Love Is A Choice- Partnership With God(3)

Love Is A Choice - Partnership With God

Prayer:

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love [AK1] [AK2] the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

The choice to love, begins with our relationship with God.

Our reverential fear of God which leads to our desire to obey[AK3] and please Him

Matthew 22:36-40

36 Teacher, which [a]kind of commandment is great and important (the principal kind) in the Law? [Some commandments are light—which are heavy?]

37 And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect).

38 This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment.

39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as [you do] yourself.

40 These two commandments [b]sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.

Mark 12:3-34

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[a] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] There is no commandment greater than these.”

32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

How Do We Come Into Partnership With God:

1. Yielding our hearts and being obedient.(verses) share Andrew’s story

2. Honouring God(Reverential fear of the Lord )

3. Having A Generosity of Spirit (Grace) – Renewing our minds through His Word

The Word of God is purposed to reveal God’s promises to us and not to hinder or dimmish us.

4. Gifts (Giving and Receiving)

6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8-8

15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.Philipians 4:15-19

5. Service

Another command:

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Why, it is a non negotiable act of love and privilege to participate by not allowing the act of Christ on the cross not to diminished.

Christ commanded us to partner with Him to advance the Kingdom of God that He came to establish.

What does this mean:

Not social action but prayer centred bible based endeavours

Why Must We Come Into Partnership With Him:

1. It is a Covenant action…….

34 I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered. 35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness— and I will not lie to David—Psalm 89:34

2.To Realise What God has made available to us out of His abundant love and grace:

2Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.… 2 Peter 1:3

8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8.

Word 1: BENEFITS OF PARTNERSHIP WITH GOD

Introduction:

v When we are on the go for Christ, we have committed Him to establish partnership with us – Mk. 16:15/20/ Matt. 28:18-20

v To secure this partnership, we must maintain love and passion for souls to be saved and established in the faith – Amos 3:3/ Jn 14:21/ Jn 15:16

v God so loved the lost that He gave His only begotten Son and Jesus so loved the sinners that He gave His own life – Jn. 3:16/ Jn. 10:17-18

v If we so love the Lord, we will go after the lost, we will crave to see the sinners saved and that will establish our partnership with God – Jn 21:15-17/ Jn 3:16

§ Partnership with God makes a believer more than a conqueror.

ü While the disciples were in partnership with Christ, devils were subject to them in His name – Lk. 10:17-19

ü Abraham established partnership with God through soul-preservation prayers and became the symbol of generational blessings – Gen. 18:20-33/ Is. 41:8/ Gal. 3:13-14

§ Partnership with Christ makes us Supernaturally Sound – 1Cor. 1:24/ Pro. 13:20.

ü Solomon, ‘the wisest’ was in love with God and His kingdom – 1Kgs. 3:3-12/ 1Kgs. 4:29-34

ü Esther enjoyed partnership with God through rescue-prayer for God’s people and she emerged a generational heroine – Esther 4:16-17/ Esther 5:1-5

§ Partnership with God triggers Supernatural favour.

ü Daniel enjoyed partnership with God through the prayer platform, praying three times a day and enjoyed supernatural favour – Ps. 102:13-15/Dan. 6:1-10/28-30

§ Partnership with God provokes the flow of Signs and Wonders.

ü God was confirming the word of His disciples who were in partnership with Him with signs and wonders following – Mk. 16:20

ü Paul enjoyed partnership with God by labouring in prayers and he emerged the chiefest apostle of the early church – 1 Cor. 15:10/ 2 Pet. 3:15/ Acts 19:11-12/ Acts 27:22-23/ Acts 28:3-5

§ Partnership with God guarantees Supernatural Breakthroughs.

ü Peter enjoyed supernatural breakthrough while in partnership with Christ – Lk. 5:1-8

ü Everyone committed to turning many to righteousness ends up a star – Dan. 12:3/ Pro 11:30

ü The Apostles maintained their partnership with God through a continuous engagement of the prayer altar and commanded signs and wonders – Acts 5:12/14/ Acts 5:13

§ Partnership with God engenders Divine Health.

ü Every soul winner is an ambassador of Christ and every ambassador is entitled to divine health – 2Cor. 5:19-20/Pro. 13:17/ Jn. 15:1-2

Jesus is Lord!

Concluding Prayer:

The is sown, the kingdom is growing, the harvest will come. Abba Father, the Harvest will come. Loving God, we praise You for that knowledge, and we offer you now our love, our faith and our service. Give us the faith and courage to live out the foolishness of the gospel, following the way of humility, service and self sacrifice, and so may we bring your kingdom closer here on earth.

[AK1]Command [AK2]Seat of the soul and mind [AK3]There can be no love without obedience