Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
July 6, 2003 - W0327

 ìNot everyone who says to Me, ëLord, Lord,í will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heavenî. (Matt. 7:21)

We need to know the will of the Father. Whatís His desire, whatís His will for our lives? Itís not enough to just speak the correct language or lingo. Thatís because if we donít allow what God says to us penetrate into the very extremities of our life, weíll never understand what it means to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Then weíll keep missing the mark

So how then can we let Godís word descend to the depths of our being?  First of all, when God speaks to us, we receive that as information. Itís processed in our minds. Next, we may let it seep into our hearts. And thatís called inspiration. However, sometimes if thatís as far as it goes, it only makes us a fanatic. In other words, though we are excited and zealous, nothing changes in our lives. In fact, we may not even intend to change our lives. Rather we just want another experience. It is only when Godís word is worked out in our lives that we become a disciple. It is then that character is built. We begin changing and continue making a choice for the Lord instead of choosing our old ways.

Q1: Do you know Godís will for your life? Share with your group. If not, what you feel you need to do in order for His word to infiltrate every area of your life?

And thatís what Jesus came to do when He came and died for our sins. He gave us that point of entry. He gave us His word not so to make us more knowledgeable but that it would penetrate our very being. To help us, here are three points God wants us to know in order to keep us from missing the mark.  The first point isÖ

1.      LET WHAT GOD SAYS AFFECT YOU DEEPLY.

ìMany will say to Me on that day, ëLord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?í And then I will declare to them, ëI never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessnessíî. (Matt. 7:22-23)

Why did the Lord say I never knew you, depart from Me? They seemed to be operating at a very high level of faith. Yes they seemed to be, but they were using Godís word for their own purposes. You see our motives can turn God into a means to getting more of what we want. God becomes like a genie in a lamp. And even miracles seem to take place.

Some time ago I went with a friend to listen to an evangelist that was speaking in Kona. It appeared that he was performing miracles. It was amazing. However this man operated in the word of knowledge. He picked out people in the crowd and knew about their lives. I even saw a lady with a bad back healed. However, on the way home, I told my friend somethingís funny. You know how you get a check and you just canít put your finger on it. Well, about three months later, an article came out in the newspaper naming this evangelist. I found out there was someone in his group among the crowd relaying information about people in the audience through a transmitter. The information was from prayer requests the people filled out prior to the service. It was a fraudulent thing. I thought, how come that lady seemed to be healed when that guy was such a fraud? And this is what the Lord whispered to my heart, ìItís because I honor my word and I honored her faith and Iíll deal with this guy laterî.

And like that evangelist, we can use God for our purposes too. We can do devotions and use Godís word to judge everybody else. Instead of ingesting what God says and applying it to our lives first, we tend to let His word slip right through us. We miss the mark because it doesnít ever affect us. Thatís why some people never change. So thatís why God speaks to us about the importance of letting His word affect us.

ìThe Lord said to meÖíOh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and their sons forever!íî (Deut. 28,29)  Can you just hear the heart of God when He pleads for the children of Israel?

Q2: How are you receiving His word? Is His word helping you to become the person He wants you to be?

So how do we get that kind of heart? Well, realize that God is less interested in what weíre doing and more interested in what weíre becoming. Are we letting Godís word affect us or are we just gathering more information? Therefore, one of the things God needs to do in us is dig down deep in order to remove things in our lives that would make our foundation shaky. In order to do that we mustÖ

2.      LET GOD BUILD ON SOLID ROCK.

ìTherefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rockî. (Matt. 7:24-25)

Indeed the winds that will blow, the tests will come, and expectations will be broken. Yet how can we remain solid in those times when everything around us is in chaos? Well we must allow God to build His kingdom in us on solid rock. If however, sand is our foundation or if there is any sand between our foundational rock, everything (life, faith, commitment, loyalty, and integrity) will be shifting. In other words we are easily compromised, weíre unsure of our faith, and we bail out at the onset of a struggle. On the other hand, when we remove the sand out from between what God is building and solid rock, weíre solid, not shifting, and able to endure anything that will come. So sometimes God will have to dig down deep to remove those layers of self. Otherwise our marriages, devotions, and even our purity can be bought and sold if the price is right. Thatís when our lives go on the auction block.

