26th November 2023 - Teaching Services

M hmmmmmmmmm mmm, hmmm, mine, mm hmmm. The title of this

morning's sermon is prepare a gift, Surprise, Surprise, Activate the miraculous,

Activate the miraculous. M hm. So as I walked in the door,

there's some guy talk about Christmas, I think my servant. So we're going

to talk about preparing gifts. I'm sure we all like to receive gifts,

and know my wife likes to receive gifts. It's one of her favorite things.

Birthday, Christmas, special occasion. You these gifts of color for colorfully

wrapped, colorfully wrapped. I don't know if you're a rip it open person

or a carefully pull the paperback and slide the gift out. We all do

it differently that way. Do you know somebody's preferred that gift. Something's gonna

have bought it and made it, wrapped it written your name and a little

label, and then handed it to her. Oh I don't. It's like

an Indian I do I know. But oh here we we bung it under

the tree at Christmas. I don't know how it works as apparently this word.

I was reminded of the true story about a man who his son came

to visit, and after the pleasantries, he handed his dad a little box,

I guess it was about two and a half three and two and a

half three INChO square, a little cardboard box that did on it. And

his dad looked at the box, felt the way to the box because I'm

in the box, And his son said, he can open it in a

minute, in a minute, and so eventually he opened the box. Inside

the boxes and tissue paper, and inside the tissue paper was a key.

It was a key for a new car. There's a Mercedes Benz I think

as a Mercedes ven. So he thanks his son. He didn't really know

what to say. It was a big gift for him. Speaking for his

son, he was humbled by that gift. The Bible says for God,

soul of the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever

believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus came into the

world for us, for you, for me, for you listening online,

for you're listening later. That says he who knew no sin, he became

sin for us. He was beaten, he was scourged, He was known

to a cross. He hung there till he died three days later, he

was raised from the dead because he lives, William, that was God's gift

that he prepared for us. That was God's gift that he preyed for you.

He took him years to prepare that gift. Then just knock it out.

There you go, He declared and decreed that through the the centuries until

Jus came. Although the cow is a significant gift, mm hmmm, you

can't give God. Jesus is my best gift. In a few weeks,

we're going to celebrate Christmas now the birth of Jesus, to the song that

says, because he lives, I can face tomorrow because he lives. Oh,

fear is gone because I know he holds the future, and life is

worth living just because he lives. If you don't know Jesus, not a

time at the present is to welcome into your heart. If you do remember,

because he lives, we can face tomorrow because he lives. All fear

is gone because I know he holds the future, and life's worth living because

he lives. So today we're going to talk about preparing the gift, activating

the miraculous. As Christians, we do live in this natural world. We're

in this world of this world. If you choose to walk as God wants

you to walk, you can regulate activate the miraculous in your life and the

life of those people around you. Because you have a connection with Heaven,

you have a connection to the miraculous. Don't settle for second best. Makes

you connected to the miraculous. Let's have a look at John a very familiar

passage. Pay for a word. This is the story or the account of

the feeding of the five thousand men plus women and children. I'm starting at

verse one. After these things, Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee,

which is the sea of Tiberias. There a great la should followed him because

they saw his signs which he performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus

went up on the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. Now

the passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted

up his eyes, and, seeing a great multitude coming toward him, he

said to Philip, where shall we buy bread that these may eat? But

he said this to test him, for he knew what he would do.

For they answered the hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them,

but even one of them may have a little. One of his disciples,

Andrew Simon, Peter's brother, said to him, there's a lad here who

has five file of those and two small fish. What are they among so

many? Jesus said, make the people sit down. Now there was much

grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number of by

five thousand, and Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks,

he distributed them to the disciples and disciples of those sitting down, and

likewise the fish as much as they wanted. So when they were filled,

he said to the disciples, gather up the fragments that remain, so that

nothing is lost. Therefore they gathered them up, unfilled, twelve baskets with

the fragments of five pil of those which are left over by those who are

eaten. A very familiar scripture. I'm sure we've all read that before ourselves.

This is the Yorkshire person who says a lad, but it's actually means

small boy, so something something something. Joe's size as a small boy.

So the five pile of those and the two small fish weren't for some deer,

some big lad with some little lad some for a big ja was a

little ja. Notice this boy is in the right place at the right time.

We don't know who he was, We don't know where he came from.

We know he was there. We know he chose to give Jesus.

It's five bad loads and he's too small fish. When you give to Jesus,

it can take it and can turn him into something else. When you

give to Jesus, it can activate the miraculous. That boy didn't really think

what Jesus is going to do because Jesus didn't tell him. Jesus broke the

bread, gave it to the disciples. I don't have the best, blessed

to better and go to the disciples. And then the miracle happened, the

miracle of multiplication. That's still happening today. God is still moving today.

