God Is Greater

God is Greater! I John 4. 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One Who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. We are in a spiritual battle. It seems to have intensified recently. Satan knows his time is short. The Kingdom of God against the Kingdom of Darkness Each generation has had to face this conflict for its time. We have to contend with the world, the flesh and the devil. We have to contend for the faith. Jude 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. From the Kingdom of God we receive Truth. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” Satan, we are told by Jesus, is the father of lies. John 8. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Eventually there will be a war in heaven. Revelation 12.1-17 In this present time... * Satan tries to overwhelm us. When the enemy comes in like a flood. Isaiah 59.19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. We have all had those times when we have quietly thought, “What on earth is happening? What else could possible go wrong?” He works using fear tactics. A roaring lion... I Peter 5. 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. Here our struggle is against affluence and comfortable living. In other places it is against poverty. * We must be sharp and on our guard. This is a life and death matter. Some of the battles we are facing today: Discouragement Loneliness Fear of the Future Feeling abandoned * People Who are instruments of the enemy can sound very convincing. Watch out for them! Smooth talk... Proverbs 26. 23 Smooth talk from an evil heart is like glaze on cracked pottery. 24 Your enemy shakes hands and greets you like an old friend, all the while conniving against you. 25 When he speaks warmly to you, don't believe him for a minute; he's just waiting for the chance to rip you off. 26 No matter how cunningly he conceals his malice, eventually his evil will be exposed in public. Romans 16. 17 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Jeremiah 5.30 A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: 31 The prophets prophesy lies,     the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way.     But what will you do in the end? * The One Who is in you The LORD God Almighty The Holy Spirit Rushing Mighty Wind Power Power to overcome. Revelation 12.11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. * God is Greater He is everywhere. He asked Satan where he had come from. Job 1. 6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” He knows everything. Colossians 2. 2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. He can do anything. Jeremiah 32.27 “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for Me? Satan is an interloper. God with us. God in us. Creation groans. Romans 8. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. We have this treasure in a jar of clay. God is greater than all our problems, fears and all that Satan can throw at us. II Corinthians 1. 8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, Who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us again. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. Let’s pray for one another, having always in mind, God is greater.

The Blessed Hope

Our Blessed Hope I John 3.1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure. There has always been a lot of talk about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. As with His first appearing so with His second... I Peter 1. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. We have the Blessed Hope. It is of Christ’s Return. Christ will come. We do not know the day or the hour.(Only our Father in Heaven knows) We must always be ready. Let’s follow the scripture this morning... Our salvation, our preparation for that Day is rooted in the wonderful truth that... * God Loves Us He has lavished His Love on us. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5.8 The grace of our LORD was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. I Timothy 1.14 For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. John 3.16 God has loved us to the uttermost. Jesus showed the Disciples the full extent of His love. John 13.1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. His death on the cross. We are now the children of God. We have been adopted. Romans 8.15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, "Abba, Father." John 1.12 Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. We belong to Jesus. God is our Father in Heaven. We honor our fathers today but they are ours for this time. God is our Father Forever! We, as His children, are under His care. We are under His Protection. We are loved by Him. He delights in us. He disciplines us for our good, that we might share in His Holiness. * We Do Not Know What We Shall Be Christ will soon appear. We shall be like Him. I Corinthians 15. 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second Man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we[g] bear the image of the heavenly Man. 50 I declare to you, brothers that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. We will see Him. I Corinthians 13. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. I know Whom I Have Believed II Timothy 1.12 For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that Day. * We Have Hope Salvation is now and future. We have hope in a world that is in turmoil. Pastor Mauricio and Erica and I were riding home from Humberto Chavez’s Installation at the Bridge Church in Malverne, stuck in the traffic,surrounded by souls in need of Jesus. This is our mission field. Houses going up all over, people moving out of the city here. This is our time! Let’s look to the fields, let’s look to the LORD! Let’s see what God will do. We have hope when our own souls are being tested. Peace and Hope are given to us in times that try men’s souls. This has a purifying effect on us. Luke 19.11 We have work. We’ll Work Til Jesus Comes We desire to be found in Him when He comes. When we all get to Heaven. There is going to be a meeting in the air. Heaven’s Jubilee. I’ve got a Mansion

