Chosen

Subject:  How Does God Choose a Place for His Glory to Dwell

by Rick Welborne

2 Chronicles 7:1-16 (NKJV)
¹  When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
²  And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house.
³  When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever."
⁴  Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD.
⁵  King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.
⁶  And the priests attended to their services; the Levites also with instruments of the music of the LORD, which King David had made to praise the LORD, saying, "For His mercy endures forever," whenever David offered praise by their ministry. The priests sounded trumpets opposite them, while all Israel stood.
⁷  Furthermore Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the LORD; for there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat.
⁸  At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt.
⁹  And on the eighth day they held a sacred assembly, for they observed the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.
¹⁰  On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that the LORD had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.
¹¹  Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king's house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the LORD and in his own house.
¹²  Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.
¹³  When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,
¹⁴  if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
¹⁵  Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.
¹⁶  For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 

--Yesterday I was in the sanctuary praying and seeking God and I felt Holy Spirit visit me in such a beautiful way…what a privilege for us to be able to seek the Lord in His House!

--As I worshipped and prayed in the Spirit, I felt God again directed me back to our text that we used while we were praying for our nation and the elections. I read it again.

--Holy Spirit spoke to me and said re-read it but read the whole chapter…so I prayerfully did.  What a joy to read God’s Word but to be directed by Holy Spirit to read something is like wow!  He has something to say!

--My heart was filled with excitement when I saw what God wanted me to see…He directed me to verse 12 where He said to Solomon, "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.”

--Then again, He directed my attention to verse ¹⁶ For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 

--When I saw these two portions of scripture immediately a question popped into my mind and heart…a question I had for the Lord.

--Before I give you that question, let me tell you a story. My son Joshua had always heard me say when I invited people to our church…The church is great but the pastor is questionable.

--He was sitting on the counter in the bathroom and I said to him…did you wash your ears, did you brush your teeth, did you use soap this time, have you said your prayers?  On and on I went!  He was only 3 or 4 at the time

--He looks at me and says…now I know why you tell everyone that you are questionable…why is that? You ask more questions than anyone I know.

--The question I had for the Lord was this…what has to happen for you to choose a place, a house, a church that Your Name, Your eyes, Your heart will be there perpetually?

--What would we have to do as a church, a congregation of people to have God’s glory, to have His presence here perpetually? That is what I want us to look at tonight.

1. For God to choose us there must be an attitude of prayer.

2 Chronicles 7:1 (NKJV)
¹  When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

--Prayer, communicating with God, talking to God, listening to God must be a vital aspect of any church that desires for God to choose them for His glory and presence to dwell.

--Unfortunately many churches have become anything but houses of prayer…places where God can be sought and where He can be found. Too much entertainment. 

 Mark 11:17 (NKJV)
¹⁷  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "

--Think about it…Jesus said His house shall be called a house of prayer…His house should be known for being a place where you can lift up prayers and receive prayers for your needs.

--You have made it a den of thieves…the money changers in that day were taking advantage of worshippers who came to Jerusalem…changing exorbitant prices for animals for sacrifice.

--I personally believe churches should be known for their giving not their taking…the gospel is not for sale. God has taught us here that if He can get it thru us He will get it to us…missions and benevolence. 

--If we want God to come with His glory and His power we must be a church that earnestly prays.

--How exciting would it be to have a tangible presence of God so strong in the church that people would have to fall down on the pavement or grass outside the church and worship God?

2. For God to choose us there must be an attitude of humility and worship.

2 Chronicles 7:3 (NKJV)
³  When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever." 

--I personally believe that humbling ourselves before God shows that we have a healthy fear of the Lord. A person who has this fear will definitely be a sincere worshipper.

Proverbs 14:26-27 (NKJV)
²⁶  In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge.
²⁷  The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death. 

 --Hear this from our text: if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways…

--If we humble ourselves thru repentance, praying, seeking…it opens us up for pure worship…It causes us to be chosen by God to dwell with us.  New Testament equivalent. 

James 4:8-10 (NKJV)
⁸  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
⁹  Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
¹⁰  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

--If we want Life Church to be chosen by God, if we want to be chosen by God for His glory to dwell with us, we must humbly and broken come into His presence and worship…He will show up.

