Troy A. Brewer's Blog, page 183
April 25, 2021
Reset 3 – Getting the First Things Right
Reset 3 – Getting the First Things Right
Sunday, April 25, 2021
Pastor Troy Brewer, OpenDoor Church, Burleson, TX
Proverbs 16:3
Commit your works (actions) to the LORD, and your thoughts (plans) will be established
(succeed).
Better Choices For a Better Future
We may feel like our lives are tottering on the edge, but we still have the rest of our lives to
make better choices for a better future. YES? It is never too late to change, and God will honor
us as we bow low, repent, and submit to Him.
Stephen R. Covey made a mint in his amazing book, seven habits of highly effective people.
We’ll look at the first three habits today.
HABIT 1: BE PROACTIVE
Your life doesn’t just “happen.” You have choices to make so
start doing the right thing.
The Bible says, “Choose you this day whom you will serve.”
God blesses pursuit.
Better Choices For a Better Future
HABIT 2: BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND
Go after real goals and define your mission.
The Bible has so much to say about us being a people who accomplish vision. You and I were
made to accomplish vision. God literally made us to be people who create and finish things.
I am made to accomplish vision:
Every born-again believer is physically and supernaturally formed to achieve the ridiculous.
Being on vision is all about pressing forward toward the mark past excuse and circumstance.
Selfishness translates into a work ethic that can’t complete objectives and a life that can’t multi-
task or move with God on endless levels. None of that is for us.
HABIT 3: PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST
Habit 3 is about life management as well–your purpose, values, roles and priorities. What are
“first things?” First things are those things you personally find of most worth. If you put first
things first, you are organizing and managing time and events according to your personal
priorities.
FIRST THINGS
Lining up our priorities in the right place really requires help from the Lord.
THE FEAR OF THE LORD
To love what God loves and to hate what God hates
To be passionate about what He is passionate about.
To prioritize what He prioritizes.
To care about what God cares about.
Putting God’s heart first changes everything.
KING DAVID GIVES US THE SECRET TO HIS SUCCESS IN PSALMS 16:8
Psalms 16:8
I have set the LORD always before me…
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
WHEN YOU TAKE ON THE PURSUIT OF THE FEAR OF THE LORD, YOU TAKE ON THE
HEART OF A TEACHABLE PERSON AND IT MAKES YOU SMARTER IN EVERYTHING.The “fear of the Lord,” or “putting God first,” will cause one to hate evil.
Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
The fear of the Lord is not just to love what God loves, but to hate what God hates.The “fear of the Lord,” or “putting God first,” will prolong life.
Proverbs 10:27
The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened.
There are several instances where God literally adds years to peoples lives. He added 15 years
to Hezekiah’s life.The “fear of the Lord,” or “putting God first,” provides strong confidence and is a fountain of
life.
Proverbs 14:26-27
In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge. 27
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.
THERE IS CONFIDENCE IN KNOWING GOD’S HEART.
A fountain speaks of a momentum. It means you’ve turned something on you can’t turn off.
Proverbs 16:6
In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity;
And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.The “fear of the Lord,” or “putting God first,” leads to a satisfying life and spares one from
much evil.
Proverbs 19:23
The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be
visited with evil.The “fear of the Lord” or “putting God first,” is the way to riches, honor and life!
Proverbs 22:4
By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.
David was a man after God’s own heart and God made him king.
When we get the first things right, everything tends to get made right.
The first things in Christianity are not the 611 of the 613 Old Testament laws.
Jesus said if you can get the first two right, you automatically get all of the other 611 right.
Luke 10:27
So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’
WE CAN’T JUST BE A GREAT COMMISSION CHURCH.
WE MUST BE A GREAT COMMANDMENT CHURCH.
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April 24, 2021
CELEBRATED IN HEAVEN
Even if you don’t feel My love, you are surrounded by it. Your feelings lie – the heart is desperately wicked, who can know it? I know it and I know who you are. I celebrate and sing over you. Embrace your identity and hear My song!
