Sermons
Kingdom Stories: Are You Ready For Rain?
A few years ago, a young family had just returned from a camping trip in a truck and camping trailer they had borrowed from relatives. The family got out to help unpack, while the father washed the vehicles. When finished, the father left the family at home to return the truck and trailer. First he stopped at a bank, withdrew $400 and drove on to a dumping station. Once on the freeway, the guy was driving too fast around a curve. At the same time, a semi truck edged into his lane. Reacting to the semi, the guy swerved and the trailer started fishtailing. Within seconds, the trailer appeared out of the driver-side window next to him. Realizing the momentum of the trailer connected to the truck were completely out of his control, he thought, “oh no,” bracing himself for survival through the next few seconds. He started to feel the truck lift.
That’s when God spoke in a calming voice, “I’m not done with you yet.” A gentle peace came over the man as he relaxed into a gyroscopic spin. Within moments the truck and trailer were rolling together several feet in the air across four freeway lanes before hitting the side embankment. The vehicle spun and was slammed upside down on the pavement sliding a couple hundred feet and eventually coming to rest. The entire top was caved in, except for the driver’s side. The man, miraculously, crawled out of the vehicle unharmed. That man, that father, was me.
I had a kingdom encounter that day, when God showed up powerfully and showed me that he has purpose and destiny for me in the midst of a circumstance that was literally spinning out of my control to my death. But God had prepared my heart and relaxed my body for the crash. His angels cared for the vehicle as the rest of the truck’s roof caved in except for the driver’s side. Kind people came to my aid. I thank God my family wasn’t with me.
You can bet that some questions crossed my mind that day.
What work did he still have for me to do?
Was my heart not ready to go be with Jesus?
I heard a story of two farmers who were experiencing a drought. For weeks they prayed, Lord send us rain! The difference between them was that one of those farmers, in anticipation of an answer, got out and started plowing his fields. He turned the soil, planted seed and prepared to receive rain even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. He was ready for rain.
Today my hope is that you will have a kingdom encounter and ready your heart for rain.
Turn with me to Luke 12.
SLIDE 2 Scripture Luke 12:29-34
29 And do not seek what you should eat or drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations seek after, and your father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. 32 Do not fear little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags that do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.
SLIDE 3 Verses 29 and 30 say: Do not seek after what the world seeks, because God is fully aware of what you need.
This has led me to question if I should pray for my needs, or should I be praying for what He wants?
Apparently God knows what I need and he’s asking me to not pray for this. Perhaps because when I do, and if I don’t see change, I remain stuck, waiting for the answer to that one prayer instead of experiencing a sweeping move of God and being caught up in His heart, and His miraculous doings.
I am past belief on this one. I am convinced that our church will experience one of the most exciting, fresh, moves of God if we make the shift from pray-ers into intercessors. Rather than come in on Sunday for a bit of friendship and a good message and worship, our hearts should break when we walk into this room on a Sunday. We need to come early, even before worship, and pray for the power of God, a kingdom encounter, a move of his spirit upon the people. There are so many lives that would change. There is so much growth that would occur. So many would be healed. We would see kingdom encounters.
The Vineyard is called a movement and not a denomination. It is ultimately a move of God, and I don’t think that the move God started in 1977 is done. Amen?
SLIDE 4 V. 31 Seek the kingdom.
We are given a command by Jesus to seek his kingdom.
I went through a period in 1999 when we were running into financial problems. I had a design studio in La Canada, CA. We had grown to twelve people and had been busy with numerous dot-com projects. Suddenly new projects were unavailable to replace the existing projects coming to a close. In December of that year, it was Christmas time, we had just moved into our first house two weeks before, and I was putting $17,000 on my credit card to help cover my people’s paychecks. And January would be a slow month too. I had prayed for God’s provision. Where was it? I thought he would cover my back. Why was I going into debt and why so quickly? Would I lose our house? Meghan was two months old.
I now know heart was not ready for a move of God. I had faith that God could provide, but my perspective was short-term and misaligned to his heart. I was not in touch with how God was moving.
