It's a wonderful life week 2 Nailed and not ashamed

It's a wonderful life week 2 Nailed and not ashamed.

In keeping with Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones I am astounded at the commitments, the focus, and the clarity of soldiers, military, and servants.

Ezekiel 37:9-10 NLT [9] "Then he said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.'" [10] So I spoke the message as He commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet-a great army."

1.      We see this commitment of the man of God to speak life because vision illustrates the promise, the promise of God.

1.      We see that even in destitution or devastation God can minister, God can revive, resurrect, empower and redirect.

Exodus 21:1-6 NLT [1] "These are the regulations you must present to Israel. [2] "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he may serve for no more than six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. [3] If he was single when he became your slave, he shall leave single. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife must be freed with him. [4] "If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave and they had sons or daughters, then only the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. [5] But the slave may declare, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don't want to go free.' [6] If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will serve his master for life."

1.      Every Israelite was free-born; but slavery was permitted under certain restrictions like poverty, debt, or crime; but at the end of six years he was entitled to freedom.

2.      Should the servant wish he through attachment to the family, the Hebrew chose to forfeit his privilege and abide as he was, a formal process was gone through in a public court, and a brand of servitude stamped or gauged into his ear for life.

Psalm 40:6,8 NKJV [6] Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. [8] I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart."

3.      Whether allusion is made to the custom of boring a servant's ear, in token of voluntary and perpetual enslavement (Ex 21:6), or that the opening of the ear, as in Isa 48:8; 50:5 (though by a different word in Hebrew) denotes obedience by the common figure of hearing for obeying, it is evident that the clause is designed to express a devotion to God's will.

4.      We hear Him that we might obey Him out of choice, out of blessing, out of connection.

1.      Now the purchase of our salvation is made, the proclamation is sent forth, calling us to come and accept it.

2.      I choose to be nailed and not ashamed.

3.      The gospel was preached freely and openly.

1.      Whoever undertook to preach the gospel of Christ, would be under great temptation to conceal it; but Christ, and those He calls to that work, are carried on in it.

1.      We are carried on in this great work, this great calling, and this great design.

2.      May we believe His testimony, trust His promise, and submit to His authority.

2.      Christ was a servant who never served out of obligation, fear, or torture but because He had seen the goodness of His Master.

3.      The greatness of His plan.

1.      This type of servant decides I have been so blessed to be connected to this master, I will stay connected to him for life.

2.      We as servants choose whether to be nailed for life, gauged for life, marked by our master for life.

1.      I serve Him by choice.

1.      My life is marked by Him.

2.      Not because my wife goes to church or my family attends regularly or others have served Him.

1.      Not because I am trying to provide the perfect offering or sacrifice because He has already provided us that in Jesus Christ.

3.      I don't attend church because I owe a debt or am trying to pay a debt.

1.      He paid a debt He didn't owe and I owed a debt I couldn't pay.

1.      I choose to be nailed and not ashamed.

2.      I love serving Him.

4.      There are 2 commitments I see here.

1.      A new commitment to our new man.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

1.      I can never be who I once was.

1.      I am committed to allowing God's Word to shape me, define me, and rule me.

2.      I once was dead but now I am alive.

3.      I am not who I used to be and I'll never be.

1.      My walk (they call it scientific gait recognition) is as unique as my fingerprint.

4.      I am not who I used to be.

5.      New creature.

1.      Newness of life I'm not locked in on the old ways, the old thinking patterns, the old resources of this life but I am brand new.

1.      Changed mind.

2.      Changed spirit.

3.      Changed soul.

4.      Changed personality.

5.      Changed body.

6.      Changed walk.

7.      Changed destination, it's a wonderful life.

2.      I will walk upright before God, and before men.

2.      A new commitment to my true identity.

Psalm 139:14-16 13 "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

1.      I am unique different, look at me I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

1.      I am awesome. (God's defining words)

1.      I used to only act and respond to what I knew about me or to what others told me I was.

2.      But God's Word has defined me, plans were laid out for me and a bright hope beats inside of me.

2.      You are a very unique individual like it or not.

1.      We have all suffered this mentality: "We don't know who we are so we have no identity, so we borrow somebody else's."

1.      I play me well.

2.      I can't be someone else.

3.      I am an expert at playing me. 

3.      When I know how to play me no one can intimidate me.

1.      My strongest anointing will come when I identify me.

2.      My strongest calling will come when I allow God's Word to transform me into His divine purpose for my life!

1.      Trying to be somebody else for somebody else's sake is burdensome, worry some, and just straight ridiculous.

4.      I have been nailed by choice so I must be comfortable in my own skin.

1.      We are all leaders so my driving force should be for people to stop following me because of my gift and start following me because of my character, integrity, and commitment.

2.      We need to see other men and women nailed to God.

3.      Make a commitment, nail me God I am not ashamed.

3.      It's God's will for me to bring forth fruit in my season.

1.      I am a can do Christian.

1.      Emu and the Kangaroo cannot walk backwards.

1.      They actually can they just choose not to.

2.      Australia's crest we will always walk forward.

2.      Walk forward When the Devil tells me I can't.

3.      Walk forward anyways when he tells me I won't.

4.      And you better walk forward every time, absolutely every time he dares you too.

Proverbs 22:6 "Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it."