CELEBRATED IN HEAVENThe bloodline of the Lord Jesus Christ through his mother Mary, beginning with Joseph (standing in for Mary as she is the sole heir to her family bloodline) and going back all the way to Adam – all 77 generations – is found in Luke 3:23-38. By the way, seventy-seven is the number of the Church, but that’s just the cherry on top of what I want to talk about today.
Now, Luke was not a disciple of Jesus. He was a physician, historian and believer in the early church who thoroughly researched Jesus through interviewing eyewitnesses – most likely Jesus’ own family members and maybe even Mary herself if she was still alive.
Like all of us, Luke experienced Jesus and when he did, he was overwhelmed with Jesus’ humanity. To drive this point home, Luke traces the bloodline all the way to the very first human being. In doing this, Luke not only traces Jesus back to the original covenant, he proves Mary was in the line of David through his son Nathan.
Now, Matthew 1 starts the genealogy at David and works forward to King Jesus because the book of Matthew is all about the Kingdom of Jesus. The word “kingdom” is in the book of Matthew more than anywhere else. When Matthew saw Jesus, he saw a King.
The reason I’m pointing all this out is if you go to the book of Matthew and trace the generations from David to Joseph – what’s real is, Joseph should have been the king of Israel. Mary, being in that line, also had royal blood.
Think about that for a second, because the guy who was the king in Israel – Herod – wasn’t even a Jew. He was an Edomite, a son of Esau. That’s how messed up Israel was when Jesus showed up. Nobody knows who the rightful king should be.
Nobody knows Joseph or Mary – both royalty – and they are some of the poorest folks around. If anyone in the history of mankind has been ripped off, it’s Mary and Joseph. This is my point: There are people that heaven celebrates that the world doesn’t. Jesus was born through people who only heaven celebrates.
Here’s what’s real. You are somebody that heaven celebrates. Even if the world has no idea who you are, heaven knows your name. It is so important that you and I, like Mary, line our mouths and minds up with what heaven says about us.
“Let it be as the word of the Lord has spoken unto me.” – Luke 1:38b
What has He spoken to you? This is what His Word says: You are His child, a joint heir with Jesus, a priest, a king, and an overcomer – the list is long. Listen to Him and know that heaven celebrates you.
FROM MY SERMON SERIES INDESCRIBABLE
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DEFEATING THE FLESH
Your history doesn’t define you. Your genetics do not define you. Only I define you. I call you a priest, a King, an overcomer, and a Mighty warrior. I also call you Mine. That is your true identity.
DEFEATING THE FLESHThe number six has an amazing pattern throughout the word of God and tends to represent the works of the flesh. Now, the works of the flesh have to be overcome by the grace of God. The biggest devil that you have isn’t the devil himself. The biggest devil that you have to defeat is your flesh.
People say all the time “I was born with this,” or “It runs in my family, so that is in my genes.” Oh, honey. I’m sorry to tell you, but you were born with a whole lot worse than that. Within your flesh is a rapist. You’re held responsible for not acting on your flesh and becoming a rapist.
Within your flesh are an alcoholic, a bully, a bragger, a thief, and a murderer. Within your flesh is every abominable thing you can possibly imagine, but Jesus Christ is greater than your microscopic DNA, or your gene pool.
Your identity doesn’t come from your forefathers before you. Your identity comes from Jesus Christ. He’s the one who shows up and calls you a mighty warrior on your weakest day. Just ask Gideon.
He’s the one who shows up and calls you blessed and honored. He’s the one who calls you the righteousness of God in Christ, right now. He’s not waiting for you to get your act together because His act is together and He’s got this.
And it’s not because He’s mistaken you for somebody else. It’s because you are mistaking you for somebody less. That’s your flesh at work – always telling you who you are not, how you’ll never measure up, and that you’re stuck in the shallow end of the gene pool. Your flesh is a liar just like Satan is a liar and accuser.
Jesus, the One who sang everything, including you, into existence, knows the truth about you. He calls you a bad motor-scooter. You’re something else. You’re an overcomer. Don’t let your flesh dictate your destiny. Listen to Jesus. He knows who you are even if you don’t.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name…” – John 1:12
FROM MY SERMON SERIES PRAY FOR RAIN – NEWNESS
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April 23, 2021
LIVE IT WELL
You have been set up for success. I planned great things long ago for you to do for My Kingdom. I enjoy seeing you step into those things. Keep following Me into better. Your destiny awaits!
