Grace Haven Church

0:00 And that's what I want to talk about today.

0:02 I want to, you know, talk about being established in the word.

0:07 Established.

0:08 So just some definitions.

0:10 To be established having existence or done something for a long time and therefore recognized and generally accepted like a company, right?

0:18 A company that has been existed and done something for a long time and therefore is recognized and generally accepted.

0:26 Another definition.

0:28 To set up a firm and permanent basis.

0:31 To be established on a firm and permanent basis.

0:36 So, you know, I'm even thinking our faith actually, Christianity, is a well-established faith.

0:42 You know, that's the biggest faith that people actually put their faith in.

0:47 They put their faith in the Word of God.

0:52 So, but also I think even more powerful than statistics and that kind of stuff is our personal story.

1:00 It's how we have seen God proven his unshakable promises to be fulfilled in our lives.

1:09 And so maybe just to give an example from my life, just one situation, you know, I think when I was in my 30s, mid 30s, actually in my mid 30s, I'm now 42.

1:21 So seven years back around that time, I think it's nothing major happened.

1:26 No, you know, no trauma or anything really major happened, but I just got to a place in my life where I hit a wall and that can shake you.

1:36 You're just trying to move your life forward and it just doesn't happen or at least not how you pictured it when it comes to, you know, finances, relationships, personal aspirations I had.

1:51 And you think at your mid 30s, you're just at a different place and then that doesn't happen and it can actually shake you and it can actually mess with you.

2:01 And so you actually have to make some decisions.

2:05 And I think for me, what it came down to was to hold on to certain things for the wrong reasons, maybe because of fear or control actually, you know, none of us is safe of this.

2:18 So I think I got eventually to a point where I just realized I need to let go some things and really trust God with it.

2:26 You know, you can read your Bible and you can pray and all of that, but still you're holding onto something.

2:31 And I just got to a place where I just said, okay, well, thank God you take over what that's going to look like.

2:38 I have no idea.

2:39 So I had to make some choices.

2:40 I had to find a job.

2:41 I had to get employed again because I was self-employed before and stuff like that, you know, things I didn't want to do, but I had to do.

2:47 I had to actually change it.

2:49 I had to make some choices when it relationships and stuff like that.

2:55 And you know, that's good, right?

2:59 But when you come out of it, so now I'm looking back seven years later and I, all I can say is thank you, Jesus.

3:10 And that isn't because I let go and then everything turned great because that's actually not what happened.

3:17 You know, did all my dreams come true?

3:19 No. Did I come closer, maybe any of my desires and my aspirations?

3:26 Yes, I came closer.

3:28 Is everything perfect now?

3:29 A hundred percent no. Did something actually change in me?

3:35 Yes.

3:36 Have I arrived?

3:38 A hundred percent no. Because I think sometimes we can talk about these unshakable promises of God and we think then I have it and then everything is going to be awesome.

3:50 And it's not, you know, I don't know what it is for you, what your aspirations are, what your dreams are, goals,

3:59 your year's resolutions, whatever you want to call it.

4:02 What I found is like we get to something or we receive something from God, a blessing, a promise, whatever is fulfilled, actually it does happen.

4:12 Then what?

4:13 A whole nother set of challenges open up.

4:16 If you're believing for having a child and then you have a child, a whole nother set of challenges are going to open up.

4:23 If you're believing maybe a small thing but it's actually a big thing for an apartment and then you have an apartment, a whole nother set of challenges are opening up.

4:31 If you're believing for your dream job and then you get it and then a whole nother set of challenges are opening up where we need to trust God.

4:40 So I don't think we ever actually gonna arrive.

4:42 It's not like a finish line, a race and a finish line and then we made it.

4:48 That's gonna happen when we're in heaven.

4:51 But as long as we're on earth there's always gonna be disappointment, challenges in the midst of all the good things too.

5:01 So when I'm looking back what I see now is maybe I hit a wall and I was trying to push through that wall but all I got was bruises and a headache because I tried to keep going in my own strength and when I let go I felt like God had actually lifted me up the wall and now I'm walking on a whole different level and again that doesn't mean that everything is final but it

5:26 opens up a whole nother sometimes even more challenges but you've also grown in it to actually you know and not even just to know practically like to you know from experience you learn obviously things but I think you also learn what to do right so you maybe don't always know the answer right away for the problem but you know where to go and

5:51 I think that's a great place when you know when things don't work out when crisis does happen when the that your ground is shaking where to go you know where to go go to these unshakable promises of God the word of God do you know where to go when things fall apart when things get tough and rough and

6:17 shaking do you know where to go the house of God is a place where to go a great place to go do you know what to do do you know to pick up the Bible and fill yourself with the promises of God with the word of God dig a well do you know you can take communion in those moments and again it's not like a magic wand everything's gone but it's

6:42 going to strengthen you it's going to encourage you in the promises of God do you know what to say do you know how to speak God's promises over your life God's word over your life what is a word from God that you are holding on it could be one scripture it could be one song that's based on scripture it could be one