And evidence of such will be revealed in times of testing. If our faith is on the auction block when temptations arise, we wonít hesitate to sell it. And thatís what the devil wants. The enemy looks for those with an ambivalent faith and a foundation that is easily shifted.

Therefore, one of the best things to do is to identify with the Lord early on and not allow any shifting to take place. Otherwise, weíre unsure of our decisions and even our faith. When that happens, even if we believe in God, we donít want anyone to know. And thatís a telltale sign that thereís sand in between and your foundation is shifty. Remember that wisdom comes when we start to act upon (not just think about) what God speaks to us. It is allowing God to remove everything that will cause shifting from in between what He is building.

Q3: Do you readily identify with the Lord or do you tend to hide the fact that you are a Christian?

I was reading in the paper the other day how if you sold all the parts of your body, it would be worth 45 million dollars. I thought thatís pretty expensive. And then I thought thereís one part not listed. Itís intangible and thatís what makes you, you. Itís your soul. So how much do you think your soul is worth? Iíll give you a hint: Jesus purchased us with His life by dying on the cross. He had to empty everything in the bank of heaven in order to redeem us. Our souls are that expensive! And sometimes we forget that and put a price tag on our soul.

You see your soul is your commitment, your faith, your integrity, and your principles that God placed within you. Your soul will be on the auction block everyday unless itís built on solid rock. So allow Him to clear away the sand that causes your foundational rock to shift.  Remember that not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. Itís those who do the will of My Father in heaven. So the last point to help keep us from missing the mark is toÖ

3.      START BY OBEYING WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY REVEALED.

ìAnd everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fallî. (Matt. 7:26-27)

Some people ask me, have you heard God audibly? They say that if they hear Him, theyíd do everything He says. Well, if youíve never heard God audibly, get ready. Recite John 3:16 out loud:  for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that who so ever should believe in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Youíve just heard God audibly.

Doesnít God sound just like the Bible? Yes itís true. Godís word IS Godís word. Thatís why the Bible says, all scripture is inspired by God. Itís God breathed. So the question is not whether or not God is speaking. The question is are we obeying what He is saying?

How many times do we look for signs? How many times do we say to God, just give us a sign so we know for sure itís Him speaking. And yes sometimes there will be signs and miracles, but they point to Him. Thatís not the mark, thereís more. And if thatís what weíre looking for, weíll miss it every time.

Q4: Do you hear God or looking for signs and miracles to confirm that Heís speaking to you? If you hear Him and already obey Him, can you share something with your group about His word for you? If you donít hear God yet, try reading His word out loud. Then share at your next meeting what God said.

Thus, if you want to hear God, read the Bible out loud every day. Begin to obey what God has already said. Start cleaning out the sand and granules from your life and watch how God builds on solid rock. But where does it all start? Hereís a good starting point is toÖ

• STEWARD THE PRAYERS HE HAS ALREADY ANSWERED.

ìHe who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little think is unrighteous also in muchî. (Luke 16:10)

Hereís an easy way to begin stewarding the prayers God already answered in this church. God is growing our church here at New Hope. And that means we must change. Sometimes though we donít like change and we begin to grumble. For example, itís getting crowded, the parking lot is full, we have to sit in the overflow seating outside, and itís not to our liking. Yet the Lord asks us what are we grumbling about because thatís what we prayed for. We asked Him to grow our church so more people would hear the Good News. How are you stewarding the prayers Heís already answered?

Remember this: the Lord is not interested so much in blessing us as He is in building us. Indeed, there will be times when burdens are pretty heavy.  However, itís during those times that we must keep our hands to the plow.  We must allow His word to affect us deeply. Secondly, we must permit God to dig deep to clear away any sand that will hinder a strong foundation. Then He is able to build on solid rock. And in doing so, wisdom will come by us taking action upon what God has already revealed to us. For how can we expect Him to answer more prayers if we are poor stewards of the prayers Heís already answered? Be faithful stewards to prayers answered. Then just see how much more you will hear God speak His will for you in your life.

Final Q:  What most impacted you about todayís lesson?  How will you apply what you learned to your life this week?

Summary by Rhonda Pang