There are two sides to the outcome of ministry – one of course, is the minister themselves. He/she should bring the uncompromised Word under the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. It is by the ink of the Spirit that eternal truth is written on the hearts. The other, depends on the hearers – their capacity and readiness to receive and willingness to run with what they are given. This message on “Ready To Receive” deals with the latter. The posture, the stance which I as a believer must have – whenever I sit under someone’s ministry to receive. The minister of God may have the most important revelation for my life and may be greatly anointed – but if I am not ready to receive – then whatever God releases through that person will not do me any good. Learn how to be "Ready to Receive" so that you don't miss God's best each time someone ministers.
May this sermon minister to you and enrich your walk of faith in Jesus Christ. We welcome you to make use of the free sermons, Christian books, and daily devotionals available on this website.
May this sermon minister to you and enrich your walk of faith in Jesus Christ. We welcome you to make use of the free sermons, Christian books, and daily devotionals available on this website.
Ready To Receive
The Way God Speaks
Isaiah 28:9,10
9 "Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts?
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little."
God speaks to us precept upon precept, line upon line. He adds, little by little to what He has already been teaching us.
He hides truth for us. He communicates to us in ways we can understand. This is why Jesus spoke in parables:
Matthew 13:10-16
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"
11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'HEARING YOU WILL HEAR AND SHALL NOT UNDERSTAND, AND SEEING YOU WILL SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE;
15 FOR THE HEARTS OF THIS PEOPLE HAVE GROWN DULL. THEIR EARS ARE HARD OF HEARING, AND THEIR EYES THEY HAVE CLOSED, LEST THEY SHOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, LEST THEY SHOULD UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEARTS AND TURN, SO THAT I SHOULD HEAL THEM.'
16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;
When Jesus spoke in parables, He communicated spiritual truth in earthly terms – and yet the people could not understand. The problem was not with the Preacher, but with the readiness of the people to receive.
Unfortunately they could not hear, they could not see and their hearts could not understand, spiritually – and so missed the blessing that was there.
The parable of the sower teaches us that the same seed of God’s Word sown on different hearts – has different outcomes determined primarily by the condition of the heart of the hearer.
God is releasing revelation and anointing upon His people as never before. We are privileged to live at such a time as this.
We have easy access to what God is releasing to His Body worldwide. We can turn on Christian television and can receive through some of the leading preachers and ministers from around the world.
We have access to their sermons, MP3 downloads, books they write, etc. etc. So there really is not limit to how much we have access to.
Sunday after Sunday we come together to worship, pray and receive the ministry of the Word.
There are two sides to the outcome of ministry – one of course, is the minister themselves. He/she should bring the uncompromised Word under the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. It is by the ink of the Spirit that eternal truth is written on the hearts. This is what Jesus did as He preached to His audiences. The other, depends on the hearers – their capacity and readiness to receive and willingness to run with what they are given.
Today’s message on “Ready To Receive” deals with the latter. The posture, the stance which I as a believer must have – whenever I sit under someone’s ministry to receive. The minister of God may have the most important revelation for my life and may be greatly anointed – but if I am not ready to receive – then whatever God releases through that person will not do me any good. It will be like ‘water on a ducks back’ – not have any impression on me.
Whenever you go to a meeting/service – whether here at APC or somewhere else – you must go “Ready to Receive”.
1, High Hunger Level (wanting more from God)
Isaiah 44:3,4
3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;
4 They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses.'
God promises to pour water on him who is thirsty. We need to be like “dry ground” – so waiting to soak in every drop that He pours out on us.
Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
To be poor in spirit – means to be wanting, longing (begging like a poor man) for what we do not have.
Such people experience the Kingdom.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
It is when we hunger and thirst for the things of the Spirit – that we are filled.
2, Humility of Heart (being teachable, eager to learn)
James 1:21
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
“Receive with meekness” - If I have an attitude that “I already know all this”, “I’ve already heard all this before”, “what’s this person going to teach me that I already don’t know” etc. etc....my heart is not teachable and I am not ready to receive.
1 Thessalonians 2:13
For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
Don’t look at the preacher. Don’t be offended by who is ministering – how well he is educated, etc. etc.. But look at the fact that God can speak to you through that person. Receive it not as the word of man,but as it is in truth, the word of God.
We need to get rid of “mental blocks” that hinder us from receiving. Sometimes we have religious mental blocks – e.g. oh, that preacher is not Spirit-filled, etc.
I am not saying that we sit under any man – those who are not truly God’s servants, just “professional preachers” and expect to receive. I would not waste my time attending such a meeting where there are “professional preachers” or dead people playing church or politics. Don’t waste your time.
Rather, when we sit under true ministers of God – then lets be ready to receive, regardless of their denominational affiliations, educational qualifications, communication styles, etc.
3, Holiness of Life (not hindered by ungodly desires)
James 1:21
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Lay aside filthiness and wickedness in order to receive the Word.
Mark 4:18,19
18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,
19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Our pet sins, our little ungodly desires that we wish to keep – can actually choke the word.
4, Ready to be stretched (not looking for milk)
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;
3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
Sometimes, people do not want to grow past the baby stage where they are fed milk. They choke if we try to feed them with solid meat.
We must increase our capacity to receive. Don’t just look for milk – milk comforts, milk soothes, milk pacifies, milk does not call you to a place of responsibility and maturity in the Kingdom. Milk is good and necessary. But you cannot stay on milk. We must move on to receive solid food - -that demands that we grow up, put away childish things, become ministers of God and take up responsibility as fathers and mothers in the House of God.
Hebrews 5:12-14
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
5, Readiness To Act (not a passive hearer)
James 1:22-25
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
Come with a readiness to be a doer of the Word. Be determined to do. It is the man who did the sayings of Jesus – who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24,25)
When you do the Word – the Word it taking “root” in you. Be willing to stick with the Word in spite of the challenges. Don’t give up on doing the Word just because of persecutions or afflictions that arise because of the Word (Mark 4:16,17).
Closing
Mark 4:24,25
24 Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.
25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
When God sees you being a good steward of what you already have, then He adds more. If however, you disrespect and take lightly what you already have, then even that is taken away – you loose it.
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