5.      Each of us are born with a natural bend.

1.      Baseball is in Alec, worship is in Alec and Madi.

2.      Doing the impossible, doing the dangerous is in Chase.

3.      It's their make-up, their God design, it's swimming in their DNA structure put their by their creator.

6.      You are bent for Success. 

1.      You have a natural bend to achieve.

2.      You are not bent for failure.

3.      Use your gift for the Kingdom of God-the favor of God will show up.

4.      If you're doing something you hate or are failing at then maybe you are not in your bend.

5.      God had gifted David to be a King.

1.      I am gifted.

2.      Secret to success.

1.      "Whatever you do in secret God will reward you openly."

6.      God had gifted Ester to lead.

1.      Walk softly be pliable.

1.      Delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

1.      Desires that line up with His will, purpose, and design.

7.      God had marked Joshua for greatness.

1.      I am marked for greatness.

1.      It's a wonderful life as long as I am not asked to change.

2.      It's a wonderful life as long as I am not asked to serve.

3.      It a wonderful life as long as I am not asked to give.

4.      It's a wonderful life as long as I am not asked to make any sacrifices.

5.      It's a wonderful life as long as I'm not demanded to commit.

Isaiah 41:9, 10 9 "I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, 'You are my servant.' For I have chosen you and will not throw you away 10 Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."

6.      The Devil used me, abused me, lied to me, did his very best to convince me to take my own life and desired to betray me as he left me for dead.

1.      But God.

2.      But God had another plan.

3.      But God had another design.

4.      But God had been waging war against the enemy over my soul and God has won through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

5.      But the Holy Spirit stepped in, breathed life into my dead, dry, bleached bones from the exposure of these elements and life began to appear.

Isaiah 42:5-7 5 "God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is he who says, 6 "I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. 7 You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons."

2.      Servility vs. Servant

3.      Slavery vs. Choice

1.      I'm not serving Him just to make heaven or just to miss hell.

Romans 11:15 NLT "For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!"

2.      I serve Him because He's been good to me.

1.      I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free for His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

1.      Closing story: Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York.

2.      We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle—true saints of God.

3.      Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nearly twenty years.

4.      Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair.

5.      Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration, comfort and encouragement to all who knew them.

6.      One day while we were visiting with the Doolittle's, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it.

1.      Mrs. Doolittle's reply was simple: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."

7.      This great hymnal of the 19th century was written as a result of their hope in Christ.

1.      I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free, His eye is on the sparrow and i know He watches me."

1.      When asked about the hope of their life they were so passionate, so thankful, so grateful, and served so strongly this couple experienced something and engaged in something that I want to so badly to connect myself to forever, Jesus Christ.

Next month you do not want to miss our Vision15 series! 

 

It's a wonderful life - Speak Life

Speak Life! 

Illustrate Here Video: Valley of dry bones 

Ezekiel 37:1 "The LORD took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the LORD to a valley filled with bones. 2 He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. 3 Then he asked me, "Son of man, can these bones become living people again?" "O Sovereign LORD," I replied, "you alone know the answer to that." 4 Then he said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, 'Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6 I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" 7 So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. 8 Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.'" 10 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army."

1.     Speak Life.

1.      Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones came to him after God had directed him to prophesy the rebirth of the Nation of Israel in chapter 36.

2.      God had just announced, through the prophet, that Israel will be restored to her land in blessing under the leadership of “David, My servant [who] shall be king over them”, clearly a reference to the future under Jesus Christ the Messiah, descendant of David.

3.      However, this seemed remote in light of Israel’s present condition.

1.      Israel was “dead” as a nation, deprived of their land, their king and their Temple.

2.      They had been divided and dispersed for so long that unification and restoration seemed impossible.

3.      So God gave Ezekiel the valley of the dry bones as sign of what was to come.

1.      God transported Ezekiel in a vision—to a valley full of dry bones and directed him to speak to the bones.

4.      Speak Life into the bones.

1.      Ezekiel was to tell the bones that God would make breath enter the bones and they would come to life, just as in the creation of man when He breathed life into Adam.

1.      What God has done God can do again.

Genesis 2:7 "Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person."

2.      Ezekiel obeyed, the bones came together, flesh developed, skin covered the bones, breath entered them and they stood up in a vast army.

3.      This vision symbolized the whole Nation of Israel that was then in captivity.

1.      Like unburied skeletons, the people were in a state of living death, pining away with no end to their judgment in sight.

2.      They thought their hope was gone and they were cut off forever.

3.      The surviving Israelites felt their national hopes had been dashed and the nation had died in the flames of Babylon’s attack with no hope of resurrection.

4.      The reviving of the dry bones signified God’s plan for Israel’s future national restoration.

5.      The vision also, and most importantly, showed that Israel’s new life depended on God’s power and not the circumstances of the people.

