The Anointing of God

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In the days of the Prophet Isaiah, the children of God were required to pay tribute to the King of Assyria. In the year 727BC, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, became King of Judah. Hezekiah has the testimony that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord according to all his father David had done.

King Hezekiah trusted God so that there was none like him before or after him. He opened the doors of the House of God and cleansed and repaired the Temple. He also restored worship and required the rulers of to participate in bringing sacrifices and giving offerings to God for the sins of the nation.

King Hezekiah encouraged and invited all of Israel and Judah to come to the House of the Lord and to observe the Feast of Passover, which many did. The whole nation turned to God with repentance and worship. Yet, they were still under the burden of paying tribute to the King of Assyria.

Many scholars, as do I, believe God allowed things to happen in days gone by to represent a greater truth yet to come. Prophets prophesied concerning current events, yet the fulfillment of their words were strictly aimed at the Messiah who was to come and the greater truths of the Kingdom of God.

I believe the passage in Isaiah 10 refers to King Hezekiah and to the promise of God that deliverance would come to the Children of God. I also believe that this truth points to the Messiah and to the days in which we live. Every prophecy has its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus and the Church.

Isaiah 10:27  It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

·        The burden referred to the tribute and threat of war and destruction faced by the children of God perpetrated by the King of Assyria.

·        The King of Assyria ultimately represents satan, the arch enemy of the Children of God in our day.

·        The tribute demanded by the devil is the decay into which we are all born in this world. This decay, if left alone, leads to mental, physical, and spiritual discomfort, separation, and death.

·        Yet the prophet Isaiah declared the burden will be taken away and the yoke destroyed because of the anointing.

·        Each Born-Again Believer in Jesus has been anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit.

o   The burdens, discomfort, separation, and death have been taken away. Jesus bore our burdens (Isaiah 53).

o   And the yoke has been destroyed … Because of the anointing!

There is an anointing of God which delivers His children from the oppressive hand and destructive desires of the devil. You can trust in God above your own wisdom or ability. More than fate, more than karma, more than coincidence, the overriding, superintending, providential hand of the Lord God Almighty has made you free from the burdens of sin, sickness, poverty, anxiety, and even death itself.

The prophet Zechariah prophesied concerning the promise God made to, and through Jesus the Messiah:

Zechariah 4:6  So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.”

God sits on the throne of heaven, watching over the lives of men, seeing the end from the beginning, and orchestrating the events with attention to every detail. His touch, and His touch alone, is enough.

Benjamin Franklin said he was convinced that: “God governs in the affairs of men.” While Christopher Columbus declared that his journey to the new lands were not guided by maps or sextants, but it was merely what the prophet had declared: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord!”

Let us all place our trust and secure our hope in the eternal, omnipotent anointing of the Holy Spirit of God. God has promised us deliverance and victory in our day through Jesus Christ. You walk in the anointing of God.

The Message - The Mission - The Ministry

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I. The Message

Jonah 1 NKJV

1 ¶  Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2  “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

3  But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

·        God called Jonah to Nineveh

o   The capital of the Assyrian Empire

o   A city of 600,000

o   90 miles in circumference

o   Pagan enemies of Israel

·        Jonah allowed his personal feelings to cloud the call of God.

o   Jonah had his own opinion about the people of Nineveh.

o   However Jonah was a mentally disturbed man

Biblical records show Jonah was an emotionally unstable, self-absorbed, anti-social and unforgiving ingrate with serious control issues, and a deeply seated superiority complex, who was prone to fits of anger, often to the point of acting out his rage with threats of harm to himself and hopes of harm to others when he didn’t get his way, resulting in his harboring of resentment towards those with whom he did not agree, even when the disagreement was with Almighty God, who also was his Boss.

·        Why would God choose to use someone like Jonah?

o   Perhaps all the perfect people were busy that day.

o   Maybe Jonah wasn’t the first person God asked.

o   No doubt God loved the people of Nineveh and wanted someone to help them.

God chooses who He uses.

