You Cannot Love Two Masters

Teacher: Pastor Stan

February 3, 2015

You Cannot Love Two Masters

Tonight we get the wonderful teachings from Pastor Stan, who opens up the discussion by asking us to fill in the blank to this heavy statement. Love not ______. Below is a list of words JFC members came up with.

·      Love not “hate” (3)

·      Love not “temptation”

·      Love not “lust”

·      Love not “war”

·      Love not “selfishness”

·      Love not “the world”

As a Christian we live in this world, we are born into this world, and we die in this world. How are we then supposed to treat the world and the things of this world? For it is written in our main verse tonight,

1 John 2:15-17  (NIV)

On Not Loving the World

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] is not in them.

Therefore scripture tells us not everything we encounter in life is meant to be loved so the question remains: What is or are the things God does not want us to love?

Well first let us establish what is the world what is a clear definition we can use to set up a basis of our understanding.

What is the world?

·      Anything the flesh wants to be fulfilled because anything that it pushes us to do is seeking to please it and not God.

·      The systems in this realm, the system or way of thinking, motivations, and ideas

How do we know the difference between God’s system and the world’s system?

·      God’s system is about love. The world’s system is about lust.

A sure simple way to see if someone is motivated by lust or love is to remember this Love always seeks to give, lust always seeks to get. The world is constantly seeking what it can get. The first thing the world system wants is your faith, everything in the world’s system is engineered for you to not use your faith. Starting from advertising, commercials, newspapers, magazines, shows, the media, the system designed to attack your faith. They do not want you to use it so they attack your faith. Everything for a Christian is connected by faith it is by faith we have been saved through grace. The Christian life is a faith walk. If the world can get you to not operate in your faith, then everything else like your money, your time, your effort…etc comes with it. If you do not operate in faith then you can get caught up in the world system.

However us as believers find the hardest part is the second part of this verse, “Do not love the world or anything in the world….” This is God’s warning for us.

Why would God warn us about this?

Because it is easy for us to start majoring in the minor (natural) things of life rather than the major things of God’s will. Jesus Christ was not sent into this world for the stuff or things like fame or riches, He was sent into the world for the souls of humanity. God does not want us to be caught up in this stuff to be caught up in the culture of the world. God wants us to be focused on studying and maintaining a relationship with Him, while reaching out for others. It does not mean God does not want us to have stuff like a house or car. He just does not want the things in our lives to control us.

There is a formula to where God can always have first access to our lives. It is

Matthew 6:33

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

            Make God the first priority always give Him the first fruits of your day.

·      Pray to him first thing in the morning

·      Spend quality time with Him in His word

·      Meditate upon his scripturs

God did not create Hell for any human being because He does not want us to be lost to things of this world. We must be careful do not lose your life over the things in this world we see too many celebrities or common folk rushing to buy the latest shoes or jewelry or save all their money. But trust God, He will always provide for His children. God knows and has plans for our lives because this place is temporary. Heaven is forever and the greatest thing we can do in this life is lead someone else to Christ. Think about how good and faithful God is because He continuously does great things for us.

3 things to keep in mind as to why we do not love the world

1.              Because the world’s things does lift you up

a.     All of us will face trials and tribulations especially since we are Christians, if we get caught up in the world we then will construct a false sense of security. But God gives us blessed assurance that is stronger and far more real than whatever illusions the world or Satan fosters. The things (the addictions we run to alcohol, drugs, TV, instagramming,) of the world is will make us think it will elevate us from our problems but These false things will never last when we face the real test. But we get ourselves caught up in God we find out He is not only an on time God but He is a lifter. God is always available. Do not look to the world to be the answer to our dilemmas but be careful because Satan imitates but does not duplicates. The answer is in Christ.

2.              Because the things of the world will leave you.

a.     A lot of people seek the things of the world like money, because when you die, or when they lay you out, money is not coming with you. Anything the world gives you, your not going to be able to keep, this earth realm is not the end, and it is only a blink of eternity, whether you spend it in heaven or hell. Money or naturally riches cannot buy your way into heaven accepting Christ has to happen now.

3.              There is only one God. And He does not like any other gods before Him.

a.     Matthew 6:24 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

b.     The fastest way to piss God off is to put another idol before Him. You cannot have two masters because you will end up hating one of them. Ask yourself: Do you really want to follow the world or do you really want to follow God’s Word? The reality of it is if you want to be on the winning team you might as well start with the one who created the team. The Devil knows if he can get us to not operate in faith he can make us useless to the kingdom of God. However if you fall in love with Jesus then you will discover he is the best friend you can ever have. When Jesus’s love and mercy hook up it is blessing for us, for when we deserve punishment, His mercy brushes us off and gets us back on track.

What do you think?

What are some “things” of this world you need to let go of?

What can you do to keep God as master of your life?

