Advance S04E02

All right. We're going to go ahead and come together and

there we go.

What is book Lincoln the War years author Carl Sandburg rights of an experience? When a delegation came to meet with President Lincoln during the Civil War in the course of one conversation a minister remark. I hope that the Lord is on our side and I find Abraham Lincoln's response that is recorded him having given to this minister at just shocking but so profound. He said I'm not at all concerned about that whether the Lord is on our side for we know that the Lord is always on the side of the right, but it is my constant anxiety and prayer that died in the nation should be on the Lord's Side. Did President Lincoln understood the wisdom of asking am I on God's side rather than is God on my side. And what a difference it is. When we ask that question when we go around and I know what I've done this. I'm guilty of this man. It's like God really failed me, you know you if you go out and you think that God has called you to do something or are you are doing something really good for God and it all falls apart. I prayed about it. Why didn't it work out? Why aren't you on my side? Why aren't you helping me? Planning often times when we think that God failed us or when the things that we think are really good. Don't come true. They don't come to pass I didn't often times. It's because we take the wrong approach we say God. Will you please bless what I've already decided to do? God this is a really good thing and I really like it. And so will you just go with me and make sure that it works out? Okay. I'm not the only one that done this right like sweet. We've all done this going going somewhere like Lord. This is a really important meeting. Will you just help everyone to take my point of view? People in their right right. I'm going to buy that thing off Kijiji. Will you please make sure that they let me not twenty bucks off the purchase price.

And then often times we get very disappointed very disappointed. He is a thing that that we convince ourselves is so important that God is on our side. We're about to feed back if you want to turn down the the preaching like back there that would that would be great or so convinced that God is on our side.

But is he?

Now I think we have to be careful. Here. It is. It's semantics right? Yes. God is on our side. Right, if we follow Jesus thing God is on our side. But the more important question is am I on God's side. Am I doing what God Wills am I pushing towards which he desires? It's the same reason why you'll rarely hear a say in this church, and we're going to invite Jesus into our lives because I think that we have no problem inviting Jesus often times and you are alive what really hard is to say. Will you let Jesus invite you into his life a life of sacrifice of change of denial suffering? For the greater good for the glory of God.

There's a big difference there.

So, how is it then? How do we determine if we're on God's side? If we grew up in the church, we grew up with people saying when you want something you just ask the God will give it to you. You ask the guy will come onto your side. So what's the alternative to that what what do we do instead? How can we be like Lincoln and instead be concerned about what God's will is rather than our own.