Living Like Jesus

Living Like Jesus I John 2. 5 But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him: 6 Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did. The goal of every follower of Jesus is to be like His Master. We are called to it. It is the acid test of being a Christian. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch. (Acts 11.26) Like Jesus being called, “A friend of sinners”, the term “Christian” was a term of derision. Sometimes the judgment of the world is complimentary to us. Like someone who criticized me years ago in a note, “I think you only talk about money when it is brought up as you go the Bible.” What a compliment! The term “Christian” meant follower of Christ. They were saying that the disciples looked like they were imitating Jesus. What a compliment! I hope that is what they say about us! Ephesians5.1Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, 2 and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.… Walking in the footsteps of my Savior.... giving ourselves up, His will becoming my will. I Peter 2.21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps. * Walking In His Footsteps to make one's way, progress; to make due use of opportunities Walk regulate ones life, conduct oneself. Following Jesus “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew. ... 'Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men. ' At once they left their nets and followed Him.” Matthew 4:18-20 NIV Follow Me, the invitation to begin the journey It is a journey. Progress, growing to become like Him. You cannot rush the process. Like a plant we grow on this journey. We mature. We grow in grace. II Peter 3.18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen. Following in His steps, living as a Jesus did means we will have... * Forgiveness as a Life Style Colossians 3.13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. You will need the help of the Holy Spirit. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. That is completely impossible without the Holy Spirit’s power. How did Jesus forgive you? Fully, completely and forgetting our sins. You will need to pray over some situations until you are free. Keep praying until you are free. Remember His Words on the cross. Remember His words on teaching on prayer. Following in His Steps, living like Jesus means we will... * Listening to the Broken-hearted Making use of every opportunity because the days are evil Ephesians 5.16 Jesus looked at interruptions as opportunities. He took advantage of them to share His love. He never looked at them as inconveniences. Matthew 9.36 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Living like Jesus, walking in His Steps, means we will see people who do not know Christ, as victims of the enemy, not the enemy. Compassion= a heart in which mercy resides Blessed are the merciful for they will obtain mercy. He spoke the words that cheered and blessed, He welcomed sinners to his breast, I want to be like Jesus. Following in His Steps, living like Jesus means we will be... * Seeking to Please Our Father in Heaven Hebrews 10. 5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,     but a body You prepared for Me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings     You were not pleased. 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about Me in the scroll—     I have come to do Your will, my God.’” (Psalm 40.6-8) Seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness, doing His will, Following in His Steps, living like Jesus means we will be * Having a set purpose of finishing the work God has given to you to do. Jesus prayed, “I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do.” John 17.4 Following Jesus means that we are going to do the same thing. Having a life of Intercessory Prayer Using your gifts Investing your time and money in the Kingdom of God. This is not sinless perfection. Only Jesus had that. As we all like Jesus walk we contend with the sinful nature. We stumble sometimes. Provision is made for sin. I John 2.1 Keep your eyes on Jesus. Walk in the Light. Live like Him. Always make it your goal to please Him.

