New Born Christian, The First Step and The Last Step are the same!

Isaiah 58 Ministries                                               March 20, 2013

Pastor: Leah Svensson

Scriptures: Matthew 11:25, Acts 8:18-21

                                             Theme

      

      First step of a new born Christian is to Trust God…  then every day after, every step you take is the same.

       I have been a Christian my entire life.  I have been to almost every church, every denomination, I've read the Bible over 100 times, I have read almost every book, and listened every tape/CD/DVD etc.  Not one person has told me how to have salvation and stay in it!!!  What are they doing?  What are they teaching?   The world and  it’s ways! It is the “safe way”.  A way that you “think” is the right, safe, and sure way.  Go to school, get good grades, get a job, get married, buy a house have 2 kids, Plan for your children’s education and your retirement.

   None of that is in the Bible.  I read the other day of a new name for the church Milquetoast 

(Milquetoast )a very timid, unassertive, spineless person, especially one who is easily dominated or intimidated)or something like that.  The Church is soooooo under the control of the government/world it no longer has anything to do with God.  It is in complete opposition and in rebellion to God.

       

                                                  Sermon    

        This teaching is to start your walk with God all over again.  A "do over." Everything is redeemable.  Start at the beginning and in the process get  rid of everything that weighs you down, binds you, holds you back from being healed, healthy all the time, happy all the time, content all the time, at peace all the time, etc.  God is Good!!!

       I love everything about God he is so good to all mankind!!!  He is to be worshiped and adored. He is All Powerful, He is King, He is Lord, He is great, He is merciful,  every word in the Bible is true!!  God did write the Bible, He is very honest….

     It is God's will for everyone to be well fed, to have good clean clothes, happy and healthy all day every day!!!

       So what is stopping people from enjoying the blessings and great life God has freely given to every single person?  Evil.   Sin. Greed. Lies, etc.  Sinful, powerful People are the problem. 

Jesus said, Matthew 11:25 “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

27  “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

God has hidden things from people who have gone to school, college, and have a “job”.  Jesus will not reveal himself to men who went to seminary, University, etc.   God only reveals his hidden treasures and wisdom to those who humble themselves like a child before God and listen to his every word, then do what he tells them to do.  Today’s education has to be paid for, bought.  The information, power, love that comes from God has to be freely given to a person from Jesus. You cannot buy God, salvation, the Holy Spirit, Healing, anything from God.

Acts 8:18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.

Money is worthless to God.  So don’t ever think God is after your money, he just wants you to have a relationship with him.  He is your Father.  He is the Father of all mankind.  People will bend over backwards to try and reconcile a father and child but they cannot conceive, (because of the world), that God is waiting for them to come back to him.

Matthew 11: 28  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

God wants  those who did not do well in school, who did not go to college, who have a hard time finding a job. These are the most humble, sincere and they know they are unable to do anything for themselves.  They need God.  People who have everything, don’t need God, they can take care of themselves.  So if you are sick, have mental problems, or ever ran up against anything that is impossible for you to do anything about, then you are the person God really wants to talk to.

Jesus will give you rest from trying to find answers.  Jesus will bring peace and comfort to your souls.  Jesus will never scold you, yell at you, he will never tell you that you are dumb or stupid!!  Jesus is very gentle, kind, humble. (Not arrogant, egotistical, prideful, like people who think they are better than others.) Jesus will not hurt you in your heart.  I used to read the Bible and hear God as a very severe God because he is to a certain set of people; he is only that way to people who can do everything for themselves and do not need God.

Jesus/God is as easy to listen to as a sleeping new born baby…..  In order to have faith, (which God is made of) you have to have the faith of a child.  So God’s voice, his kindness, is like anyone under 8…  Innocent, full of life. (I am talking about a good child.) 

The First step is a step of Faith.  Trust God with your love, with your soul, with the hidden person you are on the inside.  Love him.    

Matthew 11:30“For my yoke is easy.”  A yoke is a wooden beam, normally used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs.  You might find that insulting.  But it isn’t.  The people Jesus was talking to knew they loved their animals, they took good care of them.  They needed their animals healthy.  (side note:If only people realized they need each other healthy we would treat each other sooooo  much better.)

Today Jesus would say, don’t go to school and learn from teachers, don’t learn from experts, don’t go  to work.  I want to be your boss, your teacher, your leader.  When Jesus was on the earth, you had to depend on the earth, animals, yourself, you couldn't  just “go get a job”.

  You are going to be Yoked one way or another.  Believe me, the more money someone has the more they suffer; their life is a lot harder and heavier as is the yoke they are enslaved to… The more money you have the more bondage you are in. (That is a whole different topic, I know you believe money will solve all your problems. But it doesn't. It makes problems.)

Jesus/God’s Yoke is his leadership, his training.  He wants to give you an education that comes “Only” from God.  It is also God giving you a pay check, medical insurance, benefits, etc.  He will pay you to work for him. He will keep you healthy, well. How?  In goats, chickens, land, fruits, veggies, children, a house, horses, sound mind which equals a sound body, and good teeth etc.  God wants to be the company you work for.    What God wants you to do for him, “His burden” is light..   Not hard, not heavy not binding but freeing…..Matthew 11: 30  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Side note:  Slaves were judged by their teeth.  If a slave had good teeth he had been taken good care of and were worth a lot.  If you have trouble with bad teeth you probably haven’t had the life God intended you to have.

The First STEP:  The rest of the steps, for the rest of your life is:  Love God.  Turn from anyone you have ever listened to.  Everyone, even your Mother and Father.  Jesus tells his disciples in Luke 14:26 that if anyone is to follow him they have to turn away from their father, mother, brothers, and sisters- meaning you have to love God more than anything and listen to Him above all. Get away from everyone spend time only with God.  Trust him.  God says,"receive his gift: Jesus died on the cross for you!"  God will clean you up and you can come before God clean, forgiven of sin.  Then do the most important thing a Christian can do:  Love God.  Think it, Eat it, chew on it, mediate on it…  Think, know, feel.  I love God, no one else but God….  God needs exclusive rights to your life.  He wants “All” your heart, all of your love….  It is as easy as loving to read, loving sports, loving to camp, loving to travel, loving your job, etc.  But God wants it alllllllll…..  Love God with your whole being, all of your thoughts.  

That seems a little drastic.   But when you love God with everything in you and as you are connected to God this way he gives you back something:   Everything!!!! Clean, healed, not broken, friends, healed, family members healed, eye sight healed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Everything…..