1.      Pouring breath, pouring life into the bones demonstrated that God would restore them physically and spiritually.

2.     Why speak Life?

1.      Speaking life is all we have.

2.      God commanded the man of God to speak the Life of God; I assume He expects no less from us.

3.      We are to speak life everywhere we go and in everything we do.

1.      Many, many marriages fall apart because everything thing but life was spoken.

2.      Great churches cease to exist because everything gets spoken, but life.

3.      Many parents destroy their relationships with their children because they only speak rule, order, condemnation, frustration, fear, and punishment and they never try to speak Life!

4.      Careers get lost, opportunities get buried, potential gets obliterated, value becomes incinerated, and hope degenerated all because life refuses to be spoken.

1.      When people choose to attend God's house they ought to be hearing a message of God's life!

2.      A message filled with God's restoring power, God's healing power, God's forgiving power, and God's rescuing power.

1.      God's life ought to fill His house, fill His message, and fill His people.

3.     As we speak life.

1.      Others lives are affected.

2.      Others lives are dramatically affected.

3.      As we speak life Christ is exalted, freedom is restored, and humanity is rescued.

1.      It's a wonderful life as we Speak Life.

2.      It's a wonderful life when humanity is restored in God.

3.      It's a wonderful life when faith in humanity is restored and that only occurs when life is spoken.

1.      When death is spoken death occurs.

2.      The Devil speaks death every chance he gets.

3.      He speaks death and we start shaking.

4.      He speaks death and we let fear overtake us, doubts overwhelm us, and unbelief resides in us.

1.      He drips death, breathes death everywhere he goes and in everything he does.

2.      He is the author of confusion, the father of every lie, and the destroyer of life.

4.      God commands us to Speak Life for very good reason.

1.      In Him is life and the life brought light to everyone.

John 1:4 "The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone."

2.      As we speak life we are speaking God.

1.      We are speaking heaven.

2.      We are speaking truth.

3.      We are speaking eternity.

4.      We are speaking life.

1.      Can humanity live again?

1.      As we speak life they can.

2.      Only as we speak life will they live again.

2.      Some are so confused at the command to Speak Life.

3.      Some are so fearful at the instruction to Speak Life, some are paralyzed at the future, believing that saying and doing nothing is doing something.

1.      As we Speak Life eternities are altered.

2.      As we speak life families are restored. Children are inspired to their God purpose.

3.      Adults are reunited to their God Mission and life multiplies.

4.      As we speak life a vast army will rise up.

5.      A vast army will take their place and will speak life with us.

1.      God's army speaks empowerment, speaks compassion, speaks direction, and speaks forgiveness. God's army speaks power, speaks overcoming, speaks mercy, speaks resource, and speaks truth.

2.      God's army speaks leadership, speaks sacrifice, speaks restoration, and speaks healing. God's army Speaks Life.

4.     Forever speak life.

1.      What if life was the only thing that could exit out of me?

2.      What if all I could speak was, Life?

3.      What if all I could produce was life would it make a difference?

1.      Yes a drastic one!

Isaiah 41:9,10 "9 I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, 'You are my servant.' For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. 10 Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."

2.      I have been given new life so I will speak that life.

3.      I have been empowered by life so I will empower others in that life.

1.      Life represents the salvation of Jesus Christ.

2.      I will speak life, not death.

3.      I will speak justification, not condemnation.

4.      I will speak to the life-changing agent in us all the Holy Spirit.

1.      You might have walked in here in a spiritual death sentence but Jesus Christ is here to bring life, speak life, empower with life and restore   you to new life.

John 1:6 "God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light."

4.      God sent a man.

1.      God has sent mankind to tell mankind about the light, about the life. 

2.      We are not the light we are witnesses to the light.

1.      This culture this generation is waiting for us to prophesy.

2.      Our family, our friends, our coworkers, our associates and acquaintances are waiting for a breath from heaven.

1.      A breath so faith filled so empowered, so enveloped with the presence of an almighty, life giving, life restoring, and life bringing God.

2.      God is sending me into the death, into the hopelessness, into the nations to Speak LIFE!

Isaiah 55:11 "It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it."

3.      Everywhere we send the Word and speak the Word it will prosper.

1.      If all we speak is gloom, and doom, everything is gonna go boom, and zoom, zoom what is our message!?

Romans 5:21 NLT [21] "So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

5.      We have the greatest life giving, life altering, life igniting, and life lasting message of all time!

1.      It's about time we live out this wonderful life. 

2.      Our message gives life.

3.      Our message breathes eternal life not threatening.

1.      This message is one of strength it is one of character it is one of impossibility!

Acts 20:24 NLT [24] "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God."

2.      Why do you think the bones were there exposed to the elements?

1.      Because many times we just want to bury those things we call dead.

1.      God is not interested in burying it but requires us to speak life in to it.

3.      What we want to forget, what we endeavor to bury, what we act as if never happened God wants us to resurrect and speak life into it.

Super Excited to be sharing next month where we are going and how we are going to get there.

You do not want to miss a service in January!!