Sermon Title: The Call To Remain In His Story
7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.
8 And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai,
where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” (Genesis 16:7-9a)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
“Where have you come from, and where are you going?”
With these two key questions, our Omniscient “All-Knowing” Lord is saying to Hagar, “Instead of running away from your problems and returning to your old life in Egypt, Remain In My Story. “Go back to your mistress and submit to her” (Genesis 16:9a); and I will “increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” (Genesis 16:9b)”
To this, Hagar obeyed the Lord and submitted to Sarai; she remained in God’s Story - submitting to His Sovereign Will - and for that, she was blessed with the divine guarantee of the continued existence and innumerable increase of her descendants.
Every Christian is called to remain in God’s Story; and in so doing, live firmly in His Sovereign Will.
Just as Hagar chose to reject Egypt and gave up everything that was familiar and important to her, every Christian must reject the carnal will, along with every self-serving desire, and intentionally choose to remain in God’s Story.
How may we know for certain if we are indeed remaining in God’s Story; and more significantly, living in His Holy Will and Favor?
Different genres of stories contain different features or markers that make the story consistent with its genre.
Likewise, God’s Story - that began with the Creation of the Universe - contains key markers that help us know if we are truly living within His Divine Story of Love, Salvation, and Restoration.
To this, we must be deeply familiar with the markers of God’s Story and ensure that our lives are filled with them.
What are the key markers of His Story?
There are three categories of key markers of God’s Story – 'Commitment' Markers, 'Character' Markers and 'Celebration' Markers.
‘Commitment’ Markers
Committed to Christ and to a life of Spirit and Gospel fruitfulness
Our Lord Jesus commands us in John 15:4-12:
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches.
If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
To be utterly committed to Christ and to be fruitful in Spirit and Gospel fruitfulness - is the foundational commitment marker that sets the Christian absolutely apart from the rest of the world.
We must not only be committed to our Lord Jesus Christ, we must be committed to bearing the Spirit’s fruit of “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23); and to bearing the fruits of the Gospel by consistently and conscientiously making “disciples of all nations”. (Ref: Matthew 28:19-20)
To be committed to remain in Christ is to be committed to living in His Love, Joy, Word and obeying His chief Command to love one another; through which we become fruitful, disciple-making disciples as members of His Body.
Committed to Christ and to His Body
To being committed to the Body of Christ, the Apostle Paul speaks clearly to this marker in Philippians 1:21-24:
“21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose?
I do not know!
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.”
To live is, indeed, Christ – because we are the body of Christ, and each of us is a part of it. (Ref: 1 Corinthians 12:27)
Paul continues to elucidate:
“And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.” (1 Corinthians 12:28)
To remain in God’s Story is to remain in Christ and in His body – fully recognizing and being fully committed to daily, manifesting the roles and gifts that the Holy Spirit empowers us, in order that we become witnesses for our Lord Jesus Christ – fruitful in the Spirit and in making disciples of all nations. (Ref: Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8)
Committed to Christ and to preaching His Gospel in His Name
Our Lord Jesus commands us in Mark 16:15-18:
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
To be committed to Christ is to preach the Gospel in the utter faith that in His Name, you are: to “drive out demons”, to “speak in new tongues”, protected from the works of the evil one, and to place your “hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
This commitment to preach His Gospel in anticipation that these supernatural signs will accompany you is a fundamental ‘commitment’ marker that assures us that we are firmly entrenched in God’s Story.
There must be no doubt that these miraculous signs must be integral in the life of a true Christian; for this is exactly how every Apostle of Christ lived.
‘Character’ Markers
The evidence of a life committed to Christ is ‘Christ-likeness’ empowered solely by the Holy Spirit.
To be Christ-like is to “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” in our “relationships with one another” (Philippians 2:5); and is the key ‘character’ marker of those who remain resolutely in God’s Story and Sovereign Will.
The Apostle Paul paints, yet again, an intimate portrait of the true Christian whose character in imbued with Christ’s heart of humility (Ref: Philippians 2:3-4), joy, gentleness, utter faith in the Heavenly Father, thanksgiving unto God, and peace “which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:4-7, also Ref: Galatians 5:22-23)
“The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:5)
Along with these character markers of divine joy, gentleness, faith, thanksgiving and peace, Paul revealed another important character marker with his extraordinary longing for Christ’s Return.