I think before we get into that that we should pray. So will you just join me and bow your heads and closing your eyes? Heavenly father. I just thank you so much that you don't abandon us to try fumbling through this life on our own but the God you have given us ways of getting to know what it is that you're calling us into first and foremost your your word scripture Lord Jesus that we find in the Bible. We just thank you that you've given us your word as guideposts that you speak to us through your word. And I thank you God that you speak to us in many other ways as well to lead us in the right direction. And so you will you just give us a desire today to set aside the things that we think are what you want and instead to begin to look to you to show us what you want. God is I speak today. Will you take these people human words, but I'm going to share and will you make them something worthwhile to the power of the holy spirit in Jesus name? Amen. Amen. Well after the last while we have been in the book of Acts in the book of Acts is a fascinating one because I really believe that the book of Acts is actually the story of us. It's the story of the church is how the church got started and where the book of Acts actually leaves off. It's like hey now, this is you now. This is you and so between the book of Acts in the Book of Revelation we have us today and we get to continue and carry on with what we see in the book of Acts in the book of Acts. It starts off with Jesus has risen from the grave and he's had some time on Earth still teaching his followers a little bit more and then we see Jesus tells us Father's Day. I'm I'm going to be going away. But when I go away, I want you to go into Jerusalem and spend some time praying and I'm going to send the Holy Spirit the comforter to guide you and you're going to through his power be my Witnesses where you are into the whole world. And what we see is we come to Acts chapter 2 that on the day of Pentecost 120. I believe it is the followers of Jesus or in the upper room of the temple and they're praying and then there's a sound like a roaring wind and in tongues of fire that just come in and rest over top of people's heads. This is the part. I find really funny cuz everyone freaks out that they speak in different languages. I think I'd be freaking out seeing flames on top people's head. But maybe that's just me to speak another language is glorifying and praising God and since they're above the temple and there's people all around for the Feast of Pentecost. They hear a commotion going on in the upper room and they come barging in people from all around the known world and they begin to hear these these galileans these people that really aren't all that educated speaking in many different languages in their own language and a blown away. But like in any group, there's naysayers. There's doubters over just drunk they say 2 Peter stands up and man if you've read the gospels and you know Peter you like this guy. He's got problems. He's impulsive. Kinda dumb, you know what he stands up having been filled with the Holy Spirit and he speaks this amazing inspired sermon and people just come to know Jesus in droves. And then from that point on time after time after time, we see the early church acting in the power of the holy spirit being Spirit-filled people Spirit-filled lead and empowered why not to bring glory to themselves. But empowered to advance the good news of Jesus throughout the world. And that's what we're called to as well as they were picking up in Chapter 13. We just seen that Peter was miraculously let out of prison. We seen the king herod's in his own kind of desire to be seen as someone great ends up being thwarted in fact dies and we talked about the fact that it's more important to be glorious on the inside for God than it is to be glorious on the outside for yourself and you know, cuz it got filled with worms and I don't want to be filled with worms. Here's what we read in Acts chapter 13. If you want to follow along in your Bible, please add do that. If you have a mobile device and you'd like to take notes there you can go to a sec. Life and tap on the message note. I'll take your own notes and all of that is what we read in Chapter 13 in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers Barnabas Simeon who is called Niger Lucius of serene, meaning of lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch. He's the guy that died I believe and so now while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting the holy spirit said set apart for me Barnabas and Saul the work to which I have called them and then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. It's a short passage today. At first when I was planning this series and I was just kind of giving a cursory look over at the passages to come. I skipped this one. I was like, well, it's just it it's the talking about a few things at setting up. What comes next Button as I I came this week back to this passage and I read it again. I would know there's a there's a profound truth here because the early church and they gathered together. They didn't see seeking the will of God is something secondary. They didn't see it as something that well, you know, I really feel like this is what I need to do. And so I'm just going to pray that there's a blessing over it. But instead we see that they come before God and they say let's all gather together and see what God wants next. What is God saying in a situation? Where is he leading us? Where is his push for us? What I really see here is that they understood that your will is rooted in the moment. But God's will is rooted in eternity. Let me explain that for you. Your will is rooted in the moment because we are creatures that are on a small time frame. We can't see what comes next. I have you ever made a decision and then you found out it was a bad decision. And then you look back at the situation. And you said you know, if I had done this it would have been so much better. And yet we are so determined that God's will should do with our will is that what we think is right is what God should think is right. I've got a slight here. A master artist drew this up for me. It's name is Pastor Steven. This this white line here with the the little hash mark on it. That is human history. Okay, and that hash mark is the entirety of your life. And that's being generous because I want you to be able to see it but hash mark is the entirety of your life. So if you just kind of split that hash mark and wherever you are, if you're further along you can leave the hash mark bigger. If your little earlier on you can kind of bring yourself back a little bit in that hash mark, but you can't see beyond where you are right now. where to buy right now All right now.

You can only really remember so much as well from before. What's your entire experience is right there. Now, you can look at what came before it through history books and things like that and you can try to learn from other people's mistakes and and all of these types of things, but you can we learn from everything on that side of the line everything on this side of the line where you're going is unknown to you. You can judge what may happen based on back here, but but you just don't have the facts you don't have the ability.

That red circle there that's in a two-dimensional representation in a very limited representation of of God's perspective. God created time God is eternal. He's outside of time when God looks at us in this moment. He sees all moments. All my life and so when God says this is my will she's not confined like we are to history. Or to our particular moment in time. God can view all of time and even outside of time. His will is perfect. That's why I said your will is rooted in the moment what I want right now may not even be what I want 10 years from now. The gods will never changes because God isn't on this timeline that were on. This moment right here is no different for God than 10 years from now or ten years Pastor a thousand years past.

Now, I don't know about you. But would you rather make your decisions based on that little tiny hash mark of would you rather make your decisions based on the knowledge of everything that has happened in every single life and everything that will happen for all of history and outside of History? Would you rather have your will is rooted in the moment? The God's will is rooted in eternity. I wonder if we bring this back to Jesus because really were here because we love Jesus we're here because of what Jesus has done for us. I think that if we had had our saying what Jesus would have been like and what she would have done for us and in this world, we would not have chosen things would work out the way that they worked out. That wouldn't have been our plan. It's not what we would have said we wouldn't have said, you know, what we should have Jesus your we should have God come to Earth and then hate you and be really great. Let's have him die on a cross and raised again pedal make everything better. That wouldn't even be in our our faculties the thing of right? Yes. Let's let's kill God and then have him raised again and everything's going to be fine. We we have chosen that.