I had to confess to the Lord that I was wrong for misplacing my faith in my kingdom instead of His. I had to be absolutely open to the possibility that allowing my business to tumble could be his master plan. Not to mention the fact that I might not have a house in a couple months. I prayed for His kingdom to come and rule. I praised him despite the circumstances. It cost me a lot to do this.
Two months later I’m signing papers to be acquired by an international technology company. All of our company debts were paid. We had enough left over to pay off our personal debt and buy two much-needed vehicles. I was given an executive position in the firm and a raise. The whole team was kept on board. Within three months I’m travelling Europe and Asia doing consulting. God’s plan? Who knew?
As I was seeking his kingdom on this, I was drawing from within as much as I was seeking outward. Luke 17:21 says “The kingdom of God is within you.”
What does this mean? Does it mean that there is something inside me already I just need a special key for? A secret password?
It’s funny, I went to look up the word Within in greek is entos which means…within! However, rather than being a preposition, it is an adverb. Or in other words, it’s not where the kingdom is, it’s how the kingdom is, and this gave me hope. Because I know the kingdom is inside but I sometimes feel like I lack the power to unlock it and unleash it. But when I read within is like a “how” , it meant to me that the way to unlock the kingdom starts inside with a mustard seed of faith that God put there about the time I trusted him for the first time.
SLIDE 5 In Luke 12: 32 God says He wants you to have it.
While we learn that the kingdom is now and within us, we find a dilemma in scripture that speaks of the kingdom not yet here. As Christians we pray for the kingdom and believe it is coming fervently with Jesus’ return. So if someone ever says out loud “what is this world coming to?” Your answer can be “the kingdom of God!”
At the same time, Christians believe that the kingdom of God is already real. It is not exclusively future reality; it is present reality. How else can we account for miracles and healing? So Christians live somewhere between this tension, that is, God’s kingdom is now and God’s kingdom is not yet.
SLIDE 6 Verse 32 says God wants us to have the kingdom. A kingdom encounter is the kingdom of God brought into the presence of another. I’ll say it again, a kingdom encounter is the kingdom of God brought into the presence of another. This kingdom comes with love, power and wisdom. It brings forth the presence of Christ.
SLIDE 7 The Bible has so much to say about the kingdom.
God gives it to us as a gift Luke 12:32
It is taken from some and given to others Matthew 21:43
God calls us to it, 1 Th 2:12
Has set us in it, (Col 1:13)
Makes us worthy of it, 2 Th 1:5
Saves us for it, 2Tim 4:18
And has promised it. James 2:5
SLIDE 8 We for our part receive it like children Mk 10:15, Heb 12:28
Inherit it, Mt 25:34, 1 Cor 6:9-10, Gal 5:21,
Eph 5:5, James 2:5
See it, Mk 9:1, John 3:3
And Enter it. Mt. 5:20, 7:21, 21:31
SLIDE 9 As we decide for God we are fit for it Luke 9:62
We are trained for it Mt 13:52
We are to be fellow workers for it Col 4:11
To fight for it Heb 11:33
To seek it earnestly Mt 6:33
SLIDE 10 It is destined for the poor Mt 5:3
The persecuted Mt 5:10
And children Mt 19:14
SLIDE 11 Temporary enthusiasm for it is not enough Luke 9:62
The cost of doing it must be counted Luke 14:28
Hearing without doing it will not suffice Mt 7:21, 24ff
Supreme readiness for sacrifice is required for it Mt 10:37
SLIDE 12 Are you ready for rain?
SLIDE 13 In Luke 12 again, v.33 we learn that kingdom living will require a cost, but the reward are treasures stored in heaven.
Treasure in heaven seems to come with cost. For many years I was always afraid of getting too deep into ministry because I was concerned that the time it would consume outside the home would destroy my family relationships. Fundamentally, I had a hard time letting that one go to God. VLI has taught me to balance this out better. And, just to show that God has a sense of humor, I work from home, I live at home, and in the summer, I see those little cherubs every day and now my “heart’s cry” now is Lord, bring me into ministry, I will do anything for you!