From The Beginning

From The Beginning I John 1.1-3 The Son of God is one with the Father and the Spirit. God in three Persons, Blessed Trinity. God is Eternal. He has always existed, is and always will be. Isaiah 40.28 The LORD is the everlasting God,     the Creator of the ends of the earth. John 1. 3 Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. He is the Creator. Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father are One. Jesus Christ is Eternal. Philippians 2.5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God,     did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; 7 rather, He made Himself nothing     by taking the very nature of a servant,     being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man,     He humbled himself     by becoming obedient to death—         even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place     and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,     in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,     to the glory of God the Father. Colossians 1. 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross. The Son of God is from the beginning. He became a man. The Creator at the creature’s breast. Hebrews 1. 1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom also He made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So He became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs. John 8.58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” He is * The Eternal Word John 1.1-2 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. Micah 5.2 “... Whose origins are from old, from ancient times.” or from “everlasting”. The Hebrew word for "everlasting" means "beyond the vanishing point". When things began as we know time, God already was. He was always. He is. He always will be. We have eternity in our hearts. Ecclesiastes 3.11 ... He has set eternity in the hearts of men... This makes us unique. This makes us hunger and thirst for God. He has shared His Nature with us. The Eternal One was there when we were conceived and when we born. Psalm 139.13 For You created my inmost being;     You knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;     Your works are wonderful,     I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You     when I was made in the secret place,     when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;     all the days ordained for me were written in Your book     before one of them came to be. What is happening in your life today, God wrote in His Book before the beginning of time. We are in touch with Eternity back, here and when time is no more. We need to remember that the LORD’s ultimate goal for us in to fit us for heaven. He uses all of our experiences in this life. Psalm 100.3 Know that the LORD is God.     It is He Who made us, and we are His;     we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Walking with Jesus, the Eternal Word. His Word in us. His Spirit within us, making us like Him. The Creator of the universe and all that exists is personally involved in our lives! We have fellowship with Him! v.3 fellowship= community, communion, joint participation, intimacy From the root word: a partner, associate, comrade, companion We are heading on the path that leads us to Him at the end. Psalm 48.14 For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end. That means right now He is with you, at work within you, knows the way. He is the Way! What a wonderful Savior and LORD! He is... * The Word of Life The expression of God The Living Word and the Written Word are the same. Jesus came from eternity was here and went back into eternity. His Word is eternal in the heavens. Psalm 119.89 Your word, LORD, is eternal; It stands firm in the heavens. Here is such an important Truth. God’s Word, Jesus, is in Heaven. By His Spirit Jesus is in us, with us and upon us. He walks with us. Even though heaven and earth pass away His Words will never pass away. They stand firm in the heavens. Jesus never fails. We can depend on Him. We can depend on what He has said. He is with us. He knows all about our struggles. He will guide us to the end. All the Way my Savior leads me, has led me, will lead me. There is not a friend like Jesus. "There’s no higher dream than experiencing God as He moves through every circumstance of life to an eternal encounter with Himself where transformed people will enjoy perfectly loving community around Jesus Christ, the source of Perfect Love. If that really is the highest dream of the human soul, why do so many of us dream only of lesser things and then despair when those dreams are shattered?" -Larry Crabb Jesus has the Words of Life. John 6.68 He is * The Word Become Flesh Titus 1. 1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, Who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, That is eternity back, before the beginning of time. He humbled Himself He became a man He became obedient to death on a cross He understands our predicament. He walked in a human body. Revelation 13.8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. This was God’s plan. This was God’s will This demonstrates God’s love for us. We walk with Him in the light of His Word. One day we understand. We will know even as we are known. He is coming again. Jesus is our Hope. He has the Words of eternal Life!

