Sermon Tone Analysis

*You can never come to know God **deeply* *with **CASUAL CONVERSATION* or even by your prayer requests.

*Intimacy* with Him *requires* much *time* *spent alone* with Him.

*The deepest working of the Holy Spirit* *comes* *during* the *time spent alone* *in His presence*.

*When we set time aside* *for fellowship with God* *we’re entering into the richest experience* of the *Christian* *life*.

*You were created for fellowship*, fellowship with God.

This is the *only thing* that will *satisfy* the *desires of man*.

*I) *Let’s pick up were we left off last.

*EXO 34:29–30*.

*A) **Moses was in the presence of God for 40 days.*

*There was a dramatic outward effect* – an *unconscious effect*.

*1) **.* *Moses* was *not* even *aware of* the *shine of God’s glory* on his face.

*2) *(*This will also happen to you*.) [New birth people change on the outside.]

*a) **You may not shine as Moses did*, *but through your communion and fellowship* *with God* *YOUR LIFE AND ATTITUDES will be greatly affected*.

*b) **The change in your life* *will be just as impressive* *as the shine of God’s glory upon Moses*.

(Joy, peace, your attitudes, God’s power, and victory.)

*3) **As you enter into God’s presence* *in worship* *and* *shut out the distractions* of your mind, *you step into the Holy of Holies*.

*a) **That is the sanctuary of the Lord*, *and* *you enter* *in spirit* *to the place of nearness to God*.

*B) *In the *book of Ezekiel* *we find some priests* *who were faithful to minister unto God*, so let’s turn there.

*Ezekiel 44:15-16.*

*1) *The *sons of Zadok* *continued* *to enter the sanctuary* *even when others* had *abandoned God*.

(“*Zadok*” means “*RIGHTEOUS*” in the Hebrew).

*2) **In the following Vs*.

*they were told* *not to where anything into the inner court* *that may cause them to PERSPIRE*.

*a) **Then*, *when they went to the outer court* *to minister to the people*, the *CLOTHES *they wore while ministering to God were *LEFT BEHIND* so they would *not become contaminated*.

*3) **When you come into His presents* *you know* that *Jesus has already gone before you* *to prepare the way*.

*a) **You can enter* *with* complete *confidence* *because* *He has GIVEN you His ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS through* your simple *faith* in Him.

*b) **It’s NOT BY YOUR OWN PERSPIRATION*, *not even* *your work for God*, *that brings you near to Him*, *but only* *by your confidence in Jesus’ sacrifice* *and* a *willingness to enter*.

*4) **He said*, *“They shall come near to me to minister to me.”* *This is service to God that can be done no other way*.

*a) **You must come before Him*.

*You cannot serve Him from a distance*.

*b) **The OUTER COURT is where YOU APPROACH PEOPLE*, (where you *minister to people* *and* *do things* for God in service) *but* *the INNER COURT is where you APPROACH GOD.*

*c) **Many* times we *feel* that *all we do in the outer court* (*ministering* *and* *serving* people) *gives us a good excuse for not drawing near to God* *in the inner court*.

*(i) *But *WITHOUT CLOSENESS TO GOD through fellowship and through ministry to Him* *in your inner chamber*, you’ll find that *your WORK *for God *is* simply *DONE IN THE FLESH*.

*5) **It seems* that there is *a lot of sweat in today’s ministries* *and* *little waiting quietly in the presence of God* *to* *obtain* *His* *counsel and wisdom*.

*a) **I want God to look at me* *and my service to Him* *and say* *as He did about the sons of Zadok*, *“He shall be my minister and shall stand before me.”*

*b) **Your input will determine your output*.

*As you draw close to Him*, *His very presence will saturate you* *with His influence*.

*c) **He will put in you* the *things* that *He wants to flow through you.*

*C) *Let’s *begin to have* that *time alone with the Lord*.

*1) **God wants to USE YOU.

**He wants to FLOW THROUGH YOU*.

And *He wants to BLESS YOU* and *MOVE IN YOUR LIVES*, *but* *it’s going to take* that *commitment on our part **to press in to know Him*.

*That’s when WE’LL BEGIN TO TRUST HIM AND RELY ON HIM like never before*.

*And that’s when we’re to see the power of God moving in our lives*. .

*As we press on to know Him in a greater way*, *His ways will become our ways*.

We should be *taking on His character*, and *become more and more in His likeness*.

*II) **HOSEA 10:12*.

*A) *There are *2 kinds of Christian lives*: the *FOLLOW*, *and* the *PLOWED*.

*1) **Follow** ground **is uncultivated*, *unused**, **idle**, **and dormant*.

