Why Marvel?

Why did they marvel?

Acts 3:1-11

What would we do if we saw miracles like this today? How would we act? Would we be prideful or arrogant? Would we look down on others? Think about it. Would we have a grateful heart? Would our souls be filled with humility? Or would we come up with excuses why and how it was done?

Mark 8:10-13

Miracles then didn’t change those who saw them. They changed those who experienced them. Jesus would not give them a sign. The miracles all around them that they didn’t believe were the sign. This is true today also. The miracles we see everyday are our sign, but we have an attitude of we can take it or leave it, they don’t affect us. In the book of Acts they marveled at the works the disciples did, not at God.

Acts 3:12-26

Peter got on to them. He knew that it wasn’t him, he knew of the glory of the Lord. He walked in His fullness.

Romans 8:18

When we are in His fullness is when real miracles happen. When His glory is revealed in us. His glory! People don’t marvel at because they see us and not Him.

Colossians 1:27

The mystery of the gentiles is that God had planned to reveal His glory through His Son in you and in us.

1 Corinthians 1:29-31

God will not share His glory with anyone. So, why would people marvel? All they see is us. God cannot perform miracles with half a person, they need to be full. (Full of Him and not self.)

John 2:1-11

When Jesus turned the water into wine He told them to bring Him “full” vessels, not half full. We are His vessels and we need to be full of His living water so that He can turn it into the new wine. How can they marvel with a half filled vessel? There will be no miracles.

The Nature Of God

Genesis 3:1-7

All five senses were involved in the fall of man. Adam and Eve were spiritual, they lived in obedience, they had dependency on God. They ate from the tree of life, never to die. They had the nature of God. They had spiritual communion with God everyday. Then the temptation came. 1. She heard with her natural ears and believed the lie (deception entered) 2. She probably smelled the fruit and believed that it would be good for food. 3. Then the words were becoming louder and the smells stronger until with her eyes she desired the fruit to the point of disobedience. 4. Then she touched the forbidden fruit (when God said no!) 5. Then she tasted the fruit and gave to her husband. They have now taken on sinful nature, which is the nature of satan. Now they are subject to their five senses for the rest of their lives.

Pray this prayer out loud: I am a spiritual being, I eat from the tree of life, I will not be controlled by my five senses. In Jesus name, Amen.

John 6:58,63

God has redeemed us back to Himself. In His presence in the nature of God. He lives in us. He is the word, and He is life to us. But in this body we are subject through our five senses to sin. We don’t have to, but we do it all of the time. We cannot go by our feelings, it is messing up everything. The world of God is the tree of life. This is how we walk with Him in our natural bodies. We take on His nature through His word.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

When Adam lost God he had to completely depend on his five senses to survive. We are still doing this today. Paul is telling us here to cast down everything that our five senses is telling us. It is sense knowledge based on experiences good or bad. Most of us will not change because we choose to still walk in the nature of our old man instead of the nature of God.

1 Corinthians 2:12-14

If we continue in the nature of our old man we are in direct disobedience to God. This scripture tells us that as believers we have received the wisdom of God through Hid Spirit. So, those who walk in the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit. A carnal man is a believer however he is either immature or disobedient. The natural or carnal man lives by the knowledge that he has learned through his five senses. He can go no further in life than what he has experienced. We cannot trust these opinions or these feelings, especially if we’re not living in the kingdom of God. These five senses will leave us hopeless, hungry, and searching for more. It will leave us empty and never satisfied. This is the nature of satan, not God. We as believers have been given the nature of God and the Holy Spirit is our teacher. Are we listening?

2 Corinthians 5:7

For we walk by faith and not by sight. We walk according to our spirit-man not our physical man. Sense-knowledge-faith with the natural man says “when I have it I’ll believe, when my sickness is gone I’ll believe, when I see it I’ll believe.” Sense knowledge has no real faith in God’s word. Sense-knowledge-faith is in human ability.

Ephesians 3:8-20

We did not need to see, feel, or hear. The word of God is our evidence of the truth. It’s our eyes, our food for taste, our ears. It is tangible, so it touches us where no one else can. It even offers a sweet smell to our Lord. We cannot know the love of God or His wisdom or fullness through sense knowledge. Even as Christians we sometimes walk in our five senses missing the fullness of God’s kingdom. You cannot trust your senses!

