Found in Grace

How has 2011 been for you? Some of you experience the the blessings in the last month, some on the very last day, but God always comes through. And even in those things you don’t understand, God is working behind the scenes, He is preparing something for you. 

11 is the biblical number of disorganisation, but 12 is the number of God’s (not man’s) organisation.

• Remember 2011 there was the tsunami and other things that happened, there was a lot of mess in 2011. 
• Things will come into their divine order in 2012.
• When God gave Jesus disciples, there were exactly 12, when God gave sons to Jacob, knowing that the sons will be fathers of the tribes, God gave him 12 sons. 
• Keep a look out for Israel and the Middle East.

When God gives you something from the onset of the year, it is to prepare you. The world goes through life uncertain, but what if I tell you you can put your hands in the hand of the One who knows the future? He is the first and the last. Jesus has the first word and He has the final word. God knows what is in store for you. Doesn’t mean there is no challenges/trials, but in the midst of it, God wants you to walk in the place where it’s like heaven on earth. 

The Bible is complete for everything you need. All scripture is God-breathed and God doesn’t waste His breath. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works)

When the Bible gives us directions, it does not need an outside source for its interpretation. God’s Word will not send you to the mayan prophecy. He does not go outside the Bible to teach you anything. The Bible’s interpretation is within itself. 

The Word of God is all you need for this year. His Word will prepare you, equip you, furnish you, so that when you come into a situation, you will just sail through it. 

Jeremiah 17:5-8

 ⁵Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man (geber) that trusteth in man (adam), and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

 ⁶For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

 ⁷Blessed is the man (geber) that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

 ⁸For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

• even though the man is cursed, good still comes to him, because God is good. 
• God makes His rain (blessing) to fall on the just and the unjust. And we have so much rain. We have superabundance of rain in Singapore. (Deuteronomy 28:12 - The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.) Sign of superabounding grace that is in front of us for 2012. 
• v. 5: man (first mention) = geber (Hb.) = strong man
• v. 5: man (2nd mention) = adam (Hb.) = fallen man
• v. 5: strong man trusting in fallen man
• v. 6: the good is coming all the time (in imperfect tense in Hb.), but the cursed man cannot see it, he cannot take advantage of it, because he is under the curse
• What is this strong man doing trusting in fallen man? This strong man can refer to Christians as well. 
• when you try to do the law, you will be cursed, because the moment you try to do one law, you have to do all and if you fail in one, you will be cursed. 
• Trust in Christ, not in man or in yourself. God is your source, other things are just His channels of blessing you. 
• Don’t have self-confidence, have Christ-confidence!
• Your trust must be in the Lord. He is your source of supply, not your boss. Look to the Lord alone this year.
• v. 7-8: “heat” = pressure, difficult situations, financial downturns, all these are the heat we will see this year, but the blessed man does not see it
• heat is going to come, but the blessed man does not see it
• God knows the future and He wants you to be the blessed man
• “planted” = there is tender loving care looking after it and Someone planted you. God wants you planted in the House of God. 
• leaves are always green, even though heat comes - always fresh, forever young
• “year of drought” for those in the world
• “careful” = anxious
• the blessed man shall not be anxious in the year of famine, he will instead be evergreen and always fruitful.
• You don’t have to be smart for God to bless you, you just need to follow Him and He will lead you to green pastures.
• the whole world will be in the year of drought, but it is in this year that believers will be fruitful and not anxious so that we can be a testimony for the Lord.
• Works is the outcome of effort, fruit is the outflow of life.
• A tree does not need to worry about producing fruit, it just has to receive nutrients, water and oxygen and it will naturally produce fruit.

2012 WILL BE THE YEAR OF UNCEASING FRUITFULNESS IN THE YEAR OF DROUGHT.

The people of God will never cease to yield fruit in the year of drought. The people of God will not be anxious in the year of drought. The people of God will be evergreen in the year of drought.

When you see others blessed, don’t get jealous, rejoice! God does not need to take from someone else to bless you, God has an inexhaustible supply! What He does for them, He can do for you. 

Psalm 1:1-3 (KJV)

¹Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

 ²But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

 ³And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

• Man can only supply based on his resources but God supplies from His inexhaustible supply. Keep your eyes on the Lord.
• v. 2: law refers to the Word of God (the entire bible), not the 10 commandments
• v. 3: one tree, many rivers - God oversupplies! 
• “green” = rahanan = fresh, young. our covenant is the new covenant, the green covenant
• Revelations 22:2 ²In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 
• One tree has 12 types of fruits - there will be fresh manifestations of God’s goodness every single month of 2012
• Every blessing won’t be the same as the previous one, you’re in for a pleasant surprise! 
• fruits for you to consume and enjoy, leaves for your health and the healing of the nations
• If you will meditate on His Word, your leaves will be evergreen
• v. 3: whatever you do shall prosper; if you do nothing, nothing prospers
• Jeremiah 17 tells us blessed is the man who trust in the Lord, Psalm 1 tells us how to trust in the Lord - the key is meditation
• v. 2: meditation and delighting in His Word is the key to prospering in everything you do. We don’t worry about how He blesses us. Our trust is in God and because of that, He can use all channels to bless us.
• You’re a blessing going somewhere to happen! 
• “meditate” = hagah (Hb.) = to utter or mutter; to speak with oneself, murmuring and in a low voice, as is often done by those musing

Proverbs 4:22

²²For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

• God’s word is life and health to all your flesh
• Medication has side effects, but God’s Word doesn’t

Meditation is the key to unlocking the blessings of the blessed man.

Don’t assume you know a verse well already. The more you meditate, the more God gives you. If you mutter it, you will not forget it or be distracted from it (vs rehearsing it mentally only). 

You’re feeding yourself when you meditate on God’s Word.

When you’re relaxed, you meditate better. When you start meditating, it relaxes you.

In the book of Leviticus, God told Israel not to eat animals that don’t chew the cud (meditate) and don’t split the hoofs (law and grace).

Don’t eat from ministries that don’t meditate on the Word of God and doesn’t rightly divide the Word (can’t tell what’s law and grace). 

Psalm 1:2 (KJV)

• if you delight in something, it’s not a chore, it is not legalistic

Meditation should be a delight.

Don’t listen to the experts, trust in the Word of the Lord because His Word never fails.

Joshua 1:8

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

• meditation engages your mouth
• prosperity and good success are all tied up with muttering God’s Word

Genesis ends with “coffin in Egypt” (the world).

The entire Old Testament (the law) ends with “a curse” (Malachi).

Revelations ends with “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all always. Amen”.

The antidote to the curse of the law is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Joshua ends with “Ephraim” = double fruitfulness.

The book of Joshua begins with meditation and ends with double fruitfulness.

Joshua 24:29-31

²⁹And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

 ³⁰And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.

 ³¹And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel.

• v. 29: lived till one hundred and ten years old (health)
• v. 30: Timnath Serah = portion of the sun or abundant portion
• v. 31: Joshua was a wonderful influence on Israel, he left a legacy

Find out the promises in the bible, memorise it, then meditate on it. 

You can have all Joshua had by meditating! 

2012 WILL BE THE YEAR OF UNCEASING FRUITFULNESS IN THE YEAR OF DROUGHT.