Sermon Notes- Pastor Lian
Today we are going to ask WHY the LORD gave us His HS
One major reason- our focus today.
1Cor 1:18
First group- perishing aka the world
Second group- us who are being saved
Message of the Cross is foolishness to the world.
BUT it is the POWER OF GOD to those of us who are saved.
1 Cor 2:6-8
2 groups again
1) Those who have the revelation of the hidden wisdom
2) The world that doesn’t know
Hidden wisdom= the message that Jesus went to the Cross. God’s rescue plan revealed for our glory.
1 Cor 2:12
Now we have received, NOT the spirit of the world, BUT the SPIRIT who is FROM GOD that we might know the things that have been FREELY GIVEN TO US BY GOD.
The spirit of the world is cynical- “So easy?? Ridiculous. U have to do something to go up to heaven and be blessed.”
Spirit of the world wants us to earn it, to deserve it or else we might lose it.
But God’s Spirit reminds us it has been freely given through Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross
Romans 8:32
Note: Jesus was not spared so God will now FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS
Devil doesn’t play fair. Bad loser. Can’t stop us all from receiving salvation so he wants to stop us from enjoying the fullness of our salvation.
When Ps Lian was 7yo she played Dumb coz she couldn’t play Chess. But u need to be smart to play Dumb. She is the youngest and always lost to all her elder siblings. As she got older, when she knew she had no more chance to win, she would overturn the board and complain they were cheating. Thank God for grace so today she is a pastor despite being a spoil sport the. 😀
The devil is like that too. He doesn’t want us to win if he can’t win.
The HS has been given to us so we might know what we have been given FREELY.
Charizomai- give freely, bestow graciously… Given freely to us by grace and grace alone. Unmerited and undeserved. 🙂
Such a beautiful word. English just says give. But to bestow- that is diff. It isn’t just throwing it in front of u callously. He presented the gift before us.
How will He not charizomai you all things??
We know all these stuff about grace in our heads. But the spirit of the world wants to creep into our hearts. It assaults our mind and our heart. Eg was when she had back problem. She felt so much in pain and defeated at first. Had to fight to remember what was freely given to her by God.
Ps Mark used to be chubby then lost weight but put weight back on again. Ps Prince told him, “Mark remember the axe head that was lost? Go find out where and throw in the cross.” Then the LORD showed him his false belief that he is the fat type. The HS showed that to Ps Mark and he prayed to the LORD that he wanted to renew his mind and returned to grace- to what was freely given. It is ONLY by your grace. Not about deserving it or working it out. It is because he remembered it is by His grace. Not saying to out and eat junk food but to exercise wisdom and also to remember that it is by HIS GRACE. He has charizomai to us!
It is so vital for us to hear it over and over and over this gospel of Jesus Christ, of grace. We need this to reign in life!
Man shared w our worship leader durin the US trip, how when he was 50, he suffered from depression. U can’t tell from his looks now- so full of joy, eyes sparkling. Him and his wife were depressed then coz hoping for a child. Started watching a broadcast and realised he had been believing wrongly. How much is praying enough and praying good enough? So when he heard Ps P preaching the gospel of grace, he began to believe the blessings were freely given. When pastor spoke about how Wendy was expecting one sermon, his faith rose and knew it was all about Jesus. He received and within a matter of months, his wife conceived.
This is why Pastor and all of us will never stop preaching the gospel of grace.
“Receive” in Greek is LAMBARNO – actively seize! To take violently!!
Seize the abundance of grace to reign in life through Christ.
By the time Ps was on tour, the guy’s baby was 6mo and he and his wife had so much rest, left miracle baby at home and drove 12h to hear Ps preach.
Nick V no arms no legs no problem. Before him, there was Robert Reed. Born with cerebral palsy. Told won’t ever be able to study and go to school. Yet he graduated and in mid life he got a doctorate and became a missionary in Portugal. Ustd what God has freely given to him. Who says he can’t receive the abundance of grace just coz of his condition? Married a wife, Rosa from Portugal and had a healthy child. Still preaching the gospel today. Still receiving supply.
One of our church goers recounted when we used to be at Suntec, how she would go to church early on Sunday and took a cab there. Talking to the driver, she found out he was Ps Prince’s army mate. Said pastor in the army always say Jesus and Jesus until now he is pastor of a very big church.
When u look to Jesus and not at yourself, the HS will show u what is freely given to u.
Not earning and deserving but the unmerited, undeserved and unearned favour of the LORD. “I need this grace. It causes me to reign.”