Joy In The Time Of Judgement

Joy In A Time of Judgment Habakkuk 3.16-19 The nation was awaiting judgment from God. It was coming through an invading nation, Babylon. Habakkuk is still not understanding this but he comes to accept it. This is similar when we lose someone we love. We don’t understand but we come to terms with living with it. This is the pathway of grief. Life is full of coming to terms with God. God is always at work in our lives, even when we feel most alienated or alone. That is where Habakkuk was. Whether it is the nation, the health of someone we love, the pain from broken relationships or decisions we need to make, life is hard at times. The LORD is here to help us. Look at what He did in Habakkuk’s heart through prayer. It amazing where the LORD brought this prophet to. It was more than acceptance. He was embracing the LORD and what He was going to do. He found joy in the LORD, even in a time of impending judgment! We can too! God keeps His people in times of distress, difficulty and judgment. Noah Joseph Daniel David We can even have joy in these times! Here is how: * Waiting Patiently Does not mean there no emotion It does. Means we are not pushing the river. We are going with the flow of His Spirit. John 7. 38 Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Flow with that River, the Holy Spirit We trust God’s timing. He makes all things beautiful in His time. Ecclesiastes 3.11 We are trusting in God’s plans. Romans 8.28 We are trusting in God’s love. We know He has a plan for us. Psalm 139.16     all the days ordained for me were written in Your book     before one of them came to be. Habakkuk listened to God’s counsel in chapter two. Though it tarry wait for it... * Remember That Shortages Does Not Diminish Hope, Faith, Love or Joy If we find our happiness in things then we will lose it when things run out. If our Joy is in serving Jesus then our joy will no be affected by shortages. Hope is an anchor in times of difficulty. Our faith is purified during trials. Patience comes from this. Our love for God is tested in times of scarcity. We also grow closer to Him in the valleys and difficulties. Priceless gifts come in times of great pressure. Great lessons are taught when we out on a limb, when we are going through difficult and pressure filled times. We are comforted by God and then we can comfort others with the same comfort we received. Hospital Experiences teach us invaluable lessons. The LORD is bringing us to situations where He is our only Hope. Like Habakkuk we can rejoice in the times he describes in the latter portion of chapter 3. Habakkuk had nowhere else to turn. He had tried to figure out what God was doing in the nation. It made things worse in some ways. * We can have joy! In the LORD Philippians 4.4 We can rejoice in Him. He is with us. Habakkuk found out that God was listening to him and his cries. In our salvation Psalm 51.12, 13.5 We are saved from sinful living. Free! Free to obey the LORD. We are saved from a life of destruction. Our sins are forgiven never to be remembered against us! That our names are written down in Heaven Luke 10.20 This world is passing. We are just passing through. I think of those 24 young people that sailed over 150 years ago this past week from London, England to China with the China Inland Mission. Most of their names are not remembered. They obeyed God and today they are in heaven, rejoicing forever. That God has promised to take care of you! Matthew 6.33 We are so thankful for the food we have to eat and the clothes we have to wear. Every need He is supplying. The LORD wants us to live carefree. He doesn’t want us burdened down with worry. * The LORD lifts us up above our circumstances In our hearts Nothing really changed for Habakkuk as far the circumstances in the nation. His Hope was that God would reform the nation, bring about revival of righteousness. The nation had left the LORD no other option but to judge. His prayers were being answered however, just not the way he thought they would be. Yet we see his Hope was in the LORD. When our prayers are not answered as we had hoped they would be and we only have God how rich we are! We pray for God to help and change circumstances. Sometimes He does, but He always changes me. I am changed through my praying to become more like Jesus. He prayed, “Father, if possible, let this up pass from Me.” We read in Isaiah 53.10 “Yet it was the LORD's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the LORD makes His life an offering for sin, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in His hand.” A new perspective Part of the change the LORD brings in prayers not being answered the way I thought they should be is a change of perspective. This was certainly true in Habakkuk’s life. This burden and oracle, what he uttered all showed how circumstances did not change but the prophet did. God is so patient with us, amazingly patient. He allows us to work through these difficult times and issues in our own lives. He works in our prayers. He listens and responds to us, to our hearts. He knows all about our struggles. Perhaps you need a new perspective! God will give it to you. Wait for Him. God’s Habakkuk 1.5 The LORD let’s the prophet in on His plans. When God does that in response to our prayers then our perspective changes to His. We are seeking that with Colombia. The prayer meeting yesterday morning. Heights Ephesians 2.6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, We have a heavenly perspective, a sense of the LORD’s ways being so much higher than ours. On this earth, in a world that is sinful, among people of unclean lips, Isaiah saw the LORD! The LORD gave Him a Heavenly Vision. I love to fly. As I look down from the plane I see a little how God sees. I love to pray from heaven. I know that one Day, one Glorious Day Christ will return. We can have joy all the time. We can be distressed and even depressed and know the joy of walking with Jesus. Today, right now.