It’s easy to thank God when things are going well. There are many people, Christians or not, who thank God when things are going well, because there is no cost. But if you truly want to give God a gift, thank him when things are not going well. Praise him in crisis. Honor him when you’re afflicted.
SLIDE 14 This is preparation for the heart. This is getting ready for rain.
Then God can lead you into kingdom encounters. He opens doors. When we walk closely with him we are tuned in to what he’s doing. When we don’t walk closely with him, the encounters are harder to discern, our choices become clouded and it is harder to know what he’s doing.
A kingdom encounter is the kingdom of God brought into the presence of another. Sometimes that’s God come to us. Sometimes that’s us coming to another person.
God will cause people to come into our lives to draw them near to his light, his kingdom. I love to make friends with non-Christians because I like to see God do miracles in non-Christian’s lives. It is also a source of great joy for me because in the end, the only thing eternal on this earth are people.
Think about it, it’s a way to store up our treasure in heaven. When we’re outward focused and investing our lives in the unchurched it’s like transferring our time, our money and our resources through them and building a heavenly portfolio. When I go to heaven I want to see them as part of my heavenly welcoming committee talked about in Luke 16:9. So it seems wise to spend time with people so we can demonstrate kingdom power that will have eternal effect.
Nancy and I were up in Big Bear, some mountains that overlook the San Bernardino Area. We were thinking about purchasing a cabin. The realtor drove us around in her Nissan Xterra in and out of back country roads. We went up this one road where there was hardly a cabin or soul in sight. At last we came to the end of the street where there was a cabin for sale. After seeing the cabin we headed back to her SUV. Then the realtor realized she had locked her keys in the car. This was a problem because Nancy and I had to get back down the mountain, take a two hour drive home and relieve the babysitter. We did not have any cell phone reception. The realtor did not want her window broken. She started walking down the road to see if she could find a person who had a phone. Nancy had an idea to pray. We asked for God’s power and he showed up when Nancy took the Mazda key in her purse, stuck it into the Nissan, turned it, and unlocked the door! Our kingdom encounter witnessed the power and love of God to our realtor.
When we bring forth the kingdom it is not always on our command. We prepare ourselves and our hearts for obedience and we tune into God through prayer and study. We need to have our antennae up.
SLIDE 15 vv34 What you pursue will show the measure of your heart.
Sometimes it’s hard to seek the kingdom when we are distracted by the world. I was on myspace earlier this week looking at the personal blogs of youth that are in my former church. To sum up their content, the associations they made with other people, the quotes, the statements, the music and video they displayed, to me appeared that they were a separated person. It didn’t look to me like a person on a spiritual journey. They were on a cultural journey. Behaving one way in church and another way on-line. It showed me what was really in their heart.
SLIDE 16 I Timothy 2:20 to 22 says: 20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for disposal of refuse. 21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. 22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
In Timothy’s day, these are folks in the church who were on cultural and spiritual journeys like us, with a few of Paul’s letters circulating throughout the church to correct and encourage their beliefs. These people brought philosophies and cultural ways that corrupted the faith of some. These philosophies are not far from what we have allowed into the church: our own styles, our own justifications, our methods and our own western thinking.
So it is important that we do a little housekeeping. We need to sweep out some of the things that have us locked into patterns of believing we’re not good enough, we’re not amounting to anything, we’re not going anywhere, we can tell a white lie if we need to, or we can look at another but not touch. These are all sin that come from inside. Matthew 15:18 says sin comes out of the heart. That is how a man is defiled.
In Matthew 10:1 Jesus called his disciples to him, he gave them kingdom power over unclean spirits to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
We need to be ready for rain. Let your waist be girded and your lamp burning. Our hearts need to be prepared, not toying with little sins that we’ve come to comfortably co-exist with. Jesus gave us the priority and the commandment to seek first his kingdom. Why don’t we do it? Because were like dry bones inside that need the breath of God to come to life.
