THE GREATEST WORD

 THE GREATEST WORD

Charles Stanley is one of the greatest preachers in the world. His “In Touch” programs reach millions around the world each week. But he has been through some real trials. 

 

Many years ago I had a cassette tape with Dr. Stanley’s testimony of his calling to First Baptist Church in Atlanta. That testimony made a profound impact on my life. I listened to it many times. Unfortunately, I lost the tape and have been unable to find it.  

 

But, hallelujah, Dr. Stanley shares the story in his new book, Courageous Faith.  Allow me to briefly quote a paraphrase from a book review with some other details from the book. 

 

From 1957 to 1969 Stanley pastored churches in Fruitland, North Carolina, Fairburn, Ohio, and Miami and Bartow, Florida.

 

God began to deal with him about moving to Atlanta. All he saw was a vision of a dark cloud over the church. 

 

Following God’s call, he reluctantly became associate pastor of First Baptist Church Atlanta, which was a hornet’s nest. His reception was poor: Most people were cold and unwelcoming, and the staff opposed him. The liberal, senior pastor soon resigned.

 

Worst of all, the executive committee, who micromanaged everything, disliked his Biblical preaching, publicly berated him and intimidated him to resign. Of the about 2,500 in the Sunday morning service “at least 300 … were actively, virulently against me.” They’d sing in the halls, “We will overcome,” referring to him, their acting pastor. His family and a few prayer warriors were his only allies—besides God.                  

 

After speaking at a Bryan College revival in 1971, Stanley returned Sunday to find every sanctuary seat with a leaflet opposing him being named the senior pastor in the following week’s business meeting. 

 

He struggled with the sermon that morning. He always had notes or an outline, but that morning he had nothing. In the pulpit he opened his Bible and began to share from Proverbs 3:5-6. After his sermon, which had no reference to the battle, he writes, “It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen at a church service. It was like a bomb. God sent people sprinting in two distinct directions … to the exits … (and even more) toward the altar.”

 

More than 2,000 came to the Wednesday meeting, and 65 percent of the church voted to make Stanley the senior pastor.

 

Things continued to boil over, however, and reached a climax when one of the leaders of the church who opposed him, got up to speak at a business meeting and became so riled up he cursed in the pulpit. When Dr. Stanley quietly corrected him, he backhanded Dr. Stanley with his fist! Another man threatened him in the pulpit on a televised Sunday morning service by stating that people were not going to get a sermon that morning, but a funeral!

 

As we now know, God blessed Dr. Stanley’s ministry. His Pentecostal grandfather had always taught him to “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him!”

 

What does that verse that he spoke from say?

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths (make your paths straight).

 

Four simple things...

 

1. Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Commit completely with your mind, will, emotions. No plan B. 

 

2. Lean not on your own understanding. Obeying God often is counter-intuitive. 

 

3. In all your ways acknowledge Him. Obedience is acknowledgement. 

 

4. He shall direct your paths (make your paths straight). He will make His will clear and plain. He will limit your options. 

 

Illustration: My college choice. 

 

My own experience with Proverbs 3:5-6: Moving to El Paso.

 

God is concerned about you. He is watching you, praying for you, cheering for you...

THE ONE NECESSARY THING

 THE ONE NECESSARY THING

When Jesus made His appearance on the earth as the Messiah, His ministry was always linked with the Holy Spirit. 

John the Baptist prophesied it. 

John 1:32–34 (NKJV) And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

Luke 3:16 (NKJV) John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Jesus taught His disciples about the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:13 (NKJV) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Acts 1:4–5 (NKJV) And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Today, Pentecost Sunday, is the celebration of when these things became true. 

Acts 2:1–4 (NKJV) When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Today, we are confronted with Paul’s commandment to believers everywhere. 

Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV) And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

All of these passages teach us that being filled with the Holy Spirit is the one necessary thing. 

Andrew Murray says it this way in his book, The Full Blessing of Pentecost. 

It is to the effect that the one thing needful for the Church, and the thing which, above all others, men ought everywhere to seek for with one accord and with their whole heart, is to be filled with the Spirit of God.

