Pastor Brian's Blog

Bethel Church's Theme for 2012

Let me explain, We need to say NO to self and take self off the throne of our heart, and place Christ there forever. So in essence we are "Shelving our self" (Deny ourselves)

To DELVE into something means to (dig, look into, dig and explore) into something. We must get into God like never before, we must get a hold of the Lord and never let go.

Therefore the Theme: Shelve & Delve Yourself in Twelve

I really anticipate, maybe even foresee 2012 being very interesting in many ways, both positively and negatively.  

Jesus says in Mark 8:34 "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

      1. Deny themselves = SHELVE

"He must increase and I must decrease" (Shelve)

       2. Take up the cross and follow = DELVE

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (Delve)

Back to Mark 8:34

This message of our Lord has lost some of its punch in our modern world today.

This is a Message of total surrender to God.

This is a Message of Obeying God and Walking by Faith.

This is a Message of presenting yourself to God as a living sacrifice.

This is a Message of saying to God:

"Lord, I am bought for a price. I am Your purchased possession. You redeemed me. I am Yours. Use me. Do with me as You want. I am totally and completely Yours. All I am, and all I have belongs to You. I will no longer walk by sight but will walk by total Faith and Trust in You for all things, no matter how difficult things appear to get. I am ready to do what You want. I am ready to go where You say. I am nothing of myself. My trust is totally in You, Lord Jesus."

Think on This:

Consider a person that comes to Christ by Faith. He takes out a large piece of paper and begins to write everything that he possesses on it. He makes a promise to God; he will forsake all these things for God. He signs the paper.

God then speaks to him, telling him to tear up the paper. He doesn’t understand but Obeys. God then speaks to him to take another paper and sign it. He asks God, "What shall I put on it before I sign it?" The Lord tells him, "Write nothing. Just sign the blank paper. I the Lord will fill it in." As time passed, little by little, God did fill it in. This man became a Missionary. One day he found himself sick and dying on a road in Africa, a long distance from any doctor or hospital, but God rescued him. He found himself in many, almost impossible situations during his walk with Jesus. He was tried, he suffered, he was beaten, destitute, facing many fears, but God brought him through it all. He learned to walk by Faith. He learned Obedience by the things which he Suffered. He learned Patience.

Many years passed. He thought back to the time when he was at the altar with a blank paper that he had signed, and God had told him, "I the Lord will fill it in." He had no idea what that had meant at the time, but now he did.

He gave up everything he had. However, that was only the beginning. He had now learned what it meant to "Follow Jesus." He had now learned that satan (sorry, I don't like to capitalize satan) would often try to deceive him in his submission to Jesus, by causing him to go to the left hand or the right hand with things that did not line up with the Scriptures. In addition, satan tried to convince the man that he should sit on the throne of his own heart. It had been a rough journey. It had been a tiresome race, but Jesus was with him all the way, as Jesus sat upon the throne of the man's heart.

What God expects from each of His saints is this. Paul spoke these words before he was martyred:

·         2 Tim. 4:7 "I have found a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."

At the Judgment, he can expect to hear, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

What God ultimately expects of each saint is to be totally SOLD OUT TO JESUS in every way with an UNCOMPROMISED LOVE. Jesus is to be totally the center of our thinking and of our universe.

 

Shelve & Delve Yourself in Twelve

 

·                     Mark 12:30 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

·                     1 John 2:15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

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