Out with the Old in with the New
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2021 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 53:56
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· 502 viewsThe Bible tells us there is a season for everything. 2020 Was a year to awaken the Church. Let's not hit snooze into 2021. Let's learn from the past so our future will be full of fulfilled promise
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Out with the old....in with the New
Out with the old....in with the New
Welcome to 2021. and no 2020 did not win. But it did teach us alot
It showed us what was really important, and what we need to protect and treasure.
You have heard me say many times over the last year that 2020 was to be the year of the great awakening for the church.
now I must admit, I misunderstood some of what this meant.
I truly believed 2020 was to be the beginning of the Last reformation of the Church.
It very well may still be.
But 2020 did not turn out how I expected.
What I believed to be the greatest increase this church and other churches would ever see in their existence turned out to be the lowest in person attendance to the global church has had relative to population
I mean we literally got to the point where the greatest fear of most pastors came into reality.
a pastor spends hours preparing a message to share with God’s people....and when you stand up to share it no-one is there. you are quite literally all alone!
...been there done that!
but that fear was replaced by another weapon of the enemy.
instead of looking for buts in the seats, now were looking at views on line and that’s even worse
and now those views are very dynamic.
People don’t often get up and leave during a sermon. it happens but not very often.
but online we are told exactly when people start watching. how long they watch, when they leave.
If your a pastor who is a people pleaser, this is killing you!
The Great Awakening.
The Great Awakening.
What I interpreted as a harvest of souls, was actually much more literal than that.
You see when I questioned God on what I believed He told me and compared it to the reality we were facing.
there was alot that did not match up.
It went something like this.
Me: God you told me 2020 was going to be a year of great harvest, and I’m sitting here in a building that the church is not even allowed to enter into
God: What did I tell you?
Me: 2020 was the year of the great awakening!
God: And what does that mean?
Me: Its the year of a mighty harvest?
God: What does the word awaken mean?
Me: it means to wake up!
God: Well?
Me: Oh you mean 2020 its actually time for the church to wake up!
God: Yes
Me: Ok that make more sense.
So my message for you today is Don’t hit the snooze button
Its time to wake up!
Look at your neighbour and ask them. are you awake?
then tell them. its not time to hit the snooze button
I think its important to review the word God gave me at the end of 2019
It went like this!
2020 Prophesy
“Enlarge the place of your tent;
Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not;
Lengthen your cords
And strengthen your pegs.
2020 is a Years of New beginnings. do not dwell on the past. But learn from it.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Expect greater things, increase your expectancy. I will not disappoint. What I’m about to do, I have never done before on the earth.
“Do not call to mind the former things,
Or ponder things of the past.
“Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert.
Do not resuse old containers, for God is giving you a new container to house His Glory that He will release upon the earth.
Do not try something because it worked in the past, likewise do not discount something because it never met your expectations. Walk in step with Holy Spirit. He will equip and empower you
I will reiterate
“It will come about after this
That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
For those who hunger will be filled, those who are content will never be satisfied.
Prophesy is not just for the exalted, but any who hunger after God’s presence. For I want to share My heart with My creation and I choose My children to make the connection.
Use the tools I have supplied to carry out my desires.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
My heart is calling My children home. First the dechurched, then the unchurched. 2020 will be the beginning of the biggest calling of My children home.
Welcome them into your lives, for bonds of friendship will form, that will seem to be already lifelong
I am giving you a grace to see My heart on people, I do not expect you to judge but to Love, not to fix, but restore.
Make time to invest in relationships without expectation of return.
Through Holy Spirit I will release giftings to the young and new believers that the experienced have desired for years
Don’t become jealous, but cheer them on.
Walk in My perfect peace, no longer striving but walking in step with Holy Spirit.
2020 is My year of new beginnings, new births, restored dreams and empowered believers. The age of denominations is coming to an end, and the restoration of the Apostolic and Prophetic. Those who embrace the Holy Spirits call will be blessed, and walk in perfect peace in step with the Father.
