Sermon note (4th svc)
– Pastor Lawrence
Gospel of grace impact the world. The law was given by Moses, grace came by Jesus Christ. We cannot earn it. Don’t try to earn it. Receive it.
Bethel means the house of God.
Jacob was the one who had dream of God and he named this place house of God.
Jacob was a son of Issac. Issac was the son of Abraham. Jacob was the grandson of Abraham.
Genesis 25:20-21
Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
God gave the promise to Abraham that his descendant will be like the stars in heaven and sands on the seashore. It is impossible to numbers the stars and the sands.
God has written in His word that by His stripe we are healed. Yet sometimes we experience seems contrary to His promises.
There is a place where we are patient. Stand and hold on the promises of God. All His promises are yes and amen!
Despite all that we see is contrary to God’s promises, yes and amen is our response!
Issac pleaded with the Lord.
It seems that the devil wants to attack when a promise is given.
Many times when God gives the Word to us, we receive the Word but tribulation arises on the account the Word is given.
Right now if you are experiencing any attack, know this, the devil is afraid.
Issac pressed in and pleaded with the Lord.
Stand on the promises of the Lord and keep on believing. Amen!
The Lord granted his plead and Rebecca, Issac’s wife conceived.
When you ask God for something, He don’t just give one, He gives more than enough!
Whenever faith is involved, you get much more!
Issac was 60 years old when he had the children. He waited for 20 years.
We don’t know when he pleaded with the Lord.
Everyday passes by, we are one day closer to our miracle!
The promise is coming! The manifestation will come!
Through faith and patience, receive the promise of God! Amen!
A man of God had back pain, and he had to cut down his ministry travel time. It went on for 20 years, the back pains was still there. One day he woke up and realised his back pain was completely gone! He was 81 years old. He felt stronger than he was at 60 years old! He literally had renewal of youth!
Age is but a number!
Believe in your heart that God can renew your youth.
Lots of mercy to receive.
Issac loves Esau because of the game he hunted. Esau was a man’s man. His favourite activity is hunting. He loves to hunt game for his father to eat.
Jacob was smooth skin and mild mannered. They are completely opposite.
Issac wanted to give Esau his first born blessing.
Jacob’s mother asked Jacob to deceive Issac for his blessing. Jacob did as his mother told him to.
Issac was old and his eyes was dim. He though Jacob was Esau and gave Esau the first born blessing.
When Esau came back and found out what had happened and he was mad. He wanted to kill Jacob.
Jacob was running away from Esau.
Genesis 28:10-11
Jacob’s Vow at Bethel
Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.
Genesis 28:12-14
Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
Angel of God was ascending and descending on the ladder.
In ver 14, in your seed. Is singular seed. Is referred to Jesus Christ.
He is with you and will keep you wherever you go!
He will not leave you until He has done what He has spoken to you. He will not leave you until He has done what He has spoken to us.
Genesis 28:15-17
Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
This is where Bethel was first mentioned.
What is the house of God today?
The house of God today is found in the church!
1 Timothy 3:15
but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
Today the house of God, where we are at, this is the house of God.
The Lord is in the house of God. The Lord is here today!
The word Awesome was used in 4000 years ago!
Genesis 28:18-19
Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.
Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was under tremendous pressure that He started to sweat blood. Picture of Christ. The oil been crushed. The oil is used for lamp stand. Used for cleaning, sanctified (set apart unto God). Holiness is not sinlessness.
Wisdom is always first.
The opposite of holiness is common-ness.
Can the chair sin or don’t sin? The holiness is set apart for use unto the Lord.
Today we are called out from the world and called unto Him.
Today all of us are set apart in Him.
We receive His goodness and the behaviour will change.
Oil, it is thru the anointing oil, every bonding and yoke is destroyed in your life!
When two or three come together, there He is in the midst of us.
When we come together as a church, His anointing is there.
Genesis 28:20-22
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
God more than fulfil His promises.
Tithing is mentioned in the house of God. Tithing is a response to the goodness of God.
