When we gather together in His name we should come expecting the breath of God (Holy Spirit) not only to call us together but to give us new life. The promise of His presence is the reward for when we gather of His name.When the presence of Jesus is there everything is possible and available!
Enjoy the video!
Sermon Notes: https://www.heartofgraceministries.com/blog/after-the-fact/two-three-agree/#.VcZc6XFVhHw
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
“gathered together” – a meeting
Gathering in His name is the one activity that the church must never allow to get old, stale, dry, dead or worn out. He IS the purpose for gathering together: it’s all about him. Jesus is the reason, the focus, the gathering center, the audience of significance.
When we gather together in His name we should come expecting the breath of God (holy spirit) not only to call us together but to give us new life. The promise of His presence is the reward for when we gather of His name.When the presence of Jesus is there everything is possible and available.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
“in my name” – an agenda
The presence of Jesus is promised; however we must come with an agenda that is “in His name”. Our agenda must be to lessen of ourselves (which is filled with doubt, discouragement and unbelief) and begin to surrender what puts our faith in question to God. As we lessen our hindrances we begin to open up the potential for the impossible to become possible.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
“I am in the midst of them” – a presence
God’s presence is a concentration of the essence of God – his glory. The Hebrew word for “glory” is chabod, meaning God’s honor, God’s renown, God’s majesty, God’s glory, and God’s visible splendor. It filled Solomon’s temple and will one day fill all of the earth when it is poured out.
11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.
Learn more about how much that God loves us and use it to encourage yourself to keep going.
Enjoy the video!
Sermon Notes: https://www.heartofgraceministries.com/blog/after-the-fact/gods-love/
God loves us so much that He loved us even before we realized who He was
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
God loves us so much that even when we are on the fence about trusting in His love that He continues to love us while we decide
4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
God loves us so much that once we are Christians and we stumble that He gives us another chance rather than giving up on us.
27 He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;
28 He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
29 Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,
30 To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.
God loves us enough that even when we suffer that it is never more than we could stand.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
God loves us enough that while we are on earth that we have everything that we need in order to sustain a happy and Godly life. Materially, physically, literally, mentally and spiritually.
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
God loves us enough that irregardless of what we have done prior to this moment that if we come to him and ask forgiveness of our mistakes and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that by accepting Christ as Lord of our life that we can be forgiven from our past and have a eternal future in Heaven.
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
– Not only forgiveness and freedom of our past is rewarded but we also receive power by the Holy Spirit to have a present authority to write a new chapter of a bright and marvelous future!
John 11:34-45
[34] And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
[35] Jesus wept.
[36] Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
[37] And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
[38] Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
[39] Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
[40] Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
[41] Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
[42] And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
[43] And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
[44] And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
[45] Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
34-35 – Jesus was concerned and wept because He loved him, just like that same love is representative to His love for us
36-38 – All the reasons in the world to give up, yet Jesus pressed on into God’s will, even in the face of death and the voices of doubt around him.
39 – When Jesus came to the stone being rolled away, He was standing in the very presence of death.
40 – By saying this, something amazing was about to happen!
41-42 – Jesus speaks out to God and gives glory for understanding what is about to come to pass.
43 – What a boldness, what a power, and what a miracle!
44 – Death (or as we know as sin) tried to prevail once more by what Lazarus was bound to: graveclothes (justification for sin) and a napkin (the belief that one cannot change and they are finished). By the power of Christ sin had no hold and that which was dead came alive! This miracle was a prophetic word of the future sufferings Christ would endure for you and I!
Death! Turn loose and never have a grip again!
John 12:2-9
[2] There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
[3] Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
[4] Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,
[5] Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
[6] This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
[7] Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
[8] For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
[9] Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.
2- Lazarus stayed with Christ, leaning on Him in this time of coming from present death and danger.
9 – and oh how the enemy is bold enough to attempt to put the same death (temptation) on Lazarus; thus being the same way we are tempted to fall into our old ways. But through Jesus Christ’s command and as we know through the word of God, we were made free and can stay free through Him.
[1] O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
[2] Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
[3] For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
[4] In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
[5] The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
[6] O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
[7] For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
[8] Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
“I just praise the Lord that He is so great. He’s greater than what our eyes can see. He’s greater than what our minds can comprehend. You know, He knows all. He’s created all things. He knows the inside and outside. He sees us and who we are. He knows the bad things about us. He knows the intentions of our mind and our heart, and I praise His name that He still loves us. He still loves us. I don’t care what situation you’re in; He is worthy of our praise. If you are alive and you are breathing and you are here, He deserves to hear from you. I praise Him for all that He’s done in my life. He’s a very good God.”
1 John 2:15-25
[15] Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
[16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
[17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
[18] Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
[19] They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
[20] But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
[21] I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
[22] Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
[23] Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
[24] Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
[25] And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
We are getting into a state of worldliness: this comes with no passion, a feeling of being undedicated and without desire, or being lukewarm and half-hearted in our actions towards God.
Psalm 100:1-2
[1] Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
[2] Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
We express our love for God in service in the big and small things that glorify God!
