Today we are looking at Zechariah 9:12.

We will consider line by line this verse (but not in the order that it is written) and then put it all together at the end.

Captivated by hope
Prov. 13:11 says that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick”. Science confirms with studies that even animals that are robbed of hope die (mouse example). Hopelessness is rooted in past failures/hurt that we fear will repeat again. We grow disappointed when what we hope for does not come to past. However we often hope for that which is in the visible realm, health, wealth, happiness. Placing our expectation and that which is temporary.
In this passage, this beautiful expression is used: “prisoners or hope”. The Israelites were both literally and figuratively prisoners of hope. They were literally “slaves”, they were prisoners of the Persian Kingdom but were given permission to “rebuild” their nation. Hence they were literally prisoners but in the very land they were hoping for. This is a beautiful picture of our status: we are bound to this world temporarily yet we are at present already occupied with our heavenly kingdom (our hope).

In a more figurative sense we can use the word prisoner as captive.
Are we captivated by hope?
What are do hope for?
A spouse, a better job, a nice holiday, a better home or car? In 3 John 2, John writes, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers”. It is surely the desire of the Father that it will go well with us. However we should hope for something that does not perish.
Romans 5 speak of a hope that does not disappoint (verse 5: “Now hope does not disappoint”), a hope that causes us to rejoice, the hope of the Glory of God (verse 2: rejoice in hope of the glory of God).

The hope of the glory of God does not disappoint. The most glorious hope, what we should be hoping for primarily is:

“To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossian 1:27)

His presence in us, our most glorious hope.
He is what we hope for. He in us. It is time to believe that He is in us. We struggle to believe this. When we look into the mirror we do not see Jesus. We therefore try to attain to His presence in many ways: we pray harder, we labour more. On good days, when our self righteousness peaks, we think we deserve His presence, we deserve His power and Him operating through us. On a “Bad-God-Day” that does not seem to be so much the case.
However when we receive this mysterious truth (that He is in us period) we will be free to be more like him, for He is in us. His presence in us is our most glorious hope.
Haggai 2:7 says that “He is the desire of all Nations”
Hebrew 6:19 states: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil”

Stronghold
In the same passage the word Stronghold is used. This refers to a fortress a place of refuge. In Israel God made provision for cities of refuge, places where people accused of crime they did not commit or did unintentionally could run to and be safe.
Isaiah 45:22 says: “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”
We look to Jesus our refuge and stronghold. We look to His presence for safety Psalm 91: 1-2: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
In Joshua 2 we read the story of a woman called Rahab. She hid 2 Jewish spies and asked protection in return. Her trust and hope was in the God of Israel (Joshua 2:9-11). She was told to stay in her home (that was on the city wall) and if she hung a rope (interestingly the Hebrew word for rope and hope is the same) on her window then her house will not be destroyed and anyone under her roof would be safe.
So it was, she placed her hope in the God of Israel, she remained in the “stronghold”, her place of protection, and she was saved. The magnitude of her salvation in astounding. For when the city wall of Jericho came down, her home stood!

I will restore double unto you
The story of Rahab does not end with her rescue. She so desired the God of Israel that she remained with them, married a Jew and became the mother of Boaz, great-grandfather of David. We find her again in Matthew 1 in the dynasty of Jesus. Rehab was a prostitute, however she desired God, and he restored her to womanhood, her own name engraved in the line of Jesus. Wow!

Even Today
This promise is not for another time, it is for now

We can now look at the scripture and deliver our main point:

Zechariah 9:12
Return to the stronghold,
You prisoners of hope.
Even today I declare
That I will restore double to you.

Return
Isaiah 30:15: “ For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”

We need to return to His presence, we need to truly get that His presence is our hope.

We need to make his presence our home and return there, like Samuel:
“But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there. There he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the Lord.” (1 Samuel 7:17)

John 14: 19-23
A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”

If we return to Him, not only in word but in deed, if we listen and obey, then he will make is home in us. His stronghold, his presence in us.

We need to return daily, we need to settle in our hearts this one thing: His presence is our Hope.

In John 20 we read a wonderful example of a radical worshipper. Mary discovered hope and life in His presence, and when He was gone she figured that something is better than nothing and returned to what was left of Him. This is the type of worshipper that needs no band or proxy or lights to worship. She does not need an anointed worship leader, she desires Him more than anything else.

She went to His tomb after the Sabbath to be as close as she could possibly be to her Saviour. And so she went to his tomb, she “returned” to him and she discovered Him alive. She was the first to see alive!

Do you want to see Christ manifest? (John 20:21)
Do you want Jesus and the father to made home in you? (John 20:23)
Return to Him. Return to him daily, don’t let the care of this life keep you from Him. Our greatest hope lies in “Abiding in Him” (John 15:4).
His presence is our Hope.

Possible questions for the LG:
Do we consider His presence our true home?
Do we “go home” regularly?
Are we running low on hope?

This is our third meeting this year, and so we have already started on a journey together.
I want to briefly bring those who have only been able to join us this morning onto the same page – the good news is, that there is no major directional change just because we’ve had to replace our old calendars with new ones.
Thus the journey is not new – we are continuing on the path which God has called us onto, but there will be new experiences, challenges, adventures and victories in Him!

On the first of January, we looked at personal discipleship – basically stewarding ourselves well into the year ahead.
We wanted to make it clear that this sermon was not intended to become 10 steps to personal fulfillment, nor a set of spiritual new years’ resolutions, so we followed it up with a one point sermon – being found in the presence of God!
*We do believe that this is absolutely critical for our journey ahead – to be found in the presence of God and to move with Him!
I believe that this is key to fulfilling our purpose and calling in God, firstly being positioned in Him, having our identity in Him and therefore finding our call and purpose in Him.

