Pastor Tilewa Emmanuel - The Ancient Landmarks

 It's a privilege to be able to share God's word. God's word is light and it's entrance illuminate our souls

So tonight our theme is very beautiful and before i go into it I must explain that as believers the scriptures is our guide

 Paul told Timothy, that

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

It means that our lives as believers is built on the word of God

1 Peter 1:23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

Peter also says the same thing

Our attention and live must never deviate from the scriptures

We must read and obey it's teachings

This moves me into prov 22:28

Which bring a key teaching to us

 Proverbs 22:28 Do not remove the ancient landmark Which your fathers have set.

This was from solomon and his admonition was to anyone who would read his scrolls of wisdom

 We all know solomon had received wisdom from God. And he was speaking in the light of that godly wisdom. It means that one of the things that defined solomon success as a ruler of the people was that he made sure that the ancient landmarks were never taken away

 When solomon first became a king

He made sure that the same way they serve God is how they continued, did we also notice that, there were not so many times that God spoke to Solomon directly, unlike his father

 This means that solomon actually watched his father, looked at the pattern of service his father used and followed the same template

He made sure that the definition of the landmarks was purposeful in causing his own kingdom to succeed

Like somebody i know would always say. Never change what works

For us, the ancient landmarks would of course not be referring to building a temple or killing goats in sacrifice

But let me tell you what it applies to instead

It applies to following God's instructions

 When we talk about ancient landmarks, it is ancient landmatks to us. But for the patriarchs who followed them, they were simply following God's instrcutions for their life

It then inclines us to see that in following God's instructions for our lives, we are not just making our life count, but we are setting up a lesson. A teaching,  a plan that God can use as a system to train another generation.

 If you look closely at hebrews 11, the writer spoke about the fathers of faith and he mention their deeds

 Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares [us,] and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of [our] faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The cloud of witnesses are those who followed God's instructions with all of their hearts

: Ancient landmarks are simply examples of men who simply followed God's direction for their lives

This is why God's plan will never fit into the myopic lenses of man's eyes. The continuation of his instructions, is not just for the present, but for a system that continues until every crevice of the earth is taken up with his knowledge

Our amazing preachers already spoke about being saved and being sent, And that is so important here

You see your salvation is not a front for your live to be good or godly alone

It is God transformation agenda for mankind, and it thrives in continuation

You are not saved to make heaven alone, you are saved to be saved

As we look unto the great cloud of witnessess, we must also strive to become phyiscal emblems of witnesses that will challenge our generation to live for God

And this will only happen to the extent to which you are consecrated to God's will for your live

So as we are looking at ancient landmarks, we must also strive to become a part of a system that God can use to continue his work. 

We achieve this by partnering with Him

The goals of God as it pertains to ancient landmark is for them to form modern landmarks that will positively impact the lives of people

Therefore, there is no landmark without christ, no continuation without him

 We must not deviate for that original intent, which is to be a man in christ

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things [are] of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

God reconciled us to the first landmark, transforms us to become that landmark and help other become that landmark by them looking at our lives

There is nothing like a life yielded to God

God will do amazing things with such life

 See, Wanting to be immortal is not wrong, as long as it is consistent with God's model of continous example. A profiting life that spurs others to become like God

 Selfishness is never the order of being  a landmark, that is why it is people that admire a landmark, not a landmark admiring itself 

A landmark does not exist to admire or serve itself. It's purpose is to point people in a direction that is all about the purpose of its creation and or its creator

So you'd go to a landmark and see something about the creator of the landmark. So also, men must see you and see something about God

So there is no short cut,

we must also become such examples, such evidence

A life soak in the immortality of the blood that christ has paid, such that as we behold in the mirror and become like the word of life, men see in and through us, the essence of who, what and how the natire of God transforms their life

 To attain this, we must 

Study: God's landmarks are defined in the scriptures. We must never go outside to define his instructions (Remember 2 tim 3:16)

 Pray: God on the earth, Jesus, prayed earnestly. It shows that if God will do anything through a man, he will do it through a man that prays

Hebrews 5:7 [ who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,

 See the kind of prayer that God in flesh prayed

the importance of spiritual parenthood

When Hebrews talks about cloud of witnesses, he was speaking of those who have live a yielded life

In our time, the beautiful thing is that we have them all around us. So take advantage of the opportunity. Never be too proud to submit under someone

Never be too pompous to be admonished. A man that cannot be corrected, is heading for destruction

There is nothing like God's instruction coupled with a live consecrated to God

That live would not only be a landmark, it will produce man landmarks for God Till the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the lord, as waters over the see

 Finally, i pray that the God of all peace guard our hearts and make us landmarks that later generations will refer to, just as we refer to papa hagin, a.a allen, Kathryn Kulman and many other landmarks that have passed through this earth. I pray God blesses us all with capacity for more, in expansion of His kingdom in Jesus name