Date:March 29, 2003
Church:Church On The Move
Time:7:00 PM
Title:For the Sake of the Gospel
Speaker:Pastor Willie George
Notes:
1Co 9:19-23
(19) For though I be free from all [men], yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
(20) And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
(21) To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
(22) To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all [men], that I might by all means save some.
(23) And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with [you].
We do not see things the way God sees them, God sees them for the Gospel's sake.
1Sa 13:14
(14) But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him [to be] captain over his people, because thou hast not kept [that] which the LORD commanded thee.
Saul had been trying to make things work using old methods. God says that the methods will change, but the message will not. What worked years ago (tent meetings and brush arbour meetings, etc.), will not work today.
1Sa 16:1-6
(1) And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
(2) And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear [it], he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.
(3) And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me [him] whom I name unto thee.
(4) And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?
(5) And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
(6) And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed [is] before him.
Samuel was told to anoint a new King to replace Saul. God told him to go and do it. If you were going to annoint a new King, what would you do? Most likely look at the way the man looks, if he is sucessful, well liked, etc. So Saul thought like a man and saif that Eliab was it.
1Sa 16:7
(7) But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
God is saying here, I look at the heart. While you as man may look at the outward appearance, I look at what the man is made of. God can do more with the person with the right heart than he can do with the person who is in the right position.
1Sa 16:8-12
(8) Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
(9) Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
(10) Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
(11) And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all [thy] children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
(12) And he sent, and brought him in. Now he [was] ruddy, [and] withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this [is] he.
Look at what God rejected. But he got the person he wanted. David was not well thought of it appears. He was not even invited to the dinner. But he was not off rebelling. Instead he was in place of service and humility. He was not out trying to make himself well known, he was doing his job. And God said, this is the one.
Heb 4:12
(12) For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
God's word examines our intentions. Two people can do the same thing, but they will not get the same reward. It is all about the intentions that you have when you do something.
Mat 6:1-4
(1) Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
(2) Therefore when thou doest [thine] alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
(3) But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
(4) That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Give to others but do not give to be noticed by others. When ever possible, you should preserve the dignity of the people that you are trying to help. If you help others so that you can be seen, then you will already have your own reward.
Mat 6:16-18
(16) Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
(17) But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
(18) That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Again, do not do things for God so that you will be seen.
Mar 10:17-20
(17) And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
(18) And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God.
(19) Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
(20) And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
The laws that Jesus was giving him here had to do with the relationships to other people. Jesus was testing how he was to his fellow man.
Mar 10:21-22
(21) Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
(22) And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
So why did he go away grieved. God had asked him to take his money off the 1st place position and put God there. He was unwilling to give up his money to have God. His sin was not in having money, it was in the money having him. All Jesus was telling him to do was to put God on his throne.
Mar 10:23-29
(23) And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
(24) And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
(25) It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
(26) And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
(27) And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
(28) Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
(29) And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
(30) But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
What you give up for the Gospel, it will be returned to you, if your heart is right. Are you giving it up for the Gospel's sake, or are you giving it up to get a blessing in return. The law of prosperity will work, if your heart is in the right place.
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