Recently the Chinese Service in The Hope of the Glory Centre has been experiencing the tangible presence of God in a very real and powerful way so much so that even yet believers who were in the service experienced God. Last Sunday 4 of them accepted The Lord as their Lord and Saviour. Why? They shared that they find that God is so real. One find herself swaying automatically and had a wonderful feeling. Another could not stand the holy presence and went to the toilet to vomit. He too accepted the Lord. And this was just during worship time before any message was shared. The Lord's glory was touching them and they gave their lives to HIM!
The way into His glory is to PRAISE AND WORSHIP HIM!
The way into His glory is to focus on HIM AND HIS GLORY!
When we sing to HIM about HIS GOODNESS, HIS MERCY, HIS GRACE, HIS TRUTH AND HIS HOLINESS - HE COMES!
When we worship JESUS - JESUS COMES!
And He did come and He touched lives and saved lives.
AND WHENEVER WE WORSHIP HIM - HE WILL COME AND GLORIFY HIMSELF IN OUR MIDST!
(Rev 4:8 NKJV) The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!"
(Rev 4:9 NKJV) Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
(Rev 4:10 NKJV) the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
(Rev 4:11 NKJV) "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A Jealous God?
Yes! God is a Jealous God!
He has the only kind of jealousy that is holy and righteous.
(Exo 20:3 NKJV) "You shall have no other gods before Me.
(Exo 20:4 NKJV) "You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
(Exo 20:5 NKJV) you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
(Exo 20:6 NKJV) but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
What does it mean that God is a jealous God?
We can explain this in human relationships where man is made in the image of God.
Son of a Father
A son has a father who borne him, loved him, nurtured him and gave his all to him. If his son goes out and calls another man "Father" something is terribly wrong. Either he has gone crazy or he has been deceived.
If he goes out and calls a tree "Father" or a stone "Father" he must be sick or something. This will invoke the jealousy of the father of the son. He will seek to restore him.
In a similar way there is only ONE GOD, THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, THE CREATOR OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH, THE ONE WHO MADE MAN IN HIS IMAGE, LOVED MAN AND BLESSED MAN.
If human beings worship an image of an animal or anything, instead of worshipping GOD HIMSELF- something is very wrong with them. It will invoke the jealousy of God.
Wife of a Man
A wife has a husband who loves her and gives her his love and affection, care and blessings.
If his wife goes out and calls another man "my husband" or an image "my husband" something is terribly wrong. It will certainly invoke the jealousy of her husband who loves her and married her.
An idol in our lives will invoke the jealousy of God.
What is an idol?
An idol is anything that takes the rightful place of God in our lives.
An idol is anything that takes the ultimate importance in our lives that belongs to God alone.
So an idol can be the love for money, for pleasures, for success. It can be our children that has become more importnat than God; or our business; or our girlfriend. It can be anything or anyone that we trust in more than God Himself.
James speaks of the sin of spiritual adultery that God's people has committed.
When God's people become a friend of the world he has become an enemy of God.
(Jas 4:4 NKJV) Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.(Jas 4:5 NKJV) Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"?
The Holy Spirit loves us and yearns jealously for us. However when we ignore Him, neglect times of fellowship with Him, grieve Him or quench Him; we invoke His jealousy.
Last Sunday - the Lord spoke through a sister and He asked us a question.
"WHO AM I TO YOU?"
It is a very soul searching question.
His jealousy must have somehow been invoked becausE of the way we have treated HIM.
I pray you and I will take time to consider HIS QUESTION TO US.
My son, my daughter, "WHO AM I TO YOU?"
Let us not make Him jealous.
How are we treating HIM?
Let us not love or fear other things or people more than HIM.
Only HE deserves the NUMBER 1 place in our hearts!
Let's love HIM WITH ALL OUR HEARTS!
OUR LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, WONDERFUL SAVIOUR AND MASTER AND KING IS A JEALOUS GOD!
He has the only kind of jealousy that is holy and righteous.
(Exo 20:3 NKJV) "You shall have no other gods before Me.
(Exo 20:4 NKJV) "You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
(Exo 20:5 NKJV) you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
(Exo 20:6 NKJV) but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
What does it mean that God is a jealous God?
We can explain this in human relationships where man is made in the image of God.
Son of a Father
A son has a father who borne him, loved him, nurtured him and gave his all to him. If his son goes out and calls another man "Father" something is terribly wrong. Either he has gone crazy or he has been deceived.
If he goes out and calls a tree "Father" or a stone "Father" he must be sick or something. This will invoke the jealousy of the father of the son. He will seek to restore him.
In a similar way there is only ONE GOD, THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, THE CREATOR OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH, THE ONE WHO MADE MAN IN HIS IMAGE, LOVED MAN AND BLESSED MAN.
If human beings worship an image of an animal or anything, instead of worshipping GOD HIMSELF- something is very wrong with them. It will invoke the jealousy of God.
Wife of a Man
A wife has a husband who loves her and gives her his love and affection, care and blessings.
If his wife goes out and calls another man "my husband" or an image "my husband" something is terribly wrong. It will certainly invoke the jealousy of her husband who loves her and married her.
An idol in our lives will invoke the jealousy of God.
What is an idol?
An idol is anything that takes the rightful place of God in our lives.
An idol is anything that takes the ultimate importance in our lives that belongs to God alone.
So an idol can be the love for money, for pleasures, for success. It can be our children that has become more importnat than God; or our business; or our girlfriend. It can be anything or anyone that we trust in more than God Himself.
James speaks of the sin of spiritual adultery that God's people has committed.
When God's people become a friend of the world he has become an enemy of God.
(Jas 4:4 NKJV) Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.(Jas 4:5 NKJV) Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"?
The Holy Spirit loves us and yearns jealously for us. However when we ignore Him, neglect times of fellowship with Him, grieve Him or quench Him; we invoke His jealousy.
Last Sunday - the Lord spoke through a sister and He asked us a question.
"WHO AM I TO YOU?"
It is a very soul searching question.
His jealousy must have somehow been invoked becausE of the way we have treated HIM.
I pray you and I will take time to consider HIS QUESTION TO US.
My son, my daughter, "WHO AM I TO YOU?"
Let us not make Him jealous.
How are we treating HIM?
Let us not love or fear other things or people more than HIM.
Only HE deserves the NUMBER 1 place in our hearts!
Let's love HIM WITH ALL OUR HEARTS!
OUR LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, WONDERFUL SAVIOUR AND MASTER AND KING IS A JEALOUS GOD!
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