No, instead we go around this evening. We think that were actually pretty good, right. I thought that's what we look at more like you don't need Jesus to die for me. I'm I'm pretty good. I can I can make these sacrifices or whatever and I can I can put on fancy hats and and I can go and I can do my service and I can I can be a good person and it's all good. Do you remember about a month or two ago we talked about some bad news, right that the Apostle Paul started Romans off with some bad news me to listen, no matter how good you think you are. You're messed up. And you have messed up a perfect. God is looking at you going. You know, I made you a pretty good and you corrupted everything that I designed you to be for I gave you one job and you messed that up. Record a debt that we could not pay. That we owed the king of the universe and put it another way. We became treasonous murderers in our hearts and not just in one nation where we can leave and go to another Nation but against the one that created it all and rules over all

and so we go around we think they were pretty good. Or not but what was actually Humanities desire for Jesus because Humanity didn't go. Hey, you know what Jesus is here. So we're just going to let him do whatever he's going to do know Jesus arrived on the scene and we read in Scripture that actually Humanity had a a plan for Jesus their Messiah the crisis what they wanted was a warrior king who would go around freeing us from our human oppressors the we could be comfortable and continue to live as our own bosses.

Really?

Yeah, this is who we are. We we need to make our nation. Great. Again. We need to get out from underneath. All that is a pressing us and move forward into greatness pin to Independence because that's what we need.

But instead what we see is that God flips everything on his head and he says I didn't come trust as a ruler. But in fact I came as a suffering servant. I need mom to ask but we were always designed to be as we go about empowered by the Holy Spirit. Any willingly went to the cross for you and me and bore our sin for the consequence the punishment that we deserve this. Traders to the kingdom of God He paid the debt that we owed. However, you want to look at it. You pay didn't you wash this clean. And then just to top it all off. if 3 days 7 hot stain dead, but you Rose again Victorious over sin death and Satan and said listen here is life my life. Will you receive it? Will you take it? I'm forgiving you today. My Father in Heaven is adopting you as his own child. all of eternity

He will never leave you. Because we love you. Giving it all for you. Will you just follow me?

Your will is rooted in the moment, but praise God his will is rooted in the trinity?

He knows so much more in and out whenever I go through difficult circumstances if I can bring myself back to this place where I say God, I know that you have promised to look out for what is best in the internal scope and God. I've said before that. I I'm submitted to you. I'll I'll do whatever is best for your glory Lord God. And you know better than I know to the point where sometimes things that I think are right or in fact wrong.

And it takes your Holy Spirit to change me Lord. The show me what is right and what is wrong?

So we see that the early church. They they understood this at least at this moment. They did if you read any of the letters to the church in Corinth, you get a different opinion of the church, but, you know hear their founding the leaders of the church the congregation they recognize that they needed guidance. They needed to go ahead and what gods had told them to do. And so I pulled from this a few a general practices. These aren't rules. These aren't laws. These are things that we have to do, but I think that they are are helpful lessons that we can learn about how we can discern God's will together from what we read In this passage in the first one is this we can discern God's Will by gathering together to hear the Holy Spirit. North America in the western world is highly individualistic highly individualistic, and so most of us when it comes to Discerning God's will our opinion is that I'm going to go off, but I'm going to lock myself in a room somewhere and then when I come out I'm going to have a Glorious Revolution from God and if I'm going to invite other people to do this with me, then we're all going to separate and lock ourselves separately in a room somewhere and when we come back out, we're all going to be an absolute agreement. We didn't need to do this anyways, cuz we're all going to hear perfectly from God and we're going to come out and we're just going to know exactly what we're going to do after 5 minutes.

