Sermon Cloud

There is a joyful mystery when we understand God, understand He exists, when we as human created beings realize that we are not in and of ourselves but free to experience and know that we are not to live for ourselves but for the one true God who is Jehovah.  There is a great conquest in the realization of God and our fall, for in it; understanding and admitting that truth where we are endowed and freed from our own self to know what it was and what it is to be in God, living for Him – living to Him.  That great journey.  [1 Kings 20:28] The draw of military boot camp is dying to self, passing away from the weakness of the true frailty of our being and becoming empowered to live beyond ourselves to the greater good.  Of course that is a preconceived notion that is itself frail because it is not living unto God but the Christian journey, carrying the cross following Christ’s perfect example is that blessedness of becoming into the heroic journey.  Man, shaping his world out of an unshaped world.  Heroism evolves. [Genesis 6:1]

            There are three temptations in which man must overcome abiding in Christ.  We see in the temptation of Jesus by the serpent, the complete fallen and wickedness of existence is to attack economically that we use our resources for our own good, political and also religious.  Jesus relies on God, my God His God; His Father and My Father – [1] We live only by the Word of God, [2] we live to not tempt the Lord thy God and to [3] worship only Jehovah.  There is no heroism unless we deny self, unless we transform our consciousness to think in another way; the heroic ideal in which that which is the most important we carry with us at every moment. [2 Chronicles 3:1]

            The mystery of the cross is wisdom.  Man’s inherent justice wants revenge because of the irony of the universe which is not perfect but it is a created perfect and run by a perfect God who has complete omnipotence and omnipresence.  So we demand justice in a jaded view of ourselves in relation to it because of our own frailty and failures that deludes our minds.  That journey is a sorrowful mystery because we realize all is not fair and then you see Jesus Christ dying for our sins. [1 Kings 18:1] There is an unfairness in what Jesus had to endure, enduring the shame of the cross and paying for the price of a fallen humanity because of His Divine Love to rescue His creation.  There is in that heroism, in us, when we deny self to forget self: surpassing physical boundaries with psychological and spiritual unity in the Holy Spirit which is Divine Heroism.  [Job 22:15]  There is a crossroad; jumping from the real, perceived and into the journey and adventure of the heroic and mysterious, sorrowful and heroic path that is required when we abide in Christ. [Hebrews 11:7]  We must transcend our own conceived humanity to experience that which is not in and of itself but in and of Him which becomes the reflection of our very nature.

            The glorious mystery is to continue to travel in the awareness of His greatness in whatever realization it may be.  [Genesis 2:5]  While justice against us hurts and seems bad, that against others seems right.  The heroic adventure is transforming to unite with Christ’s will for our lives.  Yesterday while watching the “Preacher’s Wife” with my wife, I began to be moved, several times hearing God’s power and God’s Voice.  One was when the preacher spoke of the crossroad.  There was a boy who had chosen at the crossroad to do the right thing.  He turned from his life and to that of God’s.  Our live evokes our character.  Putting actions into our lives that evoke a greater character!  [Exodus 25:10]  The preacher found confidence after facing so many climactic hurts in his life and stood up before the judge and testified that the boy had beaten the crossroads and walked that life of doing the right thing.  God spoke saying, “You too have made it through the crossroads and into Christ.”  I almost cried when I saw it.  That heroic journey has and is being realized. [Genesis 8:21]

            The preacher was going through his life, leaving one of his meetings and an angel appearing like a man said, “I am here because you requested help.”  It moved me.  O How Glorious is the Great God Who Has So Redeemed With His Unfailing Hand!   The Light is always illuminating and transforming but it is the fear and looking at ourselves which creates fear.  We must look at the obstacles in our lives including the goals not to ourselves or in relation but instead put our view upon God and His all powerful omnipotent light, glorious, mysterious, sorrowful, yet completely joyful!

            We straighten out when we realize our inner desires, the condition of our hearts, our motivations and what makes us do what we do.  Often times I have spent extended time in prayer.  Praying for schools, churches, governments, people, and circumstances then on my way with Sarah-Ann I see the arrows of the enemy with its accusations but because of the fullness of that relationship with God – due to Him; I see the deception.  Prayer is our heavy artillery. [Genesis 8:21]

            While praying God spoke, “Work; this is your job.”  It terrified me.  I wrote down and recorded the date.  It was on June twenty-second this year in two-thousand nine.  I was scared because of the Lord speaking through me.  I once was in agony taking a shower in Andrew Johnston’s apartment and God spoke about Jesus dying for my sins.  It is all powerful when God says to you that Jesus has paid for your sins and your job is to pray. [Ezekiel 1:28] I prayed to God to answer if I was ordained to be a preacher (Charles Stanley did same thing: star fell when in college).  Prayed for a sign, could not mistake: walked through Pierce College then forest, thinking of Prayer Mountain while listening to CD player of Old Testament – fireball fell.  *Star fell over forest at Pierce College. [Genesis 9:13]

            Awareness is a level of meditation.  There is a great power in the journey, drawing us into the journey.  [Psalms 76:2] That power is like the way early churches were built.  Early churches were built with a courtyard that allowed a change in consciousness.  We see as you walk through the courtyard your mind changes from physical to spiritual and then you are illuminated by the change.  [Hebrews 7:2] We must be in unity with God or there can be only depravity.  Total depravity.  Unconditional grace.  Limited atonement.  Irresistible grace.  Perseverance following Christ!  [Psalms 78:67] 

            We can not deny the significance of ourselves because of what Christ has done but do not let it become a snare where we fall from unity with God and off the journey of knowing Him better and experiencing the refreshing love of His all empowering presence.  The strategy must be of study and denying self to walk that glorious path where we know Him better caring for ourselves less because it is His care in which we find rest.  Structure is required and while people may say that we do not worship religion and there is too much law and doctrine it is undeniable that when we train in the rigidity of doctrine there is piety when we soon transcend form.  The painter first learns the techniques to paint then begins the creative process of allowing God’s grace to shine through him.  Controlling the speech of our mind and hearts will illuminate our world to begin hearing that small voice.  Love is the voice.  Our conduct must be to be conduits of that perfect divine power that is Christ.  Faith and purity is essential because God is Spirit. [Psalm 24:7]

            An angel shows up to the preacher <>< saying, “You requested help.”  Freedom and opportunity must lead us to obedience.  Slavery is sin and it leads to obligation; to death.  We because of sin must now resist it to its fullest which is our reaction to allowing it into our worlds where God once warned not to do so but still in mercy sent Christ to once again free us from the bondage of it.  While the serpent once taunted God laughing at its success at capturing Adam and Eve – God was always victorious.  While Adam and Eve were eating the apple Jesus was on His way to cavalry.  “Dear mother, here is your son (John 19:26). 

            The cloth that covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart (John 20:7).  This is an old Jewish carpenter custom, when the builder was done doing his work he would fold up his work napkin and place it as his signature.  God has done so gloriously.  Two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot (John 20:12).  This is our mercy seat.  God once built by the Israelites the Ark of the Covenant which was feared by foreign nations because of the mighty signs and wonders.  The Ark on top had two bowing angels that bowed in front of the mercy seat where God’s reflection appeared.  Jesus is now our mercy seat as we see in the Gospels that the angels were sitting on the place where the body of Christ was once laid.

            To my Father and you Father, to my God and your God (John 20:17).  Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe (John 20:27)!  You will have life by the power of his name (John 20:31).  When you hem the day in prayer you see God my Father work!