January 7, 2010
January 5, 2010
The Manifest Presence of God
By Tony V. Hammack
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We know that God is everywhere so in one sense of the word we’re always in God’s presence.
God is Omnipresent
Psalm 139:8
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
Jeremiah 23:23-24
23 "Am I only a God nearby," declares the LORD, "and not a God far away? 24 Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the LORD. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the LORD.
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
The manifest presence of God is a collision of Heaven and Earth where the Heaven’s are opened and change begins to happen on Earth as a result.
Jesus taught us to pray for this collision.
Matthew 6:10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
The Presence of God is literally a tangible interaction of people or a person with the “intangible” presence of God. We reach into the presence of God with faith. If you’re waiting for the presence of God to visit, you may be waiting a long time. This is the only way to deal with root issues. Bible knowledge will help but the presence of God will adjust the core issues of your life.
The first step in experiencing the manifest presence of God is having a relationship with Christ. We must be in right standing with God by grace, through faith, if we’re to experience this presence.
Romans 3:23 tells us that everyone has sinned and as a consequence of that sin no one is able to make it to heaven. God demands perfect holiness.
The Wages of Sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. If we accept the substitutionary sacrifice made by Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins we have eternal life.
Romans 10:9,10
9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Paul had Assurance
2 Timothy 1:12 Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
We can too
Steps to Experience the Manifest Presence of God
A. Discipline
B. Desire
C. Delight
Discipline
The first way you get into the presence of God is through Discipline.
You, with your will, focus your time energy and effort on seeking the Lord. You can do this through a combination of
- Prayer
- Fasting
- Worship
- Bible meditation
- Fellowship
- Service
- Holiness
James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
1. Prayer
Talking with God honestly
It’s easy to slip into the formula prayers and pray the same thing the same way all the time.
It’s also easy to slip into the fake prayers. Praying the right things but having a heart disconnection.
We must pray honestly
The Prayer of agreement can kick our prayer life into exponential levels when we have someone agree with us.
Matthew 18:19 "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.
Prayer of Faith
James 5:15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
2. Fasting
Fasting throughout the Bible has been an act of humility that in order to be effective must be accompanied with a heart change. Isaiah 58 is a good place to start if you want to learn more about the attitude of the heart during a fast.
In the new testament the instructions we have about fasting deal with attitude. Not doing it to appear spiritual but doing it secretly for God.
Matthew 6:16-18
16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
3. Worship
Expressing Love, gratitude, appreciation and revelation back to the Lord helps to usher in His presence as well. The song must be from the heart not just the head.
The tabernacle as a pattern. When we come in we’re in the outer court. There are songs that can catch our minds and hearts even if we’re not focused on the Lord. I consider these outer court songs. They have a fast tempo and usually sing about the Lord.
The Inner Court
Inner court songs are a little slower and use the name of Jesus.
Holy Place Songs are even slower and not only use the name of Jesus but begin to use the word You also as the worshipper sings directly to God.
Most Holy Place Songs are very intimate.
A New Song
Psalm 96:1 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
This admonition appears 6 times in the Bible throughout the book of psalms.
That’s not a new one from the box it’s “your song”. An honest and sincere expression to the Lord of what He means to you.
4. Bible Meditation
Joshua 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Notice I didn’t say Bible reading although that can very often lead to Bible meditation.
Meditation means to wrap your mind around the truths of scripture often reading it over and over again trying to extract every drop of meaning from a passage.
And specifically what these verses mean to you personally.
Do you have a favorite Bible verse? If you do it’s because it speaks to you. Meditating on these verses will usher in God’s presence.
5. Fellowship/Koinonia
Acts 2:42-43
42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
The essential meaning of the koinonia embraces concepts conveyed in the English terms fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, sharing and intimacy.
Intimacy with the body means in-to-me-see. Life groups are a great place for this to happen. Sharing personal things with the body can create a structure where the presence of God is free to flow and manifest.
6. Service
1 Timothy 3:13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
Excellent Standing-People will recognize you and esteem you.
Assurance-Knowing that you know that you are a heaven bound child of God.
Colossians 3:23,24
23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
7. Holiness
Hebrews 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
2 Timothy 2:20,21
20In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
Holiness is..
separation to God,
conduct befitting those so separated, their actions don’t misrepresent Jesus.
separated from sin and therefore consecrated to God, sacred.
When God’s presence is manifest we experience great joy.
Psalm 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Acts 2:28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.'
In His Presence
Perspective changes
True repentance comes
Reality is brought to light on situations where previously there may have been confusion or darkness.
In His Presence
Your needs are met, emotionally, spiritually, and now you have something to give.
