perfect lives or perfect fathers but if we can find a way to “Plant Confidence”, “Water Courage”, and “Bring Forth The Fruit Of Christianity” we will have done well…
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 Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; Jesus Plants Hope The story I’m going to share this morning starts in a place called Capernaum and not only have I been there but it is a place that God planted a new seed of hope in my life… Matthew 4:12-25 12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned." 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him--from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. The call of God is CLEAR but a seed of HOPE is whats actually planted… I believe that Jesus is calling and people are hearing the call but the call to follow is a difficult one to answer… Follow Me, AND I WILL… Testimonies of Spirit filled joyful Christians help people to be willing to follow the call of God on their life… We need Bells and Pomegranates!!! The journey is where the death of the seed begins to turn into life… John 12:24 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. The disciples see the healing and transformation and they begin to have HOPE for a life beyond what they had previously known… The seed has to be given time to grow… and sometime it is quick depending on the soil… I want to look at 3 stories from Matthew chapter 8 where “Jesus Plants Hope”… Matthew 8:1-4 1 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." 3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 1. “Jesus Plants Hope” through touch Many of us have areas in our lives where we truly want to be healed and changed but there are also areas where the healing and change are actually the doorway to something deeper we’re longing for and in need of… The leprousy this man suffered from prevented him from being TOUCHED and embraced and able to be in relationship with those he loved and those that loved him… When you read the old testament you see that if someone was suspected to have leprousy they were washed and prayed for and if things didn’t show signs of change they were quickly removed from the community within days… They were isolated and could only see their loved ones from a far… They could only be in community with other lepers… They were without hope and the leprousy was the cause and the barrier but not the fulfillment of their dreams… They wanted to be rid of the lerprousy barrier so that they could be TOUCHED again… Jesus touched the leper before the physical healing came and that is so important… Verse 3 says… Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed.”… “Jesus Planted Hope” and that seed of hope sprouted up quickly into healing because His touch created amazing faith within this leper… Many of us and many we know need something beyond healing… We need to be TOUCHED by God before our healing… We need to be hugged in our mess and held in our filth and embraced in our shame… This is hard to receive and also hard to do with others but Jesus did it and so can we… Matthew 8:5-13 5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." 7 And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." 8 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.
Verse 13 says… Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.”… This centurion believed that Jesus had authority over things that no other man has authority over… He compared Jesus ability to speak things into existence or out of existence to the way he himself could direct men under his authority to go places or not to go places… Many of us believe that Jesus is God and we believe that when God said let there be light there was light… The important thing I’ve learned is that many rarely hear the Lord speak to them… It is not His existence or His authority we doubt… It is His desire to speak to us and our ability to hear Him that we doubt… This centurion came to the One He knew had authority and he knew exactly what he wanted from Him… A word spoken over his situation… Hebrews 6:17-19 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul His Word & His Promises are the 2 immutable things… Many of us need to stop looking for the answer to our problems & pain and start listening for a promise to claim… He can’t lie and He speaks promises that “Plant Hope” in the hearts of those who trust Him… Verse 13 says… Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.”… The centurion walked away from Jesus with great hope that the word Jesus spoke would be confirmed in the near future… Verse 13 finishes by saying… And his servant was healed that same hour… When “Jesus Plants Hope” the tree is already in the seed but we have to walk by faith and not by sight until we get to the place where the end of His word and the end of our faith meet… It was done when Jesus spoke it but if the centurion never walked home he would never had seen the promise fulfilled… Listen for His word and then keep walking until your faith finds fruit…
Matthew 8:14-22 14 Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. 16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses."18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." 20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." 21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” We began today with the call of Jesus to follow Him and we end with the same call… Everything is about hearing and answering the call of God to follow Him… Peter’s mother in law is sick and “Jesus Plants Hope” through healing… We don’t really know anything about Peter’s wife or his mother in law but if Jesus is in the house chances are they had strong faith… She may have also been one of those women who said “I had plans for my daughters life and they didn’t include her husband walking away from a good fishing business to go tagging along with this crazy teacher”… We aren’t sure of that but what we are sure of is that “Jesus Planted Hope” in her through healing and when she was healed she immediately became a servant of the Lord… It didn’t take months or years before she realized the appropriate response to being healed by the Lord is to serve others… Verse 15 says… He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them… And what did her service produce… Verse 16 says… 16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick… The work of the Lord to bring deliverance and healing to others was accelerated because of her being healed and then immediately beginning to serve… When we serve… God moves… So…
In 2 Kings chapter 5 a leper comes to see and hear from a man of God much like you have some need… Watch how everything we’ve talked about is seen in these 7 short verses… 2 Kings 5:9-16 9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha's house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean." 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, "Indeed, I said to myself, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.' 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, "Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant." 16 But he said, "As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing." And he urged him to take it, but he refused. This man was told to go and wash seven times in the Jordan in order to be made clean… When He took the word and put faith into action even though he still had some doubt he received his healing… He put his faith in the true God and tried to give for what he received and he was told that God didn’t want to take anything from him… God just wanted to heal and bless him… If you are not saved I’m not going to ask you to go to the Jordan river and wash seven times… First I just want you to have the courage to say “thats me… I’m a leper and I want to be made clean and new”… Second I have a word and promise from God… The Lord says that He has already paid for your sin and the cause of your leprousy and if You will put your faith in Him He will wash away all your sins right here right now… Are you willing to take the Lord at His word and receive His promise??? Now begin the journey to where the end of His word meets the end of your faith and it will be a fruitful journey…  We finished our “New Way Forward” series last Sunday and God moved in a special way as we talked about Enlisting instead of being Drafted…