God’s Promises In A Time of National Calamity

The Promises of God For A Time Of National Calamity Habakkuk 2.1-4, 14, 20 Things were bad in the nation. Things were out of control. Justice never prevailed and the wicked hemmed in the righteous. Justice was perverted. And in chapter 2 God lists the sins of the people that brought judgment on the Babylonians, the Chaldeans. He pronounces judgment on the nation of Israel in chapter one. Habakkuk and Jeremiah were contemporaries. Jeremiah‘s ministry as we know it was in Jerusalem. Jerusalem the capital and also the Center for the Jewish faith. It knew better. It should have been leading the world in righteousness. Instead it was a center of sin. Interestingly Habakkuk’s assessment of the condition of the nation in the first four verses of chapter one were spot on. It was his understanding of God and God’s seemingly lack of response to his prayers that troubled him. He didn’t understand what God was doing. God was getting ready to judge the nation and the center for their faith, the Temple. What is going on in our nation and in the church in this nation is perplexing. A.W. Towzer wrote, 70 years ago, “I believe a time is coming when we not be able to take our Christianity as casually as we do now.” That time has come. God is sifting His church today. He is calling His church out of the institutional church. What will happen to our country is in His hands. In the early part of this century we have experienced 9-11 and other forms of terrorism. We have experienced a Pandemic. We have passed laws against the Word of the LORD. God always gives us promises for difficult times. And He was making some statements here to Habakkuk concerning the righteous. He said the righteous will live by his faith and He gives promises with that. They were facing national disaster, a calamity beyond anything they had experienced before. They were being judged for their sins. But God was going to be faithful to the righteous. And they were going to live by their faith in Him. When a nation celebrates what God condemns, judgment from on High must eventually come. No one can say how or when or where that judgment will come. But as certainly as God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, as certainly as the great empires of history have fallen, America will not escape God’s judgment. Hard times coming Habakkuk. You are going to have to live by your faith if you are going to get through it. Thus the promise... * The Righteous Person will live by faith v.4 This is going to work out in very practical ways in these days of calamity and judgment. Mental and Emotional Support In a time of judgment our support systems and people we leaned on are often removed. All we have is God. And He is all we need! Physical needs being met in a time of scarcity. Psalm 37.25 I have been going and now I am old. I have never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Habakkuk 2.4b The righteous (the just) will live by his faith. Matthew 6.33 Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you. A time of shortages and scarcity upon the nation but the righteous living by his faith. Spiritual strength coming to those who trust in God. The testings brought the people to lean completely on God. They had not other choice. Psalm 11.3 When the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do? The answer is here in Habakkuk! He said it. I am going to wait. 2.2 Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation     and make it plain on tablets     so that a herald may run with it. 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time;     it speaks of the end     and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it;     it will certainly come     and will not delay. I am going to rejoice no matter what. God is my strength. I wait for Him. * The Earth will be filled with the Knowledge of the LORD v.14 Kenya, Haiti dancing this week. In other words, there will be nowhere where the true and delightful knowledge of God, who is the source of all life, truth, and joy. There will be personal, and universal knowledge of God. This is not mere knowledge about God, but a relational knowledge of Him and with Him. Just as when you are in the sea, water is all around you, so when you walk the face of the earth, God and the knowledge of Him will be all around you, all the time. This will be a totally transformed, restored, renewed, and redeemed Earth, and animals and human beings will be full of the true knowledge of the true God and therefore permeated by holiness and happiness. “We are looking forward to a New Earth, in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). Obviously that time is not now. It is Hope for the Future. A promise of God that will be fulfilled. * The LORD is on His Throne v.20 As the Son of Man, Jesus Christ deliberately limited His omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience. But now they are His in absolute, full power. As the Son of Man, Jesus Christ now has all the power at the throne of God. From His ascension forward He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. This is the Day of Pentecost. We celebrate that today. The conditions of the first century are what the church finds itself in many places around the world, growing strong with governments that are either opposed or indifferent to it. God is in control. Jesus showed that to a His disciples. He demonstrated that from the Ascension to Pentecost. Acts 1.3-8 It was not time that God was going to restore the Kingdom to Israel. It was time for the Kingdom of God to come in the outpouring of His Spirit. They would live in it and proclaim it. Then it happened in Acts 2. Jesus had gone up. His followers had been in prayer. He poured His Spirit out. People started coming to Christ. The promises given to Habakkuk nearly 2,600 years ago are for us today... in a time of National Calamity, on this Pentecost Sunday 2021 Let the whole earth be silent before Him. Michael Card’s song comes to mind often... You and me we use So very many clumsy words The noise of what we often say Is not worth being heard Quiet waiting, listening... Listening to what God is saying... Live by faith. Look to the LORD. God is in control.

