SERMON: RISE & SHINE TIME.
INTRODUCTION: Ever wonder why the world is so dark? Time for Life: According to the authors of a controversial book entitled Time for Life, the average American has more free time today than at any time since 1965. Two time management experts studied the daily routines of Americans over the past thirty years to reach their surprising conclusion, which says that our leisure time has increased almost five hours per week in the last three decades. Knowing that most people feel more rushed today than ever before, the authors say more leisure time has actually accelerated rather than slowed the pace of life.. On an average, We spend to fifteen hours a week that are spent watching television. Compare this with the nine-tenths of one hour per week, about 54 minutes, on Christian discipline/service! This is a hint as to why the world in such spiritual bondage! TRANSITIONAL-STATEMENT: We need to have a full revelation as to how dark of a messy place we’re in and how much we can do about it . .and aren’t! It’s Rise and shine time! 1.LIGHT-SWITCH EPH 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. If we make manifest we are light! But the first light we need to be is to ourselves! We usually think of shining, in the context of us shining at others, or reflecting God’s light at others. Good concept, but its not the one I found in the Bible. Mt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. We’re not to simply deflect His light off us to others, we’re act like a Prism. . . His light must go through us, then to others. For that to happen the Prism must be spotless!. . Before we can shine properly in others and for God we need to shine in the dark places of our own heart and repent, so, as Jesus said, our plank will be removed and we will see clearly. It says that you will be reproved when His light makes manifest your darkness. Have you been feeling reproved? Reproved means to be set straight and encouraged, a balance we all need in accountability to one another. Has conviction been a staple in your spiritual diet? I believe the Lord is giving us a tool in shining and repenting. . . JAMES 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. This is a rare word in Protestant circles, but it is Biblical, just to the extreme of some religions. 2 things mentioned in order for healing. One is confession! To each other!! Imagine! But this is always in context of prayer. the confession isn’t so much for forgiveness and penance as it is for help and accountability. This is one of the weopons the enemy hates, because this one of the best way to dispel darkness! To grab the light that makes manifest, we must take everything out of the dark hidden places. Sure you may be dealing with these things in your prayer time, but it is still hidden. The only ones who know is you, God and Satan!! Now when you confess it to another, you bring it into the light for reproving and victory!! The Accuser of the Brethren has lost his power to haunt alone! You must find and be a person of truth to confess to. God will lead you. This is not to make clicks, its to win war and bring unity as we more and more become transparent with each other.EPH 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. What have you got hiding? what is the Lord wanting you to bring into the light? Will you ask God to bring you to people who will help? Will you confess your faults and be free and healed? ISA60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2.WAKE-UP! EPH 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Listen to this. Strong, strong words! . . LUKE 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. . .LUKE 22:60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. While Jesus was given revelation by an angel, the others slept and entered temptation as soon as He was arrested!! A short time later, Peter enters temptation and compromise! Some sins gotten to you? Compromise? Heard the cock crow? Jesus tells us to wake up! and sacrifice in prayer to keep strong over temptation. ACTS 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. 6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. 7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. Who do you think got Peter out of Prison? God didn’t move on behalf of Peter’s prayers, he was sleeping! The Lord moved on behalf of the intercession of Peter’s church for Peter! The angel had to smack Peter out of his daze! Been there? As Peter rose from sleep, his chains fell off!! Get the Hint! Acts tells us to wake up! and sacrifice in prayer for deliverance! The church who interceded for Peter did so without sleep. Sacrifice is necessary in understanding the desperation of our circumstances, and desperation is neccessary to see the sacrifices needed! If we want to have the revelation of an angel, showinfg us where and what, we need to follow these examples! If we want to see this town and church freed from its many bondages, first, we have to be shown how truly improsoned our situation is!! Then we have to respond in sacrificial prayer! If we want to see God where we thought He wasn’t, in the dark desolate places we need to wake up! and both see and shine Christ’s ever reaching Light! Lets try some of His coffee for a while. Its a very rich bean, it called the Holy Spirit blend! EPH 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Do you see the desperate place our/your church and town are at?We need to match it