Very often peace comes when you gain God’s perspective on human issues. God says, “I’ve got it under control”.
My experience has been that when I discipline myself to seek the Lord that his presence is better than anything else on this Earth and I desire and ultimately delight in Him.
Everything pales in comparison to his Presence.
Let’s take some time to pray and seek the Lord. We need his presence!
If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.
Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124
View Larger Map
January 2, 2010
Ten Questions to Ask...
...at the Start of a New Year
Once, when the people of God had become careless in their relationship with Him, the Lord rebuked them through the prophet Haggai. "Consider your ways!" (Haggai 1:5) he declared, urging them to reflect on some of the things happening to them, and to evaluate their slipshod spirituality in light of what God had told them.
Even those most faithful to God occasionally need to pause and think about the direction of their lives. It's so easy to bump along from one busy week to another without ever stopping to ponder where we're going and where we should be going.
The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.
1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?
5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?
6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?
7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?
8. What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year?
9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?
If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.
Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.
Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124
View Larger Map
by Tony V. Hammack
Once, when the people of God had become careless in their relationship with Him, the Lord rebuked them through the prophet Haggai. "Consider your ways!" (Haggai 1:5) he declared, urging them to reflect on some of the things happening to them, and to evaluate their slipshod spirituality in light of what God had told them.
Even those most faithful to God occasionally need to pause and think about the direction of their lives. It's so easy to bump along from one busy week to another without ever stopping to ponder where we're going and where we should be going.
The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.
1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?
5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?
6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?
7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?
8. What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year?
9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?
If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.
Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.
Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124
View Larger Map
by Tony V. Hammack
December 30, 2009
Jesus Christ, God in the Flesh...
These notes are best used in conjunction with the video or the audio. To watch this video please CLICK HERE. To listen to this message please CLICK HERE.
Why is Understanding the true identity of Jesus Christ vital? It's vital because if Jesus isn't God, He can't forgive you of your sins. Check out Luke 5:21
Luke 5:21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?“
Heresy
There are heresies, then there are damnable heresies. I believe not rightly discerning who Jesus Christ is, is one of those heresies that can cost you eternal life.
Every non-Messianic Jew
Every Muslim
Every Universalist
Every Jehovah's Witness
Every Mormon
and Others
don’t believe Jesus Christ was God. They may think good thoughts about Jesus and say things like, "I think he was a very good person." or "He was a great prophet," but they don't understand what his true identity was and is.
There are billions of people that have a false understanding of the identity of Jesus Christ.
1. Explicit Verses on the Divinity of Christ(Matt. 1:23): The angel was referring to Isaiah's prophecy: "'Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel'. Which is translated, 'God with us"' (Is. 7:14).
(Is. 9:6): "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is
given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And
His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace“.
2. Jesus the Logos of God
(Jn. 1: 1): "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."(Rev. 19:13): "He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.“ The term "The Word" stands for 'Logos" in Greek.
If A is C and B is C then A is B
If the Word is God and Jesus is the Word then Jesus is God.
3. Jesus the Creator
(Jn. 1:3): John says about the Lord Jesus Christ "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.“
(Heb. 1:2): says "He made the worlds.“
(Col. 1:16): "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him."
4. Sending the Holy Spirit
We know from the Old Covenant that God is the One that sends the Holy Spirit.
"I am the Lord your God and there is no other... And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams" (Joel 2:27-29).
Here Jesus says He will send the Holy Spirit.
"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me" (Jn. 15:26)
5. Jesus Descended from Heaven
The Lord Jesus Christ says: "I am the bread which came down from heaven" (Jn. 6:41), and thus He is the Giver of life, 'for the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world' (Jn. 6:33).
The Lord Jesus Christ repeats: "I have come down from heaven" (Jn. 6:38), and explains His coming down from heaven by saying:
“I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father" (Jn. 16:28).
6. Being the Lord
"I am the Lord, that is My name, and My glory I will not give to another" (Is. 42:8).
a. Lord In prayer
Prayer using the word 'Lord' should be addressed to God only. Regarding this the Lord Jesus Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" (Matt. 7:21).
b. Lord at Birth
"Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord' (Lk. 2:10,11).
c. Lord During Life
"'Lord, save me! 'And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him" (Matt. 14:30,31)
d. Lord at The Resurrection
"You seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen' as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (Matt. 28:5,6).
e. Lord at the Ascension
"So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs" (Mk. 16:19,20).
7. Being the Son of God
Christ's Sonship to God was the reason for the Sanhedrin's sentencing Him to death. The chief priests could not find a reason to condemn Him because even though many false witnesses came forward, their testimonies did not agree. So the high priest rose and said to Him: "I adjure You by the living God that You tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God' (Matt. 26:63).