Someone being critical of God’s choice to use Jonah is the same as Jonah being critical of God’s choice to forgive the people of Nineveh. We often allow our personal feelings to color our opinion concerning what God should and should not do. 

God is so gracious. He is loving and He is kind. He is God of the whole world and not just the God of our world. God wants all men to be saved … even those who don’t like us and those who aren’t like us.

If you are familiar with the story, you will remember the storm that threatened to sink the ship Jonah was on and how the sailors were forced to throw Jonah overboard. (I encourage you to re-read the whole book of Jonah this week and get the context and confirm the findings.)

“What you are going through may not be punishment for your past but rather positioning for your future.”

You know that great fish that swallowed Jonah … it saved Jonah. The fish was a blessing, not a curse. It stands to reason Jonah would have drowned in the ocean without that great fish. And we can assume this fish took Jonah 3 days closer to the city of Nineveh, not farther away from God’s will like he was headed on his own. As well, the fish “spit Jonah up on dry ground.” That was a surprisingly good taxi ride.

What seems like a surprise to us is often a plan to God. We will never catch God unprepared for what we are capable of doing.

II. The Mission

At noon today I, along with 27 missionaries from our Church will leave here to meet up with 7 other KE Resource team members tomorrow night in Nairobi, Kenya. From there we will travel together to the city of Nakuru where we will continue the work to which God has called us.

About half of our group will build a rudimentary classroom inside the city’s garbage dump site so that impoverished children who would not otherwise be able, can attend school. We also have a goal of starting several new small businesses among the families who live at the dump site (Gioto Dump Site) to help lift them from the multi-generational poverty and give them a better chance at life. As well, we will complete well over 100 home visits to the homes of our sponsored children living at Gioto.

The other half of our team will complete the needed work to finish “Zaburi House”, An off-site home for at risk girls from Gioto. Currently there are 16 girls who have been accepted into our program and God has blessed us with the most wonderful head matron. Irene is well experienced and the newest member of our KE Resources team. She is an amazing, godly woman of 62 years who loves these girls and will oversee their care, education, and everyday activities in accordance with the programs we have in place. The Zaburi girls currently range in age from 8 to 14.

The team from our Church will assemble the beds, build the chicken house, plant the trees, purchase the necessary items, from bed sheets to lamps, nightstands to chickens, dishes, cups, silverware, pots, and pans, 2 goats, and then put all the finishing touches on the house including putting a new, hand-made quilt, made with love by our very own Mary K, on each bed along with a personal shower caddy, and get the house ready for the girls.

On Saturday, July 20^th, at 5 pm, after the weekly feeding at Gioto, our team will host a dedication of Zaburi House with about 100 invited guests including many VIP’s from the echelons of government and community leaders from the area. Thanks to all of you who have made this vision possible. You are making an eternal investment in the lives of souls you will one day see in heaven. Without you, these things would not happen.

We may not be the first people God has tasks with this certain responsibility, and we may not be the sharpest knives in the bucket, but we have been called and empowered by God to accomplish this mission for His glory because, God so loves the world.

The one thing we yet need is a school bus for these girls which will also be their Sunday transportation to and from Church. There is little reason to purchase a worn-out vehicle or one that is too small to transport them all safely. We don’t want our kids broke down or put them in danger on the sides of those roads. We still need about $25,000 to get in the range of purchasing the bus we need.

So far, we have paid as we went. Everything we have done both at Gioto and Zaburi, as well as all of our mission projects around the world for the past 36 years has been paid for in cash. We don’t plan to do anything different with this bus. God will bless us … He just needs to bless you more so a portion of your blessing will be exactly what He needs for the bus.

I will be praying for you to receive the blessing God has for you. Lastly …

III. The Ministry

What do you need today?

It would be wrong for us to reach all around the world, meeting needs and making converts to Christ everywhere else, and let you suffer and live in hell or go to hell without Jesus.

My hope this morning is that you hear the Good News about Jesus and that you leave here knowing how much He loves you.

There are only Two ways a person can go to heaven when they die. One way is to Be perfect. You have probably already missed that one.