“Frankly forgave” – HS spoke to Ps Lian’s heart.
Luke 7:36- 47
(account of the lady w the alabaster jar of oil and parable of the debt collector who freely forgave)
V42 in KJV is frankly forgave = charizomai
God didn’t just forgave u but freely forgave u at the cross. Important to know coz some people feel they can’t be forgiven until they have out their lives right. It is when we know we are freely forgiven that we know we can reign in life.
Even ministers can have problems w forgiveness and the lack of it can really be damaging to our lives. Not just that He has given but He has forgiven – this forgiveness is the mother of all blessings coz it is when we know we can freely receive.
Juan Autis Carlos had these horrible headaches. He could pray for healing for others but struggled w own healing. One day read God has forgiven us ALL our trespasses. Felt HS telling Him, Juan I have forgiven u, why have u not forgiven yourself? Broke down in tears.
U know how sometimes u are angry with people? But u are not angry w them but angry and disappointed with yourself.
Juan realised how much he was forgiven and told himself, Juan I forgive u.
When u forgive yourself, you will have no more condemnation and can go & sin no more and reign in life by one Jesus Christ.
Forgiveness is the most important blessing that helps us receive all the other blessings.
We will keep preaching the grace of God because that is how we reign in life.
My Grace is this – when you are in a place of no more, I want to do for u immeasurably more. Even when it is not your time, He can still pull out a miracle for u.
Not Jesus time yet at the wedding at Canna but grace came and provided immeasurably more.
Zacchaeus needed grace. He needed help but no one was willing to help him as he was a chief tax collector. Hated. U need to know how these guys were the mafia according to history. He was so poor although he was rich. Poor in spirit. But grace came and said COME DOWN QUICKLY, FOR TODAY I MUST COME TO UR HOUSE. No wonder Z could reign in life over sin and offer to repay back those he had cheated.
Luke 7:11-15
Nain means pleasant or beautiful place. In his beautiful place, death came and took her husband and son. So she came out of the place called beautiful.
The wedding at canna couple didn’t need help but grace came. Z needed help and grace came. This widow thought it was over and she didn’t even ask for help and her situation was dead yet grace came to her.
Jesus presented her resurrected son to his mother. Beautiful. Grace came and put beauty back in this woman’s life.
A few months ago, when she was preaching, Ps Lian shared how her son, when she first came to church, was 8yo and v foul mouthed. After a short time in Rock Kids, changed his talk. His dad was so impressed. Decided to come church to find out what was happening. He used to get nightmares also and his mum left verses for him to confess by his bedside & he did so and the nightmares stopped.
A guy was so blessed by the testimony. Bought a huge bag of SMIGGLES stationery and left it at Box Office for the kid. Ps Lian wasn’t sure who was the mum anymore as she had met so many mothers. She found her and the lady came to collect the gift. Ps Lian didn’t meet her until she bumped into her one day. She shared w Ps Lian what happened, usually after exams she would buy him toys but this year, for some reason, no toys for him. And when the mummy went to the box office and collected the paper bag for him, this was what the boy said- Mummy u can’t give me a present by look at what Jesus has given to me. THIS IS GRACE WHO CAME TO A LITTLE 8YO BOY & GRACE GAVE! At a place of no more, the LORD can give abundantly.
An 8 year old can experience that.
Only by the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness can we reign in life. Grace is not a doctrine. He is a person. Grace came. Whatever our situation is, grace wants to rush in.
Genesis was about ruin and Exodus is about redemption. When u think u have ruined thing, He brings about redemption. The Pentateuch reminds us how he didn’t just stop at redemption, Leviticus is about communion and intimacy. After that communion, Numbers is about direction- accuracy in what we do. Deuteronomy is about hitting the mark and possessing our possessions because what He has freely given, we can freely receive.
After the intimacy comes the accuracy and the prosperity and the victorious destiny.
Hallelujah!!
Mountains high and valleys low U will never let me go
By Your fountain let me drink fill my thirsty soul
Glorious, marvellous grace that rescued me
Holy, worthy is the Lamb who died for me
We all need rescuing and Grace rescues us. We can never do enough or be good enough or try enough. It is never enough when we do it for our own and that is why grace came by Jesus Christ to rescue us. From our ruin, He brings about redemption.
Grace is here and you can receive Him into your life and enter it and turn ruin to redemption and bring you to a place of correction and direction.
I know U have freely given me all things, Jesus, so I freely receive.