15 October 2017 - Being Fully Present - Paul Manwaring

During his message Paul led a time of ministry on the three themes of past, present, future. He also spoke and prayed about infertility. To hear his message in full, please visit: http://kerith.church/audio/sermons/20171015_PaulManwaring.mp3


15 X 2017 - Being Fully Present [Paul Manwaring]
Paul illustrated his message by using three chairs on stage to represent the past, present & future.

The nature of the gospel is that it has a past, a present and a future.

• All of us have ‘our’ gospel, not a variation of truth but the experience of the truth of the gospel in our lives.
• The word gospel simply means good news.
• The gospel promises victory from our past, a better today and the promise of a better future.
• Everyone brings with them a past, lives in the present and dreams of the future.
• Our past contains our testimonies. But if we have regret it will cancel the power of our testimonies and we will not be present as we are living in regret.
• Our future carries our dreams and prophecies but if we live in fear we will not be present today as our minds will be worrying about the future....
• ...And if we live in doubt, comparison and shame we will not be fully present today. (i.e. we’re not even in the chair, we’re behind it!)
• The present is the only place which we can act from, we bring our testimonies into the present and they become sources of strength. We plan for and invest in our futures from the present.

Past, present, future:

• Regret gives me a past without victory or value.
• Fear gives me a future without God in it
• Shame gives me a present without me in it.

Dealing with regret.

• Philippians 3:13. Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.
• 1 Corinthians 7:10. A repentance without regret

Dealing with fear

• 1 Tim 1:18. Take the prophetic word and with it fight. (Paul’s paraphrase)
• 2 Tim 1:7. God has not given me a spirit of fear.

Dealing with shame.

• Isaiah 53:4. He bore our sorrows and our shame.
• Isaiah 61:7. Instead of shame a double portion

The greatest challenge is leading yourself. Here are four challenges:

• Believing my story. Where my authority comes from.
• Knowing me. Where my confidence comes from.
• Managing me. Where my integrity comes from.
• Leading me. Where my followers come from.

Let’s be fully present, for others and him. (Shame is destroyed by authenticity.)

• Acts 17:28. In him we live and move and have our being.
• Psalm 46:1. A very present help in time of trouble.
• Luke 4. Jesus returned to Nazareth and stood up and read. The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me. Let’s do the same. Confidence with character, not putting ourselves down or allowing others to do so.

Questions:

1. How do you view your past? (What is the past of the nation you live in?)
2. What regrets dominate your thinking and stop you from living in the present?
3. How is fear of the future stopping you from acting now and living in the present?
4. Turning away from regret or fear does not have to be a one-step process. What first steps can you take to live in the present?