Romans 12:1-2

Why would God tell us to offer our human bodies as a sacrifice when Christ has already done this for us? It is to destroy our five senses. Our senses are our tutors for our brains. We act on everything that is seen or heard. Everything that we have smelled, tasted, heard, seen, or touched is ruling our lives (or some areas of our lives). Our sense knowledge of things and people are not from the nature or the wisdom of God. Because these (God’s nature and sense knowledge) do not agree.

1 Corinthians 1:30

Christ is our wisdom from God. There is two kinds of wisdom at work in the earth. The wisdom of God and the borrowed wisdom from satan. Sometimes the devil sounds like the word of God If you are listening with your five senses. Which is always selfish-based, and always about you. God’s wisdom is love, the fruits of His Spirit, and is purely motivated. It comes with taking on the nature of God and knowing your weaknesses in your five senses. Your five senses will indulge you, it will lie to you, it will bring you into confusion. It is deceitful, devilish, and full of lust and all the works of the flesh.

The wisdom that we have experienced without Christ has shaped our lives. It has formed our thoughts, our criticisms, our ideals or marriage, or raising children. It has formed our thoughts on the opposite sex. It has formed our thoughts on religion and God, on how to be a Christian or how to not be a Christian. Our five senses has and will play a significant role in our walk with God and the Holy Spirit. Our five senses is a breeding ground for deception and failure, and feeds our vain imaginations.

Forget what you used to know and learn about the nature of God, based on what His word reveals to you. You are a new creature in Christ!

Colossians 3:10

Not a sense knowledge, a God knowledge.

Proverbs 23:7

For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Your five senses will lie to you. You are who God says you are!

An Attitude Of Heart

Colossians 4:1

I want to exhort all of you who came to the aid of a church member’s family recently. Your offering was way above what we had figured. We thank you and the family thanks you for your obedience in giving your time and your money. Everyone was blessed.

Colossians 3:14-17

We thank God that He has enabled us to be a blessing. Not because of our finances, but because of an attitude of a heart that has been changed. Without the unity of one body the entire body would suffer alone.

Luke 6:31-32

All that was asked of you, you did it. This is the real church of Christ. This also told me of how you wish to be treated in your time of need. Alone we can do nothing, but together there is nothing we can’t do.

Galatians 6:2,10

As we support our brothers and sisters in the midst of their trials we have fulfilled the Law. Remember the two greatest commandments are to first love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and second to love  your neighbor as yourself. And on these two commandments hangs all the fulfillment of the Law.

1 John 3:16-18

If our brother is in need and we do nothing to reach out to ease their pain and suffering then how can we say that God’s love is in us?

John 13:34-35

This is how the world knows our God, by the way we care for one another in His love. And that we don’t just love in word only, but in deed also.

I am blessed as your pastor. The way you came together and blessed your brother and sister in Christ was real. I could be a part of nothing less.

1 Peter 1:22

A genuine love can only come from a pure heart. This is an attitude of a heart after God. A heart that seeks to please the Father. A heart that knows what God’s word says and he chooses to obey and walk in God’s ways. This is how the body is blessed, this is how the body walks in peace, this is how restoration is made.

Psalm 144:11-15

Together in giving this body is blessed and is favored by God. These things move the heart of God. When a saint goes beyond what the normal or just enough giving is, it gets the attention of God because it is He who is witnessing His heart, His hand, His provision, and His love at work in His kingdom. When we hold back, we hold back the hand of our God. Continue to give to God and your reward will be great in the kingdom.

Tithes & Offering

How many of you enjoy having a place to come worship freely? Do you enjoy the lights, the indoor plumbing, etc? It comes from the 10% which is the Tithe. If you are not giving your 10% then who will?

Genesis 1:11-12

Every seed produces after it’s own kind.

Genesis 14:20

…delivered thine enemies into thy hand. When we see others in the world prosper, ie – they go to church, and they don’t tithe, yet they propser. What message are we receiving? A negative one. If you think it’s ok not to tithe or you say that it’s between you and God, you are receiving a false sense of security. How can God go against His own word?