*We do believe that it is only action that flows out of obedience to the stirring of the Spirit of God, that actually brings about lasting fruit.
The very well known portion of scripture in John 15 comes to mind, but before we read it; I think it is important to realize that these words of Jesus carry much weight.
Obviously every single word of Jesus is weighty – yet I believe that these words are spoken in bold print, especially when we remind ourselves of the timing thereof.
We should always read scripture in context and in this case, the chronological timing is of utmost importance.
Jesus is speaking during the last supper together with His disciples; He has already washed their feet and Judas has already left the gathering to go and betray Jesus; now in this setting, of Jesus surrounded by 11 of His disciples only, no crowds around, no-one begging to be healed or fed, and just an hour or so before Jesus will be arrested, He speaks – this portion forms part of His final, parting instructions to them:

“Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.” (vs 4-8)

As world systems crumble around us, we realize yet again that we cannot superimpose our own ways and wisdom on the spiritual world, expecting lasting fruitfulness.
As we stand at the beginning of a year, we are sometimes painfully aware of the futility of quick-fixes – the 30 day diet, the 10 steps to happiness, the better marriage in just 3 weeks, and the new you before lunch time!
*All around us, we are becoming aware of a new hunger within believers – men and women who long for more than a weekly or even daily experience in the Spirit.
At risk of sounding pragmatic: we want something real and something that lasts!
The wonderful news is that Jesus said: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” (Jn.15:16a)
And from this portion of scripture it is clear that the key is to remain in Him – for the branches to remain in the vine.

Now we have all heard this before – especially since I have said it before!
*However, the fact that one has heard a truth before, does not diminish that truth!
Especially, when we know that in the past we have all been guilty of coming into the presence of God for a moment, or even for regular moments (every morning perhaps), or for a period, or even for a season, only to get on with our lives, our schedules and our responsibilities in our own strength again.
My point is not that we want to merely enjoy the presence of the Spirit of God, while forsaking that which we are called to, by perpetually basking in the glow of His presence.
My point is that it is in the presence of God, we find Him (fairly obviously), and we find out who we are in Him (identity/position) and what we are called to by Him (calling/purpose), and how to go about it changed, empowered and led by His grace (obedient action) and develop the character to enjoy sustained fruitfulness while giving the glory to Him (fruit/prosperity)!
The presence of God is therefore not simply something to be sought before we take off and face the day, nor is it only for full time ministers who have the time to sit and meditate on God while the world continues on its merry way.
Thus, it is not a perfume which is applied early morning, fading as the day continues, nor is it for spiritual gurus stuck in a lotus position all day long!

Let’s illustrate what I mean by briefly looking at two scriptures from Exodus:
Ex.13:21-22 reads as follows: “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.”
There is a sense of them being covered and surrounded by the presence of God all the time, not just while they were in prayer, or singing songs of worship, but also while they were simply “getting on with everyday life”, even while sleeping.
In fact, the presence of God pretty much determined the nature of and the course of “everyday life” – when the cloud/presence moved, they moved, when it hovered/ rested/stayed, so did they!

However Ex.33:7-9 reads as follows: “Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses.”
This is a very different picture – because of the sin of the people, God no longer dwelled among them, but would meet with them outside the camp, at a special place of meeting.
It is a picture of them “getting on with life” on their own, and from time to time as they felt the need to, they could pop into the tent of meeting to come into the presence of God!
Sometimes our spiritual lives resemble something of this “tent of meeting picture” – where we come into the presence of God on a Sunday and then set off again into “life out there”.
I realize that theologically, we as believers carry something of the presence of God within us, and so theoretically, we are in His presence all the time; but I also know that a lot of decisions and choices made by believers daily, are not inspired by the Holy Spirit!

*This is what I want us to focus on – developing that intimacy and closeness of relationship with God constantly, open spiritual eyes and ears, to not only be aware of a tent of meeting out there, but to be led by the cloud; continuously!
I want to develop such a close walk with the Spirit, that His continued presence also determines my thoughts and actions – His presence must lead to my obedience.
It is only in such a place of obedient action where we find fruitfulness – lasting fruit!
This in itself represents a journey – it is not something that we will cover in a morning.
*There is such a danger that this can be seen as step one – coming into the presence of God, step two being “obedience” and step three “living a fruitful life”!
I want to live a fruitful, meaningful, impactful life, and I am sure you do as well.
But if we, even subconsciously, see the Presence of God as a first step to an end goal, we are missing it – we are heading for a “tent of meeting experience” yet again – “let’s get into God’s presence and then move on to the next step en route to fruitfulness and prosperity”.
I never want us to move on, I never want us to leave first base in order to get to second base – I want us to live and move and have our being under the cloud; so that when God leads us on from first to second base, we will still be under the cloud when we get there!
We remain in the vine, by remaining under the cloud!

I want to illustrate something of what I mean by briefly looking at king David:

While warrior David is a favourite of most young boys; king David is remembered more for his heart after God, than for his military exploits.
It was his worshipful heart that set him apart in the eyes of God, while still in obscurity, long before the fame of any military campaign, or before being crowned king, for that matter.
To understand the uniqueness of David, we need to contextualize, and remember that in his day, fear of God and worship of God, basically entailed animal sacrifice.
The entire system of worship of God in Israel, was based on the sacrificial blood of rams and bulls constantly flowing to make atonement for the sins of the individuals, and of the nation as a whole.
For example, listen to Jer.10:10: “But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God, the eternal King. When He is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure His wrath. (NIV)
10 But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.” (RSV)
This was the picture of the God of the Old Covenant – a God who was constantly aware of the sin of mankind and had to be appeased by constant sacrifice, lest His anger and wrath boiled over – so man approached God cautiously, sacrifice in hand.
Yet amidst this sacrificial system, which at best provided a temporary stay of execution, or suspended sentence, since your sin immediately started to pile up again, David realized that a sacrifice of praise from the heart, a sacrifice of deep calling to deep, would be much more acceptable to God.
His revelation led him beyond the letter of the law, to a true understanding of the actual heart of God – a relational God of love, of intimacy and of fellowship.