Holy Spirit’s gifts will be released on all those who believe, and those newly gifted will operate as with a lifetime of experience.
The coming wave of My grace and mercy will afford opportunity to encounter My presence in Greater ways.
God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.
will be common place in my people. The supernatural will become natural for My Children.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord;
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
End of 2020 word
Reading again give me Hope.
That what the enemy meant for evil, God is already is turning into good.
I want to start off 2021 by recounting what God has brought us through, so it can still up hope which strengthens faith to see us fulfill what God wants us to do in the years to come!
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.
One thing that is evident here in Canada. is that seasons change.
the expression if you don’t like the weather wait 5 min, is true,,, except in winter
If you don’t like winter your gonna have to wait more than 5 min. just saying
Did you notice the one verse. “A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.”
well we’ve been in a season of shun embracing. Physical distancing is easier to say.
“Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.
As much as we’d all like 2020 to be over and done with. I believe it to be beneficial to remember How God brought us through last year.
Yes 2020 was a difficult year for many.
People died because of a Covid19,
people died because of opioid abuse.
People died from many different causes.
My heart goes out to those who have lost loved one last year.
Please know if you lost someone, we mourn with you.
but the difficulty was not limited to deaths
people have lost their jobs their businesses,
Marriages have fallen apart
depression has seen its greatest increase
substance abuse it at an all time high
Then there are the difficulties we cannot measure.
People have lost hope
They’ve given up on dreams
become discouraged
lost expectations
We can look at all these difficulties and 2020 really was a terrible year. I’m glad it’s over.
Or we can do what the Bible commands
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
The Lord performs righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
In this moment I’d like you to
think of something you are grateful for that took place in 2020
......
Shout it out!
I tell you one thing regarding the church that I am grateful for in 2020. Is the tools God provided for us to increase the influence of this Church.
2020 was a year our church went from streaming only the sermon to streaming our entire service.
you should know this is something I’ve been wanting to do for years. But I never felt comfortable on the technology side
to take the leap. There is a huge difference in streaming 1 person talking and an entire band worshiping.
Now I get it, we still have a long ways to go tech wise . but we are on our way.
and the results are amazing with the number of people we have been able to reach around the world.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Oh let Israel say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
Oh let the house of Aaron say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
Oh let those who fear the Lord say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
From my distress I called upon the Lord;
The Lord answered me and set me in a large place.
The Lord is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?
The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in princes.
All nations surrounded me;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
They surrounded me like bees;
They were extinguished as a fire of thorns;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
You pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the Lord helped me.
The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
I will not die, but live,
And tell of the works of the Lord.
The Lord has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
Instead of remembering 2020 for where it fell short. Let’s look at it as to what God taught us through it.
You see you learn to trust God in the valley, that’s what enables you to scale mountains.
One lesson that I will expand on next time I preach. Is the great importance of Community.
One of the foundational pillars of the local church is fellowship.
not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
This was something I battled from the very beginning of the lockdown. When the church leadership met to discuss what we should do with the provincial order to shut our doors last spring.
I knew we could preach online
I knew we could develop the music component
I knew there were ways to do Sunday school for the kids online
We already had the ability for people to give electronically
Online also provided us a excellent tool to reach out to people beyond our building and share the gospel
we also have the means to disciple people online through teaching and resourcing
but the pillar i had no understanding on how to do online is Fellowship aka community
As hard as we try, we have yet to be successful in building an online community
Even though its called social media, its focus is revenue generation, not community
Community is best done in person, its even better when food is involved!
The early church realized this
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
One thing I’m praying for, is that every believer would crave to be in community once again
Not just going through the motions of expectations. So many christians look at church as a function
rather than the lifeblood Jesus intended it to be
but my hope is
That after missing community for so long, we would once again see the value in gathering together.
That the church would begin to value community on the same level as worship and preaching.
That community is something your willing to fight for.
that we all learn how important it is to be together!
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
Look at your neighbour,
Ask them if they are awake?
Tell them its not time to hit the snooze button
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”