Teaching By Bradley DeRuiter
Below are the sermon notes
Premise:
- We are no longer under the curse of the fall in Christ - Rom 5, 1 Corinthians 15
No longer do we toil to make it by; Toil = evil one in NT
- God has uniquely created us for a destiny - Ps 139
- When Christians live in our Destiny Zone we live in the Prosperity Zone. Ps 37 No longer are we working to make a living, we are living for God and He prospers us as we get paid to do what we love to do.
- The Kingdom of God is within you. The Holy Spirit is within you. When we live in our God given design we are seeking our Kingdom role. When we live in the fullness of what we were created to do we will bring Kingdom dominion on the mountains, as we follow His voice and rely on God for our provision.
- The temptation is to seek first provision, we first seek education, the a job then a family and want God to bless what we do. Instead of seeking God first and trusting that He will lead us into provision.
Message:
Genesis 3: 16 Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain (toil) you will give birth. (NASB - In pain you will bring forth children) And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.”
17 And to the man he said,“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. (INASB - In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.)
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.
19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
We are no longer under the curse of the fall because of Christ’s Victory!
Rom 5 NLT
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. 20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:
21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For He has put all things in subjection under His feet.
Toil is the fall, Grace is the gift of Christ which overcomes toil. The temptation is to fall back into toiling to make ends meet. Toiling for favor with God, toiling for provision...toiling to live! Stephen De Silva shares in his book Prosperous Soul, that the phrase in the bible, evil one, can actually be translated toil.
The greek word translated evil one (Poneros) actually can be translated toil.
The Stongs definition of Poneros is:
Poneros:
1.full of labours, annoyances, hardships
a. pressed and harassed by labours
b. bringing toils, annoyances, perils; of a time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness; causing pain and trouble
2. bad, of a bad nature or condition
a. in a physical sense: diseased or blind
b. in an ethical sense: evil wicked, bad.
These passages below from the New Testament are places where the greek word Poneros was translated “evil one” but it can also be translated “toil”. I have replaced evil one with the word toil to examine the impact of reading it this way, especially in light of what we just read about the fall and how women were cursed to “toil” in child birth and men were cursed to “toil” to make a living. Thank Jesus we are no longer under the curse!
Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the toil comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.
Matthew 13:38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the toil;
John 17:15 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the toil.
Ephesians 6:16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the toil.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the toil.
1 John 2:13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the toil. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.
1 John 2:14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the toil.
1 John 3:12not as Cain, who was of the toil and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
1 John 5:18 We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the toil does not touch him.
1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the toil.
Since Christ delivered us from the curse of the fall how do we walk in the victory of His resurrection? One way is to walk in who we were created to be!
Psalm 139: 13 For You formed my inward parts (the seat of my emotions, my temperament) ; You wove me in my mother’s womb.14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully (to be distinct, marked out, be separated, be distinguished) made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.
We are no longer under the fall as Christians therefore no more toiling! God is our provision and when we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness all these things (that we need to live) will be added to us.
God delights in our prosperity. He delights in the prosperity of His servant. If we seek first His Kingdom, we seek first God’s plan for our lives. How do we walk in God’s plan for our lives?
We must seek first His ways for us. We must not get caught up in the worlds way of doing things - TOILING!! The pattern that sets out to make provision for ourselves rather than seeking God’s plan and letting Him be our provider. Do not seek provision, seek the provider. Our role is to just be ourselves and follow HIs voice.
God crafted us to be amazing at being who we are!!! We are uniquely formed to be awesome at what God designed us to do!! If we try to do something from unrighteous motives we move away from God’s pattern. We cannot seek first fame and fortune, we must seek first God and if God designed us to walk in fame and fortune then we will. No matter what, God’s heart is to supply all or our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He just asks us to follow after Him and in so doing we walk in the path He ordained for us.
The first KEY is maintaining the right perspective and motive. Why are you doing what you are doing? To get money? To get fame? To please our parents? We must delight ourselves in Lord and then He will give us the desires of our heart. Seek first the Kingdom!
The second KEY: We need to understand the unique way God fashioned us, our unique gifts, strengths, temperament and the unique situation he birthed us into! Here are is a break down of the “zones” that make up who we are and our destiny in Christ:
HISTORY ZONE - Unique Historical experiences, including where you were born, when, birth order, what you did growing up, your struggles and your accomplishments.
GIFT ZONE - Spiritual gifts, DISC, Strength Finders.
Activity Zone - What do you love to do? What are good at doing? What do you have experience doing?
People Zone - What do you love about interacting with people? Encouraging, Equipping, empowering them. Getting them good information. What ways are you good at interacting with people? public speaking, connecting with people, a good listener. What is your experience interacting with people? Do you have a lot of experience in public speaking, or teaching people, or serving people.
Knowledge Zone - What do you know a lot about? Are there certain areas that you have obtained a lot of knowledge in?
Here is what God says we need to live successfully:
Deuteronomy 8: 3 He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. 16 In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. 17 Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ 18 But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
Psalm 37: 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. 4 Delight (find happiness in, humbled delight, rejoice in) yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. (When you delight in the Lord you also delight in the way in which He made, you walk in agreement with how He formed your personality, your temperament and your talents) 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday. 18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever. 19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have abundance (to have in excess, be surfeited, be surfeited with.
Parable of the Talents
Matt 25: 14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves (his bond servant those who dedicated their lives to serving him) and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The slave who buried t he money did not recognize that what he had came from God. He said you reap where you did not sow. But God gave them the talents, he sowed them into the slaves care. When we do not recognize that our gifts, our possessions come from God and we think it is all based on our own strength it is just like burying it in the ground.