Every true Christian who works alongside our Lord intimately knows that the motivation of our lives of service unto God is both His Present Presence (Ref: Mark 16:20) through the Holy Spirit and the glorious hope of His Physical Return. (Ref: Titus 2:13)
The Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ref: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) – which heralds the ultimate in-breaking of His Eternal Kingdom (Ref: Revelation 22) - is unquestionably the climax of God’s Story; and the ‘character’ marker in the Christian’s life must be the same supernatural reality of His Presence and deepest longing for His Return just as Paul exemplified.
In fact, our humility, joy, peace, utter faith and obedience to the Lord and His Commands finds substance in our conscious acknowledgement of Christ’s Presence in our lives today; and conscientious yearning for His Second Coming.
Indeed, Christ has died; Christ has risen; and Christ will come again!
‘Celebration’ Markers
And that is what, and why, we celebrate every Sunday as a Church – the reality that Christ our Saviour has conquered death and risen from the grave; and for that, we have been redeemed!
Sunday became the designated the day of Rest and Worship by the early church based on the tradition that Christ resurrected and revealed Himself to the Apostles on this day.
The earliest disciples celebrated the Lord’s Resurrection in corporate worship through devotion “to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Ref: Acts 2:42-47)
This is the day that we ‘set apart’ from the rest of the week by “keeping it holy” unto the Lord (Exodus 20:8); and on this sacred day, we come before God in corporate repentance and reverence for His Love and Salvation through Christ; and resolute undertaking of the Great Commission together.
Our active participation in corporate worship on Sundays, devotion to service in Christian ministry, along with the sacraments of Water Baptism (Ref: Acts 2:38, 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21-22), Spirit Baptism (Ref: Acts 2:1-4), and the Lord’s Supper (Ref: Matthew 26:26-28, 1 Corinthians 11:23-29) are key ‘celebration’ markers of God’s Story.
Through participating in these sacred celebrations of corporate worship and the sacraments of water baptism – symbolising God’s forgiveness of our sin through Christ; baptism in the Holy Spirit – actualising our lives in Christ, and empowering us to be His Holy Witnesses; and the Lord’s Supper – in remembrance of His redemption and coming restoration unto His eternal Kingdom, we become firmly established in God’s Story and Sovereign Will as we look forward to the return of our King and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Know that our Lord does not desire that we live in uncertainty regarding His Will for our lives; which is why we must know the markers of His Story well, and resolve to live out the ‘commitment’, ‘character’ and ‘celebration’ markers that become clear evidence that we are indeed, remaining in His Story.
Our Lord Jesus divinely reveals to us in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
We are never meant to walk in darkness; but intended by our Lord to receive the light of life.
Today, hear the Lord asking you, as He did Hagar, “Where have you come from, and where are you going?”;
Choose to follow Christ; choose to remain in God’s Story; and in so doing, live firmly in His Sovereign Will.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Lord, thank You for Your divine questions that are meant to shape, align and establish my life firmly in Your Story, and in Your Sovereign Will.
“Where have you come from, and where are you going?”
Lord, may I never reject Your Will, nor run away from You; and return to my old life of sin and shame.
Grant me courage, strength and wisdom to wholly obey You and submit to Your Will; and receive new life in Christ!
In Jesus’ Name, I reject and cast away every carnal will, along with every self-serving desire; that I may be baptised in the Holy Spirit and choose daily to remain in Your Story.
Holy Spirit, help me internalise and manifest the Commitment, Character and Celebration markers in my life that are integral in living in Your Holy Will.
Grant that in all my ways, that I will be like my Christ; remaining in Him and living for Him all the days of my life!
Lord Jesus, I remember Your Word in Matthew 4:4, “‘Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
I confess my sin of trusting in the ‘bread’ of this world; and profess that I will only rely and trust every word that comes from You; for – in You - I am headed towards eternal life in Your Coming Kingdom.
I remember too Your inspired word upon the Apostle Paul when he taught us in Ephesians 5:18-20, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.”
I confess my sin of drunkenness on the things of this world; and of debauchery; and profess that I will daily seek to be filled solely with the Holy Spirit; and through the Spirit’s Power and Gifts live the supernatural, Christ-life filled with miracles that are Your Promised signs following every true believer.
Grant that my heart remains utterly committed to Your Love, Service and to the divine anticipation that Lord Jesus, You are indeed coming soon!
I declare that my life is surrendered wholly unto You, Lord Jesus; grant that I may follow You now and forevermore.