LIVE IT WELLYour life is a really big deal and needs to be lived well. It needs to be lived in a way that reflects what the father believes your life should be.
It’s one thing for God to reveal His plan to you. It is another thing for you to conform your life to the image of God’s plan. It’s one thing for God to tell you that you’re set free and you can do amazing things. It’s another for you to act like you’re set free and start doing those amazing things.
These are two different animals. It’s one thing for God to reveal to you who you are and it’s another for you to conform your life to the image of Who God is. This is all about identity and His great big destiny for your life.
Your life is important and it needs to be lived well. You only have a small window of time, a small opportunity to actually live out and personify the heart of Jesus toward you.
You know, God is trusting you with your life. He is trusting you to discover amazing things. He’s trusting you to make an incredible difference in the lives of people who are lost and hurting.
He’s also trusting you to get past your childhood monsters, your failures, your lack of understanding on important issues in your life – like your finances and your relationships. He’s trusting you with that.
“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” – Luke 16:10
To live a life other than the one God gave you is to be dishonest, or out of alignment for your assignment. You have a unique promise and purpose that only you can do for God’s Kingdom. He built you that way. Do you know what it is? If you don’t are you going after it?
Remember, you bear the name of Christ. You are His name sake. Your destiny is always tied to Him. Ask Him to reveal it to you and see where the Spirit takes you.
FROM MY SERMON SERIES EPIC
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April 22, 2021
WHAT’S YOUR WORLDVIEW?
You have tasted and seen that I Am good. You have personally experienced My redemption, love and freedom. Share them. Make My Name yours for all the world to know Me through you.
WHAT’S YOUR WORLDVIEWAlignment is about conforming your life to Kingdom causes, Kingdom goals, and Kingdom dreams. While it sounds easy, I’ve got to make sure my worldview is Jesus’ worldview.
You need to steward your own worldview. You can’t let MTV, your political party, your race or Hollywood tell you how the world turns. You can’t be somebody who loves the things of this world.
I was watching an interview with Pastor Rick Warren a while back. The reporter asked why he is so interested in preserving the environment even though he is a Christian. Rick Warren answered that humans have a responsibility to steward the environment.
The interviewer shot back, “No more than any other species.” BOOM. He just said his worldview. He’s a pagan and his worldview is animals and people are the same.
Your worldview will determine your character and what you pay attention to. As a Christian, you need to see the world how Jesus sees the world and respond as Jesus would respond.
You and I need to steward our worldview. When I go down to Belize, it’s not for vacation. I’m going because my worldview is Jesus Christ is a rescuer and He’s anointed me to set people free.
You need to ask yourself what you really believe and why? If you believe God is good, you’ll demonstrate His goodness. If you believe He redeemed your life, you’ll do your best to redeem others. So, the question remains: What’s your worldview?
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2
FROM MY SERMON SERIES PRAY FOR RAIN – ALIGNMENT
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April 21, 2021
HEAVEN AWAITS YOUR PROPHETIC ACT
I love an open door. When you act prophetically to ignite the Holy Spirit to work on your behalf, Heaven invades earth and signs, miracles and wonders are released. Walk through the door. You have the keys and I will not close you out.
HEAVEN AWAITS YOUR FAITHFUL ACTProphetic acts are not only a powerful tool against the enemy, they build our faith in God and the reality of His promises.
Sometimes, when I don’t feel above something, I’ll stand on a chair and declare, “I am over this thing in the name of Jesus.” Then, I get down before I break my stupid neck.
I often walk around with my prayer sword and go to battle over my family, our church, or my finances. There’s nothing magical about holding onto a sword, but as a prophetic act, I’m declaring in the spirit that I’m holding onto a much more powerful sword – the Word of God. I am taking it literally that the weapons of my warfare are not carnal, but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. It’s a prophetic act.
A prophetic act can hold spiritual power for fulfillment or breakthrough when the Holy Spirit directs it. Check out 2 Kings 13:14-20. Brother Elisha, who gets no respect, is laying on his deathbed and instead of the king showing up to him and saying, “I’m so sorry that you’re dying. I bless you and I want to help you,” crazy King Joash shows up whining, crying, and vexing the brother on his deathbed.
