Take What Is Yours, Part 2

Today on the Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ tells us anybody nubile signal doing member Jesus and I'll even give you the solution free.

Seek you first the kingdom and his righteousness and all this first vision is doesn't priority your life is him telling you the truth, over and over again the Bible from joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana joint Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word. Our world is the child of God. And guess what you inherit everything that Jesus and everything, the son of God and what does he enter every that you you feel like that that's the truth. You see, that's the truth. You overwhelmingly conquer your joint heirs with Jesus Christ go with me now. Ephesians chapter 1 Ephesians chapter 1 in verse three Paul says this, he said, Blessed be the Lord God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and these words, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Notice the word blessed past the moment he became a Christian.

He says he has blessed us with what will it says right here every spiritual blessing that exist in the heavenly places that you and me. He's blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Now if you been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heaven. How nonsensical does it seem to you that you say I can't I can't I can't get through another day. I hike I can't deal with this anxiety and stress. I can't really every what you need, nor that versus what you need.

Nothing is all provided gotchas. I provided all for you. In fact if you look down to verse 11 it says. Also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to his purpose who works all things after the counsel of his will. We have an inheritance. Israel had the inheritance the promised land.

You and I have the inheritance of the abundant life living in the promised land. Is it yours.

I'm giving it to you.

He says to them, and he says to us, you have to take what is yours. You just have to take what yours. I've given it to you to take it. You see when you have the Christian life. You don't fight for victory. You fight from victory.

The battle is already one Lord is already the victor. We don't fight for victory. We fight from it. Think what the Scripture say your new creature in Christ, is how much my past is gone, all the old things are passed away. Your new creature in Christ. Paul even said we can rejoice in tribulation, even in the worst times James and consider all joy, my brothers, when various trials come your way, is that your experience using is that really what you do as long as you live in the wilderness though your life is going to be a struggle if you live in the promised land.

You can be blessed because your lives can be marked by faith and trust.

You see that's the problem back to Joshua. He alludes to in verse three when he said I have given it to you just as I spoke to Moses he said Joshua not telling anything new 40 years ago, I spoke the same words that Moses and these people it yours. Go get it and they didn't. They couldn't do it at all.

They simply said we can't we can do this. He doesn't want to be that way and they ended up struggling in the wilderness for 40 years with the reason this message is so important is it for a typical average church, the majority of you living your lives in the wilderness, so much so last week I was doing with a survey that was done from a church in Chicago and I said it was they had about 12% but this week I find another survey done in 2007 by the REIT.

The reveal research project and they started out some looking for Joshua's.

That's what they want to find out, and they wanted to know the percentage of evangelicals a go to church that are actually live out the idea of loving the Lord your God with all the heart mind soul and strength in the neighbors themselves living in the promised land.

And here's what they decided after they surveyed hundreds of thousands of Christians around our country 11% of all the people the last week was 12%.

These figures don't lie, 11%.

Wow. Not nearly 9 out of every 10 believers live their whole life in the wilderness.

No joy unless the circumstances given to you see no hope, no peace unless the circumstances given to you. Just like a nonbeliever. The same thing 11%.

Now just imagine by the way, if a high school graduated 11% of their students. What would you call that school graduated 11% of our students graduate. What about if a hospital only healed 11% of the patients in the other 89% died winter. Would you go there.

One of your favorite baseball football team or what only one, 11% of the games would you consider that a success. Those that number describes us 11% that we know God wants all of us to live in the promised land. And yet we don't know. I do believe this one of the problems is the way review conversion. I think a lot of us view conversion is a carwash analogy. A lot of us view ourselves as a very filthy dirty old conquer and then you go into the carwash.

You receive Jesus Christ in his finished work on the class and your forgiving your sins and you come out of the carwash a clean clunker 100 dirty clunker you come out a clean clunker, but that's not the word of God says word of God says you can write a new creature the word of God says.

You know, just with your sins forgiven you come up with the presence of God in your life you come up with the Holy Spirit indwelling you the word of God guiding you your brothers and sisters in Christ supporting that's what you come out with but you end up living a holy life in the wilderness as a clunker.