J. Oswald Sanders agrees with him in his work, Spiritual Leadership.

Spiritual leadership requires Spirit-filled people. Other qualities are important; to be Spirit-filled is indispensable.

What does it mean to be Spirit filled? Jesus gives us many insights.

John 7:37–39 (NKJV) On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Jesus says that the filling of the Spirit is a continual artesian well that refills itself. When the Spirit flows out of us it is constantly being replaced with more! The more we pour out, the more we have in reserve!

Paul said the same thing in the Ephesians passage we read earlier. We don’t just get filled once, we get re-filled constantly. It is a present progressive verb, “be being filled”. 

Jesus goes on the describe how the Spirit will work in our lives. 

John 14:16–17 (NKJV) And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

The Spirit is with you and will be in you. In Acts 1:8, Jesus talks about another work of the Spirit. 

Acts 1:8 (NKJV) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Jesus describes three distinct relationships: with you, in you, and upon you. He aligns those again in John 16. 

John 16:7–16 (NKJV) Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Let’s look at those three relationships more closely. 

1.    The Holy Spirit is with us to convict (convince) us of sin. 

Notice, sin not sins. We are all aware of our failings, our individual sins. But the Holy Spirit has come to reveal to us our very nature. Without Jesus we can do no good thing. We must depend totally on Him. 

Notice He shows us our unbelief. Not believing is the root of all sin, all disobedience. 

2.    The Holy Spirit is in us to convict (convince) us of righteousness, our right standing with God.

The Holy Spirit now comes to show us that we have a new nature in Christ. Because of what Jesus did, we stand right with Him. We have access to Him in prayer. We have fellowship and intimacy with Him. We do not have to believe the lies of the enemy that we are always guilty and have no right to go before God. 

He brings us to a point of believing because all things are possible to those who believe!

3.    The Holy Spirit comes upon us to convict (convince) is that we have power over the enemy because he has already been judged!

The enemy is a defeated foe. The anointing of the Holy Spirit empowers us to do the works of Christ. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. What will we do when the Spirit comes on us? The same thing!

Mark 16:15–18 (NKJV) And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

How do I live filled with the Holy Spirit?

1.    He is a gift.

a.    Cannot be earned. 

b.    Just ask.

c.    Believe.

2.    He is a person. 

a.    Build a relationship.

b.    Invite Him in. 

c.    Don’t offend Him. 

 

 

 

DON’T FEAR THE FUTURE

 DON’T FEAR THE FUTURE

 INTRO People Magazine records that on March 20, 1990, Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan was at the height of her career when a semi-truck crashed into her tour bus on a snowy Pennsylvania highway, breaking her back. Months of painful rehab followed. When she returned to performing, her first song was her hit, Coming Out of the Dark. 

We are now in the process of coming out of a time of darkness and coming into the light of an uncertain future. How do we approach it? How do we prepare for it?

 Today, I want to encourage you with some “Fear Not” statements from the Word of God. This list is found in the Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible.

 First of all, let me talk about why many have become discouraged in the past 14 months. What are some of the causes of discouragement?

1.    The Hardness of the Way

Numbers 21:4 (NKJV) Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.

2.    The Difficulty of the Task

Nehemiah 4:10 (NKJV) Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.”

3.    The Prosperity of the Wicked

Psalms 73:2-3 (NKJV) But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4.    Delay in Fulfilling Desires

Proverbs 13:12 (NKJV) Hope deferred makes the heart sick. But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

Now let’s look at some reasons the Bible gives us to be encouraged.

1.    Blessings in the Journey

Genesis 26:24 (NKJV) And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.

Numbers 21:34 (NKJV) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.”

Judges 6:23 (NKJV) Then the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.”

