Making Space for Jesus

James Weidner III   -   January 4, 2023

Introduction:

2021 – Falling in love with Jesus.

2022 – Filling the house with Jesus.

2023 – Making space for Jesus.

What are you believing God for next year?

Don’t know where to start…

How about… What did not work this year?

Proverbs 3:1-15 (NKJV) 1 My son, do not forget my law,

FULL LIFE.

But let your heart keep my commands;

2 For length of days and long life

And peace they will add to you.

FAVOR.

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart,

4 And so find favor and high esteem

In the sight of God and man.

GUIDANCE.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

HEALTH.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the LORD and depart from evil.

8 It will be health to your flesh,

And strength to your bones.

ABUNDANCE.

9 Honor the LORD with your possessions,

And with the firstfruits of all your increase;

10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,

And your vats will overflow with new wine.

WISDOM.

11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,

Nor detest His correction;

12 For whom the LORD loves He corrects,

Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom,

And the man who gains understanding;

14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,

And her gain than fine gold.

15 She is more precious than rubies,

And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

Offering: Making Space For Jesus in your finances.

  • Personally I am both ending the year with a Seed Thank Offering for all the Lord has done in 2022. 
  • Today I am sowing a Seed for all that I am believing for in 2023. 
  • A tithe equivalent. 

Sunday Main Message:

Revelation 1:1-3 (ESV) 1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

  • Making space for Prayer & Bible reading, Church & Worship, Tithing & Giving, Helping People…
  • Reading
  • Hearing
  • Keeping
  • With the help and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. 
  1. Making Space For Jesus to work in our life.

Matt. 8:1 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 

  • The desire of Jesus demonstrated in the life of a leper…
  • How many times do we allow our condition to hinder the work of Jesus in our life. 
  • *Lord, you don’t want to help me because…*
  • “If you are willing…”
  • He did not close the door with the *Lord, you are not willing* attitude.
  • I am willing…
  • Knowing the heart of Jesus fills us with a confident perspective about life.
  • Often times when life gets to beating us down we can sometimes forget the very basic desire of Christ for us…
  • Jesus’ desire is that we be saved, delivered, made whole, provided for, filled with joy and peace, power and receive everlasting life!
  • It is us who often times adds on to the list that then results in us feeling inadequate…
  • Our condition does not worry Jesus.

Matt 8:3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying,

  • The Lord is for you.
  • Many people are for you. 

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

  • Are you for you? Are you for you?
  1. Making space in our thought life.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 

  • Think on such things…
  • Getting a hold of our thought life by allowing Christ to get ahold of our thoughts…

Ephesians 5:26 (NKJV) that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

  • Christ focused thinking is followed by Christ focused living …

Isa. 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. 

  • The mind that is thinking about Christ is the mind that is at peace in Christ.
  1. Making space how we make our decisions…

James 4:13-17 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

  • Here today and gone tomorrow.
  • The quickness of our life…
  • No one really knows what tomorrow holds.
  • Discover a cause, a person, a purpose and begin investing in it today.
  • Our life could be concluded today.
  • What good do you know you should be doing today / this year?
  • How many of us are living like death will not actually occur?
  • Martin Luther estimated that only 10 of 10,000 people actually lived with the thinking that numbering our days is important. The rest are just living as if God does not exist.
  1. Make space for the call of God in our life…

Isa. 48:6 “You have heard; See all this. And will you not declare it? I have made you hear new things from this time, Even hidden things, and you did not know them. (NKJV)

  • Stepping out.
  • Getting out of the boat.
  • Being willing to be uncomfortable. 
  • Awaken to the call of God

Romans 13:11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.(NKJV)

  • Awaken to the great privilege of sacrifice.
  • One of the greatest aspects of the call of God is the willingness to walk away and depend upon God for your daily provision.
  • Awaken to the opportunities all around New things around us
  • Awaken to the call of reproducing yourself this year
  1. Making space with the things we possess…

Luke 12:33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

  • Lack is thief.
  • Abundance is a deceiver. 

Proverbs 30:7-9 “Two things I ask of you, LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

  • Our daily provision. 
  1. Making space how you plan out your week…

Ps 90:12  So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

  • The numbering of our days…
  • The new year is as good of time as any to review your mission, getting on mission, and staying on mission…
  • Making a simple, executable plan to fulfill God’s mission for your life…
  • The nagging there has to be more and something else the Lord wants to do with my life…
  • Walking through the open doors placed before us.
  • Time is of the essence. 
  • There is a day fast approaching that has no tomorrow.
  • Will this day surprise us all?
  • But we do all we can to prepare our hearts for the arrival of this day.
  1. Making space to create…

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

  • We were created to create
  • The world around us was created by men of faith.
  • Create opportunities of ministry
  • In addition to your connect group. Why ? Because this is our daily bread.

Conclusion:

  1. Making space in our routine…
  • Get out of the same ole routine!
  • Change it up.