Sunday service, Detlef Stegen, 21 May 2017
In England there was a time of drought and only about a week left before the crops would fail; so they arranged a prayer service. On the way to the service the pastor noticed a small girl carrying an umbrella. He thought it funny and went to her and asked her about it. She answered that she believes God would send rain for they were going to pray for rain. The pastor had to hang his head in shame because of his unbelief!
Are you happy with the way things are in your life? Don’t you see the drought? Are you ready for God to work in your family and church? Or maybe you’re the cause that God cannot work! You’re complacent. You think everything is fine. Are you ready for heaven’s rain? Are you ready for God to change the community and the country? Or do you have doubts. Doubts are a sure field where nothing will grow.
I read a wonderful word these days, “it is time o Lord for you to work” (Ps 119:126). Are you ready for God to work firstly in your own life? Later in Ps 119 he says, “I opened my mouth wide and panted as I longed for your commandments” (Ps 119:131. It reminds one of Ps 42, “as a deer pants for water so I pant for you o Lord”.
Do you see the need for God to work?
Matt 12:1-7
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Here we see what moves our Lord and Master. He wants mercy rather than sacrifice. These were Pharisees who confronted our Lord. They knew the law. But here they opposed the Law Giver! Do you see the danger? We can grow up and become mature and think we know all. It’s a dangerous place to be in. God might even send you a delusion that you become blind to the truth.
2Thes 2:11
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.
Here we see the vital necessity to be on Christ’s side and not under our own convictions and knowledge.
Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath and overrules the Sabbath of your life too. Do you know the compassion of Christ? As we have read, if only you knew what the saying means, I require compassion rather than sacrifice. Because of His compassion we received mercy. If He had applied His righteous law to us none of us would be saved. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
Have you experienced His compassion in your life? He carried our sins, our wrongdoings, our missing the mark. Can you cry out, Lord your compassion have been shown to me? Can you testify to that? Now He says that He seeks compassion out of your life for others.
When Lot fled out of Sodom the angel told them to flee for their lives. There are certain times that your life is at stake and you must pay close attention lest you die.
Think of Daniel and his friends, and what a battle raged in heaven, and where God chose His precious ones to conquer.
It reminds one of our Lord Jesus, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. For the transgression of His people was He smitten. He was numbered with the evil doers. Finally He was taken out of the land of the living crying out, “my God my God why have you forsaken Me?” (Matt 27:46 and Ps 22:1)
The more intense the battle the greater the victory. Jesus arose with all authority in heaven and earth given to Him, where He is seated on the right hand of God the Father.
There is more to it in the heavenly sphere than what you and I can see with our eyes.
Think of Job. He lost everything and even his health. Eventually even his friends turned against him, not seeing the battle in the heavenly realm. But Job in his need turned still to God, “at the latter day I shall see God in my flesh” (Job 19:25).
Have you surrendered all? Because your all will be in the way of Christ’s working. Can you say, “it’s time for you o Lord to work in my life”? Or will you be the spoke in the wheel that God doesn’t work among us? Don’t put it off. We want heaven’s rain now among us. Have your brought your umbrella? We want Jesus to work among us. We want His compassion among us.
Sermon audio in other languages:
German
Download
French
Download
Music:
KwaSizabantu Choir:
Download
KwaSizabantu Choir:
Download
KwaSizabantu Choir:
Download