If His Sonship were an ordinary sonship like the sonship of all the people to God, what was the significance of the high priest adjuring Him before the greatest Synagogue at the time asking Him if He was the Son of God?
When the Lord answered in the affirmative, "the high priest tore his clothes, saying, 'He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!"' (Matt. 26:63-65) And they sentenced Him to death for this reason.
- Blasphemy - of those who speak contemptuously of God or of sacred things
- Contempt - the act of despising : the state of mind of one who despises: lack of respect or reverence for something
Satan addressing Jesus as, The Son of God
Satan's question implied the Sonship to God which has extraordinary miraculous power that can change stone into bread, and not the ordinary sonship of all the children of God.
Satan speaking through the crowd at the cross
"If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross“ (Matt. 27:40). Therefore it was understood by all that Christ's Sonship was not a common sonship, but a Sonship which had miraculous power that could enable descent from the cross.
8. The Only Begotten Son of the Father
"He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the Only Begotten Son of God' (Jn. 3:18).
If belief in This Only Son gives everlasting life and takes away condemnation, then this is further proof of His Divinity.
9. Belief in Him
"You believe in God, believe also in Me" (Jn. 14: 1). Thus Jesus put the belief in Himself equal with the belief in the Father.
10. His Relationship with the Father
11. Being beyond Time
12. Being the First and the Last
13. Him Being Omnipresent
14. Him Being the Judge
15. Him Being the Examiner of Hearts and Minds
16. Him Being Good and Holy
17. Being the Forgiver of Sins
When Apostles are Worshiped
Acts 14:8-15
8In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. 11When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" 12Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. 14But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15"Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you.
Acts 10:25,26
25As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."
18. Jesus Accepting Worship and Prayer
a. When He gave sight to the man born blind and called
him to believe in Him as the Son of God, the man born
blind said: "'Lord, I believe! 'And he worshipped Him"
b. After He had walked on the sea and made His disciple
Peter walk with Him, "those who were in the boat came
and worshipped Him, saying, 'Truly You are the Son of
God' " (Matt. 14:33), and He accepted this worship from
them.
c. The woman who suffered from a flow of blood
worshipped the Lord Jesus after He healed her (Mk 5:33).
d. Jairus worshipped Him, saying: "My little daughter lies
at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her,
that she may be healed, and she will live" (Mk. 5:23).
Thus it was worship preceded by faith in Christ that He is
able to raise the dead by merely laying His hands on
them. And Christ did raise his daughter for him (Mk.
5:41,42).
There are approximately 12 instances of these type of things that happen in the Bible further illustrating the Divinity of Christ
19. Him Being the Giver of Life
20. Authority over Nature
21. Authority over Angels
22. The Kingdom Belongs to Him
23. His Authority over Life and Death
24. His Authority over the Law
25. His Authority over Himself
26. His Authority over Demons
27. Being the One to Whom Glory and Power Belong
28. Being the Savior and the Redeemer
a. God alone redeems and saves the human race
"Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God “ (Is. 44:6).
b. Christ alone is the Redeemer and Savior of the world
"for He will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:2 1). Yet His salvation was not for His own people only, for He said: "I did not come to judge the world but to save the world' (Jn. 12:47). And it was said of Him: "This is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world‘ (Jn. 4:42)
Giving the proceeding scriptural realities it's obvious that a logical conclusion for the identity of Jesus Christ is that his is God in the flesh.
If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.
Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.
Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124
View Larger Map
December 18, 2009
Raymond Howard's Testimony
I met Raymond Howard about one year ago as a result of his loving family members sharing the gospel with him. I rejoice with Raymond over his walk with the Lord and the deliverance God's given him from a life of hopelesness and drug addiction. Jesus Christ has given Raymond hope and his love for the Lord is contagious. Raymond likes to say, "It's not everybody loves Raymond, it's Raymond loves everybody." Raymond also opens his home every Thursday afternoon for what we like to call "bean day". Bean day as the name implies is a lunch where the main course is a very good pot of beans. Other things are prepared as well, the fellowship and prayer time make bean day one of the highlights of my week. The entire Howard family is a big blessing and Raymond fits right in. We're all believing for more miracles to occur in Raymond's life as we rejoice over what God's already done to save him. Please listen to his testimony by clicking above.
As a result of the self inflicted gun shot wound to the head Raymond has damaged his brain and it's caused him to be confined to a wheel chair. Pictured above is Raymond walking in faith as he reaches out to the Lord for a miracle healing. Unfortunately he sat back down in his wheel chair but we're all in agreement with him for his total healing. Please agree with us!
If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.
Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.
Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124
View Larger Map
by Tony V. Hammack
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