*a) **It’s possible* that *it was plowed* at *one time*, *but* *because* it *remained untended*, *it hardened** **and** **became crusted* until *finally* *it needed to be broken up again* in order *to receive seed*.

*2) *In the *same way*, *the follow life Christian* is *content with* whatever *fruit he may have produced* in the *past*.

*a) *He is *tolerant of those* that are *seeking God 1st*.

*But* he is *unmotivated*.

*(i) *He *always complains* *about how things are* *and* *how things should be*, *BUT DOES NOTHING TO MAKE THING BETTER*.

*b) **This is the person* that has *lost his passion for the presence of God* in his life.

*(i) *He *looks back with satisfaction** **at* the *glory* that *once was*.

*(ii) **Yet*, *he lost* that *something** **on the inside* of him *that causes him* *to go on and press on** **with* the *things of God*.

*B) *The *PLOWED LIFE *is the *life* *that has remained prepared for* the *fresh activity of the Holy Spirit*.

*1) **They are not content with INACTIVITY*; they *want to continue going on** **in the things of God*.

*a) *The plowed life Christian is the Christian that yearns to be cultivated and developed in order to receive seed again and again.

*b) **He sees* that *he is to be* *A HABITATION OF SEEDS*.

*(i) *Without the proper environment, seed cannot grow.

The miracle of growth can only happen in cultivated ground.

*2) **God’s Word is seed*.

And *with the Holy Spirit cultivating our lives*, *that cultivation** **produces* the *proper environment* *for* that *seed to grow*.

*a) *All of *God’s Words** **contain* the *power** **necessary to cause them to bear fruit* in your life.

*b) **But they need the proper environment* *and** **cultivation* to grow, *which is brought by the Holy Spirit*.

*3) **When you plant a flower seed* in the ground, *the color of its bloom*, *the size of the pedal*, *everything about that flower* *is contained in that seed*.

*a) **It’s the same** thing **with God’s Word*.

*(i) **The seed might be*, *“By Jesus stripes you are healed.”*

*(ii) **Within that seed** **contains the full manifestation of that seed*.

*III) **The LIVING BIBLE says**, **“**Plow the hard ground of your hearts**.”**

**Only the life that is plowed and cultivated* *with* the *Holy Spirit* *and* the *presence of God* *is eligible to see* *the* *miraculous **groweth of God’s seed*.

(The promises found in God's Word.)

*A) **Diligently seeking Him** **is the open door to breaking up* the *hardened*, *unusable ground*, *and* *unproductive ground* *in your life*.

*1) *Listen to what the *MOFFATT’S TRANSLATION **says* of our text, (*HOSEA 10:12*) *“Break up your fallow ground, by seeking knowledge of the eternal.”*

*a) **The way you break up that fallow*, *uncultivated*, *unproductive* *land* is by *getting to know the Father*.

*2) *The word *“SEEKING”* from the *Moffatt’s** *translation *or* from the *KJV* “*Seek the Lord*.”

The *Strong’s* concordance *says* it *means* *“SPECIFICALLY TO WORSHIP.”*

*a) **If you want to break up* that *unproductive ground* in your life, *spend time in God’s presence*, *especially worshipping Him*.

*3) *The *last phrase* *of* this *verse* *says* *“Till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”*

*a) *The Word *“RIGHTEOUSNESS”* can *also mean*, *“DELIVERANCE, VICTORY, OR PROSPERITY.”*

*b) **Seek the Lord* *and keep seeking Him* *until you receive your* *deliverance*, *victory*, or *prosperity*.

*B) *Turn with me to *PSA 42:1–2**.*

*1) **There is a longing** **and a yearning* *of your inner man** **to know God** **and His ways** **more intimately*.

*2) **(PSA 63:1–2* Says from the *AMP)* *“Oh God, you are my God; earnestly will I seek you, my inner self thirsts for you, my flesh longs and is faint for you, in a dry and weary land, where no water is; (2) So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.”*

*a) *¿*How far are you willing to go** **to quench the thirst that is with in you?*

*(i) *Some people are just not determined enough to seek Him.

*b) **Those who are willing to seek God** **till He comes and rains righteousness upon them** **will experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a new dimension.*

*c) **The more deeply you yearn for God to pour Himself through you*, *the more deeply He will cultivate you*.

*(i) **Fruitfulness is always preceded by cultivation*.

*Seek Him** **until you experience the rain*.

*(ii) **Then you’ll truly be able to give testimony** **to what it says in (MATT 6:33)* *“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”*

WOLCC Sun AM 4~/5~/92 and W. O. L. C. C. Sunday, May 30, 1999