Don't get me wrong here. Like hearing from God individual is not a bad thing. I encourage it. Read your Bible. Pray Listen for God's voice in prayer Journal. Whatever you need to do to hear from God and to get direction from God. Please do but we chew you easily dismissed the power of gathering together to seek the will of God on a matter. We say what do I need to go to a prayer meeting for I can pray at home? Can you can please do we also need to come together? You say I've got an important decision to make and so God's just going to tell me what that that's great and maybe he will but if it's a really important decision Maybe. We could gather together and seek God together. Journey God's will together first of all gather together to hear from the Holy Spirit the second thing. Worship Jesus worship Jesus. I think it's so interesting here that it's very apparent that there is a purpose behind this meeting. They're coming the other day fasting they're praying. They've got the leaders together in the congregation together and they're seeking the Holy Spirit and we see that there their and they're worshiping Jesus. The leaders in the congregation in this church, they understood that their position under God and they took the time to worship and praise. Him didn't go now God we're here and you owe us to come on tell us what you want to do and then will discern whether or not it's what we're going to do. Let's face it. That's what we often do right? All right. I'm here. Now is your chance to have your piece used to have your say and it will determine if you're staying over Rides a Horse.

I know it's shocking. But this is what many of us do.

What did they do? I understood that worship means to express reverence adoration admiration and devotion. And they went and they worshipped their King.

They got together to worship to give him adoration. How do we do this week? We do this by taking time to focus on God. We sing songs. We we learn more about God we serve each other. We love each other. We pray we fast all of these things are part of our worship to God.

Cuz we want to put ourselves in the right position before him remember if we're actually seeking God's will the best way to seek seek God's will is not to say Okay God now speak to me, but it's actually a fall to our knees and say God you are so glorious and I am so small. What was it that the psalmist said what am I but a worm of a man?

And your God you love me and you care for me in about my well-being in about your glorification through me and God. Will you just show me what is best? Will you show me what to do?

Discerning God's will together gather together to hear from the Holy Spirit worship Jesus third fast for a time that isn't always necessary or not saying every time that you go to pray you need to stop eating. I understand. That's up for some people. This isn't really an option because of a dietary needs and and health concerns, but there's always something you can fast from it's always something. I believe if you feel a seriousness in your situation, it can be helpful to fast. I can be helpful again. You don't need to but it can be helpful. Why do we fast? Why would why would Jesus followers? Take a break from food for a few hours or a couple of days. The reason is that we're staying with our stomach. We need you God. We're not just going to fill all of our desires ourselves. But God we're taking a moment gear and we're saying yes, I really want food. But with that desire God, I I want you more. Will you feel me will you provide what we need? Will you help me God we need you in this.

Fourthly pray together. I believe the prayer is how we communicate with God. How we talk to him until we hear from him bring your need to him. What are you looking for direction for? What do you need in your life at Philippians 4 verse 6 the Apostle Paul tells us don't worry about anything instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and then thank him for all that. He's done.

Go to God talk to him. Ask him ask him to leave you. This is this is something that's really helpful to do as a group to come together and pray God. Will you just lead us what you show us the direction to go in and something that I find so so impactful when we do this as a group we've done this on on some smaller things together just to to hear from God and what God is doing but when we have our prayer Summits, we'll sit down and we'll we'll ask God a question and then we'll invite people to share what they feel like God has has said to them.

We can do this to when we gather together as a group. We can pray for God's direction. We can go off with a paper and paper and a pen and we can just begin to write down. What we feel like God is saying to us and the great thing about this is it is it keeps us from beginning to synchronize with one another what we feel like God is saying where the first person says something. You're like. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I kind of felt like this, but that wouldn't ya sure ya I feel that way too. Let's do that. What you can do is you can all come together and just read word for word what you felt like God was saying to you. Nobody with more Authority on the matter than anybody else. If you're a follower of Jesus, you're a Spirit-filled person than what's the with the Holy Spirit saying to you.

Mana can be an amazing thing when you do this. To go, you know, I thought based on what I had felt like God was saying that he was saying this but hearing everything else word for word that everyone else wrote down they fit so well together into a larger hole.

Now I'm going to get some caution. We are fallible human beings and sometimes our desires play a big part in what we think we hear from God. They really do and so always ask for confirmation. Always judge what you feel like you're hearing from God against scripture against God's character is revealed in Scripture. Because if you ever feel like God is leading you to do something that runs counter to the word of God our God who does not change who is outside time and space and yet present everywhere and perfect in his Holiness. He does not change. He will not change and he will not tell you to do something that is counter to what he has said is right and just and true. That's why I will say if you're not reading this book. On a regular basis. If it's not in you then please take everything. I said in the sermon and throw it out the door and do not do this until you do this. Is the most dangerous thing you can do is try to hear from God without already knowing the words that he's already spoken to us.