What Will You Do When You Get God's Attention?

Just For Christ

Teacher: Valencia Moses

What Will You Do When You Get God's Attention?

This past Tuesday we received an excellent word from the Lord, by our teacher Valencia Moses who spoke about our response when we actually get God’s attention. Because many times in life, we often find ourselves at the throne of God calling and crying out to the King of kings and when we finally get the Kings attention…well…what do you say?

Thus we turn our bibles to

1 Kings 3:1-15

The famous story of King Solomon, son of David asking God for wisdom but let us dissect this further by asking ourselves these questions. Be honest with yourself:

·      What will you say when God presents you with an opportunity?

·      How prepared are you now and how prepared can you be?

Tonight you must examine yourself and wonder are you ready for the answer that you have often prayed to God about.

V: 1-3: Starting with some surface level questions: Have you ever heard of Egypt? Have you ever heard of Pharaoh? Good because there is a reason why this nation is mentioned in 1 Kings. It is because Solomon was so rich and so wealthy that even the wealthiest country such as Egypt wanted to form an alliance with him. It has been said that Solomon was engaged to the Pharaoh’s daughter. And unfortunately the ways of the foreign nations influenced the nation Israel so as they worshipped in high places, so did the Israelites. Although Solomon loved and worshipped God, he himself also went to worship God in these high places. This is a stark difference between David who set apart a place to worship God.

 God will always make an opportunity to choose Him because God wants us to show Him how much we really love Him. There is nothing we can do to make God love us any less. To get God’s attention Solomon did something quite special often times we must step out our comfort zone to show our love to God.

V: 3-9: Solomon presented a thousand burnt offerings unto God. A burnt offering meant complete dedication and worship to God. It is the best of the flock and the fire consumes it, it is a complete surrender. Worship is what got God’s attention it was heart and the same heart that was in David also was passed down to his son, Solomon. 

There are multitude ways to worship God:

·      Prayer

·      Praise: lifting up your voice

·      Meditation upon his word

·      Offerings/ an act of trust

Once God saw how Solomon humbled himself and worshipped Him. God finally gave Solomon his attention.

V: 10-12: When we get God’s attention properly and in the correct manner, we must be honest and sincere in what we want. Because we did it His way, Matthew 6:33, “seek ye first and his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you as well.” What are practical ways you can make God first? It is more than a matter of intention it is a matter of effort. It means getting up in the mornings to give God a thank you, to show your gratitude it means consulting God before you consult anyone else. It is making sure nothing in your life equals the level of attention, of which you place upon God.

Reference scripture Jeremiah 33:3à Seeking God and calling upon Him is an active on-going process, searching for him daily. Once we seek God earnestly, He will reveal His will and intimate details of his plan as long we remain dedicated to him.

V: 13-14: God answered Solomon through his dreams and when Solomon awoke he offered up burnt offerings unto God. When we are not lead by the Holy Spirit, we create a high place, situation for idolatry and it is so easy for us as Christians to not place other gods before Him. There are millions of things after our attention everyday it is a constant battle for our attention, for the places in our hearts and mind. Solomon started seeking God, asking him for help, God gave him wisdom and discernment and God is always favorable all His blessings are never earned by us.

V: 15: And as an indication of Solomon’s commitment he did not celebrate and have an offering with God in the high place but had it at the altar. Solomon showed his commitment by returning to where God is, which is at the ark of the covenant, showing his turn from idolatry to the tried and true God.

So Pray and mediate on these verses:

·      Matthew 6:28-33

·      Luke 12:33-34

·      Malachi 6:13à He knows and God is always aware of the people who are obedient to Him.

And know that everyday we have an opportunity to make choices to choose God. To seek God you must give God the top cut, you must give Him the best of your best. At the ending of everything it is always our choice, we can do things God’s way to get His attention and once we get it then we must ask are we prepared to use it for His glory.

Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

Walking Towards the Goal

Walking Towards the Goal

Welcome back for another exciting year of Just For Christ ministries. We hoped you liked yesterdays message given to us by Minister Mark about walking towards our goals through our strength in Christ. We begin the lesson from Joshua 1 and as always remember to pay attention to key principles such as:

·      God always makes due on his promises.

·      God knows our goals and wants to expand their territory.

·      We may start out with one goal but God can turn it into  a blessing for all. Ex. It all started with one goal Abraham’s goal was to have a son, one son brought a nation, a nation fell into slavery, God brought out the nation, and this was the nation that gave us Christ.

·      None of us want our blessings to pass by because we doubted.

We begin in:

Joshua 1:1-2à God is speaking to Joshua. Ask yourself: What can you expect when God speaks to you? As you are giving, your goals to God we need to remind ourselves that God does care about our goals and that whatever He tells you it is going to be for your good. You only have to tell God once, because He remembers and cares about our wellbeing. From God:

·      You can expect assurance

·      Direction and instruction

·      Freewill aspect (the freedom to make your own choice)

·      The reality check (answer you don’t want)

·      Truth

·      Promise

·      Peace

·      Faithfulness

So the question is: How are you choosing to listen to God? You want God to listen to you, to answer you, but are you going to do the things to listen him.