We all tithe to the local church. Tithing is a revelation. There is no curse for Christians.
Every curse has been reversed because of the word of God.
My tithe is to witness He lives.
Bethel the house of God is amazing place.
The church is a place where divine friendship exist. The first friendship is the friendship of God.
Ecclesiastes 10:10
If the ax is dull,
And one does not sharpen the edge,
Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom brings success.
You can have all the strength in the world, but if the ax is dull, you won’t be able to cut down the tree
Maybe you have lost the cutting edge of your marriage, career, ministry? God wants you to have cutting edge with the Lord in your life. Don’t lose the cutting edge of your life. Wisdom!
Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
Divine friendship. The people God place in your life. The friends God placed in your life!
My miracle is in your mouth. There is a place for divine friendship especially in the house of God!
Pastor Lawrence was a very private person. He had to travel with the other two pastors to support Pastor Prince. (Pastor Daniel, Pastor Darren and Pastor Lawrence.) They became closer friends during the travel.
He never pursue them as friends.
He went through valley in his life. His pride caused him not to tell the two friends.
His wife revealed to them secretly.
They invited him and his wife to have dinner. They spoke into his life.
Through their listening, Pastor got through the valley.
Through that, Pastor Lawrence got back his cutting edge in his life.
This is divine friendship.
Divine friendship are there for a purpose.
Something happen when you have divine friendship.
Proverbs 13:20
He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
Is there anyone you can even call ? Who is on your speed dial?
We must be open to build friendship in our lives.
The best friendship is with other believers.
Establish Godly friendship with other believers in this house.
Iron sharpen iron!
Start to develop real authentic divine friendship in the house of God. As you develop that, it is a blessing.
It is ok to not be ok.
Everyone has challenge. Maybe small or big. This is real life! Why pretend to be ok?
Come as you are. No perfect person allow.
Dare to be real with each other.
Talk about real problem. Bring it out and share and pray over it.
Especially for the guys, be open, step out!
Lets be real! Build a real friendship!
Stand for each other. Love and care for each other.
This year, the year of hesed wisdom, ask the Lord, who are the people you can identify. Get to know more people and start to build friendship.
It takes time to build friendship.
The gift of holy spirit works best in corporate setting.
Love one another as God has loved us.
How to love one another if it is just yourself?
Don’t just come to church on Sundays. Start to connect!
The more problems you have the more friends you need!
You need friends. We need each other. My miracle is found in your prayers
When we come together and we talk about Jesus, we have power, victory, authority over the gate of darkness!
The gate of hell will not prevail!
We have victory over all problems. All the problems are caused by the spiritual power.
When we are living life alone, dark forces are at work. When you withdraw from people, something is happening.
Jesus saw the friends’ faith of the lame who lowered him down, Jesus healed the lame.
Experience it! It is great joy to hang out with your friends.
Bethel
Yahweh is a covenant Friend
Hei is a picture of grace.
Jesus’ hands was nailed. He took the pains of my hands! He was nailed to the cross!
Yahweh is Jesus! Jesus is Lord. Jesus is God.
His hand of grace was nailed
He loves you! He cares for you! He went to the cross for you, as you!
Psalms 88:6-9
You have laid me in the lowest pit,
In darkness, in the depths.
Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
And You have afflicted me with all Your waves.
Selah
You have put away my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an abomination to them;
I am shut up, and I cannot get out;
My eye wastes away because of affliction.
Lord, I have called daily upon You;
I have stretched out my hands to You.
God made Jesus repulsive to man.
At the cross everyone deserted Him. No one was there for Him.
Do you feel you are in the dark place?
Psalms 88:18
Loved one and friend You have put far from me,
And my acquaintances into darkness.
In the lowest, He was all alone, so that today we are never alone!
He will walk through the journey with us!
He was rejected by God so that we will always be accepted by God.
God is my Friend.
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
The church, the house of God is about divine friendship.
We are not strangers. We have the same Father. We are brothers and sisters in Christ.
In Christ, everyone become part of family.
There is a great blessing here.