3. For God to choose us there must be an attitude of extravagant generosity.

2 Chronicles 7:4-5 (NKJV)
⁴  Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD.
⁵  King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 

--Can you imagine in Israel’s economy what the cost of 22,000 bulls and 120,000 sheep would have been. The world would have said that is ridiculous.  Simon the Leper…why all this waste. Really?

--When was the last time you would have been accused of giving an extravagant offering to God, to His house, or to Missions?

--Is God worth us being so generous? Absolutely! Are lost souls worth us giving to Missions? Absolutely! God has taught us to be generous by giving His best offering…His Son, Jesus Christ!

--Some may think it is a bunch of bull to give generously or they may think it is baaaad, but I think God chooses people who are generous for His glory to dwell.

2 Chronicles 7:12 (NKJV)

¹²  Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.

4. For God to choose us there must be an attitude of service in God’s House.

2 Chronicles 7:6 (NKJV)

⁶  And the priests attended to their services; the Levites also with instruments of the music of the LORD, which King David had made to praise the LORD, saying, "For His mercy endures forever," whenever David offered praise by their ministry. The priests sounded trumpets opposite them, while all Israel stood. 

--When the priest, the ministers, are doing what they are supposed to be doing, when the musicians are doing their music from a pure heart, and praise is lifted to God…God chooses us for His glory to dwell.

--When every believer becomes a participator instead of a spectator, God shows up…He chooses us…jump in!

5. For God to choose us there must be an attitude of His Name being lifted up.

2 Chronicles 7:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶  For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 

--We must always be careful that Life Church is known, not by its pastor, not by its music, not by all its programs but known because of the Name of the Lord!

Isaiah 42:8 (NKJV)
⁸  I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. 

Deuteronomy 5:8-10 (NKJV)
⁸  'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
⁹  you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
¹⁰  but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

--If we want to be chosen by God we must lift up the Name of the Father, the Name of the Son, and keep inviting Holy Spirit to come.

Growing The Church God’s Way

Subject: How Does God Want to Grow His Church

Habakkuk 2:14 (NKJV) 

1 I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected. 

2 Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. 

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. 

4 "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

–2010 I felt God had given me a dream of seeing Life Church grow to 1000...the initial goal not the end.  1000 by 10.

–Obviously the dream did not come to pass and I was crushed and embarrassed...I admit that I was not focused on God’s will as much as I should have been…I repented.

–As I have sought God and studied about Lazarus God has shown me that growing to 1000 was His dream.

–Thru Lazarus being raised from the dead we can learn many things about our dreams:

A. It may be the right request or God’s will, but just the wrong time.

B. You cannot have a resurrection until something dies...the dream I had died.

C. It is not over until God says it is over...He has the final Word.

D. Litmus test...If it was God it will be raised; if not it will remain dead.

–In preparing for growing the church God’s way I think it would be good to ask some important questions.

1. What have we done to see Life Church grow and for souls to be won into His Kingdom?

A. We have hopefully prayed God will give us souls...pray every day!

B. We have preached...if every family reaches just one family we will grow.

C. We have had HGHF several times and Easter and Christmas outreaches. 

D. We have done mass mail-outs to our community inviting them to come.

E. We have emphasized the importance of personal evangelism.

F. We had Seeds for The Harvest...knocking on doors in Fruitland Park.

G. We have been benevolent to our community...House of Hope and financial needs.

H. We have consistently given opportunity for salvation in our services.

--We are definitely growing but can we do more?

2. What are the trends of the day that appear to lead to church growth?

A. We have seen quite a bit of growth in churches who are seeker sensitive.

B. We see some churches growing because of tremendous outreach ministries.

C. We see many churches in our District going the direction of church planting.

D. We see satellite churches growing around us.

3. The big question for us is what is God’s plan for Life Church to initially grow to one thousand?

Habakkuk 2:24 (NKJV) 

2 Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. 

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. 

