The Power Of Being Still

Exodus 14. 13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” This is going to be a difficult message for all of you who are people of action, those who continually feel the need to do something. Those of you who have hard time waiting. This is very difficult. If you are lacking patience. If you have a “Type A Personality” this is going to be a brutal message, necessary but brutal. There is power in action. Many movements have brought about change. Recently I have written some emails. I have suggested things. I feel there is a need for some reform. When my Superintendents (District and General) were older than me I willingly submitted. I felt they knew best. The elders are to be listened to. However now that I am an elder in the truest sense of the word, my superintendents are all younger than me. It is a bit strange. I have experience that they do not have. This has happened without me being fully cognizant of it. This message is like that. I could have given it years ago but without the experience of it. But now I have lived it. I remember a time when someone said to me, “ There’s not a thing you can do. There’s nothing you can say.” Whew! Being still and silent frightens the best among us until we come to know its power. How do we do this? 13….Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today…. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Two times the LORD is mentioned, 4 times, “you.” * Do Not Be Afraid 365 times in God’s Word we are given this: Don’t be afraid, Fear not One for each day of the year. What is fear? Dread Terror President Donald Trump is safe after a gunmen entered the Correspondents Dinner last night in Washington, DC. It was a frightening scene seeing gunmen in full Body armor at the head table as he and the First Lady and others were whisked out to safety. We are being told Do not dread things. Most will never happen Even if they do happen, God will be with you. We cannot stand still if we are afraid. Shaking in our boots makes us unable to stand still. Fear can absolutely cripple us. It makes our faith ineffective. It dominates our thinking. Fear can make a person negative. Look at the spies. Look at the Israelites and Goliath. Look at the nation of Israel when the spies come back with a bad report. They spent 40 years in the Wilderness and died out there due to believing the bad report of the ten. Another example of the minority being right. I Corinthians 10. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Fear can make a person unsettled. Often we say to those like that, “Calm down. Relax.” God is speaking this Word through His servant Moses in Egypt, 1,200 years before Jesus came. I am standing on that Word and giving it to you today. God does not change. Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today and forever! Hebrews 13.8 Genesis 46.4 Fear not to go down to Egypt. I will go down with you. The LORD to Jacob when he found out Joseph was alive. Psalm 46. 1  God is our refuge and strength,     an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way     and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, To know the Power of Being Still you have to have faith and not fear. * Stand Firm Place or station or set yourself Stand with someone That Someone is Jesus Standing somewhere in the Shadows You’ll find Jesus Stand together with the LORD His Army The Heavenly Host The Great Cloud of Witnesses If the LORD would just peel back the sky what we would see! We have His Word to stand on. We have His Will to stand firm. Ephesians 6.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand your ground After you have done everything, to stand. The Power of Being Still Standing… The Christian soldier Paul is describing in Ephesians 6 is not marching. He is standing. That is all we can do at times. That is huge. Years ago, when my Aunt Dot sent me this word in a note, I would pull it out and read it over and over again. Stand firm… Having done everything, STAND!!! * The LORD Will Fight For You The Battle Belongs To the LORD The Chariots of Fire and Horses II Kings 6. 15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. 16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. They did not have to fight. The LORD delivered them. He had already surrounded them with Heaven’s Army. Then the LORD blinded the whole army. Elisha and his servant led them back to the King of Aram. Moses’ words Be still and see the salvation of the LORD. Earthly hope and help must be cut off to see the deliverance of the LORD. So often we are thinking, “Oh no! What are we going to do?!” The LORD has this. He will fight for you. * Be Still You are not going to have to do anything. Just stand firm and wait. So often I am told, “Pastor, I have to do something!” Are you so certain? There is power in being still. More power than you can imagine. Don’t complain: 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in time of trouble. Psalm 46.1 Trouble= straits, distress A tight spot Between a rock and a hard place Breathe Breathe Your strength is in sitting still. Think of the past times when God came through. Read the accounts in the Scriptures when He came through, like in the crossing of the Red Sea. Recalling God’s past help can encourage you as you face future challenges to your faith. How did Moses cross the Red Sea? Got Any Rivers?

Why The Firstborn?