We talked to those who have Enlisted about choosing last week to Re-Enlist in the work of God in their individual lives and families… I’ve seen what God can do in 10 years with 1 couple and their 3 month old with just 1 person who believes enough to go out with them to plant a church… Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; We have plucked what was planted and I believe we have tasted and seen that it is good… Psalm 34:8 8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! From those who have been here the longest to those who have arrived recently I believe that many have trusted the Lord and been able to taste and see that He is good… I believe that NOW IS THE TIME though that many of you will experience the best yet… In closeness and intimacy with God and the seeing of miracles and healings and finding gifts within you that you didn’t know were there… I want to see what will happen in 10 years when there are many more than 3 trusting in the Lord and committed to seeing God do a great work through the surrendering of their lives… In the Fall of 2004 I gave my death and sin to Jesus and He gave me life… In the Spring of 2008 I gave my life as a living sacrifice to Jesus to plant this church and He has given me more than I deserve… I wonder how many of us are ready to lay our lives down for the purposes of God to be fulfilled through us… Romans 12:1-3 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. We all have “a measure” of faith and I believe that it is just the right amount to give our lives to the Lord… After that we need to have our minds transformed and come to understand that a life laid down for Jesus is not crazy it should be common… and a life laid down for Jesus is not about loss its about gain… and a life laid down for Jesus is not restrained or confined it is free and full… When I say that THE TIME IS NOW I mean that now is the time to say I want to be a part of this church plant… I want to be used and not just served… I want my family to be one of the pillars within this movement… I want to be challenged to grow as an individual so that I can be a useful part of the work that will be done here… I want to read the rest of Romans 12 because it gives us a great progression and blueprint for what the Re-Planting of this church will look like… It starts just after an individual has Enlisted and transitions from an Enlisted individual to a part of the body God uses to change the world… Romans 12:1-21 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. 17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 20 Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; Today we have plucked and are tasting and seeing the fruit of what was planted 10 years ago… What we will pluck and taste and see 10 years from now is dependent upon two very important and specific things… 1st is the will of God We pray Lord let your will be done and we seek Him because we want what He wants… Jeremiah 24:6 6 For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. The 2nd thing the fruit we will harvest 10 years from now depends on is the seeds we plant today… Proverbs 21:25 25 The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor. In your individual life and in your family and in this church what you labor for and plant today will be what you harvest tomorrow… 1. The Right Time To Plant I found this on a website about when to plant… Planting Fruit Trees In the Spring Many people like to plant fruit trees early in the spring so that they can grow throughout the summer and fall. This gives the seedlings a chance to get established before winter arrives. Many nurseries suggest planting bare-root trees, as they are sometimes less expensive and can establish well. If you get bare root trees and cannot plant them immediately you will need to cover the roots with soil for a few days until you can plant them. It is suggested that if you plant toward the end of spring, such as late May or June, potted trees may do better. It is important to verify how much space each tree will need when it is fully grown so you can properly select your planting site. In addition, you can get excellent advice on how to prepare your soil and how deep to plant the tree. It is important to plant in an area where the soil is well-drained. Jeremiah 32:1-41 1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house.3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, "Why do you prophesy and say, 'Thus says the Lord: "Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;4 and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face, and see him eye to eye; 5 then he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall be until I visit him," says the Lord; "though you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed" '?" 6 And Jeremiah said, "The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 7'Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, "Buy my field which is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it." ' 8 Then Hanamel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said to me, 'Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption yours; buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. 9 So I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle who was in Anathoth, and weighed out to him the money--seventeen shekels of silver. 10 And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales. 11 So I took the purchase deed, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open; 12 and I gave the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the purchase deed, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison. 13 "Then I charged Baruch before them, saying, 14 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days." 15 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land." ' 16 "Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: 17 'Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. 18You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them--the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts. 19 You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. 20 You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, to this day, and in Israel and among other men; and You have made Yourself a name, as it is this day. 21 You have brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror; 22 You have given them this land, of which You swore to their fathers to give them--"a land flowing with milk and honey." 23 And they came in and took possession of it, but they have not obeyed Your voice or walked in Your law. They have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have caused all this calamity to come upon them. 24 Look, the siege mounds! They have come to the city to take it; and the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword and famine and pestilence. What You have spoken has happened; there You see it! 25 And You have said to me, O Lord God, "Buy the field for money, and take witnesses"!--yet the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.' " 26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? 