grace abounded much more

God’s Much More – Pastor Sandra Kennedy

November 10, 2013       http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?&PGD=wholelife&eID=32                                                              ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ¹¹ And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.                                            ¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.                                                ¹⁷ For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)            ²⁰ Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, ²¹ so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.　

5 am lesson: How to carry out your divine appointment?

Every follower of Jesus has been given a divine appointment. Jesus demonstrated how this can be carried out when He was walking on earth. Just as He had promised, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. It is an easy job as far as Jesus is concerned. The disciples too carried out the same just as Jesus had commanded.

The appointment: And Jesus came to them saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the edge.” (Matt.28:18-20)

Mark 16:15-18 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.” 20 “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”

How were the ordinary disciples sent out? Jesus showed how this was done.

Luke 10:1 “After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.”

2 Then He said to them, “...pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

3 “Go your way; behold, I send you out...”

4 “”Carry neither money bag...and greet no one along the road.”

5 “But whatever house you enter...”

6 “And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it...”

7 “And remain in the same house eating and drinking such things as they give...”

8 “Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.”

9 “And heal the sick there and say to them, 'the kingdom of God has come near to you.'”

It is clear that the only mission Jesus gave the disciples was in verse 9: heal the sick and preach the kingdom of God Good News in the city that received them who went in Jesus' name.

What was the purpose of Jesus asking the disciples to do these two things?

Jesus gave the answer: Luke 10:17-20, 22

17 The disciples returned and reported that demons were subject to them in Jesus' name.

18 Satan's authority and power had been superseded when the disciples took up the authority of Jesus and moved in the power of the Holy Spirit.

19 It proved that the authority Jesus gave to the disciples was indeed superior: they can trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt them.

20 But the more significant issue is: the disciples have proved their worth by demonstrating their citizenship in the Kingdom of God, their sons of God status, both in authority and power over Satan's subjects.

22 The display of the superior authority and power of Jesus confirmed to the disciples that Jesus is the Son of God as He had claimed to be. His supremacy in the spiritual realm is evident to those whom He chose to reveal Himself.

And this is the message of the gospel: the Kingdom of God is what Jesus has brought to the world. All who believe Him and follow Him as the disciples did could enter through His gate. He is the Gate. Citizenship in the Kingdom of God is far more superior than that of all the other kingdoms on earth.

The disciples tasted this Kingdom and continued even after Jesus ascended to heaven. They moved in the supreme authority and power of Jesus, the Son of God. They lived out their divine appointment.

The Kingdom of God has continued to advance since then. Are you part of this Kingdom? Have you received your divine appointment?

The Holy Spirit says: Be Free! And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”

 Today’s prayer from the watchman to the Lord is “O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you.Be our arm every morning,our salvation in the time of trouble.” Then the Lord answered, “And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”. ““But where is this wonderful place Lord?” The watchman asked further. Then he knew. How did he know? Just by following the faith people, living in the Spirit, walking by faith and not by sight.

Lately he was led to renovate his abode by throwing out the stuff that hinder his spiritual journey by faith (worldly books and stuff of no value in the kingdom of God). He just obeyed. He saw in his spirit that some disciples looking persons sitting on the floor waiting upon the Lord. He asked the Lord and received the prompting that the place would be put to use as an intensive training ground for those who want to learn to hear God and be led by the Spirit. About three years back he first heard in his spirit the term “prophet-disciple school”. He put it aside as he had no other leading. Then a few months back the Lord prompted him again. He asked the Lord from where and how such ‘disciple trainees’ would come? He was told that the Lord would bring them and they would come from unexpected sources. He needed not do anything. They would self-sustain themselves. So he obeyed and free up the place by throwing away two lorry loads of unwanted stuff.
As it is spacious and empty he loves to sit there alone and waits upon the Lord. The early morning and evening time is the best. The garden is just a glass door away, with some trees and patches of grass and stone pavement. Mature red palms, an unnamed tree, a fir tree, and a young thriving avocado tree are all doing well.
One day he received a phone call. A brethren in Christ who had not contacted him for many years suddenly called him. The man had been fasting for 28 days and had encountered the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He was filled with joy and tears. He wanted to talk to someone and no one was willing to hear him out from his circle of brethren and friends, including his own wife, pastors and elders. They come from one of the most traditional churches in this region. They do not want to know his experience of baptism of the Holy Spirit and are also against praying in tongues (in the church or anything to do with the church ministry).
The pastor has even warned sternly that he should never speak or pray in tongue when he is at the pulpit (as a worship leader //deacon), leading worship or prayer meetings, or as a cell group leader, or anywhere around the church or where the church members gather. He was stunned. He has served the Lord for years and become bone dry. He has observed that others too have the same dryness in their souls and spirits. Their bodies too suffer sicknesses which warrant constant medicine intake. After he was filled with the Holy Spirit he was overjoyed and nourished by the Lord, feeding on the word of God like never before. The brethren also testified that he decided to stop his medicine during his fasting and he was healed of a chronic pain at the back of his neck!