Why The Firstborn? Exodus 12.12-42 The Tenth of the Plagues. Ten is a number of completion. All the digits have been used by the time you get there. A tenth of our income So the last of the plagues, the tenth is about the firstborn. It is both judgement and deliverance. Egypt would be judged. Israel would be delivered, both the firstborn and the whole nation. What was it about the firstborn? First, they got the parents to themselves. First fruits belong to the LORD Proverbs 3. 9 Honor the LORD with your wealth,     with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,     and your vats will brim over with new wine. You cannot serve both God and money. Those who think they can are deceived. First fruit of the womb Exodus 13.1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me.” Why? 13.13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons. 14 “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’ 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the LORD brought us out of Egypt with His mighty hand.” What about today? The Majority of Pastors are firstborn males. The firstborn belongs to the LORD. Birth Order Book by Kevin Lehman Firstborn Second Born Third Born Key Personality Traits of First-Borns: * Leadership & Assertiveness: First-borns are often dominant and comfortable in positions of authority. They are natural leaders who excel in school and career environments, often dominating leadership roles, as shown by their high representation among U.S. presidents and astronauts and pastors. * Perfectionism & Achievement: They are highly driven to achieve, largely because they are often held to higher standards and are "guinea pigs" for parental rules. They tend to be perfectionists who want to be the best at everything. * Responsibility & Reliability: They are typically reliable and conscientious, often taking on a "parental" role, especially with younger siblings. * Risk-Aversion & Structure: First-borns prefer structure, routines, and rules over surprises. They are cautious, compliant, and often conformist. There is something instinctive in the first born male to take care of the family in the father’s death. When that is supplanted conflict arises. * The Firstborn was a sign that the whole family belonged to God. Consecrated to the LORD It was done through families. Passover was and is a family dinner. It involves the whole family. It is about the firstborn being spared for Israel. The death of the firstborn of Egypt caused them to drive Israel out. * The Firstborn was a symbol that the LORD deserves our best. The best of our increase, giving to the LORD. The best of our lives… first hours of the morning. Proverbs 8. 17 I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me. First order of the day * The Firstborn pointed to Jesus Christ. Luke 2.7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. 22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord” 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” So in Jesus we have the fulfillment of the ages. term "Fulfillment of the Ages" refers to the culmination of God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Scriptures. I Corinthians 10.11 Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. What things? vs. 1-10 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers , that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killedby the destroying angel. CHRIST JESUS IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE AGES This goes back to Abraham and Isaac Take you son, your only son It is spelled out once a year in the Passover Celebrations Christ is our Passover Lamb, the God Man Who fulfills the Passover by dying Himself! * The Firstborn Points To Us! Romans 8.29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. Family traits Tristan and I Friday Evening to the Marina Photo. People saying we look alike. People seeing Jesus in us. Loving, kind, gentle, meek, humble, patient Revelation 1.4 Grace and peace to you from Him Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Jesus Christ is the Pioneer, the Trailblazer of our faith. He is the firstborn in the Family of God He is the first be raised from the dead. All of the Old Testament points to Christ. He is our Passover Lamb Let’s worship Him

I Never Thought I Would See Your Face Again

I Never Thought I Would See Your Face Again John 20.24-29 What happened the week after Jesus rose from the dead? The Empty Tomb spoke volumes. He was not there. Matthew 27. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the Holy City and appeared to many people. This must have caused quite a stir! The statement of the one on the Road to Emmaus: Luke 24.18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” Jerusalem knew. The Cross and the Tomb were empty. Palm Sunday was two weeks ago. The disciples were nowhere to be found! It appears, by and large, the 11 stayed in that room, behind locked doors during that week, although we know that there was some coming and going… the women, the two, Thomas, early in the morning, later after darkness (7 miles from Emmaus back to Jerusalem, the sun was setting as they arrived) Genesis tells us the story of Joseph “I never thought I would see your face again.” - Jacob to Joseph Thomas had similar thoughts. He did not believe until he saw Jesus’ hands and side and from the sounds of it he did not believe that would ever happen! Btw… the two on the Road to Emmaus… when He broke bread… could it be they saw His nail scared hands?! Jacob is Lost Hope Revived. So is every follower of Jesus that first Easter. Soon it will be Thomas’ turn. Have you lost hope this morning? Lost hope in someone changing? Lost hope in your future? Lost hope with change within you? Jeremiah 29. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Opposition can be disheartening Opportunities and Oppositions I Corinthians 16. 8 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me. Blessed is the one who sees both! Are you overwhelmed with the many who oppose you but not seeing the great door for effective work opened? Not seeing God’s provisions? Are you in a rut? Are there some things going on and you are over your head in them. Jacob who said that he would go to his grave in mourning. Believing the unbelievable is life transforming. Jacob, who for 21 years believed Joseph was dead finds out he is alive and is the governor of Egypt! News that is amazing and shocking in a good way! Jacob believed something that was not true. Some say, “I don’t believe that!” Others say, “I am not sure who is telling the truth.” Genesis 45. 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. It is very hard to suddenly snap out of grief for over 20 years, only to find out that a person is alive. Remember the movie, Cast Away? Remember Helen Hunt’s words to Tom Hanks? “I always knew you were alive but people kept saying that I had to let you go.” * We Are Seeing A Stubborn Refusal To Obey My Intellect is greater than the Truth. My intellect is greater than those I know well. Others can believe what they claim to have seen. I will not believe them, only if my eyes see and my hands touch Him. I wonder what side Thomas leaned to That is never going to happen. I will never see His Face again! Thomas was not the only one to stubbornly refuse to believe. Even after all the appearances… Mark 16. 14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; He rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. We have all been there. His rebuke often comes when we are faithless. II Timothy 2.13 if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself. Photo Bricks Bonface in Uganda/ children yesterday Karachi Pakistan Friday * We Are Seeing Conditions Set Down By A Follower For The LORD. Not a wise Decision, but the LORD obliged. He heard Thomas’ words. They were inappropriate but they were his heart. Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. Peace be with you… Thomas What would you have said? I know what I would say and it wouldn’t be, “Peace be with you.” It would have been more along the lines, “You guys! You were going to die with me?! You all fled! And Peter you denied knowing me! Even though you said you would not!” See how that would have changed the mood that evening?! Instead Jesus comes in with overwhelming forgiveness and grace and mercy. The Amazing Grace of our LORD We see it in Joseph. He forgave his brothers. They had to be forgiven before they could go back to Jacob. Forgiven people are the ones who tell of the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth! * The Greater Blessing Is For Us! John 20. 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Thomas got what he asked for. Our faith is strengthened when we do not see. When I do not see how all the needs that are coming in from all over the world will possibly be met and I explain we are a little church, I am reminded we serve a great God! When I see what some of you are facing, I pray and wonder how you will make it but here we are today! When I see young people starting out, my heart goes out to them. Then I remember times in my own life when I suffered and we had nothing and God came through in amazing ways. As the Father send Jesus, so Jesus is sending us… with no resources, money, schemes… just His Spirit! We have been handed the baton. Pass it on. Hymn #641 Pass It On