desperation in sacrifice and prayer to turn the tide. Will you? Will you intercede for each other? ISA 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 3.DIVINE-SCHEDULING EPH 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Prayer, obviously, is huge. Its the first step, and the key to everything else. But . . there must be everything else! We need to move on our prayers. We need to go and WALK Circumspectly, or walk and watch for opportunity. Do you see everyday, every person you run into as a planned situation, with God waiting to move? Everyday is and every person is! So we need to gain the wisdom on how to Walk everyday, and how to battle as well. A very big part of this is priorities! What are yours? Make a daily list and see what you find as important and so on. Also look for what is urgent, and see if urgency is robbing you from important things!! Oh, my neighbor needs help fixing his window before the rain comes down from those dark clouds. Oh well I have to get this meeting by 7, or else I would. The Meeting was urgent, the neighbor was importantToo often we mix up priorities.Go to the meeting late. LUKE 10:30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, The preists and Levites duties and Prayers were urgent, and perhaps important! But the Neighbor was most important! Important over rules urgent, but important is over ruled by urgnetly important! Sound confusing? Thats why the Lord has to set our schedule. Another big part of this mix is found in verse 16. Redeeming the time. We are so busy, that we lose track of priority in the hurry to keep caught up! Busyness can be a good thing with balance. Many times when you want something done, the busy person is more efficient than the idle. But busy is only proper with 2 defining rules. 1. That your schedule is made or/and O.K.ed by the Lord! Would He approve of what your doing today? What would He schedule in for you? Garanteed you would have set-in-stone priorities! And Garanteed you would have the next rule scheduled in as well. That 2nd rule is SabbathS. Notice plural. There is a strong principle of rest in God’s Word. Even The Almighty rests!! 7th Day of Creation. The ground was even to have a Sabbath year every 7 years.EX31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. When we are so busy, we eventually fret and lose perspective. We are not to be so busy, regardless of what our culture keeps ramming down our throats. We are to trust some of our work and time to God. We are Prideful to keep it from God. This may seem to contradict the “redeeming of time” Paul talks of, but it doesn’t. It brings balance and adds faith to our schedules. This is necessary, for it will seem illogical sometimes, but only God can redeem time - supernatural. We can save time, use it to the fullest. But only God can buy back time, if we follow His Schedule! Busyness can be another snare of the devil! What better way to enslave someone than by making them feel noble in all the things they do as the schedule itself becomes a chain! Not only have you found a new bondage, but it is stealing away the time to free other areas in your life, for you can’t find time to study the Bible, Go to church, or pray! This goes in all aspects of your schedule, unless the Lord is calling and commissioned you to spend the time to serve others. Your hobbies, meetings, job, etc should not own you! Sabbaths were made by God to keep Him as our only Master, to trust Him to own us and nothing else. EPH 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. The days are evil, more than we probably know! And we need to prayerfully use our time and opportunities. Are you redeeming the time? Letting God prioritize your schedule? Trusting Him in Sabbaths? ISA 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. CONCLUSION: EPH 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. This is the verse that follows our context and sums it up for us. A 3rd time, we are called to wisdom. MATT 10:16 “Wise as Serpents, and harmless as doves”; meaning, we outwit the Enemy and think and Act still Like our Father in Heaven! We need to have a full revelation as to how dark of a messy place we’re in andrealize how much we can do about it . .& aren’t! It’s Rise and shine time! His will is to Shine light into our lives and schedules, as well as, cleanse us and our territory. To shine that same light into others to bring them the knowledge of the Gospel. ROMANS 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Are we “knowing the time”? If so, we had better rise and shine, for our light has come and we need to use it wisely and pass it on! It is time to put on the armor and cast off the darkness, so we can advance against the enemy In Christ light! We need to become transparent and open so to truly shine in and repent from the dark in us. We the weopens of confession, prayer and unity. We to act in the same sacrificial manner as God and do what it takes in prayer and action to gain for God’s Kingdom, for Fox Creek, For F.C.P.A.! We need His wisdom in everyday use of time and resource. We need to be continually filled with His Holy Spirit Coffee & wake Up to turn the lights on! Isa 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. Will I let Him bring those dark places to light? Will I sacrifice to shine that light and bring results? Will I consistantly schedule God in, and let God in on my schedule ?
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