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.
8 And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai,
where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” (Genesis 16:7-9a)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
“Where have you come from, and where are you going?”
With these two key questions, our Omniscient “All-Knowing” Lord is saying to Hagar, “Instead of running away from your problems and returning to your old life in Egypt, Remain In My Story. “Go back to your mistress and submit to her” (Genesis 16:9a); and I will “increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” (Genesis 16:9b)”
To this, Hagar obeyed the Lord and submitted to Sarai; she remained in God’s Story - submitting to His Sovereign Will - and for that, she was blessed with the divine guarantee of the continued existence and innumerable increase of her descendants.
Every Christian is called to remain in God’s Story; and in so doing, live firmly in His Sovereign Will.
Just as Hagar chose to reject Egypt and gave up everything that was familiar and important to her, every Christian must reject the carnal will, along with every self-serving desire, and intentionally choose to remain in God’s Story.
How may we know for certain if we are indeed remaining in God’s Story; and more significantly, living in His Holy Will and Favor?
Different genres of stories contain different features or markers that make the story consistent with its genre.
Likewise, God’s Story - that began with the Creation of the Universe - contains key markers that help us know if we are truly living within His Divine Story of Love, Salvation, and Restoration.
To this, we must be deeply familiar with the markers of God’s Story and ensure that our lives are filled with them.
What are the key markers of His Story?
There are three categories of key markers of God’s Story – 'Commitment' Markers, 'Character' Markers and 'Celebration' Markers.
‘Commitment’ Markers
Committed to Christ and to a life of Spirit and Gospel fruitfulness
Our Lord Jesus commands us in John 15:4-12:
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches.
If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
To be utterly committed to Christ and to be fruitful in Spirit and Gospel fruitfulness - is the foundational commitment marker that sets the Christian absolutely apart from the rest of the world.
We must not only be committed to our Lord Jesus Christ, we must be committed to bearing the Spirit’s fruit of “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23); and to bearing the fruits of the Gospel by consistently and conscientiously making “disciples of all nations”. (Ref: Matthew 28:19-20)
To be committed to remain in Christ is to be committed to living in His Love, Joy, Word and obeying His chief Command to love one another; through which we become fruitful, disciple-making disciples as members of His Body.
Committed to Christ and to His Body
To being committed to the Body of Christ, the Apostle Paul speaks clearly to this marker in Philippians 1:21-24:
“21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose?
I do not know!
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.”
To live is, indeed, Christ – because we are the body of Christ, and each of us is a part of it. (Ref: 1 Corinthians 12:27)
Paul continues to elucidate:
“And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.” (1 Corinthians 12:28)
To remain in God’s Story is to remain in Christ and in His body – fully recognizing and being fully committed to daily, manifesting the roles and gifts that the Holy Spirit empowers us, in order that we become witnesses for our Lord Jesus Christ – fruitful in the Spirit and in making disciples of all nations. (Ref: Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8)
Committed to Christ and to preaching His Gospel in His Name
Our Lord Jesus commands us in Mark 16:15-18:
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
To be committed to Christ is to preach the Gospel in the utter faith that in His Name, you are: to “drive out demons”, to “speak in new tongues”, protected from the works of the evil one, and to place your “hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
This commitment to preach His Gospel in anticipation that these supernatural signs will accompany you is a fundamental ‘commitment’ marker that assures us that we are firmly entrenched in God’s Story.
There must be no doubt that these miraculous signs must be integral in the life of a true Christian; for this is exactly how every Apostle of Christ lived.
‘Character’ Markers
The evidence of a life committed to Christ is ‘Christ-likeness’ empowered solely by the Holy Spirit.
To be Christ-like is to “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” in our “relationships with one another” (Philippians 2:5); and is the key ‘character’ marker of those who remain resolutely in God’s Story and Sovereign Will.
The Apostle Paul paints, yet again, an intimate portrait of the true Christian whose character in imbued with Christ’s heart of humility (Ref: Philippians 2:3-4), joy, gentleness, utter faith in the Heavenly Father, thanksgiving unto God, and peace “which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:4-7, also Ref: Galatians 5:22-23)
“The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:5)
Along with these character markers of divine joy, gentleness, faith, thanksgiving and peace, Paul revealed another important character marker with his extraordinary longing for Christ’s Return.