2.    Supplies in Famine

1 Kings 17:13–14 (NKJV) And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ 

3.    Protection in Peril

2 Kings 6:15–17 (NKJV) And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

4.    Strength in Weakness

Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV): Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

5.    Companionship in Trial

Isaiah 43:1–3 (NKJV) But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

6.    Overshadowing Care

Matthew 10:30–31 (NKJV) But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

7.    Life Beyond the Grave

Revelation 1:17–18 (NKJV) And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

INSPIRATION One of my favorite Bible heroes is Joshua. He was born into slavery; it was all he had known. He followed Moses into freedom and became his second in command. He endured forty years in the wilderness and when Moses died, he was now in charge of leading the Hebrew nation into a land they had never seen. Listen to how God spoke to him as he embraced an uncertain future. 

Joshua 1:9 (NKJV) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Look at the keys here:

I have told you what to do. 

Be strong and courageous. 

Don’t be afraid. 

I am with you. 

APPLICATION These are the words we need to hear as we face the future. 

Find His will.

Go after His will

Trust His will. 

He will be with you.

ILLUSTRATION

SARAH: From Faith to Fruit

 SARAH: From Faith to Fruit

For the last month we have been looking at Isaac. We saw his miraculous conception, his wiling sacrifice, his well-digging and his life of receiving. None of this would have happened without his mother, Sarah. In many ways, she is the real hero in the story of Abraham and Isaac. 

 

So on this Mother’s Day, I want to focus on Sarah and encourage our ladies that they are the source of what God wants to do in generations to come. Prayer

 

Let’s look at some chapters in Sarah’s life. Each chapter reveals a key that each one of us, male or female, can apply. 

 

Chapter One: The Chosen One

 

Genesis 11:29–30 (NKJV) Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. ³⁰ But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

 

The barrenness did not cancel the choosing. God has chosen us to show His great love to us, irregardless of our fruitfulness. 

 

Chapter Two: The Willing One

 

Genesis 12:5 (NKJV) Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and theydeparted to go to the land of Canaan.

 

We should be willing to follow God wherever He leads. 

 

Chapter Three: The Fearless One

 

Genesis 12:11–14 (NKJV) And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. ¹² Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. ¹³ Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”

¹⁴ So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.

 

1 Peter 3:5–6 (NKJV) For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, ⁶ as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

 

We can be fully obedient without fear. God has not given us a spirit of fear. Fear not!

 

Chapter Four: The Doubting One

 

Genesis 16:1–2 (NKJV) Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. ² So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.

 

Don’t be embarrassed by your doubts. They come so that faith can be proven. In the next chapter of her life we will see that this doubt did not cancel out the plan of God or her faith. A name change comes on the heels of her doubt!

 

Chapter Five: The Changed One

 

Genesis 17:15–16 (NKJV) Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶ And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”

 

Genesis 17:19 (NKJV) Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.

 

Genesis 17:21 (NKJV) But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”

 

We have all been changed by the power of God. We are new creations. The promise of God is not based on who we were, but what we have become!

 

Galatians 6:15 (NKJV) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

 

Chapter Six: The Serving One

 

Genesis 18:6–10 (NKJV) So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” ⁷ And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. ⁸ So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.

⁹ Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?”

So he said, “Here, in the tent.”

¹⁰ And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.”

 

A new name and a new heart lives to serve. 

 

Chapter Seven: The Fruitful One

 

Genesis 21:1–3 (NKJV) And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. ² For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. ³ And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac.

 

Sarah’s faith produces fruit!

 

Hebrews 11:11 (NKJV) By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

 

1 John 5:4 (NKJV) For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—even our faith.

 

Chapter Eight: The Faithful One

 

Genesis 23:1–2 (NKJV) Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. ² So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

 

Genesis 23:20 (NKJV) And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

 

Sarah was the link between God’s promise and God’s provision. The miracle that was Isaac would not have happened without Sarah! All of us are links in the chain that is the Kingdom of God. Paul puts it this way…

 

1 Corinthians 3:5–8 (NKJV) Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷ So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. ⁸ Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

 

You may be in a stage where you can’t see the fruit. You may be a link between generations, just as Sarah was. Listen to the prophet Isaiah…

 

Isaiah 51:2 (NKJV) Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you;

 

The covenant of God rests in the faithful life of Sarah. Will you be a Sarah? Will you trust God in the face of trial? God will use you to advance His Kingdom!