Living on Mission: Open Eyes and Open Hearts
Dr. John Whittaker
Walk with God 2021 • Sermon • Submitted
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NEW TO HUNTING and the Possibilities:
NEW TO HUNTING and the Possibilities:
One time we were on vacation and we stopped to see my Aunt and Uncle. We had a great visit, and try to stop and see them when we are near Huntsville, AL. One evening, Uncle Bill called me upstairs and said he wanted to give me something.
One time we were on vacation and we stopped to see my Aunt and Uncle. We had a great visit, and try to stop and see them when we are near Huntsville, AL. One evening, Uncle Bill called me upstairs and said he wanted to give me something.
I walked into the room and there on the floor in a green hard case was a Remington .270 rifle. He said, “If you will use that, it’s yours.”
I walked into the room and there on the floor in a green hard case was a Remington .270 rifle. He said, “If you will use that, it’s yours.”
So, over the next few months, I made plans and zeroed the scope and that November I started hunting whitetail deer. I harvested a buck and a doe on that short trip and filled our freezer with meat.
So, over the next few months, I made plans and zeroed the scope and that November I started hunting whitetail deer. I harvested a buck and a doe on that short trip and filled our freezer with meat.
A few days later, I drove from Kentucky to Dyersburg, TN for an Ordination Service. I drove with New Eyes…looking for wild game along the way.
A few days later, I drove from Kentucky to Dyersburg, TN for an Ordination Service. I drove with New Eyes…looking for wild game along the way.
I saw 85 deer and 45 turkey in the fields along the way there.
I saw 85 deer and 45 turkey in the fields along the way there.
Acts 1:6–8 (NASB95)
Acts 1:6–8 (NASB95)
6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Sometimes We Want to Know More Than We Want to Serve
Sometimes We Want to Know More Than We Want to Serve
God Doesn’t Always Answer Our Questions The Way We Want
God Doesn’t Always Answer Our Questions The Way We Want
Mark 13:32 (NASB95)
Mark 13:32 (NASB95)
32 “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.But He wants us to Obey
32 “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.But He wants us to Obey
“Jesus did not rebuke them when they “kept asking” about the future Jewish kingdom (Acts 1:7).
“Jesus did not rebuke them when they “kept asking” about the future Jewish kingdom (Acts 1:7).
After all, He had opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:44), so they knew what they were asking.
After all, He had opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:44), so they knew what they were asking.
But God has not revealed His timetable to us and it is futile for us to speculate.
But God has not revealed His timetable to us and it is futile for us to speculate.
The important thing is not to be curious about the future but to be busy in the present, sharing the message of God’s spiritual kingdom.
The important thing is not to be curious about the future but to be busy in the present, sharing the message of God’s spiritual kingdom.
This is another emphasis in the Book of Acts (see Acts 8:12; 14:22; 20:25; 28:23, 31).”
This is another emphasis in the Book of Acts (see Acts 8:12; 14:22; 20:25; 28:23, 31).”
God Sustains Us Even Through Our Questions
God Sustains Us Even Through Our Questions
PROMISED TWO THINGS:
PROMISED TWO THINGS:
POWER when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Power not to have all the answers,
POWER when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Power not to have all the answers,
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: The Faith of the First Christians (Acts 1)
Ordinary people were able to do extraordinary things because the Spirit of God was at work in their lives. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not a luxury; it is an absolute necessity.
WITNESS - notice the PRESENT Tense. You Will .. YOU
WITNESS - notice the PRESENT Tense. You Will .. YOU
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: The Faith of the First Christians (Acts 1)
“Witness” is a key word in the Book of Acts and is used twenty-nine times as either a verb or a noun. A witness is somebody who tells what he has seen and heard (Acts 4:19–20). When you are on the witness stand in court, the judge is not interested in your ideas or opinions; he only wants to hear what you know. Our English word martyr comes from the Greek word translated “witness,” and many of God’s people have sealed their witness by laying down their lives.
Not everyone has the gift of Evangelism, but everyone is called to be a witness for Christ.
Not everyone has the gift of Evangelism, but everyone is called to be a witness for Christ.
Everyone who comes to know Jesus has His strength and The HOLY SPIRIT in them.
Everyone who comes to know Jesus has His strength and The HOLY SPIRIT in them.
Focus on the Plan Not Our Questions
Focus on the Plan Not Our Questions
Be My Witnesses:
Be My Witnesses:
Jerusalem
Jerusalem
Judea & Samaria
Judea & Samaria
Ends of the Earth
Ends of the Earth
Zechariah 4:6 (NASB95)
Zechariah 4:6 (NASB95)
6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.
6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.
We hear a great deal these days about “soul winning,” and the emphasis is a good one. However, while some of God’s people have a calling to evangelism (Eph. 4:11), all of God’s people are expected to be witnesses and tell the lost about the Saviour. Not every Christian can bring a sinner to the place of faith and decision (though most of us could do better), but every Christian can bear faithful witness to the Saviour. “A true witness delivereth souls” (Prov. 14:25).
We hear a great deal these days about “soul winning,” and the emphasis is a good one. However, while some of God’s people have a calling to evangelism (Eph. 4:11), all of God’s people are expected to be witnesses and tell the lost about the Saviour. Not every Christian can bring a sinner to the place of faith and decision (though most of us could do better), but every Christian can bear faithful witness to the Saviour. “A true witness delivereth souls” (Prov. 14:25).
Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996.
Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996.