4 "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

A. We need to hear from God, get His vision, and make it plain to our people.

B. The vision or the dream should be such that we and our people can run with it.

C. Because the dream is being resurrected by God, it will surely come.

D. This is a time to lay aside our pride and operate in the faith God will give us.

–Good ideas are okay but what we truly need is God or God inspired vision where what happens will be clearly a sovereign move of God...according to His Word!

–What other churches are doing and even what some of you have done at other churches (past experience) can be of some benefit but without a God vision for Life Church it will not happen.  He knows our DNA!

Proverbs 29:18 (NIV) 

18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law. 

–We have seen that God can and often speaks thru the laity of the church so we are open to ideas (God ideas) from wherever they come.

4. So what do we see as benefits to growing initially to one thousand?  Are there benefits?

A. The first is the most obvious...souls being won into the Kingdom of God.

Acts 2:4647 (NKJV) 

46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. 

Luke 19:10 (NLT) 

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” 

B. The second tied to the first, an increase in support of missions and missionaries.

C. The capability of expanding the base of our church thru staff. Example of the pyramid. 

D. The capability because of finances to bless our own community.  Legacy!

E. The influence God can give us in decisions here in our community.

5. What would be the negatives to growing to one thousand?

A. More work...harder work...running with a vision takes effort.

B. More department heads and laity trained to do the work of the ministry.

C. Multiple services...preaching, ushering, altar workers, music, etc.

D. Dealing with hurting people and their problems...healing the brokenhearted. 

E. It will mean a greater laying down of our lives.

F. As one lady put it, our church will not be as personal as it is now.  Really?

Matthew 16:2427 (NKJV) 

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 

25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 

26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 

27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. 

6. Do we need to stop looking backward and start looking forward?  Yes!

--Reading Mark Batterson’s book All In he shares this scripture:

Amos 5:45 (NIV) 

4 This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: "Seek me and live; 

5 do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing." 

–Bethel is the place where Jacob had his life changing dream...he built an altar and made a vow.  

–Gilgal is where the Israelites camped after God miraculously parted the Jordan River and they stepped foot into the Promised land for the first time.

–Beersheba is the place where Abraham made a treaty with Abimilek and called on the Lord.  His son Isaac dug a well and built an altar there.

–All these places were wonderful, sacred landmarks in Israel’s spiritual journey so why wouldn’t God let them seek Him there?  You won’t find God in the past!

–His name is not I was but I Am...He is the ever present God. What got you where you are may not get you to where God wants you to go.

Batterson:  When we cling too hard to what God did last we may miss what God wants to do next.  God wants to work here and now.

–God is always doing a new thing...it is ok to remember what Jesus did in the past but let those only serve to remind us for what he will do in the future!

Isaiah 43:1819 (NKJV) 

18 "Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 

19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. 

–As you count the cost:

A. What can the Youth Dept. do? Music? Children’s? Women’s? Men’s? House of

Hope?  Young Adults?  Missions?  Sunday School?  All others?

B. What can we do to grow to one thousand as a beginning place?

C. What will motivate us to have a God dream and to see this happen?

7. So what do I want from you today?

A. I want prayer...I want Holy Spirit led prayer...I want God’s wisdom & presence.

B. If you have listened to what I have already shared, you will understand I am not 

looking for the mechanics of ministry but for God ideas that will make an impact.

C. This is not throwing everything in our minds out on the table and then picking 

and choosing what we want or do not want...it must be God or we must be silent.

E. This is God’s time...it is serious and we must be sober and vigilant.

F. Allow God to speak to your heart, and if He has not yet, keep praying until He does.

G. Unity is a must in this growth adventure. Decide to jump in! No spectators please!

H. Finally, God must build the house:

Psalm 127:12 (NLT)

1 Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. 

2 It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones. 

--When you study the Acts of the Apostles you will note that the main reason the church grew was because of Holy Spirit…He must be present for us to grow supernatural. 

Acts 1:8 (NLT)
⁸  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

Prayer and Prodigals

Subject:  The Link Between Our Prayers and Our Prodigals Salvation

by Rick Welborne

Luke 15:1132 (NKJV) 

11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. 

12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. 

13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 

14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 

15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 

16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 

17 But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 

19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ' 

20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 

21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 

22 But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 

23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 

24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry. 