7:08 word from his mouth one word from his word of God can actually carry you and strengthen you and help you grow in these in these situations

7:24 and so with that in mind and I want to bring my first point which is actually I want to read a scripture first you know to be established in the word I think is so powerful and that's actually one of the decisions that I made not that the word of God wasn't important to me before and I was reading the Bible and I was taking it serious you know but sometimes you just got to make a decision

7:49 I'm going to set my mind on that conscious decision I'm going to get established in the word I'm going to dig a well so deep that I can draw from it every day and you know actually the best time I think to dig a well spiritually speaking is in the good times and that sometimes we can forget it but actually the best thing is to dig a well in the good times because you might not

8:14 have the strength to do that in the weak times in the tough times but then you can draw from it but you know wherever wherever you're at I think it's always good to start somewhere wherever you it's always good to start digging a well digging into the word of God establishing yourself in the word of God and so I want to read the scripture from Colossians 2 6 to 7 and it says and now

8:40 just as you trusted Christ to save you trust him too for each day's problem live in vital union with him let your roots grow down into him nourishment from him see that you go on growing in the Lord and become strong and vigorous in the truth the word of God you were taught let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for

9:05 all he has done so first of all I believe to get established in the word of God to growth and blessing you know it says in that scripture to let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him so think a tree right a tree grows his roots down and

9:30 then draws nourishment from him nourishment is important for us to live like physically speaking right we need food not just once a week once a day apparently apparently I get really cranky if I don't have food three times a day

9:48 but anyway we need food not just once a day once a month we need it actually multiple times a day to be happy and to be nourished and to be growing and healthy right so I love that you know like God gives us these pictures of like food right we need food kids need healthy nutrition healthy food in order to grow and be healthy

10:13 so like food you don't just eat you don't eat to be loved like kids don't eat their food to be loved although they might do it so the parents are happy and leave them alone but you know you don't eat food so you are loved and approved by your parents you eat food and you put food in your kids because they need it to be healthy so I like that picture that you know the word of God is not a have a must a

10:39 law now from today and I'm going to read the word of God every day and it's a law and then I'm going to be stressed out and I'm not going to do it anyway but maybe rather we can see it like food that nourishes you so I'm not going to read the Bible to be loved by God he loves me anyway accepts me anyway but I nourish myself from the word of God so I could

11:04 grow and I can be healthy and strong and actually blessed the

11:11 word of God is like food if you just put it on the table and you look at it or you just leave it in the fridge it will actually go bad it's not going to help you but when we use it and cook it and make a meal of it and present it and share it and eat it and digest it then it will actually strengthen us

11:35 so the same with the word of God it's not going to help by just having the Bible sit there or even just reading it but actually taking it using it sharing it digesting it building it getting established in it and you know sometimes I think I'm just thinking about the scripture that Andres just shared before in Ephesians 3 20 where

12:00 you know it now to him who is able to immeasurably more sorry who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us if we actually do that it can be a bit scary because when you act on it it might get uncomfortable because it's actually going to help us grow and growth never happens in a place of comfort and so you know this

12:25 sounds like all nice but when we actually do it it's for the good because you're going to keep growing but it also means you're going to get it's probably going to get uncomfortable imagine that now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine more we can ask so what are you asking God for what are you believing God for

12:50 this year maybe or for your life what are you asking him for because I think if we're not asking him for more or stretching our faith that way and let we actually need to depend on him if I honestly I honestly believe that when when when you just do what you do and you're capable of doing you don't need God and I understand how sometimes

13:15 and actually our faith can get a bit dull or boring or I don't know it's something you can get a habit but when we actually choose to act on the word of God it's going to turn our world upside down for the good when we choose to say God I don't know how you're going to do that and of course we're going to add wisdom and all of that we're not just going to make stupid things you know to do whatever pick up the the the

13:41 scripture from Hannah on tithing if if you're not tithing maybe that's something you can test him in this he says it it's going to turn your world upside down for the good and I think that's where our faith gets exciting and you know another thing that I love is it actually leads us into blessing and I want to read this scripture because I actually just want to read it over you because maybe some

14:06 of you need to hear this psalm one one two three blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of scoffers but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night he is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields

14:31 its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither in all he does he prospers I actually believe and this is what the scripture is saying blessed is the man who not in the counsel of the wicked and all of that but actually delights in the law of the Lord so when we actually delight in the law of the the word of God when we're

14:56 taking it when we eating it when we're digesting it when we're getting established in it it will actually lead to a blessed life does it mean everything goes great but it's going to be a blessed life number two test to be established in the word leads to joy and thanksgiving so in the inscription collections two it says let your lives overflow with

15:22 joy and thanksgiving for all he has done and I love that because again we face challenges our world is shaken you know happiness happiness versus joy right it's like I'm sure there's lots that can be about it but I actually choice often says you know joy so happiness comes from what happens but joy comes

