God's Grace

A life sold to Christ Jesus has the fullness of Grace in one's life.
The righteousness of God

Pastor Moatlhodi

Pastor Modise & Zodwa Moatlhodi

AFM HONEYDEW LEADERS & MINISTRY FRIENDS IN THE USA

Sermon at Christ Temple Apostolic Church In Oberlin ,Cleveland by Pastor Modise M

Introduction

When I heard that I may be afforded an opportunity to speak here I went before The Lord to seek His face and inquire of Him as to what He would have me say....I got so blessed as The Lord reminded me from one scripture to another of His desire to dwell amongst His people. In fact I was taken aback by how intense God's desire is to have a living and intimate relationship with humans! 

Fellowship With God

God longs to have fellowship with us. God created us because He longed for fellowship. God wants to share His life with us and He wants us to do the same with Him. He has all the answers to the problems we may face throughout life. He wants us  to come to Him for counsel, direction and to have our needs met.

We read in Genesis that God created man in His image and after His likeness and put His Spirit into  man and He became a living soul...God enjoyed visiting man as though He came to see Himself in Adam and Eve 

Illustration

Living as a black African under apartheid was very difficult. I wanted to be white because I saw how life as a white boy was privileged until one day I heard that even I was made like God! Black, poor, oppressed as I was but I sure looked like God...that set me free from poor self esteem and completely lost my desire to be white...

We read that one day when God came to do His thing with Adam and Eve He realised something had gone horribly wrong with His Image. 

Hiding from God

We read in Genesis 3:8-9 that And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden...

May I ask this morning if is there anyone amongst us hiding from God's presence? hiding among trees of busyness? Trees of contentment with the status quo? trees of excuses? what tree are you hiding under?

In verse 9 we read that Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”"Has God been looking for us this morning and calling...have we been deaf, Adam and Eve responded, will we respond from underneath any of those trees we are hiding in? Israel, Saul and Samson illustration. As I studied His word I noticed how both individuals and nations were blessed when God lived amongst them, they prospered in all areas of their life. I also saw something else. I saw how those individuals and nations who departed from God's presence or did things that ejected God from their midst became worse off, they were impoverished in all areas of their life.

Ichabod

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit inspired the writer of I Samuel to give us an example of what happened to the children of Israel in days past. Israel, as a nation, knew the glory of God's presence among them. The children of Israel prospered and became strong as they followed the Lord. However, Israel turned from God by making wrong choices. Eventually, they came to the place where the presence of God was no longer among them. The glory of God had departed. In a desperate attempt to win a battle with the Philistine army, Israel devised a plan. The leaders actually believed that if they took the ark of the covenant with them to battle that God was obligated to lead them to victory. Such was not the case. God did not fight for Israel. Israel was defeated and the Philistines triumphed and even took the ark. When a messenger returned from the battlefield with the sad news that the army was defeated, the ark captured, and the two sons of Eli were dead, Eli fell backward off his chair, broke his neck and died. Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of one of the sons killed in battle was pregnant. When she heard the news that her husband, brother-in-law and father-in-law were dead she went into labor. She gave birth to a son, but she died during the delivery. The Bible states that the son was named Ichabod which means the glory has departed. 

There are other examples in Scripture of what happens when the Spirit of God departs from a man. For example in 1 Samuel 16: 14 we read, “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.” Oh do you remember the story of Samson. Once empowered by the Spirit there came a time when the LORD departed from him and Samson was not even aware that it happened! Do you know any nation like this? do you know anyone like this? Could this be you?

Our scripture reading this morning refers "To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

Centenary Celebrations

We have read and heard that this is your centenary, you are celebrating 100 years of God's wondrous truth that we who believe in Jesus are in Christ. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). 

All that God has for us is ours "in Christ." We can now enjoy the benefits of who Christ is and all that He has accomplished for us, because we are in Him. Our present verse adds another extraordinary dimension. Not only are we "in Christ," but Christ is also in us: "Christ in you, the hope of glory."God wants to make something known among all the nations: "to make known …among the Gentiles." The message He desires to reveal is glorious in spiritual richness: "the riches of the glory of this mystery." However, it truly is a mystery, in the New Testament use of that term. 