The second, and therefore the only way for you to go to heaven is to Be perfected. Jesus Christ has invited you to exchange lives with Him. He will take your sin and He will give you His righteousness. Jesus made a way for you to be perfected in the eyes of God. He sacrificed His life for you. The blood of Jesus will wash away your sins if only you will invite Him into your heart and ask Him to become your Savior and your Lord.

Let’s do that together right now. And if there is any other thing you need to lay down at His feet or help that you need, the Holy Spirit will help you and give you the guidance, the peace, the joy and the safety you need.

Like Jonah: You will never catch God unprepared for what you do. Let’s pray together right now. God is listening, and He will send help.

Faith Supplements Part VII: Love

 Review:

We are continuing our series called Faith Supplements. We are going through the 7 spiritual ingredients listed out in 2 Peter 1 that help form a godly life. Whether it be vitamins, minerals, herbs, etc, supplements are so important. They help maintain and even increase our overall nutrition in areas we might be lacking. Supplements help provide a boost to our overall health.

Similarly, our spiritual health is just as important. Like vitamins, there are spiritual supplements that we can take everyday to help boost our faith, spiritual walk. In part one, we discussed the responsibility we have to maintain our relationship with God.

-      God has given us everything we need in order to build a godly life

-      Godly Life = to be pleased with God and to be pleasing to God

-      God gives us the desire and the ability to do what pleases Him

-      Everything we need to build a godly life is found in His Word

-      They are His great and precious promises given to us

-      By which we have access to the divine nature

-      And help us escape corruption from our evil desires

Virtue

-      Virtue = The courage to do the right thing in every situation

-      Culture and society do not determine the “right thing.”

-      The right thing is that which God has commanded in His Word

-      Only God establishes truth

-      Virtue is doing the right thing, according to His Word, even when nobody else is

-      We all need convictions. Without convictions, we can be talked into doing anything.

-      We need godly convictions- they give us the courage to do what is right in all situations. 

Knowledge

-      On top of virtue, the Bible encourages us to add knowledge

-      Knowledge = Truth acquired from God’s Word

-      Knowing what is right in God’s eyes

-      The spiritual battle we are in is all about truth; God wants to get truth into the hands of everyone. The devil wants to deceive as many people from the truth as possible.

-      When we know the truth, it sets us free. Therefore, we need knowledge of the truth.

-      Knowledge of the truth informs us of what truly matters

Self-Control

-      On top of Knowledge, we are encouraged to add self-control

-      Self-Control = The ability to do the right thing in the moment of temptation

-      Mastery over desires; dominion within

-      There is a battle for self-control in our life

-      The devil is working overtime to gain control over your life. He wants to have dominion.

-      He is using the things of this world to entice the desires of your flesh to giving in to temptation. When we do that, we concede control in that area of our life over to the devil.

-      He wants to remove control, while God wants to produce self-control in our life. That only happens when we choose to trust Him with the reigns of our life.

-      Let us live by the spirit, think before we act, ask the Holy Spirit to helps us, and then choose to do the right thing.

Perseverance

-      On top of self-control, we are to add perseverance

-      Perseverance = to remain under discipline

-      We are called to persevere through hardship: God is with us through difficulty

-      We are called to persevere with people: be patient with others

-      We are called to persevere in the faith: do not give up; fight the good fight of faith

Godliness

-      Godliness = Conforming to the character of God in every area of our life

-      We have an expectation to grow in godliness

-      However, God doesn’t want us just to act godly; He doesn’t want us to simply have an appearance of godliness.

-      His desire is that we would become godly through the transformative power of the Holy Spirit

-      We must train ourselves in godliness by putting His Word to practice

Brotherly Love

-      Brotherly Kindness = Loving fellow believers like family

—————————————————————————————————

That brings us to the seventh and final supplement listed in 2 Peter chapter 1… love.

