Sermon Central
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Let's Join Him
Contributed by Matthew Sutman on Mar 17, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: Based on "Experiencing God", this shows how to prepare to join God in His work.
Let’s Join Him!
We learned that God is always at work doing something. We also learned that He loves us completely and wants us to love Him just as much.
Now, if we DO love Him and we see Him doing something, we should want to join Him. He really wants us to join Him and invites us to do just that.
15"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
In a world full of so many problems, we tend to be overwhelmed and don’t know what to do. That’s why it’s so nice that all we really need to do is watch for what God is already doing and start joining Him.
We have a habit of just seeing an overwhelming issue, when we need to see where we fit into the solution.
We need to start looking for trees, because everybody can see the forest!
Now, if you still don’t know what God is doing, we are going to learn how to find out.
PRAY
Ask God to show you where He is already working.
Not, ask God what you can do…not ask God to use your talents…not ask God to bless something you’re already doing.
WATCH FOR AN ANSWER
You have to be alert to see when God answers.
So often we miss when God answers. In fact, if we had been in His word we may have seen that He already answered. In other words, we often pray about things we don’t need to pray about. Some things are just “given” in His word, like feeding the hungry. If we know His word, it makes our prayers more focused and easier to see the answers.
26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
When watching for answers, don’t watch for the answer you want or the answer you expect or the easy answer…just the answer.
MAKE THE CONNECTION
You can easily miss it. If you believe God answers prayer, believe that He answered yours.
Then, if He answered it, get up off your knees and do something!
We have a horrible habit of praying for God to give us direction, He does and then we go back to praying instead of getting going in the direction He shows us!
Remember Gideon and the fleece? That story is not a lesson in how to do it!
We are not supposed to put out the fleece. We have His Spirit!
ASK QUESTIONS
Don’t jump into what God is already doing and try to start over. He’s already doing it!
Find out what God is already doing.
If it’s in a ministry, ask questions of the people who may be involved or affected to see where they are and what they need and what they are looking for.
If it’s in an individual’s life, find out what God has already done or is doing. Ask them what kind of questions they have and what issues are in their lives right now.
LISTEN!
See where God has already gotten and listen to see where you can join in. You may have the answers and you may not, but you know they need them and you can help guide them to the right place to find them.
Before we come to the last step, let’s eliminate something that usually masquerades as finding out what God is doing.
Having a good idea is not the same as finding out what God is doing!
Deut. 18:17-22
17 The LORD said to me: "What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. 19 If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death."
21 You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD ?" 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