1. The reason the son (the prodigal) came to his senses.

A. Do you suppose the father was bombarding heaven every day for his son?

--I am so afraid that we have lost the art of intercession…the art of travail in prayer.  When we have a prodigal on the edge of destruction, violent prayers are needed.

Matthew 11:12 (NKJV)
¹²  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

--There needs to be the attitude in prayer…Satan, you will not have my son or my daughter.  You will release them and they will be free.

--Heaven should be stirred with prayer that is powerful and effective.

James 5:16 (NIV)
¹⁶  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. 

B. Do you just suppose he had others praying for him?

--Stop being embarrassed that you have prodigals in your life…unless you are an anomaly, we all have prodigals.

--Get over your pride and ask others to pray.  They are not prodigals because of you, they are prodigals because of their bad choices.

--Could we have done better, of course, but they still had the choice to walk away.  Ask God to forgive you, ask others to pray with you, and let’s get them back. 

C. Do you think there were times in corporate worship that his name was brought up?

--Tonight we need to call out their names and agree for their salvation.

Matthew 18:19-20 (NIV)
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.
²⁰  For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

--God is with us…Jesus is for us…Holy Spirit is filling us…let us agree that from the north, south, east, and west they will be released and come home to the Lord.

D. Do you suppose along with the prayer that the Holy Spirit was using the circumstances he was going thru to wake him up?  

--Broke, busted, and disgusted! We should not always bail out our prodigals when they are in trouble.

--Do not be shocked that as you pray for them that things will tend to get worse…do not panic God is at work.  This portion of scripture scares us but hear the principle to be implemented.

1 Corinthians 5:4-5 (NCV)
⁴  When you meet together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I meet with you in spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus,
⁵  then hand this man over to Satan. So his sinful self will be destroyed, and his spirit will be saved on the day of the Lord.

--This reminds us of an Old Testament principle that when God’s people turn their back on Him He turns them over to their enemies…why?  So they will repent and come home.

--The most important news of all is this…they will be saved on the Day of the Lord!

E. Do you suppose he got his fill of what the world had to offer...pig slop!  He hit bottom!

--Unfortunately, there are some who do not learn from others mistakes…they, for whatever reason, ignore the consequences they see others go thru.

--The big lie…I can handle it…I won’t be addicted…I won’t mess up…I won’t go thru what they are going thru!

Famous last words.  Satan laughs at our naivety. 

--Another big lie…the devil wants us to believe that we are being left out…we are missing out on life that is fun and full.  Adam and Eve bought into this lie.

John 10:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Proverbs 14:11-12 (NIV)
¹¹  The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.
¹²  There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. 

2. The revelation that woke him (the prodigal) up.

Luke 15:17 (NIV)
¹⁷  "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!

--Here is the problem with most prodigals…they have forgotten who their Father is.  They have forgotten that life was so much better when they served God.

--They have forgotten that, even though mom and dad were not perfect, they had my good in mind. 

--A big part of our prayer for them tonight and every day is that they will come to their senses. There needs to be an awakening in their hearts and lives.

--One time I had to clarify to a parent who was concerned about praying for the prodigals to come home… they said I want them saved but not to come home with me. Ok, let’s say they come home to the Lord.

--As we pray for the prodigals, God can reveal to them that even the least in God’s Kingdom have it better than they do…they have food to spare and here I am starving physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

--If we keep bailing them out, why do they need to change and how will they ever come to their senses…James Dobson calls this tough love…Our Marine Jeremy!

3. The repentant heart that brought him (the prodigal) home.

Luke 15:18-24 (NKJV)
¹⁸  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,
¹⁹  and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ' 

²⁰  And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
²¹  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
²²  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
²³  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;
²⁴  for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.

--I will arise and go…the same will that made him walk away is now being implemented to bring him home. 

--I have sinned against God and you…true repentance recognizes the hurt and pain that was caused.

--There seems to be a big argument about this…true repentance meant he knew he was not worthy. I am no longer worthy.  Our worthiness is what God puts on us not what we put on ourselves.

--The beauty of this story is the Father is waiting, He is watching, and He is wanting for them to come home. When they do it is time to celebrate!