Vineyard Life Goals - Week #1 (Inviting the Holy Spirit)

 

Week One (08.17.2020..08.22.2020)

Theme: Inviting the Holy Spirit

(1)    Stages on how a Christian loses his position in God.

-Reading from Genesis 4

> Cain was considered as a man of God or a person who know God or someone who is inside the church. (v.4)

>He  has a profession as a farmer

>What happened in the story?

 Cain brought an offering unto God, so does his brother Abel. The Lord respected Abel’s offering but He rejected Cain’s. Cain became angry with God. (v.3-5)

>Why does the Lord rejected Cain’s offering?

  Romans 12:1 Our offering in the New Covenant is our life. Matthew 6:33 To offer our life to God is to seek God first.

Cain however did not honor God, by giving God an offering (though looks good) but something that he already rejects in his life. Meaning left overs. God do not want left overs of our time or left over of our heart. If we do not seek God first, God will also reject our offering.

>The Lord question why Cain was angry. If Cain did well, his offering will not be rejected. But because he did not do what is right, SIN IS WAITING AT HIS DOOR, and it waits to trap him.

>Meaning, because we do not seek God first in our life, we also made a leak in our life that opens a hole for sin to enter. This sin waits to entrapped us, unless we fought against its desires. (See Genesis 3:3 Eve’s succumbing to Satan’s temptation because she shows her desire over the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil; James 1:13-15)

>However, Cain gave in to temptation and kill Abel, thus committed sin (v.8)

>The Lord still gave Cain a chance to repent but he denied his sin. (v.9)

>Same way, when if by chance we fall short, God’s last straw is to convict us from our sin and compels us to repent. God will forgive us if we repent, else, judgment. (e.g, When King David repented, God restores him His Spirit; when Saul did not repent, God’s Spirit left him)

>In the end, the Lord accounts for Cain’s sin (v.10) and judgment (v.11-15)

>Judgment to Cain (and will also be our judgment):

 (a) God cursed his blessing

 (b) God drive him away from his presence

 © God gave him a mark of condemnation (murderer). Even though he is still physically alive, for God, he is dead and condemned forever.

Ø  God raised up again another man to replaced Cain in the Book of Life (v. 25-26). Likewise, if we continually reject God, He will also replace us.

(2)    Importance of God’s Covenant to Man

-          Genesis 17:11, 26-27

Ø  Abraham’s covenant to God’s token is circumcision.

Ø  After covenant , they circumcised that self-same day

Ø  In the New Covenant, our token is the blood of Christ (believed)

Ø  The Covenant of God (which happens right at the moment that we surrender our life to God and believed the Gospel) requires immediate repentance.

-          Genesis 18:17-19

Ø  God will only reveal Himself and His plans to a man who has a Covenant with Him.

Ø  Do not violate God’s covenant to us by not showing the fruit of repentance in our life

(3)    Importance of not going back to the life of sin & Discipleship

-Genesis 19:24-26

> The Story of Lot’s Wife who turned into a rock of salt after looking back to the life where they came from. Looking back to our old life after being saved doesn’t exempt us from God’s judgment.

- Genesis 19:30-38

> Because Lot did not return to the person who taught him the way of the Lord (Abraham), his daughters committed sin.

>Even after being saved , if we refuse to humbled down to training or discipleship, it is still possible for us to fall away because of sin.

 

(4)    New Covenant Life in the Old Covenant Set-up

-Exodus Chapter 26-40

> The Lord’s instruction to Moses with regards to God’s Commandments and the Tabernacle only shows us that God’ already provided everything for Israel (as the Lord provided everything for Adam in the Garden of Eden). The only thing that they need to do is to follow

>Likewise, in the New Covenant, God also provided everything for us – the Holy Spirit and His Word, that only if we listen and follow God, we will have assurance of salvation. God already did His part. The only one that is not doing anything is us. Our part is to come to God’s invitation.

>(Exodus 20:20-21) Israel, however, failed to answer to God’s invitation that is why people in the Old Testament failed to receive the Holy Spirit whom supposedly be their personal guide in their life. Only Moses obeys and hearkened unto God, that is why God only talks to Moses and he only relay God’s command and message to the people.

>If we also do not come to God, it would be very impossible for us to communicate to God through prayer or meditation.

>Practical example of this is like a royal family sending open invitation to the people or their constituents on a palace ball. The invitation is there and open to all, All we have to do is to dress up appropriately and attend the ball in order to be a part of it.

>Same way, all we have to do is to cloth ourselves in Christ (in order not to shame God) and come to the throne of grace of God with full confidence in order to be part of God’s kingdom.

-Exodus 28:29-30, Exodus 19:4-6

>God originally intended Israel to be a kingdom of priest, but Israel refuse God’s invitation in Exodus 20:20, thus so, the Lord raise up Prophets and priest instead. Aaron, as a High Priest of Israel, has a responsibility of bearing the judgment of Israel upon his heart continually.

> Same way, in the New Covenant, we are also a kingdom of priestly kings, while Jesus is the King of Kings. The priest shepherds God’s people, especially the lost ones. As priest of God, we are accountable to every soul of people that God sets before us. (Acts 20:26-27)

-Exodus 29:7-9

>To be consecrated to God’s priesthood, we must be anointed with the Holy Spirit first. (See Zechariah 4:6). Meaning, you cannot share God’s message without power. We must make it sure that what we are sharing is really in congruence to our life. If not, we can only be consider as inspirational speaker, not God’s messenger. God’s people is always operating with the power of Holy Spirit.

 

(5)    Character of God’s People

-Exodus Chapter 35-36

(a) Willing to be Partaker of God’s body – the Church

 > A wise hearted man is always willing to operate within the body of Christ

(b) In his heart, in whatever he do, it is for God’s glory

> If God saw the willingness in our hearts to seek God, God will gives us wisdom, understanding, knowledge and all manner of workmanship to act accordingly to what we desire, provided that it is according to the will of God.

© A Man of God has always a in his heart to teach his brothers whatever he learned from the Lord

Ø  A man of God, after fulfilling his purpose, always desires to teach his principles to his brothers.

-          Exodus 28:3

Ø  Take note:

(a)    We all have God-given skills

(b)    Recognize that our skills came from God

(c)     Multiply your life to others using that skill

(6)    Importance of Body Life

-Exodus 36:5, 7

> The people contribute for the Lord’s service and their resources became sufficient enough and even more exceedingly.

>Same way, if the Body of Christ practice the Body Life of carrying each other’s’ burden and helping each other in faith and good deeds, then, each parts would no longer be lacking in any               way.

 (7) Importance of the Holy Spirit

- Exodus 40:34

> If we are surrounded by cloud or always living in the presence of God, our life also radiates the glory of God.

> Exodus 40:38 We must ensure that the cloud and fire of God (Holy Spirit) is always in us or with us in our journey.

 

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