Sermon Notes

Intro

1. I believe the death of George Floyd is a Rosa Parks-like moment in American history. She is the lady in Montgomery Alabama in 1955 who refused to give up her seat to a white person. She was arrested for defying the segregation laws. Her actions led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott which led to the rise of MLK as a civil rights leader. Eventually her case landed before the Supreme Court who deemed as unconstitutional the segregation laws thus paving the way for greater civil liberties for people of color.
2. I absolutely am convinced that God is in the middle of this moment…and He’s extending an invitation to us to join Him in making America Great. God is all about making the nations of the earth great in His sight. He wants N Korea, Iran, China, Syria, Libya and every nation (we don’t like) to be great in His sight. Nations filled with His glory and grace.
3. Say the Pledge with me…It is both a pledge of allegiance and a declaration of faith. I am declaring in faith that we are – one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. When we make that pledge we are declaring in faith what God himself wants for every American.
4. Let’s just review the past months: We entered into a new decade. I have said and many other spiritual leaders have said that we are entering into a new season of the Lord. The Lord is doing a new thing. We are dealing with COVID-19 and all the effects it has had in our lives – separation, sickness, economic loss, job insecurity along with renewal, reconnection, reprioritization, growth – and now we are experiencing major societal shaking.
   1. Paul Keith Davis’ word from the Lord on March 30 – I don’t want the remnant of my people coming out of this season overweight, sluggish, confused or grumpy but I want them to come out of this season like an army ready for battle.
   2. Here we are in the midst of this great shaking and disturbance and God has given us time (75 days) to prepare for what we are now facing, plus other things.
5. Heb.12. – Everything that can be shaken will be shaken so that the only thing that remains is God’s unshakeable Kingdom. The 7 Mountains – Family, religion, business, government, education, mdia, arts & entertainment (some have Healthcare). Everyone of those areas is being shaken to one degree or another at the same time.
   1. God is calling us forth into His reordering work

In This New Season How Can We Join God In Making America Great?

Be Open to His Activity

1. Cliff’s message from last week. Be open to the truth and allow the Lord to transform your mind.
2. Mark 1.4, 7f – God is doing a new thing; 1.14f – God is doing a new thing. The sweetest words to come from the mouth of both John & Jesus – Repent! Come into agreement with God about your life – what you call sin, I call sin; what you say is righteous, I say is righteos. Change your mind -> change your lifestyle; give up your sinful  and incomplete way of thinking and behavior and put your trust in God and what he’s doing.
   1. There was a belief during the time of Jesus that God was sending a Deliverer/King to Israel, but b/c Jesus did not fit the description of what they were looking for they missed their opportunity.
   2. God gave us a heads-up in 2018-19 ago that he was going to be doing a new thing in 2020. I absolutely believe this is part of it. God is trying to get us out of an old mindset. He wants us to truly see and love others without pre-judgment. I want America to be one nation under me that is un-dividable where there is liberty and justice for all.
3. Learn from previous movements
   1. Gamaliel – Acts 5.33-39. Be open to what the Lord is doing in this hour.
   2. Paul – Acts 26.14. Telling King Agrippa his conversion story – Jesus asked: why do you kick against the goads (cattle prods)? God had been goading him in the right direction, but Saul kept kicking against it thus making it worse for himself. Likewise, God has been goading America on this issue for decades.
4. We cannot resist what the Lord wants to do in this hour through suspicion, judgment, anger, false accusation, distraction, buying into conspiracy theories (like early church accused of cannibalism), and forwarding or posting everything that affirms our position.
5. God gave us over 70 days to prepare this moment. You can either be captured by the people and groups on the fringes of the right or left with their inflammatory rhetoric and actions or you can be captivated with the core of what God desires to do.
6. COVID-19, economic uncertainty, George Floyd marches are all a part of God shaking everything that can be shaken. We are not returning to things as they once were. Praise God! He’s doing a new thing!
   1. Is.43.18f – Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
   2. We are not returning to things as they once were b/c God is doing a new thing.
   3. Repent.

Listen to Others

1. The Spirit impressed upon me several months ago: You have to be able to hear my voice through others. Learn to hear it and apply it.
   1. Prov.18.2, 13, 17, 15
2. Watch my fb/youtube Word of the Moment from last week on Honoring One Another.

Conclusion

I seek the Lord for a Word for the year. The following is what He impressed upon me in Dec/Jan. Here is my quarterly newsletter article from Jan. It is incredibly relevant for where we are today.

From My Heart, Winter 2020

Happy New Decade!

I believe this is the greatest decade to be alive. As I was praying about this New Year I sensed the Lord wanted to highlight the decade more than the year. Here are some thoughts that came to mind as I sought the Lord for this new decade. These are for your discernment.

This is the decade that Jesus’ prophetic words will be fulfilled!

And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come. Matt.24.14

We are just a few years away from everyone having the opportunity to hear the Good News about Jesus. It is one of the clearest prophecies that must be fulfilled before the return of Jesus. Once this happens, I do not know when the Father will activate His End Time plan. Will it be immediately after the last person hears or will it be a longer period of time? Who knows? But I do know that its fulfillment is the last hurdle before Jesus’ return! 

Another thing that I felt like the Lord highlighted for this decade is the intersection of Psalm 8 and Romans 8. Psalm 8 says that God created mankind a little lower than Himself and he has given us dominion over the earth realm. That dominion has been twisted and perverted, abused and misused by humanity and Satan. Romans 8 emphasizes that creation longs for the unveiling of the mature sons of God. 

I believe we will see an unveiling of what mature sons and daughters of God look like in this decade. They will walk in maturity, love, power and truth and bring order, light and love into this dark, chaotic time. This is a decade of renewal. I do not mean refreshment but that things will resume to the original mandate. This is not the decade of repeat and small stirrings. For the child of God pressing into the heart of God, this is the decade of renewal…shifting into our true identity as mature sons and daughters of God.

I do not pretend to think that it will be easy and smooth, but as God’s children walk in their identity and calling in the earth realm it will be a clear representation of what “Kingdom come, will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven” looks like. There will be a clear distinction between the wheat and the tares (Mt.13.40-41) and between the sons of the Kingdom and the sons of darkness and even between the mature and immature sons of God. This is the time to press into the full expression of Romans 8 Christianity. 

The Lord also highlighted this phrase to me, “David was not impressed with Goliath nor should you; he was impressed with Me.” All Israel including its leaders were impressed with Goliath. In fact, they were so impressed that they were immobilized for 40 days. They quit advancing against the enemy because they were afraid of Goliath’s strength, size, skill and loud pronouncements and the longer they waited the harder it was to fight.

I believe many Christians will stall out this decade thinking they cannot stem the tide of evil, darkness, confusion and they’ll move into this “hunker down until Jesus returns” mode. I am telling you, “In the name of Jesus get up and advance.” When people see the light of God in you they will not be satisfied or intimidated with the darkness. When David advanced against Goliath and defeated him, it rallied the entire Israelite army to defeat their enemy. 

Some of you are in families or work environments or age groups or you see cultural issues and you feel like you cannot do a thing. You say, “It will never change…it will always be that way…it’s too big of an issue…blah, blah, blah.” I tell you as your brother in Christ to stand as a maturing son or daughter of God and express the Light of God into that situation and over time and you will be overwhelmed at what happens. People, resources, ideas and like will start streaming to you and the enemy will not be able to stand against you and the Kingdom of God will advance. 

Go full throttle after the dreams, desires and leadings of God this decade. I believe as you do, this will be the most successful and fulfilling season of your life. This is not the time to land the plane, but to fly to new heights and go to new places!

Amen!

Pastor Scott