Bro Gary Sunday Evening 1/8/12

Bro Gary Sunday Evening 1/8/12

If I were to title this message I would title it one word, “Burden.”  There are things to say about burdens that will only be revealed as the body of Christ studies and adds to what others have taught and what God has given to me and given to you.

460 years before the birth of Christ, God had burdened Malachi with a message from the Lord.

Mal 1:1  The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.

There is no question, God used Malachi and God still uses the Word of the Lord that He sent through Malachi.  Time has not in any way taken away from the emphasis and the word that God gave to Malachi. 

Malachi carried the burden of the Word of the Lord.  There is a definite word from God that we as brothers and sisters need.  There is a definite word from God that speaks to sinners.  My mother went to a revival meeting and came away with the thought that the burden of sin could be rolled away. 

Malachi carried the burden of the Word of the Lord.  A burden for a lost soul is a heavy burden.  You think of a life being ruined and what the long road of sin does to those that travel it; it is a heavy burden.

Malachi’s burden dealt with the thought that if God was Israel’s father, why were they not honoring and respecting Him.  It was specific.

Act 13:1  Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

Act 13:2  As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

This scripture has challenged me in the thought of worshipping, fasting and praying and being before God.  The term ‘ministering’ is another term for worshipping God; check me out.

The reason why there were so many prophets and teachers in Antioch was because it was a huge city and there were lots of converts and they were not able to gather together to worship. 

They ministered to the Lord.  Because of our days and times we could find ourselves just telling God about all our problems.  He already knows them.  We do need to bring our burdens before Him, but if every time I talked to my wife she brought up all the things that I hadn’t gotten done, it wouldn’t be very pleasant.  Most of our visits are pleasant visits.  We love each other and appreciate each other.

God wants us to spend time with Him telling Him that we love Him and appreciate Him.  We have a good life here.  There are many things that we don’t have but there are many things that we do have.  If you have empty cupboards, come see us.  The peaches that we ate this afternoon had been canned for a couple years. 

We can see some of the saint’s houses from our house.  Most here live close enough that we could ride a horse to their house.  We have a lot to be thankful for.  We want to remember the blessings and the good times.  We want to remember what God has done. 

The church at Antioch was a good church, they loved one another.  I’m not so sure why they were fasting.  Many times when we fast we have an urgent need before God.  I’m not sure if that was the case here.  As they were praying the Holy Spirit of God spoke.  Isn’t that wonderful?

To all that are here this evening, I’m so glad that you are here.  We really appreciate our brothers and sisters.  The Holy Spirit said, “I want you to separate Barnabas and Saul for the work that I have for them to do.”

Act 13:3  And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

Act 13:4  So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

The thought of them laying their hands upon them is twofold.  Barnabas and Saul recognized that they really needed God’s help and were counting on the saints of God to pray for them.  The other side is those that laid their hands on were saying that they would be with them in spirit even though they could not go with them.

We are not in Antioch but we can worship God.  We can fast and pray and sing and draw near to God.  We can exhort one another and bring scriptures that will challenge us to go to heights and depths that we have never gone before.  There is also the challenge that there are some weights that He wants us to lay aside.

We can take on burdens that can become weighty and may not be bad.  But the question is, “Is this burden from the Lord?”

I’ve never had the experience of drawing near to God without the strong conviction of “Search me O God.”

“Search me O God… O Holy Ghost revival comes from Thee.” 

The thought of revival doesn’t just mean souls being saved.  All of us need to be revived.  The loads that you are carrying will lead you to exhaustion.  If people operate exhausted too long there will be a break and many things transpire.

“Start the revival, start the work in me.” 

There is the emptying:  I pray for God to fill me with the fullness of God and he comes back with, “Son, empty yourself.”  I’m not talking about agendas; we don’t have agendas.  Life causes our lives to be filled with things.  There is way too much information in the world today.  You know way too much if you just get the newspaper every day. 

We find ourselves saying, “Oh God as much as I care for that young man and woman, it could fill me up, and 

I want to be full of God.” 

Worshipping God means we must be still before Him.  “Oh be Still Thou Soul of Mine, thou art not forsaken.”

I don’t know what storm is brewing, or what the next storm will be, but I know that in order for us to worship we must be still before God.

The precious message in Romans 12: we must present our bodies a living sacrifice.

Let the desire of our heart be longing for God’s direction.  Whenever we leave on highway 200, we either go east or west that is the way the highway leads.  No matter which way you go you will find a whole country full of needs. 

I’m not telling you to go or not to go, I’m saying, “God help us to know what you want us to do.”

For everyone that is saved and sanctified here tonight the Holy Spirit has a burden for you to carry.  The Holy Spirit knows the burden for you to carry and only you can carry it. 

It is a beautiful work.  The Holy Spirit reveals the work and the burden.  The Holy Spirit will give the tools.  God will give you the tools.  Don’t say that you don’t have anything to offer.  God will give you something; get before Him and ask Him to reveal to you. 

He supplies the word, the tools, the wisdom, and the understanding and grace that you need.  The saints pray.  “The laborers know that I cannot do this on my own.”  When you have a burden that you feel a definite need of an anointing it is ok to ask for everyone to gather around and pray for you. 

The summary would be this.  The Holy Spirit is the director of God’s work on earth.  Thank God I’m not and you’re not.  Thank God that there is not a committee that decides how things will be.  God has His plans. 

There is not one person in this audience that God doesn’t have His plans for.  The Holy Spirit reveals His plans.  Abraham’s servant said, “I being in the way the Lord led me.”

God reveals His plans to His servants.  He said, “Separate to me Barnabas and Saul…”

The blessings of carrying God’s burdens are today, in this time world, and forever in eternity.

Let’s position ourselves before God and hear what the Holy Spirit has to say to us.