2 Peter 1:5-7

“5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”

We are to add to our faith:

-    Virtue

-    Knowledge

-    Self Control

-    Perseverance

-    Godliness

-    Brotherly Kindness

-    Love

Peter says that by having these qualities we will be fruitful and effective for Jesus! He also says that if we practice these qualities then we will never fail. All of these qualities are very important!

So lets get to the last spiritual ingredient listed, love!

Love is a word that is thrown around a lot in our culture. So much so, that it has almost lost its meaning and value in our society. However, love does have value. In fact, it might be the greatest quality available to add to our life.

Therefore, it is important to know what love is! So, what exactly is love?

True love is more than a feeling:

•    Not just some warm fuzzy

•    Not just a chemical of the brain

•    A feeling comes and goes

•    True love does not come and go

•    Thank God that His love for us is not dependent on how He feels

True love is not about getting:

•    Not about getting what I want

•    Not about what makes me happy

•    Not about my own pleasure

So what is love?

According to Webster’s dictionary, love is the unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for the good of another. That concept of love is borrowed from the Bible.

Love = (Agape) = The decision to bring about God’s best for someone else

This definition comes from John 3:16

John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

1.     Love focuses on others
“For God so loved the world…”
It is not just about getting what I want. It is about blessing other people. Love motivates us to help others. God so loved the world…not so that He would be blessed. God already has all that He needs. He loved us so that “we” would be blessed.

Romans 5:8
“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Love has not ulterior motive. Love has no hidden agenda. Love. simply cares about others. When God’s love is operating in us, we will focus on blessing others.

2.     Love is a decision
“For God so loved the world, that he gave…”

God decided that He was going to give. Love motivates us to action. It encourages us to choose to do something about a said situation. Love is not just a feeling. Feelings over time can change. Therefore, our love cannot be tied to just how we feel.

“Love is not a feeling. It is a willing.” - A.W. Tozer

When Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, He did not mean to “feel” love for them. Instead, we are to choose to love them; we are to choose to show grace. There are times when we may not feel like loving other people. However, we just have to be willing. If we are willing to love like Jesus loved us, His sufficient grace will enable us to want God’s best for people.

3.     Love is a sacrifice (it costs you something)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son..”

Love will cost you something. It cost God His only son. Because He loved us, He gave up His Son as a sacrifice in our place. It was love that motivated the Father to give. Loving others will cost you something.

2 Corinthians 5:21
"Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.”

4.     Love desires to see God’s best
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Love desires God’s best for others. God’s best are His blessings, here in this life and the life to come.

Love According to 1 Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Let us love people through the new nature according to 1 Corinthians 13.

•    Be patient with people: Love people in spite of their faults. Refuse to take offense. Do not demand perfection out of people. God is patient with you.

•    Be kind: Intentionally love people with your words. Do not tear people down but lift them up. Be kind to people, even those who are not kind to you. In a world full of hurt, let us show kindness to others. You never know what your random act of kindness can mean to someone else.

•    Do not be envious: Do not compete with people! Be content with what God has already given you. Envy causes us to treat people wrongfully. Let us not allow envy to boil up in our heart.

Proverbs 14:30 - “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”

•    Do not boast: Let us not brag to make people feel bad for what they do not have. Let’s not make everything about ourself. Love does not focus on ourselves but on others.

•    Do not be proud: Let us not puff ourselves up in our own hearts to the point where we cannot love others. Pride produces a judgmental spirit. Love produces grace.

•    Do not dishonor others: Don’t be rude to people. Treat people with honor and respect. Treat others with grace.

•    Do not seek after your own desires: Don’t put yourself before others for your own interests. Let us not use people to get what we want. That is not love, that is from the devil. Instead, look out for the interests of others.

•    Do not be easily angered: Do not allow yourself to be easily irritated or provoked. We all have our buttons. Let us not push other people’s buttons and let us not wear our buttons like a chain. Let us relax and overlook offenses. People should not have to walk on eggshells around us.

•    Do not hold grudges: Do not harbor resentment in your heart. Let us not credit the offense of others to their account. Instead, work hard to forgive and forget. This is one of the most godliest things we can do for someone else.

