Let Us Decide: Your Approach Determines Your Year's Outcome
Dr RJ Sing, 24 min, Part 1 of Steps to a Supernatural Year
This is the whole service. The video opens where he begins, at 1:26.
Originally preached as “Steps to a Supernatural Year, Episode 1”
Sermon outline
A supernatural year will not just happen: God has done His part, so each believer, together with the whole church, must make quality decisions, refuse offence and grow into the full knowledge of the Son of God.
Main text
- Hebrews 4:1
- Ephesians 4:13-16
Opening
He prays that God's sheep would hear what He has to say to the church, quoting Romans 10:17. Having just finished 14 weeks on the blood of Jesus, he introduces a new series, 12 steps to a supernatural year, under the church's theme of a supernatural outpouring, and urges everyone to study the book of Hebrews, where the series will camp. He points to the repeated 'Therefore, let us' in Hebrews 4:1, 4:11, 4:14, 4:16 and 6:1, and reads Ephesians 4:13-16 in the NIV.
God doesn't want you to stay an infant
Ephesians 4:14 says we will no longer be infants: it is fine to begin there, but God does not want you to remain there. The series is meant to equip the church to take hold of the fullness of God's provision and blessing in the year ahead. God has done all He could and given us His promises, but the decisions and choices are left to us.
“The onus doesn't lie on God. God's done whatever he could do.”
- Ephesians 4:14
Making the right resolutions
Resolution is not a bad word just because unbelievers use it at New Year: it simply means a decision of quality, being resolute, great determination that you yourself make, not your neighbour or the church. Decisions determine our attitude, our attitude determines our approach, and our approach determines the outcome.
Illustration: He warns against being so spiritually minded that we are no earthly good, throwing everything on the Lord without realising that God requires us to make the quality decisions.
“The way you approach a new year will ultimately determine its outcome in your life.”
'Let us' denotes a resolution: decide not to be offended
The first thing the phrase 'let us' carries is a decision. People leave church and stop serving God because someone offended them, yet they would never resign from work over an offence. There will be plenty of offences, because the devil designs one just for you, at the right time and place, to get you out; a quality decision not to be offended keeps you in.
Illustration: People who are offended at church still never forget to have breakfast, lunch and supper, and nobody resigns from work over an offence, yet in spiritual things they throw in the towel and expect the pastors to carry and baby them.
“If you made a quality decision not to be offended, you won't get offended.”
'Let us' is plural: we need each other
Every time the phrase appears in Hebrews the resolution is plural, so we make these decisions together as the family of God, one in Christ and purchased by His blood. We cannot withdraw from the united front, because we are interdependent: the pastor, the praise and worship team, the ladies, the men and the children all need one another.
“Every one of you, I need you. And all of you need me.”
The full and accurate knowledge of the Son of God
Ephesians 4:13 speaks of oneness in the faith and the full and accurate knowledge of the Son of God, which means some people have a limited view of Him. Faith to stand on the Word and believe God for healing and prosperity is one side; yielding to the Spirit with 'not my will but Yours' is the other. Having faith in part is only a part knowledge of the Son of God.
Illustration: A couple may confess for a son and even name him, and then a daughter arrives. Full knowledge of the Son of God says, 'God, You have a plan and a purpose; I don't fully understand it, but thank You nonetheless.'
“Having faith in part is not the full and accurate knowledge of the Son of God.”
- Ephesians 4:13
- Luke 22:42
Become mature: the standard height of Christ
Maturity is not chronological age; he has found young people with tremendous wisdom and older people with none. To mature is to reach the completeness of personality, nothing less than the standard height of Christ's perfection, which grows through preaching, teaching and your own study of the Bible. The devil knows the Word as well as you do, so what makes the difference is knowing Him, as Paul cried, 'that I may know Him'.
Illustration: Counselling sometimes doesn't help because people are not yet at the point of receiving it, so he has learned to release them to have their own experience and mature. Parents, too, tend to play saviour: 'You mustn't do that... don't join that friend.'
“If you don't have knowledge of the Son of God, the devil will beat you.”
- Ephesians 4:13
- Philippians 3:10
Putting it into practice
- Study the book of Hebrews during the week.
- Make your own quality decisions for the year instead of throwing everything on the Lord.
- Decide now not to be offended, and stick with the plan no matter what.
- Don't withdraw from the church family: we need each other.
- Pursue the full and accurate knowledge of the Son of God, in faith and in yielding to His will.
Closing
The broadcast ends while he is describing how parents try to play saviour to their children; the thought continues in Episode 2.
In his words
- “Resolution simply means a decision, a decision of quality.”
- “The devil will design an offence just for you, just at the right time, at the right place, just so that he can get you out.”
- “We serve the Lord in a unified fashion. That's why we call it the body of Christ.”
- “I have found young people with tremendous wisdom, and I find older people with no wisdom at all.”
- “So God has a standard height.”
Every scripture in this message
- Romans 10:17
- Hebrews 4:1
- Hebrews 4:11
- Hebrews 4:14
- Hebrews 4:16
- Hebrews 6:1
- Ephesians 4:13-16
- Luke 22:42
- Philippians 3:10
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