Getting and Maintaining a Throne Perspective 2 Corinthians 4-5
Getting and Maintaining a Throne Perspective 2 Corinthians 4-5
Review: 7-16 GOD has a plan, but I don’t know it fully – Jer. 29:11
“There is no panic in heaven, only plans.” Corrie Ten Boom
7-23 Transformed thirst from Jacob’s well to JESUS’ well
A prayer for transformed thirst:
Lord, forgive me for taking my thirst to be satisfied to other things than YOU. Places of distraction, self-indulgence, amusements, are all ways I have tried to numb my emptiness or pain. Show me how to bring my thirst to YOUR well of living water so I will thirst no more! In JESUS’ name, amen.
Here on earth Satan aims his biggest guns at Christians who are living the Spirit led life.
- Satan’s hope is by keeping the pressure on you that you will relapse back to the false comforts of the flesh and discredit X.
Satan’s 3 main demonic attacks:
1. Obsession – to get you so distracted or attracted to anything other than GOD. It could be a problem you can’t stop thinking about. It could be a person you are attracted to. But something is capturing your focus. You can’t focus on GOD. Demonic attack.
2. Oppression – pressure from the outside coming against you. One thing after another bombarding your life. Stress
Ill. Man at doctors’ office. Doctor asks to talk to wife privately. “Your husband can’t handle any stress – he is hanging by a thread.” What can I do? “When he wakes up in the morning play soft music, give him breakfast he wants, backrubs. Don’t let the kids cause any stress or loud noise. If he gets grumpy don’t argue with him – let him win. If you do this he will live.” Driving home the husband asked the wife, “What did the doctor tell you?” “The doctor said you’re gonna die!”
3. Depression – a wrong focus on a lie that this life is all there is.
Florida has become the waiting room for eternity. Many people move here to retire and spend the remainder of their lives looking for some pleasure to fill their time. There are plenty of activities to fill your time.
- Put hourglass on stage. You get busy and the next thing you know your last day on earth arrives faster than you expected.
Why did GOD plant a church here in the fastest growing retirement community in the US?
To remind this pleasure-seeking world that there is more to life than this earth life. There is ultimately, eternity and GOD to face.
“For one day we will all be openly revealed before CHRIST on HIS THRONE so that each one of us will be duly recompensed for our actions done in life whether good or worthless.” 2 Cor. 5:10
- Take a good look at this throne.
- Judgment for our sins fell on CHRIST on the cross.
- Different levels of reward given to believers after death.
- Some will have no rewards yet still will be saved.
Part of our training here on earth is to navigate through various trials of this life allowing the HOLY SPIRIT to produce appointed fruit.
JESUS said, “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” John 15:16
Paul told Christians they were, “created in CHRIST JESUS for good works.” Eph. 2:10
We are not here on earth to fulfill our dreams, but GOD’S dream – that we bring HIM glory according to HIS PLAN through our yielding to HIM to bring about an abundant and fruitful life!
“We view our slight, short lived troubles in light of eternity. We see our difficulties AS THE SUBSTANCE that produces for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison, because we don’t FOCUS OUR ATTENTION on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal. 2 Cor. 4:17 TPT
Difficulties produce an “eternal weighty glory substance” that is below the surface and mostly unseen by the natural eye. This requires a radical supernatural change in how we think.
Eternal glory is what keeps you stable through storms
PIC: Keel
- Glory keeps you upright when everything is upside down
- The main purpose of a sailboat keel is to counteract sideways forces from wind and waves and keep the sailboat right-side-up in the water.
Moses asked GOD, “Show me YOUR glory” = all My goodness
Mt Sinai law given with glory – lightning, thunder, dark clouds majesty
Ezekiel saw glory of GOD – angels and flashes of lightning – power
Ill. How does this work practically? When you go through a trial that you consider the worst time of your life – but after you can see how it became the best time of your life spiritually.
- Going to jail getting busted was the best thing that happened to you. The trial that you dread becomes a trail to bring you to the end of yourself and to the beginning of GOD. “It was the best of times and the worst of times.”
When you had no one else to turn to – you turned to GOD. When you had no place to go – you went to GOD. “We view our slight, short lived troubles in light of eternity. We see our difficulties AS THE SUBSTANCE that produces for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison . . .” 2 Cor. 4:17 TPT
“For we live by faith, not by what we see with our eyes.” 2 Cor. 5:7
So how do I focus on what I can’t see?
By faith. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word (rhema) of GOD” Romans 10:17 (Rhema #4487 to speak or utter).
“Faith, then, is birthed in a heart that responds to GOD’S anointed utterance of the Anointed One.” Romans 10:17 TPT
- Faith comes when GOD speaks to your heart, and you obey.
Obedience becomes your genuine expression of worship!
Worship is focused adoration on GOD. You can go deeper!
1. Enter gates with thanksgiving – Psalm 100:4
2. Enter courts with praise – expressive, demonstrative
3. Come let us worship and bow down – Psalm 100:6
Thanks and praise are an intentional choice, but worship is a response of experiencing the glory of GOD.
We are told to give thanks always and praise GOD at all times. Why?
This derails Satan’s attack to distract and derail you from trusting GOD. When you praise GOD especially in difficult times, you are intentionally enthroning HIM on top of your circumstances!
Make GOD the king of your mountain. Keep pushing off discouragement, depression, defeat like a bill goat. Then you will eventually see the glory of GOD manifested.
PIC: king of the mountain:
Ill. Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown in jail for obeying what GOD told them to do. At midnight they thanked and praised GOD they were still alive, and GOD said amen with an earthquake. The weighty presence of GOD came into that jail. All the prison doors were opened and yet none of the prisoners left. You know the glory of GOD filled that prison and no one wanted to leave. You know the rest of the story. It was miraculous.
Ill. Few times here at GT we have known the weighty presence of GOD fill the room and no one wanted to leave. There was free unrestrained worship – some sang spontaneous songs, some in tongues, some flowed with dance, some on the floor. We were suddenly catapulted into the heavenly realm. We were joining with angels before the throne.
When you really worship you are transitioning however briefly from earth to heaven, experiencing the glory of GOD. Back on earth you have to still deal with your troubles and issues, but you carry with you now an experience of the weighty glory of GOD that helps you.
In the middle of storms raging and winds howling you experience GOD
“Be still and know that I AM GOD.” Psalm 46:10
In the midst of pain and suffering is the ideal time to worship GOD.