King Joash says the northern kingdom of Israel is being attacked and Elisha tells him, “Here’s the deal. Heaven is going to respond to the way you do this, so do what I tell you to do. Take an arrow and shoot it out the east window. It is the arrow of deliverance.” Joash does it.
Then, Elisha says, “Now take a whole handful of arrows and smash them to pieces the way God is going to smash the enemy’s army to pieces.”
Limp-wristed King Joash barely smashed the arrows. The word says he “struck the ground three times and stopped.” Angry and disappointed in the king’s lack of faith in God’s power to defeat a much larger enemy, Elisha said, “Since you barely smashed the arrows, God is going to barely smash these armies.”
What brother Elisha is saying is, “Heaven is watching what we do, and with the same measure we put into it, heaven will respond.” Joash didn’t put very much into it and the word says, “Israel was invaded by that enemy in the spring.” This is the fruit of a lack of faith.
Do you believe heaven is awaiting your act of faith? Do you believe there is power in the word through declaration, proclamation and decreeing the will of God? The Word says there is. Activate it. Bring heaven to earth and defeat the enemy through the power of prophetic acts. Heaven awaits your faithful act.
“The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder. Then he shall open, and no one shall shut. And he shall shut, and no one shall open.” – Isaiah 22:22
FROM MY SERMON SERIES EPIC
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April 19, 2021
FRIEND OF GOD?
Do not confuse yourself with My angels. They are My servants. You are My beloved child and My friend. While service to others is important, My highest desire is for you to experience My presence through giving My love to others as you serve. Come up higher, friend.
FRIEND OF GOD?There’s a big difference between being servants and friends. That’s the difference between Martha and Mary. Martha was okay with being the servant of God, but Mary upgraded to being the friend of God.
If you’re not careful, your focus on task and achievement will interfere with the secret place. That was Martha’s problem. It’s easy to be a Martha and get lost in getting things done, even in serving, and forget to love on the people you’re serving.
There’s been a horrible thing people have done throughout the centuries with servants and slaves. Slavers almost always molest their slaves. Well, God doesn’t do that to His servants. God is not intimate with His servants and the Bible even says so.
“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” – John 15:15
Yes, we’re servants of the Lord, but we don’t serve Him from a lowly place. We serve Him as kings and priests. Jesus is the greatest servant of all and He owns everything. Not only does Jesus own everything, He shares His inheritance with us. You and I as believers are joint heirs with Jesus.
When Martha was serving the Lord at her house, she was not His slave. She cooked and cleaned out of love. Her sister, Mary, may not have been cooking and cleaning, but she served the Lord in a different, more intimate way. She spent time with Him. She sat at His feet. She listened to His words and talked with Him.
That, my friends, is upgrade. She chose to do more than wait on the Lord’s physical needs, which is great, don’t get me wrong. It’s going after His heart that matters. That’s what Mary did. So, are you a Mary or a Martha? Do you find yourself doing or do you want to closely experience the presence of the Lord?
Today, I double-dog dare you to go after the heart of the King. Serve someone and love on them while you do it. When you do, the Word says you’re doing it as unto Jesus Himself. That’s friendship!
FROM MY SERMON SERIES PRAY FOR RAIN – INTIMACY
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THE GIFT OF FREE WILL
I could control everything. I Am that I Am. However, I want you as a partner. I want your cooperation, willingly. I have given you the gift of free will. Love requires freedom.
THE GIFT OF FREE WILLThere is the will of God that is fixed and permanent, and there is the will of God in which we play a part. You need to understand how this works.
A good example of a sure thing is this: Jesus is coming back and you ain’t gonna stop Him. He’s coming back. You can believe, you can not believe; it doesn’t matter. Jesus is coming back.
Then there’s also the will of God – His heart’s desire being carried out. It’s about His plan for your life being carried out. There are tons of variables in that – tons. There are issues of faith, issues of warfare, knowing the Word of God, praise and worship as a weapon – this is just the start.
There are environments to avoid, the power of declaring and decreeing, and the power of binding and loosing. There’s being connected and in partnership with the right people, and there are principles of pulling down and casting down. There’s also the name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, the word of your testimony and the blood of the Lamb.