15:47 from a relationship with Jesus and I think that that is actually I think for a lot of people it's it's you know makes sense but the way we live I often is I think we often live still for happiness to get heaven there's nothing wrong with being happy by the way this is awesome if you're happy you know happiness is great and should be enjoyed and should be

16:12 present in our life at some point but I don't think we can build our life for happiness I mean at the end of day everyone needs to decide themselves but imagine if happiness depends on what happens then this can look really good for some and really bad for others but joy comes from a relationship with the Lord then you can always be joyful and

16:37 in Philippians 4 I think this is actually one of the key scriptures in the Bible Philippians 4 says this rejoice in the Lord always I will say it again rejoice let your chanterness be evident to all the Lord is near do not be anxious about anything but in situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God and the peace of God with which transcends all understanding will guard your

17:03 hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus so rejoice in what rejoice in your holiday rejoice in your circumstance rejoice in your success rejoice in the weather if you have all of that be awesome for a moment till it's gone but rejoice in the Lord let's say this rejoice in

17:28 the Lord he says I will say it again just because it is so important and just so you don't forget and just so you actually going to do it rejoice in the Lord and bring your request and your prayers with thanksgiving you know it's good to ask God for things I think that's what we've been encouraged with the other scripture let's ask him for things

17:53 and let's bring our thanksgiving while we ask but not alone because of what he has done although again looking at over my last seven years I can just truly say look at what God has done thank you Jesus I

18:11 think you know what has God done in your life in your family and you know personally I love to journal and it's been actually awesome to read my journals from back then and what I have learned and you know you can even say with my story right that I shared yeah but maybe this would have turned for good anyway and maybe it would have but I remember and I was reading in my journal the

18:38 the words from God's word that I had held on that I had spoken that I had prayed and how he had spoken to me through his word and so I think there's absolutely a connection to what God has been doing in my life because sometimes I wouldn't have done certain things if it wasn't the word of God speaking to me you know but whatever it is if you

19:03 journal I think that's great Joyce actually was mentioning last service last year you know why don't we make a list or but whatever it is that you want to do what you're thankful for but I think it's good sometimes to just stop for a moment not to live in the past but to stop for a moment and look back what God has done and then share it with someone share it maybe with someone who needs to hear this or share it with

19:28 someone you trust or I don't know but just looking back taking stop and saying thank you thank you Jesus for what you have done but not only because of what he has done but because Joy rejoices in the Lord because we have a relationship with him and just quickly some scriptures here Psalm 1980 Psalm 19 8

19:54 the precepts of the Lord are right giving joy to the heart the commands of the Lord are radiant giving light to the eyes Psalm 92 for for you make me glad by your deeds Lord I sing for joy at what your hands have done Psalm 100 verse 2 worship the Lord with gladness come before him with joyful songs Nehemiah

20:19 8 10 do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength and the Bible is filled with scriptures like that that says when we delight in the Lord when we delight in his word when we get established in his word it will lead us to joy and thankfulness amen and

20:43 my last point is established in the word leads to Jesus again in the collections too it says and now just as you trusted Christ to save you trust him too for each day's problems live in vital union with him and I did refer to that last week a bit you know it says vital union it's not just a nice idea it's not just a good idea

21:08 it is a vital union we need with Jesus as humans we need the air to breathe we need water to live we need food to be nourished I believe we need Jesus to do life and why look at this Colossians 1 15 the sun is the image of the invisible God the firstborn over

21:34 all creation for in him all things were created things in heaven and on earth visible and where the thrones or powers or rules or authorities all things have been created through him and for him he is before all things and in him all things hold together and he's the head of the body the church he's

21:59 the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead so that in everything he might have supremacy for God was pleased to have all his dwell in him and through him to reconcile to himself all things whether things on earth or things in heaven by making peace through his blood shed on the cross why do we need Jesus because

22:25 everything and all things and everything and all things are created for him through him everything is in him we need Jesus

22:39 maybe we need Jesus because we actually can't save ourselves maybe we need Jesus because we can't fix ourselves maybe we need Jesus because he is everything to everyone in everyone everything is created from him through him maybe we need Jesus because he is the author of your life and maybe we're actually not going to be fulfilled unless we connect

23:04 and he has made a way to be reconciled to the author of your life and only then we can actually live the life that we're called to live maybe we need Jesus because you called for greater things maybe we need Jesus because he has you here for such a time as this maybe we need Jesus maybe you need Jesus

23:29 because he's everything if I have Jesus I have everything and I think as believers if we are at that place that's a great place to live life from that's an exciting place that we have in our faith that's not going to be boring and religious and filled with law that's actually

23:54 exciting that's going to keep us growing that we're going to see the blessing of God in our lives so to come to an end here I want to leave this question with you what are you wanting to do this year to be established in the word of God but maybe to break it down and bring it closer

24:17 can we say what do you want to do this week to actually start getting established in the word so that maybe by the end of the year you're going to see some of these fruits already come out of your life what a life to live

2023-01-08 - Established In God's Word - Conny.

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