What Will You Do With The Mantle That God Has Given You?
You might ask: What mantle? What would I do? How can I possibly do anything?
Forget about the fish story…The greatest miracle in the book of Jonah is the conversion of a city of barbarians.
Jonah 3 1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city-a visit required three days. 4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
Jonah’s ability to speak and carry God’s message must have been something to see…To convert a city of unteachable, treacherous, evil people?
The reality is the same for all of us and we all have something to learn from this:
- Our gifts are not about us. They are God-given and He wants us to use them for His glory.
- The gospel message is for everyone. It is for the King and the peasant. It is for the rule-follower and the rule-breaker. It is for ALL. And Jesus showed it in His ministry again and again.
- Our lives are a test. Rick Warren says that our lives are a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment.
What has God given you?
What does He want you to do with the remainder of your days?
It is truly not HOW MANY DAYS YOU HAVE, but HOW YOU USE THEM.
This is not about piling an assignment on to your plate.
It is not about God ruining your mighty plans for what you thought this life might be.
And it is not about you being a slave to the Lord.
The reality is this: When God gets a hold of your soul, there is no better life for you than to do just what He has called you to. All that He might have for them is what is best for you.
Jesus hung on that cross willingly—for you.
He went before the enemy, into the pit of Hell, so that He could remove—you.
And He will stand before the Father and plead for the soul of the broken—you.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Fear Is A Liar by Zach Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5LNfj2F5qI
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Coach J
What Will You Do With The Mantle That God Has Given You?
You might ask: What mantle? What would I do? How can I possibly do anything?
I am sure that many of us have those questions.
I have to think that Esther did.
The “winner” of a perverted beauty contest, Esther was the wife of the King. The wife of the man who had gotten rid of his first wife.
Intimidated?
Undervalued?
Out of place?
I am sure that she felt all of those things.
Esther 3 17 Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.
In her honor, Esther had a problem. She was a Jew. And the king’s right hand man, Haman, wanted to exterminate them:
Esther 3 8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business.”
Esher had to ACT. But the crown that she was wearing was on her head because her predecessor had dishonored the king.
Intimidated?
Undervalued?
Out of place?
I am sure that she felt all of those things.
To go before the king could cost her her life. He cousin, Mordecai, pleaded with her to do just that:
Esther 4 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
And so Esther responded. The mantle that she was given gave her the chance to save the Jews. And save the Jews she did. She went before the king, she called out Haman, and she pleaded for her life and the life of her people.
And her favor was rewarded.
Esther 8 7 King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have hanged him on the gallows.
You have been given this same favor. God has placed a mantle over your life.
He has given you an audience around you that ONLY you can speak to.
And He has placed favor on you to do just that.
As Esther prepared to go see the king, she was terrified. She asked Mordecai to call the Jews to prayer. And then she acted.
And that is what God has called you to do.
To ACT.
What Will You Do With The Mantle That God Has Given You?
Only you can answer that.
Seek His face.
Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.
Read the love letter that He has sent to you in the Bible.
And ask Him to show you. He will.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
No Longer Slaves by Zach Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDnA_coA168
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Coach J
Where would we truly be, without Jesus?
Broken.
Lost.
Without Hope.
Alone.
Full of the very sin that we sometimes strive to keep.
And yet, He doesn’t stop pursuing.
In Mark, Jesus tells Mary: “Go find my disciples and Peter …”
And Peter.
Sometimes we don’t act like a disciple.
We deny.
We run.
We pridefully keep the very independence that kills us.
But Jesus will rise. He rose 2000 years ago and He will rise today.
He doesn’t need us.
Yet we, you and I, are the very thing that He waits for.
He waits for us to rise up, in faith, and to be His disciples.
A disciple is a personal follower.
Think about that.
Personal
and
Follower
Mark 16 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
We have a Savior.
We have a testimony.
We have a broken world.
We have work to do.
Go…Be A Disciple.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Survivor by Zach Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtX2dat1UVQ
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Coach J
We know that the Romans crucified thousands of people and ruled with an iron fist.
We know that the Roman Empire was one of the greatest empires in human history.
We know that the Roman Soldier knew how to fight, how to conquer, how to rule, and how to execute.
And execute Jesus they did.
Condemned from an unfair trial.
Beaten nearly to death.
Forced to carry the instrument that would be used to kill Him.
Exposed to a brutality that would break the strongest of men.
Jesus…hung on the cross and WILLINGLY endured it.
Even in death, Jesus preached. And He preached to a man who was surrounded by death—perhaps even callous to it.
To preach to a Roman Centurion was quite a feat. Roman Centurions were in charge of 100 men. They were chosen for size, strength, military prowess, and for leadership. They were leaders of men who faced life and death and led others to survive, even excel, in life and death circumstances.
Mark 15 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
As you talk to God today, remember who you are and where you stand.
Jesus was accepted and followed by many, and they were not one small strata of society. They were wide-ranging and not confined by economics, culture, religion, nationality, gender, age, or any other human description. His followers were diverse.
Today, we focus on Mark 15:39.
