Sunday Re Cap (25th Jan 2009)

The Spirit Of Adoption Sets Us Free From FEAR! Part II (cont from 31st Dec)

Don't stay OUT, Go IN!

Why is the Holy Spirit emphasizing so much on sonship?

• Because FAVOR is for SONS! This is the year of GREAT Favor and only as SONS can we enter into GREAT FAVOR.
• There is one level of authority for the believer BUT another level for the SONS.
  

What are some of the things in our lives that prevent us from fully entering into sonship? We see some of it here in the older brother in the story of the prodigal son.

Luke 15:28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.

The older son was angry-emotions that prevented him from entering into sonship. Anger is a very strong emotion.

1. A few things we need to know about ANGER:
a) No one can make us angry, we allow ourselves to do it.
b) “ANGER IS A DISTRACTION.
c) An incorrect perception of the Father and an incorrect perception about ourselves.

d) It is a spirit of intimidation borne out of slave mentality.

2. How do we overcome?
a) NOT BY ANGER MANAGEMENT!
b) Not by trying to deal with it. It only the symptoms of something deeper.
c) Not even trying to help ourselves or others by “good advice”.

3. See the heart of the Father. He comes out and pleads with us!
a) It is about the Father's love for us.
b) Our Father's desire is that we will go in. How? Through the great finished work and sacrifice of His SON!
c) It is not our job to plead. The Father pleads through the Holy Spirit.
d) It was the son's OWN perception that prevented him from entering in.. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Father is PLEADING!
e) Notice he does not even tell him to repent and get his heart right first! Notice how he “tore up” the prodigal son's confession!

4. Anger came about because of the spirit of slavery, religion, works! “these many years I have served you (douleuō: slave)”
a) Trying to impress the Father with our own efforts.
b) Trying to gain a blessing, favor through our own works (make merry, a young goat).

5. RELIGION IS OUTSIDE! GRACE (unmerited, undeserved and unearned favor) IS INSIDE! Don't stay OUT, Go IN!

6. The spirit of bondage to fear is SLAVE Mentality. The Spirit off Adoption is Son Mentality. It's so important that we adopt the son mentality as we go into the NEW YEAR!

7. (The Father says) “all that I have is yours”: We have received righteousness, holiness, healing, fruitfulness, forgiveness when Jesus became the perfect sacrifice and died on the cross for us.(Rom 8: 16-17)

SLAVES STAY OUT AND GO ON MURMURING, COMPLAINING AND GRUMBLING. SONS WILL ENTER IN WITH THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE!

Psa 100:4-5 Enter INTO his gates with thanksgiving, and INTO his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. (5) For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Sunday Re Cap (18th Jan 2009)

WE ARE SONS!

Rom 8:12-17

Here is one of the most famous and beloved accounts of Paul to the Romans. He explains to them the importance of living in the Spirit as opposed to living by the flesh with reference to the new life that is available to us as Christians as a result of being believers of Christ. However around the beginning of the 2nd third of the chapter, Paul suddenly introduces a new word or concept as we may call it that brings in an entirely new dimension for the readers. That word is “Sonship”.

In verse 12, Paul is speaking about living by the flesh and living by the Spirit which is referring to living by the law (the commandments) which accuses our flesh day and night and condemns us; and living by the Spirit of life in Christ which sets us free from ALL condemnation.

In V14, Paul starts this whole new chapter in the believer's life. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God these are the sons of God.

• We are called to not just to live a new covenant life and receive the promises of Abraham by faith (Gal 3:13-14) but we are called to be sons!
• To be spirit led is not just being believers, it is to be sons!
• But we say, “we still have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We can either continue to look at this scripture as slaves and WORK or we can really look at this scripture as sons and WORK OUT...
  