But if you know these words if you read these words if you submit to these words then our God does speak. He speaks through this he speaks through others and he speaks through the spirit of God who's in US?

V we give it time have you ever noticed that we rush a lot in our culture? Give her notice that. We're like from here to here to here to here. Until I've seen things lots of times where there's this huge important decision and we get together and we're like, alright, it's time for our five minutes of prayer and God's going to work everything out. We're going to get all the answers. Let's go.

Done no more. I've been a permit used to go the other way, too. I just think that if you talk enough God's going to listen, but then there's the other side was like yeah, I grew up in that now. I don't want to hear God talk at all what I want want don't want to talk it out get it over with kind of thing. You know, we need to give it time. You think that's receiving it doesn't really show that that the followers of Jesus in an actor that they were giving it time. It doesn't say that they spent days and days and days. No, but they were fasting I don't know about you. But if I go for 5 minutes without food, that's not what I call a fast. right That's that's what I call five minutes without food. If I go without a meal. I'm still struggling to call that a fast.

What if you miss two or three? Couple of Deceit now you're getting into a fast.

That's why I believe that at the church that they were giving it some time. This wasn't a 5 minute prayer. what that there was an urgency and a desire to hear from God that they knew that this was important and they pressed in So it is that we need to recognize your will is rooted in the moment, but God's will is rooted in eternity. Greater than ours. Eventually anything that a follower of Jesus faces here on Earth will also just be a little blip. in light of Eternity That thing that you're going through right now, that's all encompassing and it's so painful not to minimize the pain that you're going through, but it's a blimp. in all of eternity And God will use that blip for great things in the scope of Eternity.

So I don't know what God's will for you is. I don't. other than to glorify him

maybe the sacrifice some time money resources that he's giving you He blesses us to bless others. Maybe the step out of your comfort zone by witnessing or sharing a testimony maybe to forgive the unforgivable or to love the unlovable.

But what I do know is that God has placed Us in this moment in this place around the people. He has placed us around.

Are the kids purposes? and his desire and so even if you're you're in this place and you're in this community and you're thinking I don't know why I am here. The wind is so horrible. I don't know why I'm here. I'm from the city in this is so Backwater. I don't I don't know what it is. But if you're there and you're going I hate this neighborhood. I need to move maybe for the time being what really should happen. If you should say God has placed me here. And these people are the mission that he has given me so I'm going to love them with my all and I'm going to show them Jesus with my all and I'm going to be down on my knees praying that he will speak to me and show me how he wants me to serve him by serving them.

That's how we change a community that is how we change a province and the nation. That friends is how we change the world. How we see the kingdom of God come? Take root in people's lives. transform them Renew, not only people but a culture and a society.

I talked to longtime today, so I'm going to wrap this up.

If this is something that intrigues you. Or something that upsets you that's good too. Cuz I probably means the God doing something inside of you right now. Whatever it is. Here's what I owe his what I want to call you into this week. Go to God In Prayer not your will and his Blessing on your will to his will and let me encourage you if you're really going through something right now. You're really trying to figure something out and you begin to ask a few people in our church to become prayer Partners begin to meet together to pray for Direction. Maybe it starts off with with a few half hour prayer meetings over the course of a week or a month. Just Agree to Agree together in prayer together.

Listen for what God wants to say to you where he wants to guide you. amen amen

Heavenly father today. I just thank you so much. So much.

But you didn't just put us here on this world and then say well. I'm out. That you're here with us. That you reside in those who follow you.

And that you're pushing us towards what it is that you desire. I know your desires are great, but your desires are perfect and holy and just Lord today, will you just begin to stir our hearts for your heart? Venus to begin to move us in the direction that you desire us to go and help us not to be afraid of prayer not to be afraid of what you desire us to do Lord God. I know that I've I've been in that place where I I said God I I I I submit to your will as long as it's not this this or this. God will you give us an openness to trust that, you know better than we do and that even if that thing that we don't want to happen happens, but if we're truly pressing into your will it will work out for good and eternal scales. Thank you God. crazy Jesus Thank you, Lord. amen amen I'm going to invite our music themed disappeared on me music team back up, and we're going to partake in communion together and say goodbye to our online.