It’s Missions Weekend here in DUMC,
Psa 31:14-16 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." (15) My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. (16) Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.
(This will be for tomorrow – Every Member a Servant.)
A video on the unreached is shown. Majority of the missions resources are NOT channeled to the poorest unreached people group.
Did you know?
Pastor Kelvin Yong (sp>) is going to be installed as the Missions Pastor replacing Pastor Ling.
Pastor Daniel said he knows 2 persons in the world who are passionate about mission after the age of 70 – one is George Verver who was with us last week. The other one is our speaker today, Rev. Irwin Rutherford.
(It’s always a joy to see / hear Rev Irwin Rutherford preach. He communicates not just in words but also energy and passion.)
Rev Rutherford opined that God loves Chinese because he made so many of them. He said many people made predictions during the Chinese New Year.
Top 10 predictions for 2011R made by Rev, Rutherford:
- The Bible will still have the answers.
- Prayer will still work.
- Holy Spirit still works within the hearts of people in the Church.
- God will hear prayers in heaven.
- There will still be God-anointed preaching in the church.
- There will still be praise, hymns, songs. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
- God will still pour out blessings.
- There will still be room on the Cross for the unreached 2 billion people.
- Jesus will still love you even if you fall
- God will still save the lost.
Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
We are righteous because through our connection with God.
Righteousness is being right with God. It is also making rights decisions to obey. Righteousness is establish a right relationships with others.
Righteousness is God’s number one attribute / characteristics. God is always fair / right / just.
The idea that we are a righteous servant impacts the way we think and act.
Towards the end of Jesus’ prayer to the Father, he addressed him as Righteous Father.
We are called to be righteous servants in this world.
Joh 17:25-26 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. (26) And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare [it]: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
When everything seems to be against us, there is a righteous act on the part of God. Abel, being righteous spoke even being dead. God will not leave righteous servants our of the picture.
Jesus said the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. There is always something that needs to be done – the economy, the culture, family.
Eve cried to Adam that something needed to be done. God provided an answer that changed forever the destiny of mankind. It is the answer used by saints throughout the ages.
Rev. Rutherford suggested a righteous seed through Seth. Our Lord Jesus Christ came from the line of Seth. God looked past Cain and Abel. Seth’s name = appointed.
God is raising up Righteous Servants from a generation of righteous seed to be just and fair to the world.
He raised up Martin Luther, Tyndale, Susannah Wesley (the mother of John and Charles), Charles Finney, John Sung when the world needed them.
There are three issues related righteous servants:
1. It shows up in darkness.
God will not leave himself without a righteous servants in moment of darkness.
After Cain killed Abel and sent away, he worried about what the enemy would do to him. God put a mark on him and told him those who hurt him would be judge. Rev. Rutherford suggested that this mark is the spirit of worrying and apprehension.
We are not worry no matter what happens because the world is in God’s hands.
The faith of a man is tested in the wilderness of sins.
In dark hours, righteous servants know how to turn to God.
What can we do to help Japan? How can we contribute to our missions work?
2. They bring forth revelation.
Gen 4:26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
Enos = weakness.
Could Enos be a handicapped baby?
Rev. Rutherford described Abraham as a great missionary.
Gen 12:7-8 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. (8) And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, [having] Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
People are set free when people call the name of the Lord in times of darkness. When people on earth stand on their feet in worship, those in heaven stand up.
In Gen 22, Abraham left his servant and donkey behind to sacrifice Isaac.
Isaac is a generation of inheritance. He didn’t say much. He didn’t even ask about his wife, he left it to the Lord. Yet, he asked a very prominent question – “where is the lamb?”
Gen 22:7-8 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where [is] the lamb for a burnt offering? (8)
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
It is a dark and corrupted world. It is also a loved world – God loves the world. God loves Japan. God loves the Japanese.
After 6 generations of weakness, God brought forth a righteous generation.
3. They point to the Messiah and his total sufficiency.
He raises us up, he heals us, he comforts us.
Exo 21:5-6 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: (6) Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
There’s enough churches, resources, manpower and money. Righteous servants understand that all these will past and that they have all sufficiency in Christ. Everything will past away and we have one life that will pass away very soon.
Our sufficiency is in Jesus Christ. We love him and we do not want to be separated from him.
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