A biblical mystery is something that can only be known by the revealing work of God. The mysteries of the Scriptures are made made known by God Himself .Moses says in Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law! The Lord does this through the grace-empowered, Spirit-empowered proclamation of His word. Here, the great mystery God wants to unfold is "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

What a grand hope this message brings! Jesus, the Son of God, is willing to come and dwell within us to assure us of making it to glory (heaven) some day. Meanwhile, Christ wants to reside at the very core of our being: "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith" (Ephesians 3:17). As we are trusting in Him, He is living in, and working through, our hearts.

The Gospel writer Matthew, who was addressing primarily a Jewish audience, in Matthew 1:22-23, referred to a prophecy from the Old Testament, more than 700 years before the birth of Jesus, in Isaiah 7:14:

"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. The Old Testament was a shadow of things to come but the reality is found now in Christ. Colossians 2:17 "These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” Then, from this strategic point of intimacy and access, He gives us heavenly hope. That confident expectation includes the joyous fact that He is coming again: "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). Yet, His return is not our only hope. He Himself is our day by day hope: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope" (1 Timothy 1:1). Jesus is our comprehensive hope! The mystery of the gospel of grace revealed through Christ living in us reflects the glory of God in our lives and the joy of our hearts. Christ in us, the hope of glory.

The mystery was hidden for ages and generations but has now been revealed to us believers, and it’s for all people. Titus 2:11-14”For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” How wonderful the mystery of God has been revealed to us for our benefit.Romans 6:4”We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. We who believed have been baptized into his death, in order that just as Christ Jesus was raised from the dead we might walk in the newness of life by the glory of the Father.” The glory of God has been revealed to us through Christ’s finished work on the cross. Jesus was full of glory and by him dying on the cross we received his glory. 

2 Corinthians 3:7-9″Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not glaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end. Will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory.” Living in the New Covenant of grace, believers have better promises which reflect the glory of God for their lives. He is our God and we are his people. He gave us his Holy Spirit filled with his glory to complete us in Christ. Acts 17:28”In him we live and move and have our being.” As Jesus is so are you in this world. You are one with him, having his thoughts which are yours in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5).

Conclusion

When you see Jesus in his grace, God sees you in his faith reflecting the glory of God.  By beholding Jesus, the Holy Spirit transforms you. As you are transformed into the fullness of Christ, you exercise your faith believing that you are healed in all areas of your life, knowing that all is well. Now enter your faith rest and be at peace as you trust God. Since God created people to live in close union with him, when we live out of relationship with him we malfunction and perish. We are only restored to our God intended purpose when we are in union with God. Jesus is our perfect example of how we can achieve this union with God. He spent time in prayer...often rising early to be alone with His Father, sometimes he'll spent the whole night praying.

He also said a man cannot live by bread alone, but by every word coming out of God's mouth, so spending time in His Word is also key. 

He spent time recruiting or reconciling others with God, Paul teaches in 2 Corithians 5 that this is what we ought to do. There is a song that we used to sing saying i am just a nobody telling anybody who will listen about somebody who can save their lives...let us not neglect this critical function of our lives...Mother Theresa said Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words, meaning that our lives must be an open epistle. Hebrews 10:25 encourages us to meet regularly for fellowship with others, so it is our duty to encourage others to come to worship services, my pastor used to say when you come to church never come alone, bring a family member, a neighbour,  a colleague, a friend and even an enemy...you'll never know if today is their day...so do this diligently without fail for your reward awaits you now and in the beyond. Your victory is in Christ, who is the hope of God’s glory. I therefore charge you church of God to Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you (Isaiah 60:1). 

The Apostolic Faith Mission on Azusa Street in downtown Los Angeles, now considered to be the birthplace of Pentecostalism.

