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Guest speaker David Walsh speaking from Proverbs 3:5-6.

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

by Fred McKeown: Pastor at Millom Community Church

Fred is speaking about Caleb and Joshua and the need to be led by the Spirit of God. They were two out of twelve people sent into the promised land to spy it out. The other ten said the land could not be taken. Caleb and Joshua in faith and led by the Spirit said it was more than possible.

Know that God has placed you in this fellowship, that He has placed you here. God is leading you.

Position yourselves to be led by the Spirit of God. You’re sent by God. He has a plan for your life. Flesh gives birth to flesh but Spirit gives birth to Spirit. Be in the Spirit.

Luke 2:25-38

The birth of Jesus, full of wonder. The long expected Messiah arrives. Though few in Israel are aware despite the event being proclaimed by angels, witnessed by foreign kings and shepherds. Then in the actual temple in the centre of Jerusalem a prophetess, Anna and a devout man, Simeon stand in the middle of the courts and proclaim that this is the Messiah. Yet most people carried on doing what they were doing and missed it entirely. There is a strong parallel for us today. We live with the expectation of the return of Jesus. Or do we?

If asked we would certainly say, ‘Yes Jesus is coming back’, but so did Israel in the days when Jesus was born. They would have said Messiah is coming. Are we so wrapped in our own lives that we have the same heart condition that Israel had?

Eventually Jesus the baby becomes Jesus the man. The Messiah is truly anointed and starts to demonstrate the kingdom of God right in the middle of them. He is unmistakably declared to be God’s Son by the demonstrations of power and the unassailable truth He declares.

It’s one thing to know that the Messiah is coming, it’s another thing entirely to have Him land in the midst of you.

It is too much God for some of them.
The implications for many of them was that it overturned their lives, His message invalidated what many of them stood for. They were shown to be impotent in their faith, everything He did and said revealed that truth every day He lived. So they had to kill Him. We read more than once of groups of people trying to kill Him. Their time came eventually, but trying to kill God is a sign that something is wrong with your heart condition.

Exodus 20:18-21
Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.

There was no relationship with God and so they rejected Him. When He shook the mountains with His power and glory it was too much for them and they rejected Him. When He came as a humble man demonstrating the heart of the Father in the midst of them, they rejected Him. All because there was no relationship. Despite having the written scriptures it profited them nothing because they did not know the One they pointed to.

We must make sure we do not do the same. Let’s be sure we don’t try to kill God when He moves in the midst of us

We need to be like Simeon and Anna
Simeon was led by the Holy Spirit to go to the temple on the day Jesus was dedicated to the Lord. The Holy Spirit was on him, this was a man used to being led by the Spirit.
Anna served God with fasting and prayer night and day and dwelt in the temple; she lived in the presence of God.

We have to live in the Spirit.

Have you ever heard this phrase.
“Too spiritually minded to be any earthly use”
It is not scriptural. In fact it contradicts scripture. To be spiritually minded is to live in reality

2 Cor 4:16-18 & 2 Cor 5:1-7
Fix eyes on unseen not on what is seen

Let’s not be consumed by this physical life we live. Jesus said the Pharisees loved the best seats and all the honour they got. Their value system was on the seen not the unseen.

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Sam Robertson

Matthew 28:18-19 & Mark 16:15-18

Sam talks about the authority of the believer. Those who are in Christ are given his authority to ‘go’ in His name, to cast out demons, speak with new tongues, heal the sick. In Matthew 28:18 we read that Jesus has all authority and sends us with His authority.

In Acts 1:8 we read that the disciples received power when they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. So believers have both authority and power to act on God’s behalf.

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