Php 2:12-13 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; (13) for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Paul is saying work it OUT! Not work it IN. From the truth that we know from the inside out and not the other way around. God is at work IN us both to will and do His own good pleasure; not ours. A spirit led live leads to us to an true understanding of who we really are as sons.
For as as many are led by the Spirit of God; this gives us a description of those who are increasingly being led. We start as sons. Who teaches us and patterns us increasingly as sons? The Holy Spirit. Be patient when we fall and don't behave like sons. We are not there yet but are a work in progress. Be patient with ourselves and one another.

It does not mean that if we fail or fall, we are not sons. Just because we fall down and injure ourselves, does not mean our DNA has changed! We are still sons.

Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out,"Abba, Father."

There is a key that is found in this verse and it's so simple that we may find it hard to believe; but not so hard for sons! How? We cry ABBA Father. ABBA is THE MOST intimate term we can use to call God. When we fall, we call ABBA, When we are sick, ABBA, financial distress, ABBA; under accusation ABBA; when we feel hopeless and like failures, ABBA, when we cannot understand, ABBA.

We are privileged to call HIM, ABBA FATHER, because we are Sons!

Ps Samuel Hari

Sunday Re Cap (11th Jan 2009)

The Year Of Great Favor-Living Radically II

Isa 60:1-2 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. (2) For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Introduction

As we begin the New Year, we want to move on in the New Things that God has prepared for us. We need to desire to move into the next level of grace and anointing over our lives. We cannot carry on as we have done in the past. The old ways of thinking and the old ways of doing things. Something must change within us. It cannot be business as usual anymore. We need to begin to arise and shine. How do we ARISE & SHINE?

Chap 59:19-21 gives us the keys:

Isa 59:19-21 19 So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. 20 "The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," Says the Lord. 21 "As for Me," says the Lord, "this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants," says the Lord, "from this time and forevermore." NKJV

The LORD lays out a foundation for us to ARISE & SHINE.

1. Remember HIS Covenant. Many times, the prophets speak about the New Covenant in the OT. See Jer 31:31-34; Heb 8:6-13 (See PPT).

2. Cultivate our walk with HIS SPIRIT

3. A commitment to HIS WORD.

4. Don't let the WORD depart from our mouth. JOSH 1:8

5. Teach it to our children and our children's children (grandchildren).

It is a common temptation of Satan to make us give up the reading of the Word and prayer when our enjoyment is gone; as if it were of no use to read the Scriptures when we do not enjoy them, and as if it were no use to pray when we have no spirit of prayer. The truth is that in order to enjoy the Word, we ought to continue to read it, and the way to obtain a spirit of prayer is to continue praying. The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray.

George Muller

Sunday Re Cap (4th Jan 2009)

The Year Of Great Favor-Part I

Isa 60:1-2 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. (2) For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

To fully understand this scripture, we need to read the preceding verses in chap 59:19-21

Isa 59:19-21 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. (20) And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. (21) As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

Introduction
As we begin the New Year, we want to move on in the New Things that God has prepared for us. We need to desire to move into the next level of grace and anointing over our lives. We cannot carry on as we have done in the past. The old ways of thinking and the old ways of doing things. Something must change within us. It cannot be business as usual anymore. We need to begin to arise and shine. How?

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

The LORD gives us several keys as to how we can arise.

1.For thy light has come:
We believe that to arise we need to change our whole believe system. God's light is not on the way. The light has come. What is that light? It's the revelation of who God is; it's a revelation of His word through the inward working of the Holy Spirit. The Lord is awaiting inside of us, waiting to arise and shine. Many of us can feel it but we are held back by our understanding, pride, fear, reputation. Jesus says:

1.Mat 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (15) Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. (16) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Eph 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Let that light that is within us which is the revelation of our LORD Jesus and His Word by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, that changed lifestyle that glorifies God, arise this year! We can receive this as a revelation as sons of God of simply keep it as good information as slaves. The key way is to approach the New Year as sons. Let's ask the Holy Spirit to give us a full revelation of what it means to be sons.

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.