When it comes to finding your identity, going after your Kingdom purpose and destiny, there is all kinds of stuff involved in the process depending upon our willingness to cooperate with God. It’s all about being sold out to His heart being revealed in any situation.
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” – Deuteronomy 30:19
You have been given a choice to live as you see fit or to chase after God’s dream for your life – the plan He had for you since the beginning of time. It’s not easy. Better is never easier, but it is better. The easy way is not always the right way. In fact, it rarely ever is.
FROM MY SERMON SERIES BEGAT
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April 18, 2021
Reset 2 – The Little Things
Sunday, April 18, 2021
Reset 2 – The Little Things
Pastor Troy Brewer, OpenDoor Church, Burleson, TX
There are two things a real encounter with God will do.
It will both humble you and empower you at the same time.
We are going to reset into humility today.
The famous French writer Voltaire often spent his ink expressing his contempt and hatred for
God, God’s people and God’s Word. When he so arrogantly wrote that his words and
philosophies would be more relevant than the word of God, God knew how to handle that.
About 200 years ago this genius wrote this prediction from his library in Paris:
“I will go through the forest of scriptures and girdle all the tress so that in 100 years Christianity
will be but a vanishing memory.”
A few years after his death, that same library was purchased by the British and Foreign Bible
Society. Ironically, his library was filled from the floor to the ceiling with thousands of copies of
the Bible he hated.
You’re never going to be more “anything” than God.
When the makers of the titanic declared their ship was more durable than God, he turned their
glory into shame and made the unsinkable ship unsaveable.
When John Lennon declared the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, within six
months of that statement the Broadway smash hit “Jesus Christ Superstar” was on the cover of
Time Magazine.
God’s not going to let you be more than him. In fact, it’s inevitable that God is going to be
declared to be more than everybody by everybody
Philippians 2:9-11
God also hath highly exalted the name of Jesus and given him a name above all names 10 That
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.
See, it’s inevitable that everybody is going to openly admit God is bigger than them, but its
better to get in on that now!
Colossians 1:18 defines what it means to be a true part of the body of Christ.
Colossians 1:18
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he might have the preeminence
What do you have to do to be a part of Kingdom of Jesus forever and ever?
You need to be married to Him. You’ve got to be His bride.
What do you have to do to be His bride? You need to be one with His body.
What do you have to do to be one with His body? You have to make Christ the head.
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April 17, 2021
WHAT BREAKS YOUR HEART?
I Am not a God who is a far off. I hear your cries in the night. Look to Me. Your deliverance has been bought with the precious blood of My Son. All is made available to you through Him. Believe and receive.
WHAT BREAKS YOUR HEART?I’m a tremendous abolitionist. I think slavery is one of the most horrible things that can happen to a human being. I hate slavery. Slavery is a huge theme for me and I don’t know why just that when I got redeemed God gave me a hatred for slavery.
I’m a son of the South. I love the South and I will not apologize for it, but I’m also not going to apologize for hating the atrocities of slavery that happened in the South. We need to have a holy hatred toward that.
Listen, God Almighty literally split this nation into pieces over the issue of slavery, He literally rescued a people group that were not indigenous to the nation He was splitting. I’ve never seen God Almighty do that in any other nation in the whole world except for right here. Why?
I believe it’s because those slaves got saved and started crying out to God. They started looking to the mountain from whence cometh their help and God Almighty showed up and saved those people.
God hates for men and women to be in any kind of bondage. The children of Israel were slaves in Egypt when God called Moses:
“Now, therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I also see the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” – Exodus 3:9-10
Just as God heard their cries, He hears the cries of all those who are in slavery today. We are called to partner with Jesus to preach the good news of the Kingdom and set slaves free. Is this not why Jesus came?
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed…” – Isaiah 61:1
Will you let your heart be broken for the slave? The Lord Jesus has given you His Holy Spirit so you can partner with Him in power to see His kingdom come and His will be done. May your heart’s cry this day be, “Here I am Lord, use me and fill me. I am your servant!’
FROM MY SERMON SERIES SERVOLUTION
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