à Are you listening with doubt? Patience is required to listen to God. You must be still and learn to mediate and be still. Are you partially listening to God? Sometimes we need to stop and be quiet and listen to God and be eager to hear his voice. God always lets you know ahead of time, but you must be willing to listen and trust his voice.

Next as you are walking towards your goals:

àDo you have a Mentor/Wise Counsel? Joshua’s mentor was Moses. Moses was exceptionally faithful to God, but remember your mentor is not perfect. Think do you have someone who you can come to for wise counsel someone who you can rely on to pray for you, and give you spiritual advice. Think about people whom you worked with or people who you have worked under, and a divine connection with.

Afterwards, be honest with yourself:

Joshua 1:2à Are you taking steps to walk towards your goals? God’s command was for Joshua to take the nation of Israel into the promise. What steps are you taking, literal, practical everyday little steps? Be specific. Your goals require you to take some form of action the hardest part is always to start, because to achieve our desired results our goals require execution and effort. Also remember your goals are not just for you, think about who else are affected by your goals. How is your family affected by your goals? Are you goals making everyone else better in the process?

Then there is:

Joshua 1:3-4à Preparation: God always has a plan for your goal that calls for you to take part in his plan. God’s plan always requires some work on our part, because God wants us to workout our faith.

            In this verse God is giving Joshua ownership and authority in the way He walks. God wants Joshua to walk as if the promise was already his, in your goals do not just walk, but walk with authority have some ownership.

Key Note:

Satan will still let you have your goals, but He wants ownership over the walk.

à What comes with ownership/authority over your goals?

·      Accountability

·      Responsibility

·      Dedication

·      Commitment

àJoshua 1:5à Joshua was able to see every step Moses underwent through his journey. Moses was transparent with Joshua a good indicator of a wise council. Therefore Moses had a testimony and Joshua was able to see how God worked in Moses life and how God brought Moses through Egypt and against the many enemies of Israel. Joshua was able to see God’s faithfulness. God was reminding Joshua that He was never alone. We can walk in authority because God is always with us.

à So ask yourself: What barriers are standing in your way of your Goals? Why are they Barriers?

·      Haters (enemies, insults)

·      Deadweight (habits, people we should let go of)

·      Comparison (comparing ourselves to others)

·      Sacrifice (the loss of giving things up)

·      Satan (our biggest barrier)

·      Abused Friendships (multiple chances of friends)

·      Emotions (I don’t wanna do it…!)

Next: Can you remember a situation/goal that God helped you through?

Joshua 1:6à “Be strong and of good courage…” To walk this out we must recognize where we gain our strength from and who we need to be connected to.

àWhat are some of your sources of strength?

·      Different friendships, friends that encourage us

·      Family

·      Music (pep songs)

·      Ourselves (pride)

But the source of our strength should be:

God! We can do nothing but by God. Admit our weaknesses.

Our goals cannot be achieved underneath our own power.

It is through God that Moses was able to be as successful and effective leader as He was, it was only through God and now Joshua must learn to abide and rest in his own relationship with God as well. So, how will you grow stronger in the Lord?  Are you seeking to know God like you seek to know your significant other? We must:

·      Study God’s Word essential

·      Know our journey is a faith walk

·      Prayer and solitude

Once establish these elements then we can, “BE STRONG AND OF A GOOD COURAGE. FIRST WHEN YOU CONNECT WITH GOD’S STRENGTH, THEN YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH TO BE COURAGEOUS.”

The effects of courage

Courage

YOU SHOULD NOT BE:

1.     Comfortable (insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting the same results)

2.     Content

3.     Complacent

YOU SHOULD BE CHALLENGED

1.     Challenging (anticipating something different, a different result)

2.     Change (the greatest impact and result you can gain)

Joshua 1:6-7à God urges Joshua to be obedient to the laws that Moses had written. As a result of being obedient, Joshua will become prosperous. We can be a walking blessing at any given moment. That faith in God elicits that walk in prosperity learning to walk to our goals.

            Why do we focus on the earthly prosperity of others? Remember we have two bank accounts the earthly bank and heavenly bank account that last forever. What does your account look like? Make sure you understand God’s promises in your life you will understand what God can and will do for you.

So….

Joshua 1:8

One thing to know it, but it’s another thing to dwell in it, for the Word of God to become a part of you. Consistently, always mediating upon the Word of God. You can achieve your goals in 2015 and are you getting connected to God’s Word. Ask God: What goals do you have for me?

And finally ask yourself this

What do you need to do to stay focused?