What you gonna do
Notes
Transcript
What you gonna do
What you gonna do
Morning last week in Light in the darkness, the Church at work series.
I just want us to start with 2 questions. One is the title of my preach today
1. What you gonna do?
2. What do you want?
Over the weeks we have heard how the Church Global are being light & how the Church Local are being light by carrying on the work that Jesus started without compromise, loving on people.
As a Church we do a lot to help people, we really do, but we could do more, unfortunately there are those who at the moment we cannot help, not in the properties we have at the moment, we need some different ones with different housing options..
the plan is to be somewhere where the light is on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I think it’s a possibility, i know it’s needed & so it needs to move from dream to reality, but how?
Prayer is first & secondly
It needs the Church to stand, that’s you & me, to stand means to put yourself in the way
Ezekiel 22:30 (ESV)
And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me.
God wants a people to repair the walls, repair the ancient ruins, make them strong, stable & secure. Use the good mortar not build with untempered mortar.
The problem isn’t that God doesn’t want such people or that He hasn’t called them. The problem is that God seeks but finds none, have you made yourself availabl?
Some don’t have the character or wisdom. Some don’t have a real relationship with God to build such strength, stability or security for others. Some unfortunately do not have the time or will not give the time to God, there too busy.
Thier own needs stop them from doing anything significant for God & yet God calls us all closer & in calling us closer calls us to do something, anything.
He will make it significant.
He calls us to stand in the gap. Will you?
We need Men & Women in this Church to stand in the Gap.
To stand in the gap, means being prepared to bring your strength that is given by God to bear in prayer here on a Tuesday, unless you are working there should be able to be at least 1 person from each family here to pray. 7PM start, if you finish work at that time come late but come. If you start work that night at 9pm come at 7pm after prayer ill feed you before you go to work but be here.
Come stand in the gap for your family, come stand in the gap for this Town, your street, your work colleagues, your neighbours.
Maybe even pray with us at 7am on Thursday mornings.
Standing in the gap means being ready to hold someones hand through a difficult moment, be a listening ear, Offer kind words, wise words. take someone to an appointment, be there for someone.
Maybe, no deffinitely put your hand in your pocket & give to God what is Gods. It’s time to be the people of God that he has called us to be, not just pay lip service but put our whole self self in.
Genesis 1:1-5 in
God created everything & it was covered in darkness, what did God say, Genesis 1:3-4
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
But people couldn’t or wouldn’t see it, they enjoyed & now enjoy the darkness because thier lives & sin is hidden, most dodgy stuff is done under cover of darkness & they do not like the light.
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
People think that darkness is winning, but as i said a few weeks ago we just need to uncover the light that is in us, we are not overcome, so do not give up. Those who are faint of heart or who lack strength because you are relying on your own. Jesus said in John 8:12
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Stop trying to find your own way, follow Jesus, trust Jesus, He shines bright enough for all of us. John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Nothing can overcome it.
“But i don’t see the light around me”.
Maybe you need to change your attitude from negative to possitive.
Psalm 126 read.
Would you have been like those who dream, mouth filled with laughter or would you be like Elijah when he had just see 450 prphets of baal defeated. Prophets chanting, cutting themselves, crying, dancing But more importantly no fire. Elijah gets the people to drench the offering so that there is water running everywhere. God boom, fire falls & consumes everthing even the dirt. “sieze the prophets, let none escape”.
What a victory, people are going mad, killing the false prophets at the brook Kidron.
Then we get to the next chapter verses 5-13. Ahab runs to tell his wife the queen. Jezebel what Elijah has just done. Jezebel sends a message to Elijah, saying “by tomorrow you will be dead”.
Elijah runs for his life & ends up in the wilderness & asks God to let him die.
Elijah was so focused on the negative that he couldn’t see the great victory that he had just been part of.
Even when you have been handed the win, maybe you’ve had to pay a price for the win, but it’s a win. Do you celebrate or bemoan the cost? God did’nt do that.
Maybe it’s time to get an attitude of gratitude & let the light out.
you don’t see the light around you because you are clothed with negativity, maybe it’s time to take of the grave clothes when you died to sin, stop counting what you lost & start celebrating ht you have gained, put on the party clothes of victory.
It wasn’t your’e life & death that paid the price, it was Jesus.
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
Jesus is the light, He has come, paid the price, set us free & placed the light inside of you.
You just need to let it shine.
Prayer.
Communion