Lecture Notes

Introduction

• Importance of unity and agreement in worship.
• Gratitude for God’s faithfulness over 40 years.
• Celebration of the church’s role as a beacon of light, fellowship, and worship.

Acknowledgements

• Acknowledge present pastors and their contributions.
• Honor the legacy of past pastors and the continuity of leadership.

Message Theme

• Key Theme: “Get ready for greater.”
• Significance of the number 40 as a time of transition and new beginnings.
• God’s progress and purpose through numerology.

Scripture Focus

• Book of Joshua, Chapter 5
  • Illustrates transition and preparation for greater things.
  • Emphasizes the importance of spiritual and physical preparation.

Key Points of the Sermon

1. Deal with the Flesh

• Circumcision as a metaphor for removing excess to enable growth.
  • Represents spiritual purification and readiness.
  • Significance of dealing with private matters (flesh as a private matter).

2. Renew the Mind

• Importance of mental readiness for transition.
• Gilgal and the removal of past shame.
  • Recognition that shame can be inherited and passed down.
  • Encouragement to break past cycles and embrace new identity.

3. Change the Appetite

• Transition from dependence on manna to the fruit of the promised land.
  • Manna suited for the wilderness, not the promised land.
  • Need for a new diet to sustain a new level of activity and responsibility.

Illustration and Application

• Personal story to illustrate reliance and readiness.
• Encouragement to have faith and take active steps towards future promises.

Conclusion

• Call to embrace transition and readiness for greater things.
• Emphasis on partnership with God’s purpose and each other.
• Prayer for strength, vision, and greater engagement.

Final Exhortation

• Renewed focus on personal and corporate growth.
• Encouragement to support and uplift one another in the journey to greater achievements.