Proverbs 3:9-10

Honor the Lord

Malachi 3:6-12

How do you rob God? In tithes and offerings. V.11 says that He will rebuke the devourer for your sake. By God it is that you are able to obtain finances (Deuteronomy 8:18 It is God that gives us power to get wealth.)

He blesses us so we can give back to Him. (Haggai 1:7-11) We give so that His house will have money to pay the bills and to give towards the increase of His kingdom. There comes a time when we will have to pay the piper. What will we have to lose before we do it His way? Disobedience is sin.

Matthew 7:24-27

Another example, this story is a parable ending the sermon on the mount (chapters 5-7). He was saying that if we don’t take heed to the wisdom of God, then we are like the foolish man building on the sand.

Malachi 3:13-15

We question the character of God. We see how far we can get without getting caught.

God is not mocked, a man will reap what he sows. As in Genesis 1:11-12 if you are sowing into the world then of the world you will reap. When the world doesn’t work for you any longer what will?

We have many laws, the law of faith comes by hearing. The law of gravity is always present, it is a fixed law. The law of electricity allows you to use it safely if you respect it and not violate it. God’s word is spiritual law, you have to apply it properly. Jesus said I am the truth (the way, the truth and the life). Pilate asked about what truth was. He should have asked who is truth. The truth was standing in front of him and he failed to realize it.

Genesis 1:11

The seed is in itself, this truth is in front of you today, will you receive it? Or like Pilate will you fail to realize it? You can count the number of seeds in an apple but you cannot count the number of apples are in one seed.

Nehemiah 11:1-2

Tells the story of rebuilding the city of Jehu. The city wall has been built, but there was no one to live in the city. His solution was to draft families to live there. Note that 1 in 10 is a tithe. God selected 1 of every 10 men who were sacrificed and set apart for a specific purpose (His children pay the tithe). They were different than the rest. The rest will accomplish something, but they will not accomplish what the 10% will accomplish, to be chosen to dwell in His city. The same with our finances, God gives us 100%. It makes sense that 90% will accomplish some things, but not what the 10% does. What happens to Israel on a physical level happens to us on a spiritual level. They went willingly, they were not forced. We are living stones in His kingdom.

The Spoken Word

2 Timothy 3:16

Last week we saw that the word tells us that all scripture was inspired by God himself. How did He inspire them to write His word? It was with the spoken word. He spoke it by way of His spirit into the hearts of man just like He does today. I also shared with you that the word (Jesus) will not return void. Everything that God the Father spoke, like Jesus (His word did not return unto Him void) Before Jesus died He spoke, It is finished and so everything was done.

John 14:23-27

Jesus was telling His disciples that the word, that they were hearing was the word of the Father. How can the Holy Spirit bring all things into our remembrance, if we’ve never heard His word spoken? And this spoken to us by inspiration of His spirit.

1 John 2:27

The Holy Spirit (God’s anointing) will bring the word forth from out of your heart. Now is His spoken word the only thing that has power to work in our lives?

James 3:5-8,10

Remember that you have the power of life and death in your tongue. Your words do matter. You are anointed with God’s spirit and out of your mouth you are speaking blessings or cursings. The spirit world is controlled by the word of God. Who is the word? Jesus. Whose name is the greatest name? Jesus. Who has been given all authority over life and death? Jesus. So yes, your words do matter. The bible says that we are ensnared by the words of our own mouth. It also says that it is what comes out of our mouth that defiles us. Now that we have established that God’s word is the real spoken word. And we have the power in the words that we speak. How we should be careful of the words that we choose. The bible tells us that it is God’s word that will not return void. We need to know His word so that we can speak the word which has power to change our circumstances. When the word of God is spoken by man we need to listen for God to speak it to us in the spiritual realm. Our natural mind is controlled by speaking God’s word over it.

Mark 4:14-20

The word is sown by God. It depends on the condition of your ground and how it is received. Your ground is your heart. What is the condition of your heart? Well there is hope for you, this same word can be spoken to fill up your ground.

Exodus 11:19-20

The word of God will change our stoney hearts and give us a new and refreshed spirit so we can hear the word of the Lord.

Romans 10:17

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the spoken word of God. If we say the word of God doesn’t work for me, this is spiritual law, what ever you speak, negative or positive, will be for you. Negative words also come by hearing. We need to know and speak the spoken word of God to change us and the things in our lives. The word of God is the will of God! Do you want to walk in His will for your life? We need to know that there is a spiritual law at work.

