IF YOU TURN
By Pastor Daniel Cruz
Preached on Sunday April 19th 2015
Through out the bible God has repeatedly used two opposing contrasts in order to bring us, (his church) to a place where we examine ourselves and our lives in the light of those sharp contrasts.
God speaks in his word of being either:
Cold or Hot -
Light or Darkness -
Sheep or Goats
Wheat or Tares
And so on...
Notice how God uses extremes - He says, be Hot or Cold....either be Light or Darkness - There's yet another thing God speaks of in contrast - and that is when he says you are either,
ASLEEP or AWAKE! - (awake you that sleepest)
Being awakened to something can mean the difference between Loss or Gain, Winning or Losing, Living or Dying
Being Awake carries with it the idea of SELF AWARENESS.
How many of you have ever been AWAKENED to something. At one point you were living your life a certain way until one day you AWOKE to a truth or to a reality. An understanding you didn't have before - and it changed the course of your life as you know it.
Through out your life and at different points in your life, you will be faced with the choice to either WAKE UP (where everything changes) or to continue SLEEPING! (Where everything remains the same) AND THE CHOICE - WILL ONLY BE YOURS TO MAKE!
TO AWAKEN (means) to become aware, to arrive at a realization, to have a revelation of SELF that brings about change. To become fully aware of the move of God
When you allow Jesus, He will always bring you to a place where you are confronted with your own HEART - AND ONLY WHEN YOU'RE ABLE SEE YOURSELF Is when true change can happen.
In the bible the Men that God used, THEY had to SEE THEIR CONDITION FIRST!
ISAIAH - cried out Isaiah 6:5
Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the king the Lord of host.
PETER said - Luke 5:8
"Oh, Lord, please leave me--I'm too much of a sinner to be around you." LT.
PAUL said - Romans 7
Oh wretched man that I am....
Remaining ASLEEP- will rob you of your KAIROS - a seasonable time, the right time, a limited period of time
Luke 19:44
They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time (KAIROS) of God's coming to you."
TO SLEEP - not to be aware, your eyes are closed,
Back in the mid eighties I went through a period that I lost my zeal for The things of God. I no longer prayed fervently as I once did. I no longer separated time to fast. I no longer had a desire to serve in Gods House. During that time I was still showing up to church but I never spoke to anyone about my faith in Christ.
I didn't talk about Gods word and I became critical of everyone.
I HAD FALLEN ASLEEP!
One day in the midst of all my carnality - I stood still long enough to hear God speak to me.
God spoke to me loud and clear from Revelations 2:4-5
4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; OR else I am coming to you and will REMOVE your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent
THE LAMPSTAND. - is a source of light!
God said to me if you don't TURN I will leave you in the dark! I will remove your light. (In other words - I will give permission for darkness to take over. And I will remove understanding and I will remove my tangible presence.
When ever you Refuse to turn! - you will ALWAYS lose something
I was not married then but my - family life began to unravel, my mother was backsliding in her heart, financially I began to see everything fall apart. My relationships were a mess, I felt empty and I also realized I was unable to weep in the presence on God the way I use to, my heart had grown cold.
PROVERBS 1:23. English Standard Version
"If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you."
God says - IF YOU TURN at my REPROOF
Reproof = correct, admonish, point out the wrong - when I say Stop this, Don't go there, do this,
God says IF YOU TURN at my Reproof BEHOLD - (Watch and see) I WILL POUR MY SPIRIT - my presence will accompany you and I will give you revelation on my word
You can have TWO people in a church listening to the same message - One will leave with VERY LITTLE understanding and yet the other will receive a great deal of understanding and revelation for their present season - WHY because the first one did not TURN when God spoke to the heart to NOT GO SOME PLACE, NOT TO DO SOMETHING, OR TO CONTROL THAT ANGER. FORGIVE THAT PERSON, TURN THE TV PROGRAM OFF. WALK OUT OF THE THEATER. STOP THAT CONVERSATION - and the other person - Turned when they were reproved.
TWO BLESSINGS COME ON US WHEN WE LEARN TO TURN
- UNCTION COMES ON US
- REVELATION FROM HIS WORD - ( Rhema) !!!! A word in season) - it is a dangerous place to be when Gods word doesn't excite us anymore. When we would rather sit and talk for hours about our favorite sports teams, than we ever do about the Rhema we received from God.
REMEMBER God is an extreme God!!
He says Hot or Cold - Light or Darkness - IN or OUT
HE DOESNT STOMACH - tipped
HE DOENST TOLERATE LUKEWARM
For many of you today the Spirit of God is saying Turn!
Turn from your Lukewarmness
Turn from your adulterous affair
Turn from your covetousness
Turn from your idleness
Turn from not caring for the lost in your city
Turn from your indifference
TURN! TURN! TURN!
GO BACK TO WHAT YOU USE TO DO BEOFRE YOU LET YOUR HEART GROW COLD
COME BACK TO SPENDING TIME WITH ME
COME BACK TO LONGING FOR MY PRESENCE
COME BACK TO INVITING OTHERS TO MY HOUSE
COME BACK TO HONORING ME WITH YOUR FINANCES
COME BACK! COME BACK! COME BACK!
I said last week - If you fall back on faith - trust me to catch you
You TURN from that affair and I'll give you the strength to never look back there again!
You first TURN from that bar or liquor store and I will give you the strength to say no Drunkeness
You TURN from being a silent Christian and I will give you the strength to share your faith with boldness.
NIV - Eph 5:14
"Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you
IN CONCLUSION
In the bible there is a Process revealed in John 14:6 a verse we typically use when making a call for salvation - however there is much more than this.
Jesus said, I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, no man comes to the father but through me.
WAY - Hodos gr a way traveled, a road you decided to travel on
TRUTH - alethes gr. - to love the Truth, embrace it. In reality
LIFE - Zoe gr. abundant life - life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ.
FATHER - pater gr.
the author of a family
one who has infused his own spirit into others, who actuates and governs their minds
the Father of Jesus Christ, as one whom God has united to himself in the closest bond of love and intimacy,
HEAR IS THE APPLICATION of this process (in brief)
Way - there are many on the "way", who have decided to travel this road of Christianity
Truth - but have not reached a place where they love the truth nor do they embrace the truth. They raise there own opinions and feelings above Gods word.
Life - therefore they are never able to truly experience abundant life - fullness
Father - And ultimately the process is designed to bring you to an intimacy with the Father to a place of sonship - to bring us to the place where we and the Father are one. And our food and drink is to do the fathers will.