Apostolic Faith Mission in Los Angeles

And now, this just proves that the journey of FAITH has no impossibilities as it was said by Christ Jesus during His ministry. Azusa Street Revival a historic Pentecostal revival meeting that took place in Los Angeles, California and is the origin of the Pentecostal movement.It was led by William J. Seymour, an African American preacher. It began with a meeting on April 9, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915. The revival was characterized by ecstatic spiritual experiences accompanied by miracles, dramatic worship services, speaking in tongues, and inter-racial mingling. The participants were criticized by the secular media and Christian theologians for behaviors considered to be outrageous and unorthodox, especially at the time. Today, the revival is considered by historians to be the primary catalyst for the spread of Pentecostalism in the 20th century

Character and attributes of God the Son

Introduction

Joseph’s character is seen in his reaction to Mary’s pregnancy

Good morning once again welcome to AFM Honeydew Community Church. We are delighted that you came this morning. Welcome and feel free to worship God and enjoy His presence. Some of our members including my wife and co-pastor Zodwa Moatlhodi have gone to Women Alive Conference that started on Thursday and ends today. Others have called to say they are on their way. June month in South Africa is regarded as Youth month therefore we thank God for our young people. We pray that the twin problems of unemployment and education that lead to other social ills like substance abuse and crime facing our youth may abate and that God help our young people to find employment, be entrepreneurs and professionals that will take our country forward. As this Youth month draws to a close, we salute the class of 1976 who took to the streets to protest against apartheid and bantu education, some of whom paid the ultimate price with their lives so that you and I may enjoy the freedom we now have. We pray for their families and urge everyone to regard this freedom highly for their sake. We recognize the presence of President Barak Obama who is visiting our country at a time such as this. We appreciate his engagement with our young people during his visit and salute the opportunities he has made available to our young people.

We remember the father of our nation, President Nelson Mandela as he spends yet another day in hospital. The word of God in 3 John1:2 says, I quote “ Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well” The New Living Translation says, I quote "Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit” It is abundantly clear that Madiba as he is fondly called is a fighter and strong in spirit. We trust God for his speedy recovery.

Speaking of father of the nation reminds us that it was fathers’ day two weeks ago and we therefore thought it good to look at the fatherhood of God in our lives. God the Father’s character and attributes were discussed last week. Weeks before that we looked at the attributes of God the Holy Spirit. As we conclude this month of June I feel led to talk about the character and attributes of God the Son learnt from his earthly father, Joseph. I will conclude by zooming in on righteousness as a character trait and attribute that stands out in Joseph's life.

Let us go to our text for this morning Matthew 3:15, when you have found it say amen…are you ready, it reads thus in New American Standard bible “ But Jesus answering said to John Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness”

 Shall we pray….amen! The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. It is theorized that Matthew originated in a Jewish-Christian community in Roman Syria between ‘70-110’ CE (most scholars prefer 80-90 CE).

So let’s backtrack to when Jesus was conceived…Luke 1:26-31 records a message the angel Gabriel brought to Mary of Nazareth, a town in Galilee, who was a virgin pledged to be married to Joseph, a descendant of David. This was both risky and unheard of both in Palestine and the whole wide world. Mary stood to be stoned to death for this. This ‘scandalous’ conception of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ could put her relationship with her fiancé into jeopardy!

 With all the onerous requirements of the law in Israel on women then…some of which demanded that an engaged couple stay 12 months without coming together in order to proof that indeed she is a virgin and on the morning after the wedding white linen spotted with blood was to be brought to the elders to proof that the marriage was consummated with a virgin!

Even with this challenges we find that Jesus conception and birth was well thought out and planned by God. In the same manner that a selection committee of a sporting code, like in soccer wherein a selection of a squad is done meticulously…I know this because I ‘favour’ Chiefs and Man U so I follow how the selection committee of each team chooses players for each game. Even with Bafana bafana, our national soccer team the coach does the same. So imagine the process that the heavenly selection team went through to end up choosing Mary and Joseph to be parents of Jesus Christ here on earth! What is the measure of a man and woman, a true father and mother that God was looking for?

Perhaps we could find the answer by taking a look at the man God chose to raise His Son—Joseph. Joseph was a Jew, a part of the covenant people of the venerated tribe of Judah, a descendant of the family of David. He was a carpenter by trade, making things like plows, tools, bowls, etc. in Nazareth which was a rather despised and unimportant city.

God did not choose Joseph to be the father of His Son because Joseph was well-to-do or of high status in life. Joseph was a poor man by the standards of the Law and the times, and worked as a common laborer  What was it about Joseph that God thought was so important!? Of all the men in the world, why pick Joseph to be entrusted with the care of God’s Son? The answer is character! Let's see that character develop in the story of Jesus' birth.

