A sermon by Ps. Ronald Politton on August 13, 2017
Romans 5:8
Being proactive means acting in anticipation of future needs or changes. Being proactive also means controlling the situation by making things happen or preparing for possible future problems. It is important for us to position ourselves in the right place so that we can respond to any anticipated outcome.
1 Peter 1:3
Jesus was being proactive to save us; our Hope is proactive.
- Put your hope in the Lord (Psalms 130:7)
When we fall, the only place where we can go is up, to reach to God. All that we have are temporary things; we cannot put our hope there. David realized that he could only put his hope in God. Let’s put our hope in the Lord.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
When our hope is the Lord, God’s promises on Jeremiah 17:8 will be ours. And, when we are blessed, not only we enjoy it for personal gain, other people around us will be blessed. The key is to put our hope in the Lord.
- Call upon the name of the Lord (Proverbs 18:10; Romans 10:13)
Man-made forts and strongholds are penetrable. The name of Jesus, however, is the strong tower because His name was made name above all names (Philippians 2:9). As believers, we need to realize the power and authority of the Lord who is with us. When we pray in the name of Jesus, we are releasing the power that makes every living thing bows down before Him. Our hope is proactive; call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.
- Act on the Words of God (2 Corinthians 1:20)
Despite the promise that had been given to Him, Abraham was faced with impossibility. Noah built an ark without prior knowledge of what an ark was. Abraham and Noah did what God asked them to do. They may not have the full understanding of why they were doing it, but they were faithful to His instructions. You might be in an uncertain situation at this time. Continue to follow His Words and act on the Words of God. His Words is a lamp unto our feet. We may not know what our future holds but what we need to do is be faithful and follow Him. It is not by our strength but by His Words.
- Rejoice! (Habakkuk 3:17-19; Philippians 4:4)
We should not let our feeling or action be controlled by what happens to us or around us. If we’re experiencing an unfortunate situation, though we might not be happy, we can still be joyful. Our happiness may depend on our feeling but our joy depends on the Lord. If we focus on what happen to you or around you, you will get easily discouraged. But, when we decide to praise the Lord and be joyful in Him, we are switching our focus from our problems to our God who is bigger than our problems. When we make a decision to rejoice and praise Him, we will receive Hope. That’s how we become proactive in our hope!
- Go! (Matthew 16:18)
As the church of Christ, we are empowered to fulfill God’s calling. God’s calling is not for you to be good or rich or satisfied or blessed. God’s calling is for you to go and make disciples of other people for His glory. When we do God’s mission, God will provide for all of our needs. Don’t focus on praying for your needs; focus on seeking and fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives. God calls us to become ecclesia who is called to go out to the world. Not only we come and attend church, we need to be the churches for others to experience God. This is the time for the church of God to become an answer for this world. We have been given the true Hope. Go and become hope.
Put your hope in the Lord, call upon the name of the Lord, act on the Word of God, rejoice, and go out to the world to fulfill His purpose.