David had a heart that yearned for the presence of God and he worshiped his God by pouring out songs of praise and delight to Him while nobody was looking!
*David was found to be a man after God’s heart, not because of what he did when surrounded by thousands on the battle fields, but because of who he was when surrounded by nobody at all!
It was not how he led an army of multitudes that distinguished him, but how he led the army of one, that made him a man after God’s own heart!
When nobody was looking, David poured out his heart before his God in prayer and worship while tending sheep – the sacrifice of a surrendered heart!
Our true nature and agenda is most often revealed when no-one is around – when we pursue God and His presence motivated by nothing other than wanting to know Him!
While David was alone with God, strengthened by the presence of God – he learned an incredible lesson – to depend on God.
When there is nobody to turn to or to run to, you have to turn to God in faith and to act with courage!
*When the lion and the bear came to kill his father’s sheep – David learned some lessons: that being in the presence of God does not mean that the world pushes pause and does not throw stuff at you; that being in the presence of God does not mean that you can ignore the realities of life and just keep plucking away at your harp; and that when it is only you and God, you can only depend on God for your victory!

These were huge lessons and it didn’t go unnoticed – he knew that God was with him and that acting in obedience to the stirring of the Spirit of God within him, would guarantee his success.
(Have you perhaps gone through times of testing and character forming, without being able to identify, and thus learn the lesson? Even failure can be turned into success, if we learn from it!)

In chapter 16 of 1 Samuel, David is called in from the fields to a huge meal at home, where the prophet of God awaits him, to anoint him as king over Israel – a young man, a boy in fact, anointed to reign over God’s nation.
His youth is confirmed in the next chapter, when he is brought before the current king, Saul, to whom he declares that he would go out to fight against Goliath, because Goliath had defied the army and the God of Israel!
Saul answered:”You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”
It is now that David draws from his faith and his testimony of being alone with God:
“But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.” (1 Sam.17:34-37)

I think we’ll all agree that this was the ideal opportunity for a “tent of meeting” moment – “Let me just quickly pop over to the tent of meeting to hear what God has to say, before I commit to this one!”
But David comes from a place of living in God’s presence, under the cloud, so to speak, of searching for the heart of God by pouring out worship and praise in an unprecedented way, of searching out and knowing the heart of God and of experiencing the favour of God, when acting in courageous obedience to Him!

We know the rest of the story: David kills Goliath, he becomes an instant hero of the entire Israeli army, he becomes a favourite with the king, Saul, he becomes best friends with the prince, Jonathan, and to top it all off – he marries the princess, Michal!

Now that’s a happy ending if we’ve ever heard one, but does this represent fruit that will last?
Perhaps not, but this in itself does not represent the full story of David, this is but one episode in a series.
The true significance of David’s life is only evident when we review his entire legacy.
It would have been great if he had only written the psalms, or established an unprecedented form of worship in Israel, or designed the temple, or brought Israel into its golden age, uniting Israel and Judah, but he had found such favour with God, that he was chosen as the forerunner of the Messiah!
Throughout history and eternity, Jesus would come from the line of David, be called the son of David, and the One who sits on David’s throne!

All of this, while we know that there are some of the episodes of David’s life, which carry a higher age restriction, less violence, but more nudity!
This should inspire us even more; to realize that if a man who was a sinner and who lived hundreds of years before the blood of Jesus was shed for that sin, could live in such an incredible place of fellowship and favour with God, then how much more can we?
How much more should we who are believers and are covered by the blood of Jesus, which not only makes atonement for our sins, but takes it away, be able to come into the presence of God and live from such a place of fellowship and favour?

The same John who recorded the vine and the fruit for us, then wrote the following in Revelation: “And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” (5:9-10)

This is the call from within the cloud.
We are the generation to live in this revelation – that the blood of Jesus was not shed only to save us from our sin and to open a way to be reconciled to our God and Father, but to restore us to a relationship of intimacy with our God in which we partner with Him to bring His rule and reign into our daily realities.
A generation who lives with this motto perpetually in their hearts and on their lips:
“As it is in heaven so let it be on the earth.”

Let us be the generation who does not only come to a tent of meeting, not even on a regular basis, but rather, who constantly lives under the cloud of His presence.

Everyone of us wants to live a life of impact, and wants to know that we are living a life of purpose, having value and adding value.
Nobody merely wants to exist, nor do we simply want to be support actors of no significance in someone else’s play.
We want to plough ourselves into that which goes beyond our time and space, that which will last for all eternity.
I like this quote from the movie “The Gladiator”: “What we do in life; echoes into eternity!”
*The truth is however, that it is only what flows out of life in the presence of the Spirit of God, that will last and will therefore echo into eternity.

Paul writes this to the church in Corinth: “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.” (1 Cor.3:10-14)

The question is so often asked: “How do I know what I am called to?”
The answer is found in God – in the presence of God.
If we want to know what the purpose of an object is, then we find it not in the creation, but in the inventor/designer.
Likewise, we find our purpose, our calling in the presence of our Creator.
Being found in the presence of God, is the first step to finding and fulfilling our call, in order to live a significant life; for in Him, we find identity and purpose!
But there is much more in the presence of God than finding our calling!

Many wonderful things have happened to people, who have stumbled into the presence of Jesus over the ages:

1) On one occasion a lady was going to draw water at a well, while contemplating how she was going to make her latest relationship work.
They were not married yet, as she had a number of unsuccessful marriages behind her, and wasn’t too sure about this relationship either.
And as it was a new day and a new year, she was preparing a list of resolutions, of ways to do things differently, better – hopefully.
Suddenly, however, she bumped into Jesus at the well – He asked her for a drink of water.
We find this story in John chapter 4.
Before she knew it, she was telling everyone in her village of this incredible meeting she had with Jesus – “Could He be the Messiah?”
Before long, the entire village came out to meet Jesus; and that day they found salvation in Him, saying:
“We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world.” (Jn.4:42)
In the presence of Jesus there is incredible transforming power – the one moment an unsaved adulterer, the next an evangelist who leads her village to the presence of Christ and to salvation!