28 Therefore thus says the Lord: 'Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it. 29 And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and set fire to this city and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger; 30 because the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth. For the children of Israel have provoked Me only to anger with the work of their hands,' says the Lord. 31 'For this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My fury from the day that they built it, even to this day; so I will remove it from before My face 32 because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me to anger--they, their kings, their princes, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33 And they have turned to Me the back, and not the face; though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction. 34 But they set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. 35 And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.' 36 "Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, 'It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: 37Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. 38They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. 41 Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’ It may not feel like the best time for you to “plant” or the best time for you to “give” more of yourself but I’m telling you NOW IS THE TIME… There will be some tough times ahead just like there were some really tough times in the past but God has made a promise… God told Jeremiah to buy land that was going to be taken by an enemy army and nation and trust him that it would be delivered back to God’s children and when it was it would be fruitful… In 10 years from now I believe many of you and many whom we don’t even know yet will be sitting on amazingly fruitful land at The Way and people will look at you but not understand that you bought and you planted when there was nothing but a promise and a hope… Hebrews 6:17-19 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast I believe we can have The Way churches in 10 cities in 10 years if we will respond and surrender to God… The question is who will replant and stay here in Brea and who will be Pastor’s that plant and who will be a part of plant teams into new cities??? 1. The Right Time To Plant 2. Good Soil This is from the same website I read from earlier about planting… Planting Fruit Trees In the Fall Some experts like to plant fruit trees in California in the fall. Because the winter is mild, planting fruit trees in the fall can be the perfect time. The idea is that the roots can become established without the tree itself coming out of dormancy. The majority of the energy of the tree is directed to the establishment of a strong root system, which often means the tree is stronger in the spring when it begins to grow its foliage. The focus here is on the soil and roots… The foundation shapes the fruit… In this church our “Courses” have become the foundation we want to lay in the lives of all of our members… It has taken lots of effort and we are still trying to get everyone to catch the vision and be willing to work for their growth at any pace they can… The article said that if you plant in the fall “The roots can become established without the tree coming out of dormancy”… This means that in the winter the tree isn’t going to grow but something is happening beneath the surface… A strong root system is being developed… Some of us have been in spiritual winters and we keep coming to see if anything is going to sprout up but it hasn’t… We need to focus on the root system… The article said that if we do that… “The majority of the energy of the tree is directed to the establishment of a strong root system, which often means the tree is stronger in the spring when it begins to grow its foliage… All of our current ministry leaders came into leading before the “Courses” but the future leaders have them from day #1… It’s harder on them as we put this in after some growth to strengthen the foundation and ensure straight growth… You can come here and eat every Sunday and every Wednesday and be happy and hopefully relatively healthy for life… But you can engage in things like our “Courses” and learn about the kitchen where these meals are prepared… You can learn to cook and then you can be used to feed others week in and week out in your own homes and in the highways & byways… In Matthew 4:19 Jesus says to His disciples… "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus did not intend to just prepare meals for them all the time… He intended to teach them how to fish and prepare meals for themselves and for others… The great thing is that even still as I have become a fisher and a preparer of meals I find copies of Jesus’ cook books all the time… He is still preparing meals for me as I prepare meals for others and its amazing… Let me finish up the Good Soil… Luke 8:5-15 5 "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" 9 Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?" 10 And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.' 11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. Good ground… Good soil… Good hearts… Keep it and bear fruit with patience… Good soil is the key but never forget that fruit takes time and patience to grow… At The Way we don’t want any GMO’s… GMO’s are Genetically Modified Organisms which means they are artificially enhancing our food so they can grow full grown chickens in week instead of 3 months… We don’t need GMC’s… Genetically Modified Christians… We need the real thing grown in good soil and patiently bearing fruit at God’s pace… 1. The Right Time To Plant 2. Good Soil 3. Good Seed Seed comes from God… Romans 9:27:-32 The remnant will be saved. 28 For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth." 29 And as Isaiah said before: "Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We would have become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah." 30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. So God left us a seed and then it says that non-Jews have found righteousness and they weren’t even looking for it… But the Jews haven’t found it even though they were looking for it… We’ve been learning about this on Wednesday nights in our study of HEBREWS!… Faith vs. Law… The law leads to death but faith in Jesus leads to life… The point is that the seed God has given us is the seed of “Faith” not the seed of the law… Within that seed of “faith” is more than you can imagine… Trees produce fruit according to their kind… An apple tree is within an apple seed… Genesis 1:11 11 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. Genesis 5:3 3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. If you are a Christian you have been “born again” and you are now of a “new kind” with a new likeness and new image… Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and is of the same “kind”… We too are now of that “kind” and that seed is within us… Good seed is dead seed… John 12:23-26 23 But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. Jesus Himself says “the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.”… And He says He will be glorified by dying so that others may come to life… This is the “kind” of man or woman that you are today whether you know it or not… Jesus is crying out to us not to hold on to our seed because it will decay in our hands but if we lay it down in good soil it will burst into life… He says “Follow Me”!!!… Good seed is dead seed… You are small but there is something great and beautiful within each of you… |
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