Every true Christian who works alongside our Lord intimately knows that the motivation of our lives of service unto God is both His Present Presence (Ref: Mark 16:20) through the Holy Spirit and the glorious hope of His Physical Return. (Ref: Titus 2:13)
The Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ref: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) – which heralds the ultimate in-breaking of His Eternal Kingdom (Ref: Revelation 22) - is unquestionably the climax of God’s Story; and the ‘character’ marker in the Christian’s life must be the same supernatural reality of His Presence and deepest longing for His Return just as Paul exemplified.
In fact, our humility, joy, peace, utter faith and obedience to the Lord and His Commands finds substance in our conscious acknowledgement of Christ’s Presence in our lives today; and conscientious yearning for His Second Coming.
Indeed, Christ has died; Christ has risen; and Christ will come again!
‘Celebration’ Markers
And that is what, and why, we celebrate every Sunday as a Church – the reality that Christ our Saviour has conquered death and risen from the grave; and for that, we have been redeemed!
Sunday became the designated the day of Rest and Worship by the early church based on the tradition that Christ resurrected and revealed Himself to the Apostles on this day.
The earliest disciples celebrated the Lord’s Resurrection in corporate worship through devotion “to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Ref: Acts 2:42-47)
This is the day that we ‘set apart’ from the rest of the week by “keeping it holy” unto the Lord (Exodus 20:8); and on this sacred day, we come before God in corporate repentance and reverence for His Love and Salvation through Christ; and resolute undertaking of the Great Commission together.
Our active participation in corporate worship on Sundays, devotion to service in Christian ministry, along with the sacraments of Water Baptism (Ref: Acts 2:38, 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21-22), Spirit Baptism (Ref: Acts 2:1-4), and the Lord’s Supper (Ref: Matthew 26:26-28, 1 Corinthians 11:23-29) are key ‘celebration’ markers of God’s Story.
Through participating in these sacred celebrations of corporate worship and the sacraments of water baptism – symbolising God’s forgiveness of our sin through Christ; baptism in the Holy Spirit – actualising our lives in Christ, and empowering us to be His Holy Witnesses; and the Lord’s Supper – in remembrance of His redemption and coming restoration unto His eternal Kingdom, we become firmly established in God’s Story and Sovereign Will as we look forward to the return of our King and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Know that our Lord does not desire that we live in uncertainty regarding His Will for our lives; which is why we must know the markers of His Story well, and resolve to live out the ‘commitment’, ‘character’ and ‘celebration’ markers that become clear evidence that we are indeed, remaining in His Story.
Our Lord Jesus divinely reveals to us in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
We are never meant to walk in darkness; but intended by our Lord to receive the light of life.
Today, hear the Lord asking you, as He did Hagar, “Where have you come from, and where are you going?”;
Choose to follow Christ; choose to remain in God’s Story; and in so doing, live firmly in His Sovereign Will.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Lord, thank You for Your divine questions that are meant to shape, align and establish my life firmly in Your Story, and in Your Sovereign Will.
“Where have you come from, and where are you going?”
Lord, may I never reject Your Will, nor run away from You; and return to my old life of sin and shame.
Grant me courage, strength and wisdom to wholly obey You and submit to Your Will; and receive new life in Christ!
In Jesus’ Name, I reject and cast away every carnal will, along with every self-serving desire; that I may be baptised in the Holy Spirit and choose daily to remain in Your Story.
Holy Spirit, help me internalise and manifest the Commitment, Character and Celebration markers in my life that are integral in living in Your Holy Will.
Grant that in all my ways, that I will be like my Christ; remaining in Him and living for Him all the days of my life!
Lord Jesus, I remember Your Word in Matthew 4:4, “‘Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
I confess my sin of trusting in the ‘bread’ of this world; and profess that I will only rely and trust every word that comes from You; for – in You - I am headed towards eternal life in Your Coming Kingdom.
I remember too Your inspired word upon the Apostle Paul when he taught us in Ephesians 5:18-20, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.”
I confess my sin of drunkenness on the things of this world; and of debauchery; and profess that I will daily seek to be filled solely with the Holy Spirit; and through the Spirit’s Power and Gifts live the supernatural, Christ-life filled with miracles that are Your Promised signs following every true believer.
Grant that my heart remains utterly committed to Your Love, Service and to the divine anticipation that Lord Jesus, You are indeed coming soon!
I declare that my life is surrendered wholly unto You, Lord Jesus; grant that I may follow You now and forevermore.
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.