The Benediction Of Grace

The Benediction of Grace Romans 16. 25 Now to Him Who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. There was a time when we were not so concerned about how many people attended the church as we were that those who attended were established in Christ. Recent conversations continue to show the church’s attempt to compromise with the world. More than ever before the world and all that is in it is setting the agenda for the church in America. This is not the way it should be. This is not what the Word teaches. We are being warned that there is persecution coming for the church in America. This past Thursday for the first time in years we did not have a National Day of Prayer Gathering in our nation’s capital! A sign of the times. A.W. Tozer said, “I believe a time is coming when we will not be able to take our Christianity as casually as we do now.” As the battle intensifies a firm foundation is more important than ever. This Benediction of Grace in the last lines of Romans speak to this. He is Able To establish you Make stable, place firmly, strengthen, set fast, make constant Even those of us who are more emotional than others He is able to establish us. He can make us stable so that our emotions stop ruling our lives. Our feelings are not good judges for what we should be doing. They can lead us to slippery slopes. Even in the worst of times. Rome would soon begin to persecute Christians, Paul executed, John on the Isle of Patmos because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. We are established by the Word of God. Matthew 8:3 God's Word is obvious in this miracle. If something requires cleansing, "the washing of water by the word" must be actively present (Ephesians 5:26). God does not work apart from His Word. From the creation of the world to the present, the place of God's Word in His work has been essential: "In the beginning was the Word [the One who became Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:1-3). In addition, the phrase "God said" is found ten times in the creation account (Genesis 1). The Bible is God's written Word, as the Father had the Word (Jesus Christ, the Spokesman) inspire and reveal it. Many professing Christian churches have pushed Scripture to the back burner, into irrelevance, taking an a la carte spiritual meal from it as if they have the authority to choose which doctrines to swallow and which to refuse. If the true church is to do a work for God, it must be established and built on God's Word rather than on tradition He is able: To accomplish what concerns you today. He will supply all our needs. Philippians 4.19 He will give us peace that surpasses all understanding. Philippians 4.7 To do more than you could ever ask or imagine Ephesians 3.18-20 To do anything Nothing is too difficult for Him! “I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for Me?” Jeremiah 32.27 In this Benediction of Grace we have... The Revelation of Jesus Christ The mystery of the Gentiles coming in The Disciples struggled with this. Slowly they were taught by Jesus and led by the Holy Spirit. Acts 9,10 Peter and Paul SyroPhonecian woman Mark 7.24-30 Cornelius Paul’s call The mystery of Israel believing Romans 11 Israel’s Messiah... the Savior of the world, God’s Son, God in the flesh The mystery of death and eternal life Of Godliness... I Timothy 3.16 Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. Prophecy told of the New Covenant. Jesus revealed it. He is the fulfillment of the Ages. I Corinthians 10.11 The Opening of the Holy of Holies The Temple Curtain 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 We can come with confidence Hebrews 4. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We can come anytime... this was New! - [ ] We can come anywhere, not tied to a locale John 4 Rather tied to a disposition of the heart. The Salvation Christ Made Possible Hebrews 2.3 How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the LORD, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. To God Be The Glory! For the Hope of the Ages For those who have come For Eternal Life in Heaven So Paul closes this wonderful letter with this benediction of Grace. May all of what we shared today grow strong in your heart. May your trust be in the LORD and in Him alone always.