Read Matt. 1:18-25 and note these points:

He was righteous or just; not sinful and immoral The first thing we learn about Joseph is that he was committed to the law of the Lord! He intended to do what God said! In this case, his moral indignation toward Mary for her "sin" would not allow him to marry her. He certainly would not be charged with begetting a child out of wedlock.

He was merciful and compassionate; not harsh and judgmental. Joseph’s zeal for what was right was tempered by mercy and compassion. In a way, he was caught in a terrible circumstance, wanting to believe Mary, wanting to do what was right. His proposal of secret divorce seems to be an attempt to live up to both aspects of his good nature.

He was unquestioning and obedient; not faithless and rebellious. When God revealed to Him his purposes, Joseph acted Immediately in obedience to God. He was pure and self-controlled; not lustful and intemperate. Joseph reveals remarkable power over his passions. Joseph spent not only his wedding night but many more afterward in abstinence. He was a man of real moral strength. Imagine how men in our time would respond to this indignation! Imagine how many of them living in our time would stay a few hours without touching their lawfully wedded wife!

Sometimes men consider obedience to God and compassion toward others weak and unmanly. “Machosim” is often a disguise for a lack of spiritual self-control and strength. We often raise our boys by telling them tigers don't cry... We expose them to terrible conditions like how circumcision is done during the winter months in some parts of our beloved country, we think nothing of the number of deaths and injuries like castration that these young men are exposed to in name of turning them from boys to men! A real man governs his actions by truth even when it is difficult. That's why God selected Joseph to be the earthly father of His Son!

Joseph’s character is further seen in the birth of Jesus

He honoured the authority of government in obeying the law of the land (Lk. 2:4-5) Obedience to this law required for Joseph considerable inconvenience. But there was no rationalization or evasion. Joseph honored the authority of the law. He honored God’s word in the naming of Jesus (Lk. 2:21) This rite was carried out by the father. Joseph could have chosen another name; but he honored God’s word by naming his child “Jesus”.

He led his family in the worship of God (Luke. 2:22) Joseph is an active participant in the dedication and purification ceremonies of the Law. Later he leads in taking his family to Jerusalem for the Passover. He didn't send his children to worship; he took them! Through the years I've noted that some men regard worship as a place for women and children; but a real father leads his family in worship. Manhood is not proven by rebellion against the “powers that be”, but instead by humble submission to them, knowing that God is pleased when we are obedient to government.

Joseph’s character is seen in the threat upon the family by Herod

He used a cautious and reasonable approach to danger; not egotistical and unreasonable challenging of reality. For Joseph the best solution to this danger was to lead his family away from Bethlehem, just as the Lord instructed. Later when God instructed him to return and he learned that Herod's son Archaleus was reigning he was "afraid". No self-respecting man could ever admit that! Yet, it was fear that once again led Joseph to look to God for instruction. He made decisions with the Lord’s guidance; not by his own self-determination. It's interesting that the angel of God said, "Go to Egypt and remain there until I tell you." Joseph did not make any attempt to act without God's instructions.

Some confuse manhood with reckless defiance of danger; but real man may be afraid of danger and flee rather than foolishly fight. In the world, to be a man is to always “be in charge”; with God real manhood is submission to the Lord, turning over all our decisions to His guidance. Not the self willed and misguided decisions that we make based on logic and fact!

In summary you can see, that Joseph was not what many people would associate with true manhood or fatherhood; but Joseph was God's man! By the world' standard he was not successful. He would not have been the world's pick for "man “of the year! But he was a great man in God's sight. He had all the spiritual strengths to lead and direct his family and to raise the Christ. It is these attributes and character traits that Joseph had that the heavenly selection team wanted God the Son to learn as God the Son of Man. The selection committee knew that these will come handy when Jesus faces different situations and challenges here on earth! We will do well if we also learn and adopt these...in time they will stand us good!

The Bible gives us many different verses that can and will benefit our lives if we were to trust and obey God just as Joseph and Mary did...But today i want to share with you some benefits of the righteousness that Jesus learnt from Joseph and spoke to John about in verse 15 of Matthew 3. I imagine what the people of Palestine who knew Jesus to be the son of Joseph might have thought when they heard God's voice in verse 16 saying this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!