Psalm 145:11-12
[11] They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
[12] To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
Testimonies stir up and recall better views of God’s glory, especially when we cannot see it where we are. A view of mountains at home versus a view of oceans, according to where you are, the value differs.
Psalm 147:1-7
[1] Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
[2] The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
[3] He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
[4] He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
[5] Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
[6] The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
[7] Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
Praises soothe the part of you that is exposed and stricken to the world and lovers and humbles you to where we need to be! You can praise with all members in different ways: spoken words, lifted hands, moment or stance, writing, knelt or lowered prayer, running, jumping, dancing, shouting, or singing. The list goes on and on. Praises are ways that you express that something is good to you and good for you and God is all of the above.
Luke 6:37-38
[37] Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
[38] Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Benevolence is one of the ways that we are seeing to start dry up as the characteristics dominate in the church of worldly conduct. As God gives, selfless and in love for a closer fellowship, we should give also in kind; so that God be lifted up and people drawn to Him.
Luke 9:23-24
[23] And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
[24] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
Self-denial is the one part that is totally forsaken at times and truly reflects our state of discouragement, defeat, trust and faith. Because with Christ you can only win!
Philippians 4:6-7
[6] Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
[7] And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Prayer is the one thing that through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we have the ability to overcome all things! It literally will remove the worldly garment off of us!
John 16:32 – Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
John 14:18 – I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
There was a time in my life when I was praying for God to help me when I did not have many friends. After having a breakthrough prayer I began to realize the bigger picture God was trying to get me to see: When we are in a place where we do not have the presence of others (physically or mentally) to give us encouragement, you can find comfort and spiritual fulfillment through the Holy Ghost, even in spite of the absence of others.
One of the best examples to study this concept is when you read about David in one of the worst moments of his life. He and his victorious army returned to a destroyed city. Ziklag was in ruin; everyone as he knew it was pitting against him, blaming him as the sole culprit of the massive loss of their families and homes while they were away in battle. Bear in mind he also lost everything and was forsaken by everyone yet David still found strength through his trust in God to encourage himself. God will be closer than a brother! To know this promise of God helps with everything that you will ever need even when others cannot be there for you. Life may take you many places, but God will always go with you, whether other people will choose to be for or against you. Never forget that!
The next time that you feel sad, do not make an attempt to reach out to others immediately. Create an environment set apart that will promote your communication to God. Begin to seek God in prayer and pray for a breakthrough over these lowly feelings and enter into victory by the spirit! Learn to get past the hindrances of always feeling like we have to communicate every issue to everyone through in-person/online mediums. If you never allow situations to occur so you can encourage yourself through God’s spirit then when the time comes that you need encouragement from others you may be let down.
Philippians 2:11-13
[11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
[12] Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
[13] For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Matthew 7:1-2
[1] Judge not, that ye be not judged.
[2] For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
I have thought of a million ways to approach this topic, but I can only speak from my heart and tell you how I feel led to say what I am about to say. There were a lot of times in my own life where I felt like that people looked at me and condemned me before they ever knew me. Sure my lifestyle wasn’t the best at the time, and perhaps they may have been right. One thing that was not present though was a single person coming to me out of love to see if I needed help. They just assumed I was heading for destruction and did not want any part of helping me. Looking back on that now, it breaks my heart at the thought that out of all of my peers, no one really went above and beyond to show that true love of God. I did not say that to start ranting and raving about how no one cares anymore. I know that there are people that care about me, but sometimes me believing to myself that they do isn’t enough.
Where do we come in as Christians in all of this? As always, we need to apply ourselves in the word of God. If we begin to think about certain instances of the bible, there were several instances of people being upset about others receiving love while they thought they didn’t deserve the blessing they got. The story of the prodigal son showed that the brother that had been with his father the whole time was not pleased with the way that his father welcomed his other brother back after all he had done. The story of Zacchaeus also shows the people around him being upset that Christ chose to go to his house.
And as I think in the days we live in, I see this kind of attitude rise up every day in people that are supposed to be servants of the Lord. We live in a society where there is a system in place that judges people daily and gives them a sentence of how they must be punished for their actions. We as people of God work by a different system. We were not placed here to be the judge of anyone (Matthew 7:1-2). Everyone has their own price to pay for what they have done. How can we cast out others when we were first cast out? People will not think what you have inside of you is real unless love is wrapped all around it. Be that person that goes to someone in trouble and invites them to come to church, to pray, anything that would lead them to God!
People have to accept and admit that their lifestyle may be wrong in the eyes of God. As it says above, we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. I can’t make someone live the way I want them to, this is something that God reveals to each individual about what needs to change. But we as a people who put on the mind of Christ that needs to love people beyond recognition. So what am I saying today? I am saying that we need to put our gavels down, and open up our hands to lead people to have a better life through Christ. Remember this the next time you walk into a conversation where someone is making fun of someone else. Instead of joining them, say something positive through faith. Be the one that cares. Be the one that looks beyond their mistakes, for that is what God has done for you!
I’ll end this with a scripture; it says it better than I can:
Luke 6:35-38
[35] But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
[36] Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
[37] Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
[38] Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