2) For the less than honest tax collector from Jericho, there was an equally interesting meeting with Jesus:
It would have been business as usual that day in Jericho, but then Jesus came by on His way to Jerusalem.
Suddenly a rather large group of people were crowding around Jesus, much to our short tax collector’s irritation.
He was a rich man and held an important position in the city, a man of influence – not the type that normally had to push through a crowd to get somewhere.
But on that day nobody seemed to show him much respect or fear, or paid any attention to him what-so-ever, as he tried to push his way through, to get a glimpse of Jesus.
Eventually he had to run ahead of the crowds and even had to climb up a tree to see Jesus – and then Jesus saw Him!
“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today”, Jesus said to him, in Lk.19:5.
Then we read that Zacchaeus not only welcomed Jesus as his guest, but came to an immediate understanding of his own sinfulness and repented: “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” (Lk.19:8)
When we come into the presence of Jesus, our sinful hearts is shown up by His holiness.
Repentance and restitution of wrongs flowed out of this meeting with Jesus.
There is a change in us when we come into the presence of Jesus.
A change that brings us to our knees in repentance before God, but also has to bring restitution to those whom we have wronged.
I cannot repent before the Lord for the way in which I have treated my wife, but not apologise to her, and change my behaviour towards her!
I cannot repent of a dishonest business deal, but keep the extra profit.
I cannot repent of adultery, but keep on living together.
Repentance does not make excuses for my sinfulness, it deals with it!
Repentance is a positive thing – it is the hammer that smashes the wall of sin which separates me from God!

3) When we come into the presence of Jesus, our reality is often checked:
Luke tells the story of a rich young ruler that came to Jesus to ask what, if anything, might be lacking in his life to inherit eternal life.
Unfortunately he did not realize that God looks at the heart.
He seemed to have everything going for him: he was wealthy, he was in a position of power and authority, he was a religious man – obeying the law, but he was not ready for what he found when he came into the presence of Jesus.
Jesus saw his heart.
Jesus saw the object of his greatest affection and of his true delight; and it was money – money and what money could buy.
This was the reality of this young man’s desire – he desired to know how he could have eternal life, without the cost.
“How can I add the Kingdom of heaven to my life without it costing me anything, without having to make any adjustments, without changing the object of my delight and affection?”
“How can I add this last little aspect to my already perfect existence?”
This was his true question, and the answer saddened him, for Jesus saw his heart and revealed it to the young man himself:
“You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Lk.18:22)
He found reality and truth in the presence of Jesus, but it wasn’t what he was looking for, and he went away disappointed.

4) She first noticed him, near the city gate, on the day her family moved to Jerusalem. In fact, he came over and spoke to her, while her father was meeting with the elders at the Fountain Gate.
She was overwhelmed by so many things that morning, leaning against the rough stones in the wall as she peered into the vast city – she had never seen so many people, or heard so much noise…then she felt a hand on her shoulder; it was him!
She dropped her eyes to the ground and shyly answered his questions about where they were from, about her father, her family and about her age.
He seemed friendly and as he turned away, he smiled and pressed a coin into her hand.
Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, is this what the city is like? Filled with people and sounds and spices – so much life everywhere!
She had almost forgotten all about the friendly and generous man she had met that day; until she saw him in the market weeks later – his laughter could be heard from a distance as he threw a young boy up in the air and caught him again in his outstretched arms!
She smiled and stared at him for a moment, but as she turned away, his eyes caught hers and putting the boy down, he rushed over to her.
He remembered!
He spoke gently to her and laughed a lot, then suddenly they were interrupted – the little boy was tugging at his robe “Abba, abba!”
He picked him up and they disappeared into the crowd.
She regularly went to the market and found herself searching through the faces to see him, but weeks passed.
At the widow’s stall she collected the olive-oil, but before she could pay for it, a hand reached over her shoulder and dropped the two drachma coin into the outstretched hand.
The widow glared at someone behind her; as she turned, he laughed and grabbed her hand!
It was him, and he came for her!
She followed him through the crowded market, her hand in his – running down a narrow street, he suddenly stopped, opened a door, and pulled her inside.
He placed her jar of oil on the floor, and then come and stood very close to her, he removed her veil, and then kissed her on the mouth, her eyes closed and her heart leaped!
He took her by the hand and led her to a bedroom…
Moments later she heard shouting as armed men burst through the door, he jumped out of the window and left her there – naked, bleeding.
They dragged her into the street, passing the market, where the widow pointed at her and spat on the ground, as they continued to drag her down towards the temple.

Jn.8:2-11: “At dawn He (Jesus) appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around Him, and He sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger. When they kept on questioning him, He straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
In the presence of Jesus, she found forgiveness, she found acceptance, she found dignity and she found restoration.

5) He waited for nightfall – having already taken off his Pharisaic robes, he hoped that the darkness would further protect his identity.
Finding Jesus was one thing, but securing a private meeting with this Rabbi without it coming to the ears of the Sanhedrin, was quite another.
He had so many questions, only once before had he been so confused and alarmed by anyone’s teaching, but that was almost twenty years ago.
He remembered it well, for it was just after the Passover.
He often wondered what ever happened to that boy – the one who had amazed them with his questions and the wisdom in his answers, in the temple courts that day.
How he would have loved to teach and shape that young mind – he showed such incredible insight into the things of God.
Unfortunately nobody could find him after his parents came to fetch him from the temple that day. (Lk.2:41-49)
But tonight he was not the teacher, he was the student, filled with so many questions and desperately hoping that this Jesus would have some answers.
He did not want a lecture, or knowledge, that, he could get anywhere.
Tonight he wanted to be set free from different opinions and from speculation; he had to feel it in his spirit – tonight he wanted truth!
Nicodemus was not disappointed that night!
Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (Jn.3:3, 16-17)
In the presence of Jesus, Nicodemus found answers, he found truth, he found light and he found his spirit responding to every word of Jesus, as he found salvation.
In that night, he even found the boy from the temple, of those many years before – all in the presence of Jesus!