Today, we focus on the battle tested, blood thirsty warrior…..the man who was not “supposed” to be in Jesus’ ministry.
Today, we focus on the man who had probably seen thousands die…as he stood and witnessed mockery, and insults, and the death he had seen again and again and again.
But on this day…he said: “Surely this man was the son of God.”
We can make many claims about Jesus.
But the claim I make today is this:
No man has ever been more DIVERSE in His call.
He calls the African, the woman, the child, the elite, the broken…
He calls the cowboy, the King, the servant, the diplomat…
He calls the plumber, the teacher, the administrator, the slave…
And all can answer.
Lift Your Eyes Up And Look To The Cross.
The centurion in Mark 15 looked…
And saw that what He was missing was the very thing he had never looked at…
Lift Your Eyes Up.
Answer The Call.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Bebo Norman
I Will Lift My Eyes
To The Maker
Of The Mountains I Can’t Climb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-KKy5UIUpY
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Coach J
In the middle of the night, in the face of fear, he asked his father just one more time to take his misery. His father had asked him to do the unthinkable—and he asked to be released.
But the answer was no.
And God turned His back on the Savior and released Him into the hands of evil men.
Mark 14 35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” He said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
And so Jesus was alone.
His disciples were sleeping. And when they awoke they would run like cowards.
Judas was counting his money.
The politicians were finding a narrative to calm the rebellion and the Religious Leaders were still trying to look good.
Betrayed
Forsaken
Forgotten
And it was the fulfillment of passover. Astonishing. Those who would receive the blood of the lamb would be saved. Except this time, Jesus would be the Lamb.
He Was Crucified On A Cross Of Wood
Yet He Made The Hill On Which It Stood
Do not underestimate the power of this day.
It is the hope of the nations.
It is our hope.
Worship this day in spirit and in truth and surrender to the King of the Jews.
He…And He Alone…Is The Key To Eternal Life
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Greater Things By Mack Brock
My Life Is Built On Your Faithfulness
My Hope Is Held In Your Promises
I Take Each Step With Your Confidence
Cause I Am Yours … I Am Yours
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_JpUpAK1nw
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Coach J
On the fourteenth of April 70 AD the Roman army captured Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.
Not a surprise, if you listen to Jesus words some 40 years earlier:
Mark 13 1 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”
2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
And, in fact, Jesus makes many predictions in the thirteenth chapter of Mark.
- The end of the temple.
- The deceiving of the saints.
- A corruption of the temple.
- The Son returning.
- The end.
Mark 13 32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back–whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ “
Just as the temple came to be destroyed, all the words of Jesus have or will come to pass.
Pray for our country, our world.
Pray that God would end the sickness and return us to life.
Pray that we would return to knowing who the center of the Universe truly is.
Above all things, this is what we ALL should be seeking to do…..to return God to the throne.
There are many themes of the Bible that I would love to write about. Prophecy is not one of them. I can not pretend to know what the future holds. And, Jesus said anyway: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. This releases me from having to worry about it.
But what I do know is this:
Our world is temporary. God has told us this.
It will not be here forever, and it is not our future home.
Heaven is our home.
So when you pray tonight, remember above all things, the Lord’s prayer:
Your Kingdom Come
Your Will Be Done
On Earth As It Is In Heaven
Today….Is YOUR Time
It Is Not Your Time To Mandate God
It Is Your Time To Realign With Him
It Is YOUR Time
To Find A Savior, A Hope
To Put Your Hope In A Kingdom
A Hope Not In Earth…But In Heaven
A Hope Not In Man…But In Jesus
A Hope Not In The Temporary…But In The Eternal
There has never been a better time to pray…….
To pray for our country, our world, our community.
To pray for the hope of the nations.
To pray for the only hope that you can ever have.
Who Am I? By Casting Crowns
Who Am I?
That The Lord Of All The Earth
Would Care To Know My Name
Would Care To Feel My Hurt? ………
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTaYWoHNfRI
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Coach J
Jesus showed up in the most turbulent of political climates. The Roman Empire was vast and powerful–one of the largest in world history. And they ruled over their subjects with an iron fist. In their reign, they executed THOUSANDS of people.
So to say that Jesus showed up in difficult political times would be an understatement. And to take this notion farther, it is quite possible that one of His disciples, Simon the Zealot, had killed Roman Soldiers.
So when the Pharisees and Herodians went to trick Jesus, they were hoping to put His life in danger:
Mark 12 13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
16 But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him.
Jesus came to be King.
But the disciples had expected quite a different means to put Him on the throne.
How shocked they must have been when they finally realized that He would truly be crucified.
They slept as He prayed.
They betrayed Him (Judas).
They denied knowing Him (Peter).
They ran.
They hid.
And they cowered.
Little did they know that the outcome was still as Jesus said it would be. He….would be King.
The world of politics is a tricky one.
And I, more than most, have been drawn in.
- It angers me.
- It brings out my worst.
- And it sometimes taints my view on what really matters.
Politics and Political Agendas—do not bring out my best.
And as I meditated on what God would have me say regarding this verse, it took several days to even know what to write.
But tonight I am convicted.