So the watchman was contacted when this Spirit-filled brethren suddenly recalled his name! The watchman agreed to meet with him as the brethren indicated that he wanted to know more about Holy Spirit-filled living. At first they met around 10am. Then the Lord prompted that the brethren should join the watchman waiting upon the Lord early to learn hands-on. So they decided to meet at the newly renovated space at 5am daily Monday to Friday.

After the first meeting, they were joined by a couple who lived nearby. They decided to wait upon the Lord too in the early hours before going to work. So the 5am-8am/9am morning ‘wait-upon-the-Lord’ faith in action training had birthed. No agenda. No planning. No program. No schedule. No fixed message. No fixed time frame. They just learned to listen to the Lord Holy Spirit and obeyed.
The Bible verses flowed as the Spirit of the Lord led them. The Lord Jesus had promised, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
Indeed, the watchman and the earnest seekers of God, daily encounter the reality of these verses, “Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar.”
“But there the Lord in majesty will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams,”
“And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.”
________________________________Bible verses for today:
Isaiah 33 (ESV)
² O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you.
    Be our arm every morning,
    our salvation in the time of trouble.
³ At the tumultuous noise peoples flee;
when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered,
⁴ and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
as locusts leap, it is leapt upon.
⁵ The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;
    he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,
⁶ and he will be the stability of your times,
    abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
    the fear of the Lord is Zion’s^[a] treasure.
⁷ Behold, their heroes cry in the streets;
the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
⁸ The highways lie waste;
the traveler ceases.
Covenants are broken;
cities^[b] are despised;
there is no regard for man.
⁹ The land mourns and languishes;
Lebanon is confounded and withers away;
Sharon is like a desert,
and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
¹⁰ “Now I will arise,” says the Lord,
    “now I will lift myself up;
    now I will be exalted.
¹¹ You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble;
your breath is a fire that will consume you.
¹² And the peoples will be as if burned to lime,
like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.”
¹³ Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;
and you who are near, acknowledge my might.
¹⁴ The sinners in Zion are afraid;
trembling has seized the godless:
“Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire?
    Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?”
¹⁵ He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
who despises the gain of oppressions,
who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe,
who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed
and shuts his eyes from looking on evil,
¹⁶ he will dwell on the heights;
    his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks;
    his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.
¹⁷ Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty;
    they will see a land that stretches afar.
¹⁸ Your heart will muse on the terror:
“Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed the tribute?
Where is he who counted the towers?”
¹⁹ You will see no more the insolent people,
the people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend,
stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand.
²⁰ Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts!
Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent,
whose stakes will never be plucked up,
nor will any of its cords be broken.
²¹ But there the Lord in majesty will be for us
a place of broad rivers and streams,
where no galley with oars can go,
nor majestic ship can pass.
²² For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver;
    the Lord is our king; he will save us.
²³ Your cords hang loose;
they cannot hold the mast firm in its place
or keep the sail spread out.
Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided;
even the lame will take the prey.
²⁴ And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”;
    the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.
Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 33:6 Hebrew his
2. Isaiah 33:8 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll witnesses