Coming into the presence of God does different things to different people:
Many, like the disciples, have found their calling in the presence of God.
Many, many others have found physical healing in the Lord’s presence.
Those who were possessed, were set free and even the dead were raised, when Jesus was present.
The little children found love, acceptance and a Kingdom awaiting them.
Millions upon millions have since found salvation, hope and a purpose-filled future, in the presence and person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus read form Isaiah concerning Himself:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Lk.4:18-19)

This is what Jesus is still doing to this day.
These are the things that still take place as we come into His presence.
This year, I want to be found in the presence of Jesus.
My life, my future is in only one place – in the presence of Jesus.
I invite you and I implore you to follow us on this same journey:
The woman at the well found – new life and calling, fresh living water.
Zacchaeus – repentance and restoration.
The rich young man – had his reality checked, values and agendas exposed.
An adulterous lady – found forgiveness and restoration.
Nicodemus – found answers, truth and life!

But above all they found Jesus!
They found the author, the healer, the spring of living water, the one who removes sin, the one who gives and sustains abundant life.
I want all of these things, but above all, I just want Him – Jesus!

In Lk.9:23 Jesus said: “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
So, I have to ask myself: “What do I do with this – how do I do this?”
I actually sat down and took pen and paper, writing notes to myself on how I hope to make adjustments to my everyday living to embrace what I believe – turning values into reality.
I obviously came up with 10 points, which I will share with you, but which comes with one huge warning:
These are not to be turned into a legalistic formula – ten ticks to heaven! Nor are they a set of spiritual New Year’s resolutions!
At best these are 10 helpful and practical pointers, never to become the New Ten Commandments, because if we turn them into that, it will once again bring death, and no life or joy, or intimacy of relationship will flow from it!

I ask myself: “Today, have I:
Connected with God in Prayer?”
The reality is that it is not possible to have any relationship without communication.
And since Christianity is a relationship and not a religion, the same is true for our relationship with God – it cannot remain healthy, unless we communicate regularly and effectively.
This is why I ask whether I have connected with God in prayer today, and not simply “Did I pray?”, or even worse “Did I say a prayer?!”
Have we connected, have we touched down, have we made contact, do I feel that I have had a meaningful encounter with the God of heaven and earth?
This does not refer to those brief prayers throughout the day – when we pray for protection over our children as we drop them off at school, or for wisdom before enter a meeting – it refers to deep calling to deep, to the reality of intimacy with God through the presence of the Holy Spirit in my prayer time.
Knowing that I can live the day intentionally and with impact; not merely face the day, because I am tuned into a heavenly frequency.

Found God in the Scriptures?”
There is probably no more basic spiritual advice than to “read your Bible and pray every day”.
This is definitely what Paul would have referred to as “milk” – absolute Christian basics, but without these foundational values, we cannot dream of starting to build.
Truth does not change, scripture does not change, the gospel does not change, because God does not change, God is truth – His word is truth and this is primarily where His will for us is to be found.
Again, it’s not just about reading the word of God every day (this is why “daily readers” are often dangerous and unhelpful), but it’s about finding God, His will, His ways, His nature, His plans, purposes and desires for me personally in the verses of what I read.
I ask myself “So what?” after I have read something – meaning:
“So what has to change, so how does this impact me, so what did I learn from this, so how do I apply this, so where to from here?
Because, un-applied revelation turns into religion!
James 1:22 “ Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
Finding God in the Scriptures means to find life in Scripture, to find truth, to find answers – to find God and to know Him!

Encouraged a fellow believer?”
This is a good “habit” to develop – making it priority to phone, visit, or sms a fellow believer to encourage them, use face-book effectively.
If you don’t have friends, take the membership list and phone someone on there to encourage them.
It would be great not to simply phone to chat, but to wait on God before you phone and then to be able to share a scripture or encouragement from God, and even to pray together over the phone.
I do not refer to forwarding a religious e-mail with Helen Steiner-Rice scented wording and little doves in the top left corner and a promise of a blessing if I do not break the chain – by the way; I always break the chain!
I do refer to waiting on God to receive something specific and real with which to encourage one another, and I am speaking to the men too, this is not a girlie thing, or a leadership thing only.
Eph.5:19a says: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.”
Col.3:16 says “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

Testified to the goodness and glory of the Lord?”
Personally, this does not come naturally for me – it should, but it doesn’t.
I tend to be so used to the goodness of God, His grace, mercy, favour and forgiveness in my life, that I almost do not see and recognise it, unless I stop and purposefully take note of it – and it’s a skande!
“Lord make me aware of your protection, your care and your provision, but also of your power, your glory and your majesty, so that I can testify thereof in a real way.”
I want to develop a spiritual awareness – seeing the unseen, hearing the inaudible, taking note of the reality of the spiritual realm and its influence in my life every day – acknowledging and testifying to God’s goodness daily – in a real and genuine manner.

Practically lived out the love and mercy of God?”
James 2:14-17 “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Again it is a question of awareness, of taking note of the realities of our personal worlds, and the worlds beyond which we sometimes conveniently turn a blind eye to.
How can I live out my faith, how can I show the love of God?
Do I love God in a way that will move me to inconvenience, beyond my comfort zones – not by works, but in obedience to His voice?
Can I do this quietly and anonymously, just because God loves them.
What is my agenda, what is in my heart?
Yes we should testify to the goodness and glory of God, yes we should evangelise and throw out the net, but sometimes we should show the kindness and the love and the mercy of God for no other reason than that it is oozing out of us.