Please picture with me how they might have reacted when they saw the Holy Spirit coming on Jesus like a dove...The God triune manifesting as Jesus the Son of man emerged from the water? For thirty years Jesus was understudying Joseph and Mary...now he is coming of age! he is now about to start His own ministry and God is approving the work that Joseph and Mary had done in raising Jesus...this is as if Joseph is handing over to God the father the baton of fatherhood...Jesus is also receiving approval from God the father after He had obeyed His earthly father and learnt from him attributes that he modeled to Him...Attributes He will need As man in His own right...Righteousness stands out as an attribute that Jesus as a boy, as a young man learnt from His earthly father Joseph. Jesus had to learn self-control, abstinence, purity, obedience and righteousness of course! These benefits of righteousness served Jesus well and therefore we will do ourselves favor if we too follow suit. These are just that, they are to benefit our life! These are promises that God has given to each one of us and if we live a life we are supposed to, these benefits are in full effect inside of our lives. We all have to understand that God seeks to do nothing more in our lives than to make our lives better. I would like to point out also that God is not like a man that he will change his mind and or change his words or his promises to us.  We can see this in Numbers 23:19 

"God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Every word that God has spoken He will bring it to pass. Not because I say it but because God has already said it.This is one of the great benefits of being a Christian...We can truly depend on God's promises that he will not change them because of mood swings.

It is good to know we have a God that is constant and not wavering but always stays the course. These benefits that you are about to read will work, but like with all things it will be according to your faith God's will will be done inside of your life. These promises are for the person that lives a righteous life before God and believes what He says.God gave us the Bible to use but it is up to us whether we use it or not. There is a great benefit to using what God has given us in his Word if you desire the victory in your life that God desires you to have! God has given us the tools to gain the victory in our lives.God does want us to prosper in every area of our lives. The benefits of righteousness can give us a beginning towards victory over the things that are going wrong in our life. Now let's take a look at the promises of God with regard to Righteousness

In Psalms  84 : 11 God withholds no good thing from the righteous!
In Psalms  34 : 10 Those who seek the Lord lack nothing.
Proverbs  10 : 24 says what the righteous desire will be granted.
In Matthew  6 : 33 the word says Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these promises are yours.
Proverbs 11 : 28 the righteous will grow like a green leaf. It is Dr David Molapo who said if you are green you grow but if you are ripe you die!

Psalms  5 : 12 says for surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous, you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
We read in Isaiah 3 : 10 that The righteous will rejoice in the fruit of their deeds...
In Psalms 34:17  we read that the righteous are not left alone in times of troubles because when they cry the Lord hears,and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Psalms 37:25 says I quote "The righteous will not be forsaken by God because I have been young, and now I am old yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or his descendants begging bread".

We read in Psalms 37:29 that the righteous will inherit the land,and dwell in it forever. When the righteous cry, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. In Psalms 37:39 we read that the righteous can expect help from God!

Psalms 55:22 declares that God wants to help with our burdens when we live righteous lives. We are encouraged to cast our burdens upon the Lord, and He will sustain us; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Proverbs 10:3 says a righteous man will not lack nothing good..God will see to that…. the Lord will not allow the righteous to hunger, He will thrust aside the craving of the wicked! Proverbs 11:28 says the Righteous fare better than all the money in the world..He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.

Proverbs 13:21 says God will reward us because we stay in His righteousness. Adversity pursues sinners,but the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.We further read in Proverbs 24:16 that For a righteous man may fall seven times, he will rise again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity.Matthew 25:46 declares that the righteous have eternal life

Romans 1:17 says For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed--a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Romans 9:30  asks "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;"

In Romans 10:5 Moses writes this about the righteous that "The person who does these things will live by them." 1 Corinthians 1:30 says it is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption! Hallelujah!

Conclusion

Young men, aspire to be a real man! Women, if you have such a husband be grateful for him. Aspire to be like Mary...Children, respect and love you father and mother when they seek to protect you from moral danger and guide you in what is right. Men model Christ likeness to your children...when we all follow righteousness, then we have found the key! Shall we pray...