I prayed hard for this church for the last three to four weeks. And God has given me a great love for the Grace Vineyard.
It doesn’t surprise me I had quite a fight this week, so thank you for all your prayers. I was ready. I prayed over my family. I came in to pray over every chair that whoever sat there would have an encounter with the reign and rule of God today. The word that the Lord gave me was that he is commissioning his people and he is starting by asking you to get ready for rain. Many of you have been praying for this and now God is about to answer you. You have labored faithfully and privately and God will reward you with a public display of His power.
SLIDE 17 Let me be final.
If we pray for rain and don’t prepare our ground, we walk a Christianity that comes without power. When we seek the kingdom, we seek the reign and rule of God in our lives. With kingdom encounters come the mighty works of God.
A kingdom encounter is the kingdom of God brought into the presence of another. We need to keep our antennae up. God is going to move our church and turn our insides out. This doesn’t mean we’ll stop loving on our own…it just means that our hearts will be exposed and on display for all to see. I pray that what’s inside is the kingdom and that will become very attractive. Let’s get ready.
CONCLUSION
I want to try something a little different. Where you are at, we are going to ready our hearts by preparing our church for rain. In the time left, I want us to seek the reign and rule of God and have a kingdom encounter through prayer.
If you are new today, we are glad you’re here, because you have been drawn today by God into a kingdom encounter. I am asking everyone to pray fervently with me. You can sit, kneel, or go in the back and lay prone, but we need to seek him as a church. It’s important.
So set your Bible to the side and be free of any encumbrance, and pray with me by expressing to God his goodness, his faithfulness, his attributes. Don’t stop as we push past the point of what might be comfortable. While we’re gathered together let’s use this time to prepare for rain over our church. Let’s use phrases out loud to honor him from our hearts. Also, I am not releasing you. I am calling you right now to honor God with prayer and praise.
Lord you are good.
Lord you are sovereign. You set the earth spinning on its axis.
Father God you are eternal. You were never created.
Lord you are faithful and true to your promises.
Lord you are merciful.
Lord, you forgive us, and empower us to forgive others.
Lord God, you deliver us.
Lord you provide, for all our needs. We don’t have to worry with you.
God how you love us!
Father you are true.
Father you judge us fairly.
Father your discipline is helpful.
You are compassionate.
God you are victorious.
Your sovereignty is unequalled.
God is the great physician
You arm is not to short to save.
Lord, you give life meaning.
Jesus you have made a way for us!
You are to be honored and praised
You are forever good.
Lord you have chosen us.
Lord you equip us.
Lord God, you commission us. We want to do your plan.
And finally, Lord you give us the kingdom.
This is a war made in the heavenly realms with our praises.
The spirit of God is here and it is ushering in His kingdom.
Our hearts break for the things that break your heart!Our hearts are stirred for the praises that You’re due!
Lord prepare our hearts!
The kingdom of God is here! Lord, we resolve in our hearts that You care about us and loves us. We resolve that we will not give the enemy an opportunity to steal from our lives or play with our heads. We resolve that no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, we will praise you, oh God. Whether we are motivated or apathetic, whether we succeed or fail, whether we live or die, Your name, the name of Jesus, will be honored and praised by our lips.
< Words>
< Give us a breakthrough today specifically for addictions by a move of God.
Lord let there be power for forgiveness and clean slates for those of us who choose to confess what we have held onto so tightly. Lord, though it come at great cost, let our reward be a kingdom encounter.
There are some with core attitudes that God is pleased with. You will have special encounters with Jesus himself. >
Okay, today there will be many personal victories because there are hearts that are turning as a body. Not because we’re here to have faith for free stuff from God, but because there is heart readiness for a move of God outside of ourselves. This will not end with this church meeting.
Lord, we bless your continued work and we anoint those with clarity of vision to continue the call on our lives to seek your kingdom. You are now dismissed to get your children, and you are also welcome to remain in prayer and pursue God. Amen. SLIDE 18
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