Proverbs 18:21

Tells us that there is life or death in our tongues. The word will not happen just because it is His will for us. There are too many people who are still sick, broke and defeated in our world. We must speak His word to increase, to be healed, to have authority, to live, to bless, to encourage, to bind and to loose, to set at liberty. We need His word for everything!

Matthew 1:1-4

Man does not live by bread alone. If you are not feeding on His word your spirit man is dead. We need both the word and bread to live in this world.

Hebrews 11:1

God’s word produces faith for us to believe in what we can’t see. So our faith to believe in the impossible comes by hearing the spoken word from God. Get into the word because God is speaking!

The Word John 1:1

He is the word, He is alive, the word is alive. This is not just a book of scriptures.

Revelation 1:8

 Do you believe in God? Do you believe in Heaven and Hell? If you answered yes, then you must believe that this bible is the word of God. Some will say that man wrote this book. This is not true.

2 Timothy 3:16

Tells us that all scripture was inspired by God. So was the putting together of all of these scriptures to make the Bible because it is still the number one book sold in the world and it is translated into more languages than any other book written. If it were not the truth or if there were one single lie printed it would not be used by the spirit of God. Think about it, this book has literally changed the world. Think of the fruit of this one book. Think of the souls that have been saved. Think of the deliverances, and the broken bondages. Think of the marriages healed and all of the3 sufferings of sickness and disease. The word of God is responsible for all of this.

Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:16-21

The bible is also full of prophesies, some of which have already come to pass, and there are still more to come. Science has proven that there are over 300 prophecies about Jesus in the old testament. Now do you really think that a mere man could have written a book like this, with this kind of accuracy? No way! That is impossible with man but it is possible with God. The bible continues to prove itself everyday. If the bible says it then it came from a spoken word from God. The bible is alive. When Jesus read from the Torah that day a prophecy was fulfilled. There are no contradictions in the bible. Many scholars have tried to prove that there are and were unsuccessful. Who decided the books that were chosen to be put in the bible? It was God, of course. This is once again proof of His approval. When God imparted to those men which to choose, they picked the books by four principles to see if they were truly inspired. These men were Jewish scholars.

1. Was the author an apostle or in close connection to one?
2. Is the book being accepted by the body of Christ at large?
3. Did the book contain consistency of doctrine and orthodox teachings?
4. Did the book bear evidence of high moral and spiritual values that would reflect a work of the Holy Spirit?

 

1 John 5:7

The word was Jesus and the trinity is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 55:11

When Jesus (the word) was sent to the earth the Father said that He (the word) would not return unto Him void.

John 1:14

The word tells us that the word (Jesus) was made flesh and dwelt among us. The word has been here way before Jesus. He was in the beginning. The Holy Spirit used many authors in the old and new testaments to write the word of God. There is no contradiction and it is unified from the earliest writings to the latest ones. Perfect in every way. Here is another proof: in Isaiah 40:22 it declares that God sits on the circle of the earth, way before the earliest scientists thought that the earth was flat. There are many known truths in the word of God. Why wouldn’t there be? He is the creator, it’s His creation, His wisdom, His word. There is no other book that is perfect for you, for today and for every situation and every need. It was as good 4,000 years ago as it is today. It never gets old. It renews itself everyday in the hearts of His believers.

1 Timothy 3:16

He was the hidden truth.

Romans 10:17

Faith comes by hearing, by the spoken word of God. Why do we need the word? To increase our faith in Him. Also, to be able to discern between what voice we are hearing. Fear also comes by hearing the wrong voice. Without the word we are like Adam. With no word in us we can’t tell who is speaking. Adam did not have the knowledge of good and evil.

Oh How He Loves Us!

