Gtcotr/ss082921
The days we live in are serious, sad, and exciting. We are seeing prophecy unfolding in real time right before our eyes. It is as though we are watching the world divide between the forces of God and the forces of satan. There is no doubt we are heading for a critical point at which time God will move by His sovereign power and put a divine end to the evil which is all around us.
In
light of world events and Holy Scripture, it is evident we need some eternal
advice. The advice God has for us today has been available and easily found
written in the Bible for centuries. Two-thousand years ago Jesus said that the
whole law and all the prophecies could be summed up in two statements: (Matthew 22:37-40)
1.
Love God with all of your heart.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
What is it about loving God and loving others that is so difficult and distasteful to the ungodly?
In Matthew 20, we find that Jesus had just arrived in Bethany during the last week of His earthly life and ministry. Bethany is situated on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives just outside of the City of Jerusalem. After having had a conversation with a mother and her two boys, Jesus heard 10 of His disciples talking unfavorably and with some indignation about the other two. Jesus realized that all of His disciples and followers needed a little situational perspective boost and some eternal advice.
Matthew 20 NKJV
25 But Jesus called them to Himself
and said …
·
How
wonderful it is to hear the call of Jesus to come to Him.
o He called His
disciples … those who followed Him in this world.
o Jesus is still calling
today.
§ This meeting here at
Church is just one of the many meetings Jesus wants to have with you so He can
teach you something He wants you to know and live.
§ He called them to
Himself –
·
To
His Person
·
To
His Body
·
To
His Church, which is now His Body.
o How sweet is the call “come
unto Me all you who labor and are heavy burdened …”
·
You
may be hearing the call right now … “Come” …
o The feeling in your
heart might be unexplainable …
o You may not have the
answers, but you believe Jesus does.
·
Jesus
is sending out the call today … a renewed call to come …
o Jesus wants to set you
in His family … a family for you …
o He has something He
wants to teach you to know and to live.
o Yield to Him … let
Jesus set you in the Church as it pleases Him.
· There is a place for you … can you feel the tug of God on your heart?
25 But Jesus called them to Himself
and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and
those who are great exercise authority over them.
26 “Yet it shall not be so
among you …
·
Jesus
wants His followers to know that we are to think, feel, and act differently
than others around us who do not follow Him.
·
He
wants us to know we are different and act like we are different.
·
Jesus
does not want us to live like the world lives …
·
Jesus
wants to show us a better, godlier, way.
·
And
He does not want us at odds with one another.
· Rather, Jesus wants us to strengthen, encourage, support, and promote each other.
26 “Yet it shall not be so
among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your
servant.
·
Great in the eyes of the world vs. Great in
the eyes of Jesus.
·
The world says:
o
I am the most important person I know.
o
I want to be first in line and first in life.
o
I am the first person I think about when I
get:
§ A raise
§ A day off
§ A bonus
§ A chance to choose my seat first
§ When I get a chance to fill my plate first
·
You might say … “Preacher, those are such
small things …”
o
Choosing where you get to sit is the exact
situation Jesus was talking about here in Matthew 20.
§ 2 of His disciples, (along with their mother), wanted to reserve the
best seats in heaven.
§ The whole thing kind of upset the other disciples …
§ This prompted Jesus to say:
27 “And whoever desires to be
first among you, let him be your slave —
·
Jesus is basically saying – “love others as
much as you do yourself!”
·
And willingly prefer one another …
·
What
is it about loving God and loving others that is so difficult or distasteful to
the worldly person?
· Jesus expects more from us than He does from the unsaved.
28 “just as the Son of Man
did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for
many.”
·
Jesus
gave His life to be payment for many.
·
Jesus
paid for you to be saved and set free
·
He
is simply asking us to be more like Him.
·
Where
is it that you are paying for others to be saved and set free?
· Where are you putting others first?
We are living in prophetic times. End-time prophecies of old are unfolding in real time right before our eyes.
Just like in the last days of Jesus ministering on the earth before His crucifixion, times are intense. The days are sad and serious, yet they are filled with the promises of God to a world that is lost and without Christ. We all need some:
Eternal Advice – It is God’s will for your life today that you:
1.
Connect and become a functioning part of the Body of Christ.
a. Specifically a local
Church Family.
b. Don’t let the devil
rob you of your heart-felt rightness of being realistically connected to the
Body and Bride of Christ on the earth.
c. You need to be
connected in the place of His choosing for you in this season.
d. This is the written
will of God for every Born-Again Believer.
e. It is the best God has
to offer you and you are the best He has to offer others.
2.
Discipline yourself to think, feel, and act like a Born-Again
Believer.
a. Cease thinking,
feeling, and acting like the world.
b. The world is selfish,
you want to be a servant.
c. You are more than a
conqueror through Christ … overcome …
d. Learn to live like a
disciplined follower of Jesus.
3.
Find a way to pay for someone else to get saved and set free.
a. A local mission’s
minded Church is the best investment in the world. It is the investment Jesus
made … He died for the Church and is coming again for the Church.
b. You can lay up
treasures for yourself in heaven where it counts.
c. It is God’s will that you become a faithful supporter of the work He is doing in the earth through your local Church family.
Today marks the beginning of my 34th year as Pastor of Golden Triangle Church On The Rock. I made one commitment to God when I first arrived.
I told God that I would never seek to leave this place on my own and that if He ever needed me for anything else, He would know exactly where to find me … He would find me faithfully serving the vision and mission right here in this Church.
So far, I guess He hasn’t needed me to do anything else. But if He ever does … He will know exactly where to find me.
You
can begin your journey to God’s will for your life right now. It has never been
easier to reach out to God and perhaps there has never been a more important time
in history to give your life to Christ.
I am going to ask you to join me in prayer right now, right where you are.