How often do we say you know something, I'm a child of God.

And I'm more than a conqueror bring life one.

I wish you said that more you know what I hear. I can't. I'm a victim there's people around me that made me miserable off.

You knew my boss and it just so terrible. No one deserves neighbors. I have that's how we live. You make statements like that you have decided you wanted to spend your whole life in the wilderness. That's what he says now he goes on. He tells him what he's given them. Verse four from the wilderness of this and this Lebanon. He said even as far as the great River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites as far as the great sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.

I will not fail or forsake you. This is God talk you got it. You see, it's interesting.

Now the question is, that's God's part is how do it all what your part is when God comes. Here's what God says. Here's your part.

Verse six be strong and courageous. He said for you should give this people possession of the land which I swear the fathers to give them only be strong and very courageous. I know with them your thinking there is error. That's the fine print.

That's why my life. Such a mess is a II got it. God said I have to be strong and courageous misunderstanding you seek God says be strong and courageous. Okay billing than a muster up the strength to be a better man. Don't waste your time thinking like that she is not you, it wasn't you that saved you, and it's not you that keeps you is him you see what you mean he says be strong and courageous.

Okay this is what God is going to say you know what I want to be strong and courageous. You know what kind of courage I need you to have.

You need to believe me when I tell you something that takes courage when I tell you something you need to believe me, that's what God is saying.

Notice what he does. He goes on, and he says this he said only be strong and very courageous. Be careful to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left so that you may have success wherever you go. He said this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you will be careful to do according to all that is written in it for then you will make your way prosperous, you will have success have I not commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Don't trouble be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Here's what he tells Joshua Joshua have something in common with us. Joshua has a Bible just like us on not exactly his Bible five books. Here's the first five books of the Bible. Law written by Moses.

He has in Genesis to Deuteronomy custody of that's the whole key to this, you and I have all 66 books. That's the whole key said that's it. You need to be courageous in this notice what he says.

He says you need to do all according to the law of Moses. He said don't turn from it to your left or right. If you do you have success.

He said don't edit the perfume I've meditated on day and night. Be careful to do all that's written in it and then you'll have prosperity you'll have success.

He said the courage you need is the courage to believe me. But do you remember the sermon on the Mount, Jesus goes after one are favored, recreations of hobbies. He tells us that were not to be anxious for anything and not to worry about anything anybody here violate that Jesus I don't do that you realize what you're doing when you do this, I don't care what he said when to do it member Jesus and I'll even give you the solution. It's free. Seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all this will be added to you. I give it all to seek me first.

You don't understand. I got kids in college the bills coming due this. He does understand the priority in your life is him. He said I'm telling you the truth, there over and over again.

The Bible says be anxious for nothing. Now if you live in the wilderness. I can tell you something.

You live with anxiety and worry. You wake up in the middle night anxiety and worry. It's your constant companion through life once in a while when circumstances are good you forget about a thing, a reminder to getting right back there again 01 am I going to do now. How is this ever going to happen and God says everyone's workbook. I got you. I'm right here.

I got you theoretically. Maybe you see we don't do that that becomes a problem in the worst thing is sometimes we even come up with a different kind of antidote and think that'll work, but it won't last week I was doing great Hawkins, who had that study from Chicago and he writes this, and I find this interesting. He says nothing has a greater impact on the spiritual growth of a believer than reflection on Scripture if churches could only do one thing to help people at all levels of spiritual maturity in the growing a relationship with Christ. The choice is clear they would inspire, encourage and equip people to read their Bible. He said the key to spiritual growth is not increase church attendance or involvement in's and spiritual activities. People do not grow in Christ because they're busy at church. They grow in Christ when they read and trust and do the word of God. That's what this is. That's why said, look, you gotta meditate on this. You gotta think about this is I want to do this the best you can. I want you to read it. I went to the believe it.

I want you to meditate on and I want to do it and if you do that and yours going take mess, not just in the Old Testament go with me to second Timothy chapter 3, second Timothy chapter 3, the last thing the Paul writes here Paul is describing the life the last 2000 years but our culture for sure in his or Paul tells us first. Life's difficult out there like things out there like to challenge other. It's hard to remember were in a cursed planet surrounded by sinful people and we have our own sin so don't expect it to be smooth. Paul says this Timothy realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

You can say that for my own life Bill. I just waiting understand in your life difficult times are going to come.