Isaiah 53:2-11

Nothing in this world has ever grieved God before, not ever, except man. Why? Because He loves man like nothing else. He was and is God, He has and can destroy His creation, He has done it before. But, “God so loved….He gave” The Lamb “of” God. We think people killed Jesus, but clearly we see He was God’s sacrifice that He be brought to the altar (v.10-11). Justice had to be satisfied. He is holy. Jesus told Pilate that He had no authority unless the father had given to Him. This was God, He raised and nurtured a spotless lamb to be His sacrificial offering to lay on the altar and be slaughtered for a propitiation for our sins/souls. Propitiation means: The appeasement of Divine wrath by a sacrificial offering. Sacrifice means: To kill or slaughter for a purpose. Jesus had a purpose and it was you. This word “of” (Lamb “of” God) means God h=gave himself to be slaughtered. The bible says, “No greater love hath a man than to lay down his life for his friends”. He is calling us friends because this is exactly what He did for us! Jesus’ righteousness by itself makes a fit companion and bride! Jesus gave us righteousness as a gift so the Father could enjoy his children. After all, He did create us for His pleasure, we did not create Him. Only God Himself could fulfill these requirements anyway. He created us to dwell with Him, for He has desired us. His desire is to give us His divine nature which is what He is and His love. (1 John 4:19) Blood is the only/sole penance for sin. When Jesus died He had legal rights to redeem us. He whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Tell the Devil, “Show me proof! Because I’ve got proof!” So you see, we cannot work for God’s love, or even work to love Him (1 John 4:10) we must know how He loves us first or we will never love Him (or others) rightly. You say how do I know? I just can’t receive it. Well that’s your choice. The word says is 1 Corinthians 14:1 to pursue love! That’s it. All we have to do is pursue God, for He is love (1 John 4:8).

Romans 10:17

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The word is God (John 1:1) and God is love, faith comes out of love. Ask and you shall receive. We must have faith He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. If we cry out to know Him, He will let us, He is ready. He’s been waiting for you. Read Revelation of love: 1 Corinthians 13:4-10,12-13 This is His love and this is what will happen to us when we realize it.

Why The Fire Revelation 3:14-22

In the letters to the seven churches it is mentioned “to him who overcomes”. This is the only letter in which Christ speaks “as I have overcame”. This is the last letter to the last church. Notice what Jesus said, “I advise thee to buy of Me gold refined in the fire.” He shares with them the reasons for their condition and He rebukes those whom He loves. If we will overcome the lukewarmness in our hearts then He will grant us to sit with Him in His Father’s throne.

Romans 12:1-3

We’re to think soberly. What is that? It means don’t become fools in taking your salvation for granted. Our mindsets need to be changed about almost everything that we have learned. We need to know what it really means to lay down your will and obey God’s will instead. It is the fire of God that purges us of the old leaven. When we ask for the fire it will come to burn out every work and thought that is not of God. Church, we need this. Think about it, can your life be better? Is there room for improvement? Of course there is.

2 Timothy 2:19-21

There are things in us all that need to change. Iniquity dishonors our vessels. The fire will burn it away. Jesus said buy of me gold tried in the fire.

Luke 3:15-17

Do you have an expectation in your hearts that there must be more? Are you ready to be cleansed in your mind of all the wrong thinking that we have expected? For our Lord to reap a harvest in us He first must burn away the chaff. I’m talking to people who want to change. They want real joy and real freedom. It will take the baptism of fire. It is not enough to just believe. We need purging of our minds.

Mark 9:49-50

The fire purifies and the salt preserves. As we sacrifice our wills to obey His this is bringing salt to our lives and salt will save.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15

We don’t have to wait for the fire. In the end the fire will burn up everything that is not spiritual. The revelation here is that it can destroy all the lusts of our flesh now. We don’t have to wait until the judgment. Freedom is through the fire of God.

Hebrews 12:29

Our God is and all consuming fire. This tells me that when we pray for the fire trouble will start, but freedom is coming. This is the gold tried by fire.

2 Peter 3:11-13

Fire will burn up all the other heavens. Could it be possible that the first heaven in which we live could burn before the coming of the Lord? Yes it is possible if we could grasp a hold of His word concerning His fire. What did He come to baptize his people with? Fire.

Luke 12:49-50

What shall it be if He would come and find the earth on fire already? This is speaking of a spiritual fire. V50 tells us that He was distressed until it was accomplished. Our love for Him could be so great if everyone would overcome with the fire of God. Think about every believer being hot for Jesus, what would happen? The fire would spread quickly, revival would break out, and a new generation would be born. Will you come for a new fire from God?

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