The Power and Principle of Partnership Part 2
Wednesday, march 4, 2020
PASTOR TROY BREWER, OPENDOOR CHURCH, BURLESON, TX
Psalms 139:5 – You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.Psalms 139:5 – You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.
The History of CreationGenesis 1:1 – In the beginning (Time) God created the heavens (Space) and the earth (Matter)
31,102 verses in the Bible ⦁ EVERYTHING IN THE REALM OF CREATION FALLS INTO THE MODEL OF TIME, SPACE AND MATTER. Time, space and matter are in continuum meaning you can’t separate them. If you get rid of one, you have to get rid of the other two. If you introduce one, you have to introduce the other two. ⦁ “Time is God’s way of keeping everything from happening at Once.”⦁ Space is God’s way of keeping everything from being in the same place. ⦁ Matter is God’s way of keeping everything from being the same thing.
Why? Because He wants a process. He wants things to be worked out. He wants things to be developed. Why? Because He wants relationship.
EVERYTHING IN THE KINGDOM IS DESIGNED TO BE RELATIONAL BECAUSE THE CREATOR DESIRES RELATIONSHIP.
Genesis 1:2 – The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
THIS IS HUGE AND A MAJOR FUNDAMENTAL PREMISE OF UNDERSTANDING THE PRIORITY AND PRINCIPLE OF PARTNERSHIP.
When God created the world, all the worlds, *As of 13 February 2020, there are 4,126 confirmed exoplanets, the majority of which were discovered by the Kepler space telescope.Everything in time, space and matter – He created it in a state that was a long way from being finished. It was not fully developed or filled in with the stuff that would demonstrate how awesome He was and what He had for us. * It was without form and void. * Darkness was on the face of the deep. (The vast majority of what God was going to do was hidden and would not be unveiled for a long time after multiple stages of revelation, manifestation and continued creation and development. * The Spirit of the Lord hovered above the waters. God’s presence was over this unfinished creation, but He was not fully engaged in it. He had started something and the Word hovering here is brooding like when a mama hen broods over her unhatched eggs.
As we come to back to the story of creation, we find a remarkable truth: God not only created humankind to be his creatures, but also to be his partners in the creative process of causing the world to flourish or to go to the next level. In Genesis chapter one, we find a summary of the six days of creation. In chapter two, we find a little more detail about day six. After describing the creation of the man and the garden (vv. 7-14), verse 15 says,
Genesis 2:15 – Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden (walled or guarded place) of Eden to tend and keep it.“Cultivate and protect it as a steward.”
HEBREW WORD FOR TEND IS “ABAD” WHICH MEANS “TO TAKE GODLY DELIGHT IN WORK” WORD FOR “KEEP” IN HEBREW IS “SHAMAR” WHICH MEANS “HEDGE WITH THORNS” HERE IN TEXAS THAT WOULD BE A BARB WIRE FENCE.
Definition of cultivate:1. to prepare or prepare and use for the raising of crops2. to foster the growth of something (cultivate vegetables,cultivate coffee)3. to improve by labor, care, or study; to fully develop by management
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate, manage, possess and improve it, and to fully develop it.
The idea is that, in relationship with God, Adam would fully develop into the man God had created Him to be. He would improve in His wisdom, favor and stature. ( Luke 2:52 )He would develop in His abilities, gifts and skill sets. He would bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit (John 15:8).
God created the universe so we do not have dominion to be self-sustaining.God created the “garden” or “Promised Land” He trusted you with to require you to cultivate and keep it.
He created humans to “work” the garden and to “take care” of the garden with the idea of making it flourish.
Verse 5 sheds an interesting light on this:
Genesis 2:5-7 – …before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (living soul).
You’ve got wet places and dry places. Adam was formed out of the self-sustaining wet places where the mist of God watered the ground. He was formed out of the dry places that needed somebody to cultivate. God places His Spirit and His life in that man so he would be more like Him rather than the place where he stood. And God began to introduce Adam to the world, Himself to Adam and it was good!
Adam grew in relationship with God and it was good. He took on the responsibility of cultivating and protecting things things within the Garden.
God brought him the things he wanted.
Genesis 2:19-20 – Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field.
He had no idea he needed, wanted and desired and would be fulfilled with a woman until God brought her to him.
“It was Good”14 times in Genesis 1-3778 times throughout Scripture
It was not perfect. It was good. Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
“PARTNERSHIP”Fellowship in fulfillment of accomplishing vision
The Compassion of JesusMatthew 9:35-38 – Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
GOD IS SEEKING AND SENDING CO LABORERS OR PARTNERS Ezekiel 22:30 – So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.
John 4:23 – “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
Notice the shift in categories. The woman wants to know what she can do: “Where is the right place to offer a sacrifice?” But Jesus answers in terms of what God wants her to become!
God is looking for people who will worship him “in spirit and in truth.” What does that mean? To worship “in spirit” means to worship from the heart—to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; to find your joy, your hope and your peace in him. To worship “in truth” means to worship through the one true way of access to God (through Jesus himself). He said, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). It is through Him that you become the kind of worshipper the Father seeks.
True worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
Here is a great definition of worship from William Temple: “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God… the quickening of conscience by his holiness; the nourishment of mind with his truth; the purifying of imagination by his beauty; the opening of the heart to his love; the surrender of will to his purpose.” – William Temple
True partnership with God means observing, learning and doing the will of God.His character, His design, His almighty direction, His word, His covenant
The will of God is sent out in two categories1. The Decree of God (His sovereign purpose) THESE CANNOT BE BROKEN & WILL HAPPEN NO MATTER WHAT
2. The Command of God (His heart, His desire or His wish) THESE CAN BE BROKEN AND NEVER HAPPEN
If you are abused as a child you can confidently say it is not the will of God.
If you know somebody who is in Jail or wrapped up in pornography or addiction you can say It is not the will of God. It is Gods will that I partner with Him or co labor with Him to
Luke 4 :18-19“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,Because He has anointed MeTo preach the gospel to the poor;He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,To proclaim liberty to the captivesAnd recovery of sight to the blind,To set at liberty those who are oppressed;To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
TRUE PARTNERSHIP WITH GOD IS THE ROLE OF THE BRIDE OF CHRIST.
The bride is created for the fulfillment of the the life of the husband
The bride is created to be helper or a helpmeet for the husband
The bride is created to build the house with her hands
The bride is created for intimate fellowship
The bride is created to receive the name and the inheritance and the authority of her husband
The bride is created to carry the baby of the husband to deliver the baby and to help in the nurturing development of the child
Romans 15:7 (The Passion Translation) – You will bring God glory when you accept and welcome one another as partners, just as the Anointed One has fully accepted you and received you as his partner.
2 Corinthians 2:14 (The Passion Translation) – God always makes his grace visible in Christ, who includes us as partners of his endless triumph. Through our yielded lives he spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere we go.