MESSAGE HIGHLIGHT:

Abundant Harvest: Glorifying the Father – Ps Garth Bendixen (WTB)

The glory of the Father is in the sons. 

When we are obedient to the Father, our lives give glory and honour to Him. We glorify the Father by harvesting abundant life (which comes from the heart/our speaking – Matt: 12:34).

Genesis 3:1-10 (AMPC)

Pastor John asked the question, “Why would anybody want to live an inferior lifestyle?” 

The answer – because it looks good. This is one of the greatest strategies the enemy has. He knows the longer we look at the things that God has said are not good for us, the more delightful/charming it becomes; and the more we will want them (and the less we hear the instruction of the Father and the less want to be obedient to Him).  The devil makes the success and the image of this world charming and he makes disobedience seem good. The consequences are the same for us as it was for Adam and Eve. The more we are disobedient, the further we are removed from our place of glory and honour. Satan used Adam and Eve’s desire to be like God against them. He knew if he could turn the desire to be like God into evil, he could steal their glory; he could destroy their lives and ultimately kill them. He still wants to steal our glory, destroy our lives and kill our potential. 

The glory of God had left them; their honour had been stripped from them and for the first time they saw their frailty, experienced shame and wanted to be in the dark to hide their disobedience.  Adam and Eve were afraid to come to God because they no longer knew how to conduct themselves around God. They had no light on them or in them and they knew God was light and in Him there was no darkness. They hid themselves from God because now they were uncertain about God’s goodness towards them and did not know whether God would still love them in their condition (of absolute shame). God sensed the absence of light and glory and for the first time was trying to locate where they were spiritually.  God never created them or designed them to experience the difference between what was good and what was evil or that they needed to cover themselves or for them to be conscious of providing for their own needs. 

The second question Pastor John asked is, “What other kind of life is there to live if it is not about me and what I want to do?” This is an issue of sight “Can you see another life that is a life other than you?” Awake, oh sleeper! God wants us to have our entire lives in the light (breathe in the light, have conversations in the light, walk in the light). Because in the light is life, love and everything we could ever need. If we are not abiding in the light, we will always be conscious of what we need. 

Because we have pastors who have dedicated and given their entire lives to Christ, God will not settle for anything less than everything (until we have given Him every part of our lives). Why? God said, “I want to change the way you see everything. I want to revolutionize the way you see. I want you to see everything the way that I do.” The only way we can change the way we see is to change what we look at. Look to the message – everything we could possibly need is in these messages straight from the heart of the Father.  It is because of what God wants for Pastor John – for him and for the Father of fathers. If you don’t believe that, then you are not seeing it. 

God knows exactly where every one of us is at and what He needs to bring to us to bring us to maturity, to rid us of shame and guilt and to bring recovery of sight to us and to bring this church into a fully functioning Ecclesia (called to rule and to govern and to determine the path of cities, towns and nations). God has given Pastor John the blueprint. It is for this time, right here, right now, so that we would be a people that would talk like Christ, live like Christ, act like Christ, think like Christ, be Christ.  

Pastor John is a gift to us. Everything that is done in this church is so that the Lord can clothe us again in His glory and bring recovery of sight to the blind so that we can see through His glorious light. When you come to church, you are saying, “Father, clothe me in light through Your servant”. When you don’t come, you are hiding yourself from the voice of the Lord (that comes through Pastor John). 

There is such great light here. The Lord will give you great light if you will give time and attention to the messages (and not only judge the message on a Sunday in the moment).

Apart from God clothing us and giving us light, the only glory we could ever amount to in this life in our own strength (success, prestige, honour), is but fig leaves sewn together (substitute glory – to cover ourselves). 

We’re all in the same boat. Pastor John is walking on the water with the Lord Jesus, calling all of us to step out of the boat. What does that mean practically speaking? It means that there is nothing in our daily lives (career, work, money, family) that is more important than looking at the message, gazing upon the Word and allowing God to restore sight to us where we are blind. Stop looking at natural means to carry you through this life, walk out in faith and listen to every word that is coming out of the mouth of Pastor John and Sharon. The Lord has given us the power couple, the Apostle and the Prophet, upon which He is building His church, upon the foundation of Christ.  

We have everything we need in this place to be the glorious church.  

Pastor John gave us six things to focus on for identity change in 2019. I want to encourage you to make them personal to yourself.

  1. Stabilize – don’t be overwhelmed by the condition of your field (the weeds and the barrenness – every time you tried and failed). Wake up – focus and speak!
  2. Purge – judge yourself. Are you looking at how you can clothe yourself (provide for yourself) or are you looking to the message and to Holy Spirit to clothe (provide for) you? What are you looking at during your days? The carnal mind (thinking of self, about need and how I can provide for my need) is at enmity with God. What are your reservations (personal triggers)? Excuses and choosing to not be spiritual. When it happens, say “No, I choose to speak life and to be spiritual”. How are you responding to the pressure of the enemy? If you are not in the message, you will inevitably look for an escape, for comfort for your soul – to do it your own way/meet your own need.
  3. Pastored – feed on what’s being fed to you; stop grazing anywhere or everywhere else.   
  4. Confront and beat down demonic forces – the enemy is in the dark. In the message He will shine the light upon those areas where the enemy is stealing from you, destroying you, killing you. He will give you the wisdom to confront and beat them down.
  5. Rejoice and be thankful – haven’t we just been taught about singing in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs? So rejoice and be thankful. 

Advance – take spaces and places by force. Don’t be passive. Awake, oh sleeper.