Led myself well?”
I once heard the illustration of a boomerang – basically that each decision and choice that we make is like a boomerang thrown into the blue yonder, and at some future stage it will return.
The question is: What does it bring with it as it returns?
Successful people today, are living in yesterday’s and yesteryear’s decisions and choices – taking the easy road today will bite me later!
Have I been self-disciplined today in sowing for a future harvest in the different areas of my life – e.g. physically, relationally/socially, financially, spiritually and emotionally?

Built my marriage?”
These next 2 points are definitely part of the previous point, but are important enough to deserve separate mentioning.
Realize now that once the kids leave the house, all you will have left is your spouse and SABC 2&3!
I love my children very much, but I do not want to spend my latter years waiting for them to come to visit me and to bring some enjoyment to my life – I’d much rather be chasing Tanya around the house with my walker!
I realize that we cannot take our spouses to a candle-lit dinner every week or spoil her with expensive gifts every day, but I can surely be loving and kind in my words and attitude.
I can definitely make some tea or coffee, or run a bath, or feed the dogs, or take out the rubbish.
I can make some sandwiches and a flask of coffee for a picnic at the river, or even stretch myself to attend the ballet or a classical music performance.
I have learned that gifts of perfume, chilly chocolate or a favourite magazine outweigh shampoo, yellow dish washing gloves or even a brand new set of tyres!
1 Pet.3:7 “Husbands…be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”

Positively engaged with my children?”
We need to be aware that the world in which they have to find and live out their values, is radically different from the one we grew up in.
But, although the weapons have changed, the targets have stayed the same: the world still wants their time, their affection, their innocence, their virginity, their allegiance.
I cannot afford not to know what is going on in the minds and lives of my children.
This is one of those areas in which I have to learn to sharpen my sword in times of peace, to communicate and to ask the questions.
I have to keep building my individual relationship with each of my children daily – this is one area where crisis management never avoids the crisis, but merely attempts to minimize the damage and that simply is not good enough!
*My children form my investment into the future of this planet and the salvation thereof; they are my best shot at advancing the Kingdom after my death.

Stood up for the truth?”
Did I make use of any opportunity to actively (not aggressively) verbalize Biblical values and truth?
I’m not talking about senseless debates about Daniel’s visions, but about real issues of marriage and divorce, of financial integrity, of punctuality after lunch breaks, of seeing my work as worship.
Very often we are surrounded by many opinions, yet the Biblical truth is lacking.
It is our responsibility to share and to stand for the truth of the Word of God in a non-compromising, yet non-aggressive way.
“All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim.3:16)

Lived and enjoyed life?”
Have I deliberately made the choice to receive and enjoy the gift of life today?
Did I live this day in a forgiving way; did I choose to extend grace and not to be offended – also in traffic!
Did I choose to believe the best about people and not to be critical, cynical or judgemental?
Did I live in such a way that I am not left with regrets or guilt?
Did I live this day as a celebration of the provision and glory of God?
Did I bring hope and courage; did I inspire people; did I bring laughter and joy?
Did I live this day in a way that impacted others; do they hope to see me again soon, or to do business with me again?
Did I live today in a way that will allow me to sleep well and to wake up excited and expectant?

Paying attention to these things daily has the power to completely transform us.
It’s not about the 10 points, but is about an awareness, about paying attention to detail, about living intentionally, about giving ourselves to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, as we journey into 2012.

Luke 2:1-20
Different passages of scripture, stir different emotional responses within us and this description of the events surrounding the birth of Christ, is synonymous with Christmas time!
Without fail, this portion always excites me, always fills me with joy and even overwhelms me with emotion:
Jesus is born in a stable, in Bethlehem, fulfilling age old prophecies;
He is surrounded by Mary and Joseph and the shepherds from the area;
there is a special star hanging above the stable, bringing a peaceful glow;
wise men carrying gifts, are en route from the East, to find and worship the newly born Jesus – gentiles, worshiping the Messiah right from birth;
and angels are singing, as all heaven announces and celebrates this greatest of events!

This is our Christmas card picture of the events, and of the Christmas Jesus.
A wonderful picture that instantly takes us back to our childhood:
The smell of the Christmas tree and the special meal on either Christmas eve, or Christmas day; lots of laughter and excitement; fun with cousins that you haven’t seen since last Christmas, or even the year before that; a huge big Christmas bed on the lounge floor to accommodate everyone’s children; and a little more of everything:
more people in the house than usual;
much more noise and chatter than usual;
mom has more patience than usual;
uncle Nick’s nose is a little redder than usual;
and I get more pudding than usual!

Our scripture reading and picture of baby Jesus, fits in well with this setting:
A time of the year when most people are on leave;
we, here in the Southern Hemisphere, enjoy good summer weather;
the house is strewn with Christmas cards from family, coconut-smelling suncream bottles and rolls of wrapping paper;
most people are surrounded by family and friends, children, grand-children and other loved ones – generally it is a time of peace and goodwill.

It’s a beautiful, traditional picture of the Christmas Jesus and of our childhood memories:
“Away in a manger, no crib for a bed. The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head. The stars in the bright sky, looked down where He lay. The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.”

But soon we grow beyond our childhood years and then one fateful day, we discover a Santa suit in a drawer in mom and dad’s bedroom.
Unlike Narnia, this discovery does not lead to a magical world, but somehow brings a fantasy world to a close.
Soon more harsh realities of life begin to follow:
Holidays make way for hard work;
good health is often displaced by sickness, as youth bends the knee to old age;
family and friends may disappear into a mist of rejection and divorce;
cash, and eventually even credit may run out in an ongoing recession;
and peace and good will can change into war and evil in a single political declaration.

This is why I need more than the Christmas Jesus!
I need a Jesus that can cope with these things, these realities, with this life I have to live!
I need a Jesus that outlasts the festive season, and the Christmas lights decorating our streets and the batteries in the new toys.

I need more than baby Jesus!
I need a Jesus that will still be there in February when my marriage goes through a rough season;
I want a Jesus who will still be there in May when my business faces stormy seas;
I need a Jesus who will still be there in August when the bank wants to auction off my house;
I want a Jesus who will still be there in November when my mother/father passes away, while my children battle through year-end exams.