I don't want difficult times to come.

I'm happy when there's no difficult times as true. But the still come. He said men will be lovers of self, narcissist, the be lovers of money, materialist will be boastful and arrogant revolvers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful and wholly unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, will be lovers of pleasure hedonist rather than lovers of God. The awful sin is going be rampant pains going to be real. We suffer in a real suffering world.

While I do want to. I do see if I'm Timothy miss the last thing Paul Frank call tell me what I need to do how do I deal with this is what he says in verse 14 he says you however continuing the things that you have learned to become convinced of, knowing from whom you learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings, which are able to give you wisdom that leaves the salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

All Scripture is inspired or literally God breathed all Scripture is inspired by God. It's profitable for teaching, and, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, with the result that the man of God will be adequately equipped for every good work Timothy want to counter all that read the word meditate on it. Believe it and live it. He said that's you want to counter all that. That's all you have to do the writer of Hebrews said the word of God is alive is powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, he said appears the son of the soul and the spirit. It's a pretty good thoughts and intents of my own heart. The word of God helps me understand me. The word of God helps me understand you the word of God helps me understand life you see any since that's what I want you to do what's the antidote. He said you need to be in the word of God. That's what you need to understand that's how you live a promised land. Life is all the way from Genesis to Revelation 1 last passage. One look at is Psalm one. The first Psalm in the Psalter number the book of Psalms. Like the book of Proverbs is in the wisdom literature the very pragmatic books. One of the great disciplines you can do in your life, and many of you than it is. There's 31 Proverbs 31 chapters on a good month.

Just read one chapter. The Proverbs a day and as you begin to read it you start seeing it. While there's just so much common sense wisdom here, but this great Psalter start out the book of Psalms and notice how we start.

He said how blessed that word means happy or joyful.

How happy is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit at the seat of scoffers.

Bad company corrupts good morals. How happy is the guy stays awake in bed company will know that to be true, but notice what else he says his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law he meditates day and night.

He said that's what he does. His life is all about the word of God and what it says. He said he'll be like a treat for firmly planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in its season.

If sleep is not even whether and in whatever he does, he prospers whenever great life is meditate on the word. The most important thing you can do though is to believe the word now, here's the one last thing I want to say how do you know if you believe the word or not. I know what you say. I think that's right as long as I have a mental acquiescence toward it. I mean, I believe it. Jesus is now not exactly if you want to know if you believe the word you do it. See you do it that integrity believe it. That's why James wrote don't be a hero of the wallet were only prove yourself to be a doer of the word.

You see, it's a matter of doing the word of God.

When I do the word of gotta tell Scott. I believe this is the big problem that we have is if you live your whole life in the wilderness. It's a self imposed life. The reason you're in the wilderness. As you and the reason that you is one you don't know the word of all.

So that'll hurt you. I don't even know what the Bible says well good luck then or two. I do know what it says but I don't believe it. Theoretically I believe it, but pragmatically in my life. I don't. And whenever we live that way.

We never get to the promised land. God wants all of his children to live in the promised land. He says all you need is the courage to believe I'm telling you spray father is a sobering thought that the realization may be that so many of us who know you languish our whole lives, just like Israel did for 40 years in the wilderness you sustain us and you keep us, but we never have the abundance that you promised, we never cross the Jordan we never overcome the enemy. We simply wonder our happiness become circumstantial not relational. Father I pray as we look at this great book of Joshua that you've given us a picture of what it means to be a child of God, who believes what you say and that belief brings tremendous blessing into our lives. Father, we must believe that the word of God and the son of God answer to all the anxiety this. We pray for our good pastor Bill Gebhardt on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever missed one of our broadcasting or maybe you just like the message one more time. Remember the little great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online that website you will find on today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as well have Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly with just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible Church. Visit our website FPC Nola.org that FPC 10 oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sensors are looking for.

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