THIS IS NOT A DRESS REHEARSAL: THIS IS THE REAL DEAL
1. God has Great Plans for You
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Sound familiar. When I went through my ten-year trial, someone sent me a Newsletter from Dave Wilkerson that had Jeremiah 29:11-13 in it along with a sermon. God would use this message from Dave Wilkerson as life preserver to keep me hoping and at the end of the trial to transform my life. The good news is this: you have the same promise.
There were two additional things God would reveal that I will explain later. But this is God’s promise to every Believer. He wants to give you an expected end (some versions say a hope and a future.) He is no respecter of persons.
Yet, it seems when you look around everything is not as it should be. The Bible says in Luke 18:8 “When the son of man returns will he find faith.”
The love of many has gone cold- when it comes to the unbeliever-there is a range from lying to murder that we have never seen the likes of in our generation.
70 years ago, the worst problems in school were: talking and gum chewing. Now there are metal detectors and lock-downs. We have religious groups like Isis and their followers that murder innocent people. We have people who murder innocent children and pregnant mothers while they worship in church because they are evil.
Now I am taking about the unbelievers and misled religious groups. But even for the born-again Christian there is a lack of commitment to Christ and his mandate
Here is one example: 98 per cent of Christians in America don’t witness regularly (Criteria is sharing your faith with unbeliever every 6 weeks according to Ray Comfort) and, yet they pray for Revival instead (how bizarre is that). That would be like having a can of soup that you could feed a man with but instead you pray that God will send the soup supernaturally to him. It doesn’t work that way. And the saddest thing is that we have the soup already. This is an area that I am working to be much stronger in; sharing my faith. Remember, it isn’t for the pastor or the evangelist; it’s for all of us. It isn’t extra credit- it’s mandatory.
I believe this could be the Christians finest, hour-But will it be-depend on me and you. How bad do we want it? We are the light in the midst of this darkness.
And the darkness is going to continue to get darker, and if we shine the light our light will be brighter.
2. The Parable of the Sower
Matthew 13:1-23 (ESV)
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.
2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.
3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow.
4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.
5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,
6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.
7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
-DO YOU AND I HAVE EARS TO HEAR?????
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower:
19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.
20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,
21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.
22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Remember at the beginning, I told you that there were two other things that God showed me towards the end of this trial. This again, are promises that would apply to you too.
Jeremiah 29:1 (ESV)
1 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
3.These People were in Bondage; just like many Christians are today
They were prisoners in Babylon. Sadly, today many Christians are in the same boat. They may not be captive in a jail, but they are prisoners just the same. What do I mean? If you are not growing, you are a captive. If you are not witnessing, you are a captive. IF you are not able to do the things that the New Testament church did, then you are a captive. God doesn’t want that for you. He is not condemning you. He wants to free you.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (KJV)
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
4. It really comes down to this: Seek him with all your heart (you will find him)-Don’t and you Won’t
God made this very clear to me during my 10-year trial. First, he told me about Jeremiah 29:11-"I know the plans I have for you" and then later he told me how to receive those plans. (YOU MUST "SEEK HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART") (FOR 29 YEARS AS A BELIEVER I DIDN’T AND DIDN’T FIND HIM AND FOR 10 YEARS PLUS I DID, AND I FOUND HIM) YOU CAN HAVE THE SAME!!!
5. Soften Your Heart towards Him
Hebrews 3:7-8 (ESV)
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,
Don’t harden your heart but yield it to God to the Holy Spirit and let him soften it now.
So are you treating your walk with God as a dress rehearsal and not the real deal.
He wants you to know him intimately and to touch others with his Book of Acts power
I am always amazed by people who are believers that are successful in business but don’t take the time to seek God and break through and receive this kind of intimate relationship with God and power to touch others. You don’t want to stand before the Lord someday and make excuses.
You can have it all right now down here. There is a road map and I am trying to help you to find it. I give all the glory to God.
You get to choose: keep treating it like a dress rehearsal or step up to "THE REAL DEAL." You will have to deny yourself and seek him with all your heart. I can tell you from personal experience that the benefits of knowing him and touching others with the power of God will spoil you. Nothing else will compare. Let’s pray!
Pray something like this (ONLY IF YOU MEAN IT):
Dear Lord,
I am tired of treating my Christian Walk as a Dress Rehearsal
I want THE REAL DEAL
Please soften my heart
I deny self and take up the Cross
I choose to seek you with all my heart
Show me what that is
And help me to live it out
In Jesus Name, Amen