We all need a Jesus that outlasts Christmas day!
The world desperately needs a Jesus that can outlast this festive season!

It is wonderful to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and it is great to have childhood memories and family traditions around Christmas – but there is so much more to Jesus than these events surrounding His physical birth!
There is so much more to enjoy and to celebrate than “Gentle Jesus meek and mild”, there is so much more to Christianity than Christmas day!
Jesus came to earth for a reason, a reason that definitely outlasts this season!

Although we do celebrate the birth of Jesus today, we also celebrate His life today!
Jesus was born to live a perfect life – a perfect example to follow.
Jesus had to be taught and He had to learn the normal things of life – He was trained in carpentry and masonry – He worked with wood and stone.
He lost his father, Joseph, at a young age – most say at around 13 years old – and grew up without him;
at no stage do we read anything about a life of wealth, or luxury or glamour;
He was tempted by satan just as we are;
Jesus had to face and cope with every situation that we might encounter, and He did it perfectly!

We celebrate His birth today, but we also celebrate His crucifixion, because I need more than a Jesus who lived a perfect life – I need a Jesus who died a perfect death!
1 Tim.1:15 reads: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.”
I need a Jesus that can cope and deal with my sin and my sinful nature, and in John 1:29, John the Baptist points to Jesus and says: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
I need a Jesus who has paid the full price for my sins, once and for all.
I need a Jesus who rescues me from hell and reconciles me to His Father in heaven.
This is exactly what Jesus did for me on the Cross!

We celebrate Jesus’ birth today, but we also celebrate His resurrection:
See, I need a Jesus who did not only die for me, but who also conquered the grave and rose again – who is alive and well!
A Jesus who displayed His power and victory over both sin and death; a Jesus who removes the fear and the anguish from death, and destroys its power.
This is exactly what Jesus did for you and me when He rose again!
This is why Paul wrote: “”Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor.15:54-57)

We celebrate the birth of Jesus today, but we also celebrate His ascension:
because I need a Jesus whose sacrifice of death on a Cross for the sins of mankind was accepted by a holy Father in heaven.
I need a Jesus who is seated at the right hand of the Father – His work completed.
This is exactly what Jesus is doing right now – interceding for us before His Father!
“For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” God said to Him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’” Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant, because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself.” (Heb. 7:17-27)

We celebrate the birth of Jesus today, but we also celebrate the promise of His return:
Because I need a Jesus with all power, victory and authority.
I need a Jesus who will return to destroy satan, sin, death, disease, unrighteousness, and every kind of evil for ever!
I need a Jesus who will return to rule with all power, majesty and authority, glory and splendour!
“I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to His feet and with a golden sash around His chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. Then He placed His right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” (Rev.1:12-18)

This is why we celebrate the birth of Jesus today – because in doing so, we celebrate hope for the future!
We do not merely celebrate a historic, physical birth – but we also celebrate a heroic physical return!

It is wonderful to get together like this and to celebrate Christmas together, but we all need more to celebrate than just the birth of Jesus – we need all of Jesus before we can celebrate!

In Ex. 12 when the passover lamb was introduced as a prophetic forerunner of the Christ, Israel was ordered to eat the whole lamb.
In fact vs 9 specifically mentions “head, legs and inner parts” – not just the choice parts, not just the Sunday roast, or the loin chops, but the whole lamb!
Likewise in Luke 2 vs 11 we have read: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.”
Jesus Christ is both Saviour and Lord – if He is not my Lord, the one who rules in my life, then sadly, then He is not my Saviour either – He is either all or nothing!
The apostle Peter explained it in these words: “ “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” – this is for us! (Acts 2:36-39)

In order to celebrate all of Jesus, we need to give our all to Jesus – eat the whole lamb; receive the whole Jesus; give Him your whole life!

Because this Jesus whose birth we celebrate today, will outlast Christmas day, He will return and He will reign and rule for all eternity!

Compare life to a race (Watching Comrades)
Some people are very obsessed when it comes to winning, I played a lot of sports and the thrill of competition
Why are people obsessed with winning (Feels good to win, Fear of failure, affirmation, popularity, power)

Statement – Life itself is a competition (1 Cor 9:24)

1 Cor 9 : 24 – 27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Life is a competition with ourselves
Effective ministry is a competition with Satan for souls of non-believers (2 Tim 2)
2 Tim 2 : 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.

2 Tim 2 : 25-26 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Story of the Friend in school who was a Mormon
Competition for the minds of the Christian (2 Cor 10)
2 Cor 10 : 2-5 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Statement – We are going to be talking about Competition, Warfare, Victory and Defeat, and we will be using the book of Joshua

Joshua 1:1-9 – Keys to develop this framework for victory…. (READ)

The framework for victory centres around God alone.

1. Patiently wait to get your mission from God. V.1-2

Joshua 1:1 “After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.’”

Moses is dead, we need to understand the depth of that statement….

*now your mission Joshua is to take these people into the land that I have promised them
*this mission for Joshua was a long time coming

a. It took 430 years from the Abrahamic covenant until the giving of the law. (Gods time is not our time, God makes promises to us, but we need to rely on God timing)

b. It took 40 years for Joshua to get his marching orders from God – now during these 40 years Joshua was Moses’ aide, and everything Joshua learned and experienced set him up to be in a place in which he is ready for the task.

Virgin Active Strategic Product Launch Story

We were told we were not there yet, but if it was not for the hard work we have put in we would not have been here right now, so everything is a step by step process

Now this took a few weeks to complete, but not 40 years….. Joshua had to wait 40 years to start his mission

Statement – Everybody has a personal mission from God
We might not always know it but God is revealing day by day, piece by piece, season by season his plans and purposes for our lives

So what do we do today ??? – Martin Luther Story of the Trees

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

We do what we are called to do in this phase of your life…..

