2 Thessalonians 1:11, We always pray for you, asking our God to help you live the kind of life he called you to live. We pray that with his power God will help you do the good things you want and perform the works that come from your faith. (NCV) 

 

In part 2 of the series ‘Adding Power To Our Purpose’, we look at one of the more difficult principles, but one that carries with it great power, the power of forgiveness. The Bible says there are three reasons we have to forgive the people who’ve hurt us. They have nothing to do with whether that person deserves it or not. They don’t, and we don’t deserve the forgiveness we have been given either. But there are three reasons: 1) I am to forgive because God has forgiven me, 2) I am to forgive because resentment controls me, 3) I am to forgive because I’m going to need more forgiveness in the future. We forgive by relinquishing our right to get even, responding to evil with good, repeating these steps as long as necessary, and by rescuing others with the good news of God’s forgiveness.

Jeremiah 33:1-3, While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time: 2 “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: 3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ (NIV)

 

Notice in the above scripture that Jeremiah was in prison, during this time Babylon was about to destroy Jerusalem and take the people captive. Now think about Jeremiah's situation, he's in the city of Jerusalem, surrounded by the Babylonian army, they've already started building siege ramps to invade the city. Inside the city people are starving to death, they're cut off from their food and farms outside the walls. So not only is Jeremiah in a town in a horrible situation, he's locked up inside this besieged city. If there's anybody who should be without any hope it's Jeremiah. If there's anybody who should have a pity party it's Jeremiah. But yet in verse 3, we receive an awesome promise, that applies to us today!  God says, “Call to Me and I will answer you.”

2 Thessalonians 1:11, We always pray for you, asking our God to help you live the kind of life he called you to live. We pray that with his power God will help you do the good things you want and perform the works that come from your faith. (NCV) 

 

There are few things more important in life than learning how to focus. There is nothing more powerful than a focused life. The more our life is focused the more our life will be fulfilled, the more our life will be effective, the more our life will be used by God. In Genesis 24, we see Abraham sends his servant Eliazar to find a wife for Issac, this chapter teaches us steps to godly goal setting, and the awesome power of focus; 1) Determine your position and define your purpose, 2) Discover a promise, 3) Describe the Benefit, 4) Desire in Prayer, 5) Diagnose the problem, 6) Design a Plan, 7) Discipline Your Personality, 8) Depend on People.

Numbers 13:25-28, 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days. 26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. (NKJV)

In this sermon, we see that we can view things in two ways, either through eyes of fear or through eyes of faith. In Numbers 13 we read the account of the 12 spies sent in to spy out the promised land. Of the 12, only two came back with a positive report, only two saw through eyes of faith, and said, “we are well able to overcome it”! There are 3 things that we learn about seeing through eyes of fear; 1) They Misunderstood And Underestimated What God Could Do, 2) They Underestimated What They Could Do, 3) Problems Never Defeat Us As Much As Your Perspective Defeats Us. The result is discouragement, discontentment, and defeat. We need to see through eyes of faith, and trust God that He will do what He said He would do!

Revelation 3:7-8, 7 This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: I am the one who is holy and true, and I have the keys that belonged to David. When I open a door, no one can close it. And when I close a door, no one can open it. Listen to what I say. 8 I know everything you have done. And I have placed before you an open door that no one can close. You were not very strong, but you obeyed my message and did not deny that you are my followers. (CEV)

 

In this sermon, we see that doors can have a great spiritual significance in your life, there are 7 things we need to know about doors in our lives; 1) Every door is a decision, 2) My Destiny will be shaped by which doors I walk past, and which doors I walk through, 3) A door may be; an opportunity from God, a distraction from others or a trap from satan, 4) If an open door is from God, it will not contradict what God has already said in His Word, 5) Sometimes God shuts doors for my protection, 6) God will open doors for me if I open doors for others, 7) Sometimes God cracks open a door to give me a glimpse of my future long before I'm ready to walk through it.

Matthew 5:14-15, 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. (NKJV)

 

The word for lamp is the Greek word luchnos and the word describes a clay lamp which fits in the palm of your hand. During the time of Jesus, this was the only light that there was and every home had all whole bunch of these, they are not rare. Jesus used this illustration to describe us because we are made of clay, and are fragile, just like these lamps, but also because the most valuable thing about the oil lamp was not the lamp itself, it was the oil that was inside it! As long as there was oil in the lamp it would continue to burn, and as long as we have the oil of the Holy Spirit, we can burn and let our light shine in the world around us!

Psalm 90:12, Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom. (NLT)

 

All of us get the same amount of time every week 168 hours. The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people or the difference between effective people and ineffective people or the difference between people who make their lives count and those who don’t is how they manage their time. The Bible teaches that if I’m going to manage my time I must; A) Assume responsibility for my time, B) Believe God will help me, C) Clarify what’s most important, D) Don’t wait to begin, E) Enlist a spiritual partner. We need to make the most of our time because our time is our most precious resource!

Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; (KJV)

 

In the above scripture the words “looking diligently” comes from a compound Greek word which means to look over or to take supervisory oversight and is translated “bishop”. If a person does something that has the potential to offend us, God holds us responsible for whether or not that offence takes root in us. We can choose to let the offence sink into our souls and take root, or we can choose to let it bypass us. We’re not able to control what others do or say to us, but we are able to control what goes on inside of us.

Romans 6:13, Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. (NLT)

 

When it comes to our life we really only have three choices. We can waste our lives, we can spend our lives, or we can invest our lives. One day we are going to stand before God and give an account of our life. We see in the parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, that God expects us to use what He has given us, and 7 principles of being a good steward of what He has given us: 1) Everything I have really belongs to God, 2) God has loaned me a set of talents, 3) God expects me to make the most of what He loans me, 4) It’s wrong to bury what God loans me, 5) What keeps me from using my talents is fear, 6) If I don’t use it, I’ll lose it, 7) If I do use what God loans me He will reward me!

Matthew 4:23-25, 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. (NKJV)

 

From the above scripture we see 4 facets of the ministry of Jesus, 1) Preaching, 2) Teaching, 3) Healing, 4) Casting out demons. In Mark 1:27, those who witnessed Jesus casting out a demon questioned saying “what is in His voice?” They recognised that Jesus had power in His voice and that the demons recognised his authority in His voice. We need to be a voice, not an echo!