Today. He wants to encourage us to align with the miraculous. Don't miss

what God is doing. Jesus with those five by the waves, and there's

two small fish, about five thousand men, women and children. God wants

us to prepare a gift. Sometimes he says, what is in your hand

to you in my sign seem insignificant, but when God gets old of him.

When it's freely given, we activate them miraculous and God makes it something

special to God must to encourage us to listen, to move, to flow

with him every day. It's not a baden. This is daily every day,

whether as if they're prepared or it's a gift that's within the messles with

their heaven mission. We I look differently. That's the same, Twiggins.

But what God is delising it's the same, the same yesterday, today and

forever. Mhm. And it's time for a step change. It's time to

change the way we do things. It's time to warden marass not in the

mundane mhm. So ready to move as the Holy pertages, they're ready to

move them. It might be easy, it might be uncomfortable. It doesn't

matter to do. Don't be yessach day moving the miraculous. Don't miss the

ability to change somebody's life. People got built, they were happy. Not

just wait until they will go get a going with the bread and the fish

until they were filled for you keep going. There's no lack in God's can

did you know? Mhm, kah. Let's just look at another story.

I can't one king's another familiar passage. I'm sure it speaks about the lie

John and the loom of the Zarapeth, which is silent, which is paistine.

Reading from verse that verse eight, I'm riding from the amplified, and

the word of the Lord came to him, Arise, go to Zarathith,

which belongs to Sidon, and behold well there, sorry, and behold,

I've commanded a widow there to provide for you. So it arose. I

went to Zarafeth. When he came to the gate of the city, Behold,

the widow was there gathering sticks. He called her, bring me a

little water in a vessel that I may drink. As she was going to

get in, he called to her and said, bring me a morsel of

bread in your hand. And she said, as a lord, your god

lives, I have no loaf. I have not a loaf baked, but

only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in the

bottle. See, I'm gathering two sticks that I may go and bake it

for me and my son, that we may eat it. And I Elijah

said to her, go and do as you have said, but make me

a little cake first, and bring it to me. And afterwards prepare some

for yourself and your son. Let us save the Lord, the God of

Israel. The giant meal shall not waste away or the bottle of oil fail,

until the day the Lord sends rain on the land. She did as

Elijah said, and she had her household ate for many days. The giant

meal was not spent or the bottle of oil fail, according to the word

which the Lord spoke through Elijah. Another account of God working in the miraculous.

It's interesting to note that when the widow was out of some water in

the time of drow, she's in pattern eyelids. She was going to hoddle

off and go and get him soon as it's larger mentioned food. That was

her pressure point. As returned, I said, no, some water,

but I know it sticks. I was left in the dye. But then

God, God said no, no, there's tired. When it got to

the beans and iracuous, which a gift o gas arrificial let no one said,

but God was word. He filled up that contact. May only felt

that kind of health until she gave how to what she had shave, and

God, it can be a great leveler used to fear, and she used

to what I say, I refuse to fear. I refused shoot sometimes needs

to be the widow and trust God we are said it before your hand.

It doesn't matter. That's a load as a or a smaller stairs. Louise,

you step out, don't fear. Act to the miraculous. Do you

working? Here's any sai? Because faith, I like you becauses to act

to the miraculous. You want to test in seeing, but work in our

lives. Each take a step first, third, ten, steph because he

speaks against all about taking them out, step, stepping them into the miraculous.

H Matthew, and we always I am with you, always say so

you have to step hind you comfort zoneber he is with always, He's with

all the way. He might not be able to see him, You may

not be able to smile him always. I want you take us from where

we are where we want us to be. That's a tretch my way down.

Say about kids or something that isn't that tells you something, but you

got them mhmmkays a stretch m hm hm wants to stretch. Our faith wants

us to activate the miraculous in our lives. Every really change. You don't

take it that it's not been a happened aful here for agents, you know.

So if you take that step when nobody else is you know, around

anybody else, you's by yourself. It's what you do, not the longer

the us should Yeah, she pressed through the sacognize garment Jesus. She threw

convention there was if you keep part of it Adel will Stonia, she put

that's should go what she needed, she abated. The miraculous wants us to

be a dint o the place. H So they ask you are you're willing

to do away to me? Too soft into it? But we do.

We'll get into a rhythm of miracles. God wants to get into a rhythm

of miracles. That means maybe come come Batman place. But all starts with

you, all starts with me. When he says where it does two,

come on, come on, look for opportunity to connect with God in this

space over this Christmas period. Stand that HM, because's got a journey,

wants to take us on individually and corporately. You've got a roeblion start a

journey. It's you automn. You don't know anything because you're not During that

I just sit in there together as time, moving one step ahead of time.

I think that's sort of prayer. Yeah, I think so let's me

pray, let's pret well gave. I'll take these words and in partner m

hm. Maybe they catalysted to those who choose to walk in the miraculous,

take them from where they are to where they want to be, whether no

time or in this room or later