Are you doing what God called you to do today ?

2. Confidently stand on the promises of God. V.3-5

“I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

We have no clue what that meant to Joshua !!

Exodus 33:10-12 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.

Joshua wanted to be as close as possible to this, he watched and overheard this, and had a yearning for the same relationship with God as Moses had…..

What are some promises to us……..

a. The promise of His presence (Matthew 28:20)
“Surely I am with you always even to the end of the age.”
We have received a better deal than Moses (2 Cor 3) – We are the temple of the Holy Spirit

2 Cor 3:13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplatet the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

No matter what we are going through God is there

b. The promise of His power (Acts 1:8)
“You will receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you….”

c. The promise of His provision (Philippians 4:19)
“My God will meet all your needs according to the Glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
If we had to give kids everything they wanted, imagine how they would look……..

d. The promise of His perspective (James 1:5) AKA Wisdom
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to
all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

3. Purposely find your power source in God. V.6,7

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.”

a. Be strong. – We need to rest in God and allow Him to be strong for us
b. Be courageous. – God wants us to have a courage standpoint in Life….Internal
c. Be careful. – To Obey everything God has Called us to do…..

4. Constantly orient your mind around God. V.8,9

“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day
and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you
will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and
courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your
God will be with you wherever you go.”

a. Memorize God’s Word. (They did not have pocket bibles)
b. Meditate on God’s Word. (Thinking deeply about it, we surround ourselves with a lot of noise)
c. Obey God’s Word. (we don’t just think about it, we DO it)

WE WANT VICTORY – Joshua gives us a roadmap for Victory

Ultimate Victory was given through Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for our sins on the Cross

Want Ultimate Victory – Trust in Jesus

To download the notes click here

Inspiration: 1 Thessalonians 2 vs. 6b-12

My story:
a beautiful wife and 3 beautiful daughters
it’s a girl
God knows when it’s my birthday
sign of the promise

Why does it all go wrong?
every parent actually wants to be a good parent
‘who are you and what have you done with my child?’
puzzle
most humbling challenge
God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called
it takes a village to raise a child

Where have we come from in our parenting? What is shaping the way that we parent?
Fear-based parenting: = this breeds insecurity etc
Performance-based parenting: = our culture is obsessed with perfection, success and measuring success = wealth, beauty, power and fame = comparison, competition and performance = in church we even have spiritual performance = sets us up for failure
‘Whatever’ parenting = rebels against the way we were raised
The way we were parented has shaped the way we view God = expand
We unfortunately still all parent in one or a combination of these 3 ways

Personal prayer = cannot do this on my own = ‘raise your kids with grace’

Look at the way the Father fathers us
God doesn’t father us with fear = 2 Tim 1 vs.7 + 1 John 4 vs.18
God doesn’t father us based on our performance = if He did, He would have written us off long ago = God loves us just as we are = nothing we do can make Him love us more/less = unconditional love and acceptance
God doesn’t give up on us and leave us to our own devices = He pursues us with His love, He gives us life and hope and a future = Jeremiah 29 vs.11
How do you think God father’s us? = God father’s us through grace. He says these are the boundaries and there will be consequences to the choices you make within these parameters. God says: ‘I require first-time obedience. If you mess up, which you will, I will still love you and I will help you and show you how to do things better’. Grace brings freedom, it doesn’t give us permission to go and destroy ourselves. Grace opens the door to relationship and the unconditional love of the Father.
But the key to the way God father’s us is that He is more concerned about the condition of our hearts than about our performance, good or bad, than about our wealth, our success, our looks etc
Man looks at the outside but God looks at the heart. Ezekiel 36 vs.26: ‘I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh’. God fathers our hearts by transforming our hearts to know Him, to love Him and to follow His ways.

Parenting with grace = raising our kids the way God raises us = key is fathering the heart, not fathering for performance. Parenting with grace makes us more concerned about the condition of the hearts of our children as they grow up than about how well they do at school or in sport. It makes us want to be hands-on deliberate coaches of the hearts of our children. It makes us want to spend time with them to get to know their hearts, to know their fears and their strengths, their dreams and abilities – not so that we can push them to perform better, but to see what our children have in their hearts that will glorify God and to teach them that what they do is for His glory. Parenting with grace raises kids who are open to a loving and gracious Heavenly Father.

What then is the ultimate aim of a father? The goal of a father is to disciple the heart of his children to love God and to love others

When someone asked Jesus to name the greatest commandment, he replied that all the Law and the Prophets could be summed up in one statement: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength; and love your neighbor as yourself’ Mark 12 vs. 30-31

God created us to enter into a relationship of love and worship with him. He made us to bring him honour and glory. He created us to depend on him for everything. Nothing else can ever satisfy our hearts!

The best thing we can do for our children is to help them to grow up knowing and loving God and loving other people. Unfortunately our culture lures us – and our children – to focus on our own needs and happiness. Even the church can get overly focussed on what God does for us. But the gospel tells us that we find ourselves when we lose ourselves in loving God – it’s not all about us. Parenting with grace makes us look for opportunities for our kids to learn to serve others so that they realise that this life is not all about them.

Qualities of a truly great heart:
Humble heart
Greatful heart
Generous heart
Servants heart

Fear and intimidation will get results, but they will never transform the hearts of our children. We need to get into the hearts of our children and build a foundation of love, trust, honesty and hope in order to become their coach of a lifetime. It is our work as fathers and as parents to transform the hearts of our children to become adults who love God and who love others. May we encourage, comfort and urge our kids to live lives worthy of God, who calls them into His Kingdom and glory!
Love God, Love people, Love life!

“Let your eyes light up when your children are around. Laugh more. Tell them how empty and quiet it is when they’re not there. Enjoy the things they bring to your life. Attend their activities, not as if they were compulsory for parents, but throw yourself into their lives.”

–Valerie Bell, Getting Out of your Kids’ Faces and into Their Hearts