And so I hope that I can communicate what God truly would like to say.
Lord, USE my words, my fingers, to spread your gospel in a hostile political time. USE your Hand on your Heart and your Spirit to change our minds. To change us. That we might be salt and light to the world. That we might actually fly ABOVE the political climate and be who You’ve called us to be.
The reality that I would like to convey is this:
YOU are more powerful than any president.
YOU have a chance to impact cities…..even nations.
YOU are called by the grace of God to enact change in this world that could never be reduced to what the world has limited us to.
YOU.
I write this not to influence you to be arrogant OR greedy OR haughty.
I write it to remind you that when you receive Jesus and ask—the Holy Spirit lives in you.
You see—Kings and Dictators and Prime Ministers and Presidents and Senators and Judges—they all have one thing in common. Their time to rule is short and will soon be forgotten. They rule over a kingdom that will collapse in the sea and never stand again. Their power over people can only last a lifetime—if that. They can be wealthy beyond description, but when they expire—that wealth gets divided up among the living. And their power and popularity and influence will never extend beyond their last breath. They are mortal.
Jesus—is a different story.
His…Kingdom is eternal.
He…owns the cattle on a thousand hills.
He…is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
He is the Beginning…And the End. And His Kingdom will never fail or fall or flinch.
It rescues the broken and the weak and the overlooked. He doesn’t need to conquer anything because EVERY KNEE WILL BOW BEFORE HIM. He IS His own political party. He IS. And there will be no pandering, no comradery, no lobbyists.
We won’t be able to earn His favor or change His mind. And NO ONE will be able to overthrow His Kingdom—but better than that—NO ONE will want to.
Read the aforementioned verse with wisdom.
OVER THROW your government. Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s……And give to God what is God’s.
No government can save.
No government can deliver.
No government can bring eternal life…or hope…or peace.
No government can forgive sins…or pay off your debts…or exclude you from breaking the law.
No government can do any of that.
But you can.
You can bring Jesus to the lost and ask the Holy Spirit to deliver. You can pray that He might heal. You can ask Him to bring peace. And you can share Jesus with the broken.
If the government can throw the ball 500 yards, then YOU? YOU could throw that same ball TO THE MOON.
Walk into your calling.
Your Love Oh Lord By Third Day
Your Love Oh Lord Reaches To The Heavens
Your Faithfulness Stretches To The Sky
Your Righteousness Is Like The Mighty Mountains
Your Justice Flows Like The Oceans Tides
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OBRvxrzhqs
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Coach J
It is normal for us to wonder: “What is He waiting for?” “Why doesn’t He just show up?” “Why is He late?” But just because it is normal—it does not make us right. The reality is simple: God isn’t ON TIME, God IS TIME.
Let me prove it to you:
Mark 11 1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.
3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’ “
4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest!”
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
This might be the perfect time to mention Zechariah 9:9 (Your King comes riding a donkey), and it is, but that is not where I am going with this.
Where I am going is to the book of Daniel:
Daniel 9 25 “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.
This is astounding! And I am going to borrow from Chuck Missler on this one (If you want to reference, go to Youtube and type: Chuck Missler Daniel Triumphal Entry–a great teaching!):
From: The Decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus, March 14, 445 BC
To: The Triumphal Entry April 6, 32 AD
There is: 173,880 “days” (69x7x360=173,880)
It is also worth mentioning that many times in scripture Jesus says something along the lines of: ”My time has not yet come”.
Then, on the day referenced in Mark 10, April 6—Jesus apparently knows that the time HAS come. And He enters Jerusalem on a Donkey—setting in motion the events leading up to His crucifixion.
The point is this:
God had the day picked out. He ordained it and lived it out.
And He did so knowing that He would soon give His life.
This is a staggering concept that we must all come face to face with.
His time is perfect. It isn’t scattered or random or cruel. It is PERFECT.
I encourage you not to take this in the wrong way. Many people are hurting. Many things happen that are not of His will. And there is no depth to the evil that can live in a man’s heart. We have seen it and many have experienced it.
But that should not be our reason for pinning the world on God.
Just the opposite.
After all—He did die to begin His cause. And His disciples ran and hid and when they did come out—gave their lives to advance His Kingdom.
The bottom line is this.
- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God. (John 1)
- The Word became flesh. (John 1)
- He would be crushed for our inequities, but by His wounds we ARE HEALED. (Isaiah 53)
- He would be pierced on His hands and feet and men would gamble over His clothes. (Psalm 22)
- His last words on the cross would be “it is paid in full” (John 19).
- He would return in glory to set us free and put us on a course for eternal life.
There is no escape from the harsh realities of the world.
But what would it look like if Jesus escaped them and left us to deal with hardship without a model?
For as much as God coming to die does not make sense—-think of how He drew us in by doing just that?
We can say to Him: “I reject you.”
But we won’t be able to say: “You have no idea what it’s like to live this life. Why don’t you come down and feel what this feels like!? Come and rescue me from this!”
He Does.
He Did.
He Will.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwYuKlbk6BQ
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Know anyone who might like these? Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!
Coach J
2 MINUTE WARNING 