•    Do not harbor evil: Do not find enjoyment in the mistreatment of others, even if it is your enemy. Let us catch ourselves when our heart laughs at the evil mistreatment of another.

•    Rejoice with the truth: The opposite, celebrate when truth wins. We should speak the truth, but in love. Let us uphold the truth of God’s Word, with grace. We do not need to be judgmental. We can do so with a loving and caring heart.

•    Protect people: Let us cover people, not expose their failures. That includes family, friends, and enemies.

•    Believe in people: Believe the best about people. Do not allow someone’s opinion to color your perspective of someone else. Choose to believe in people, invest in people, and give people a chance.

•    Hope for the best in people: Choose to be optimistic. Choose to believe for God’s best for someone else’s future.

•    Persevere with people: Don’t ever stop loving people. Choose to endure with people in spite of their shortcomings. Choose to keep loving people like God does for you.

Takeaways:

1.     Decide to love people

2.     Keep Loving people

3.     Never stop loving people

 

A Big Deal!

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Some things really are a big deal.

Revelation 5 NKJV

9  And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

10  And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

11  Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,

12  saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

13  And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

You get the picture? This is a big deal … Daniel saw … (Revelation 20:12)

Daniel 7

10  A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened.

14  Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.

Heaven is no small affair. God has been steadily working His plan to have a big family. God’s family is a big deal. Thousands of thousands and millions upon millions, an innumerable crowd of people from every nation, kindred, tribe, tongue, culture, custom, and ethnicity. God is in salvation mode, and He is inviting every person on planet earth to join Him.

Jesus described this future event to a group of lawyers and rich men at a dinner one night in Jerusalem. They were at the house of one of the Chief Pharisees. Jesus revealed how God feels about having a big family event.

Luke 14

16  Then Jesus said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,

·        “A certain man” – Jesus is talking about God. It’s a parallel truth.

·        The “Master of the House” is God.

·        Who are you in this story? Find yourself.

·        Notice – God has invited many people to this great supper.

·        This man gave a great supper and invited many …

17  “and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’

·        It’s supper time for those who have been invited.

·        We will all get that call at supper time … when God is ready.

·        Matthew 22 details this marriage supper of the Lamb.

·        Jesus described their attitude:  “They all made light of it …”

18  “But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’

·        Note here: Jesus didn’t say they gave their reasons … He said they began to make excuses.

·        It’s like no one felt it was important, so they all made up excuses.

19  “And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’

20  “Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’

·        Emphatically – “I have a wife and cannot come.” (Not excuse me.)

21  “So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’

·        With whom is God angry? He is not angry with the messengers.

·        He is angry with those whom He invited and like Matthew 25:5 says: “They made light of it.”

·        The holy messengers of God, including ministers of the Gospel, were sent out quickly into the common streets and alleys.

·        Jesus was prophesying the inclusion of the Gentiles in salvation.

22  “And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’

·        Yet there were more seats at the table, so the Master sent His servants out once again.

·        Why? Because it’s a big deal!

·        Can you imagine receiving a personal invitation from a trusted servant to be an honored guest at the great wedding supper of the Son of God? This is no small affair and preparation is ongoing now.

·        It’s nothing to make light of …

23  “Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”

That My house may be full!

God loves a full house, both in heaven at suppertime and on the earth each Sunday. God prepares a table for us each week and invites His family to come and dine. Church is a big deal. It is an overlay of heaven.

Just like Passover was a dress rehearsal for 1500 years before the real deal, when Jesus was revealed as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Church is a dress rehearsal for heaven and all the worship and word we will enjoy in the presence of Jesus and the Holy Angels.

What do the scriptures encourage us to do in order to prepare for eternity?

Revelation 14 NKJV

6 ¶  Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth — to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people — 

7  saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

1.   Respect God. Give Him some credit for being God.

2.   Worship Him. After all, He made heaven and earth and everything.

3.   Proclaim the everlasting Gospel to everyone living on the earth.

It’s a big deal! You are the servant … compel them to come in so that His house might be full!