My message today, for this Valentine Day Sunday, Is titled…                                                “Let Love Lead The Way” And the rest of mytitle is, “It’s a Way Of Life”….But if we don’t understand it, then how can we live it out!? Today I want to share real stories about real people as they let love lead the way in their everyday situations. 

But first my Valentine Joke for today……Grandpa John was celebrating his 100th birthday and everybody complimented him on how athletic and well-preserved he appeared. "Gentlemen, I will tell you the secret of my success," he told them with a cheerful voice ."I have been out in the open air, nearly every day for some 75 years now." Everyone was impressed and asked how he managed to keep up his rigorous fitness program. "Well, he said, you see my wife and I were married 75 years ago. And on our wedding night, we made a solemn pledge to one another. Whenever we had a fight, the one who was proved wrong would have to go out and take a 5 milerun."                                                                                                                 (Let’s all read it together) John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”                                                                                                           If it was a popularity contest, John 3:16 would win hands down. John 3:16 is the most famous verse in the Bible. It is by far, the most well-known passage in Scripture, and rightfully so… John 3:16 perfectly summarizes the central message of the Bible. It has been called the little Bible. It is the gospel in a nutshell. In a real sense, if you edited down the Bible to this one verse, you would still have enough gospel to save the world.                                                  

John 3:16 is not just about the fact that God loves you… It is really about HOW GOD LOVES YOU!

Some years ago, as many of you know, Gary Chapman wrote abestseller titled “The Five Love Languages”. Chapman argues that people communicate love differently, that each person has a natural and distinct way in which he or she gives and/or receives love.                                               Each one expresses itself differently, as Physical affection, verbal expression, acts of service, providing, giving gifts, opening opportunities, and spending time are just some of the common love languages that we all have.

There are folks that clearly love one another, but yet they don’t FEEL loved, because they don’t understand the “HOW” of each others love…. He gives love by slaving at a job which he hates. She receives love by how much time he spends with her. So, he feels unloved because she doesn’t appreciate his efforts at providing for her. She feels unloved because he doesn’t spend more quality time with her. They love one another, but they are not speaking the same love language and how each one loves.

My point here is that this could be the thing that causes many folks to struggle with the love of God….                                                                                      We misunderstand God’s love, because we don’t know GOD’S LOVE LANGUAGE, so we can’t comprehend the “HOW” of His love!                              The truth of God’s love is hidden within the nature of God Himself.

Whether we realize it or not, we may have humanized God to the point that He ceases to truly be the God of John 3:16 to us.                                                                 You see, this verse not only tells us that God is love, but that He loves the WHOLE WORLD! And our humanness has difficulty getting our heads around that! Sobecause our humanness can’t grasp that, we fail to transcend our limited boundaries… As little Bobbie said… “Lord, how can you love the whole world, I have a hard time just loving my sister, Judy”…..

First John 4:8 says, “God is love.” That means He is the beginning and the end of love… He is the highest height and the deepest depth of love. He is the length and the breadth of love. He was love before there was an object of that love. So, Love created the heaven and the earth Love created every creature that was made. Every sunrise and sunset, every night and every day are the product of love. Love created Adam and Eve then breathed itself into them so they could operate in that love. Listen, the spark of life in every human being who ever lived, was an expression of His love!

If it has anything to do with God, it has everything to do with love.                            Mercy is God’s forgiving love. Grace is God’s undeserving love. Peace is God’s comforting love. The will of God is about experiencing the love of a surrendered, submitted heart.Providence is God’s inescapable love. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s tested, tried and proven love.Sanctification is about being set apart for His love. Heaven is God’s elevating, intimate, all embracing love. Eternity is God’s unending forever love.

We tend to humanize God’s love and send it through our own limited, narrow lens of love. Scripture is clear, that God loves Israel, but Orthodox Jews, misread it, So they concluded that God lovedonly Israel. John 3:16 absolutely must have blown Nicodemus awayto think that God loves the very people who are the enemies of Israel. How can Jesus be Messiah when He loves the enemies of the Jews. We still struggle with the fact that He loves our enemies just as much as He loves us. That He gave His life for the guy that cussed us out, and threatened to rearrange our face!                  And yet there it is…. “God so loved the world”!!!

Romans 5:7-8 says: “For rarely will anyone choose to die for a righteous person—though it might be that for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”                                     God loves the whole world. He can’t help Himself!! It’s imbedded in the nature of God!

“God so loves the world, is a remarkable statement, not only in terms of how big the world is, but also how bad the world is. Think about that in personal terms. There are people who love and respect you, but if they knew certain things about you, they might change their minds about you. We all have our flaws and our places that might not do well in the spotlight. God knows everything about you there is to know, yet God loves you totally and completely!!.                                                                                                                       This should be the true source of our self-esteem and our confidence. God loves us. 

Martin Luther said it well: God does not love us because we are valuable; we are valuable because God loves us.                                                                                  You may have heard the story about the woman who wrote a sweet loving letter to her ex-fiancé that went something like this:  Dearest Jimmy, No words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking our engagement. Please say you’ll take me back. No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you, I love you, I love you! I am yours forever, Signed, Your one and only Marie. P.S. Congratulations on winning the state lottery”.

If you don’t know how God loves then you will misunderstand that love, and fail to fully appreciate it…. John’s statement does not simply say God loved the world. 

It says, “God SO LOVED the world.” That little Greek word “so”(Hoo-to) means “ After this manner.” Our English translations obscures this term somewhat, and we read it as “God loved the world so much,” but it is actually speaking of how God loved us, not just how much God loves us. The message of the text is “This is HOW GOD loves the world.”

God’s love language is that He loves (the kosmos) unconditionally….                      At a comparative religions conference, the wise and the scholarly were in a spirited debate about what is unique about Christianity. Someone suggested what made Christianity unique from other religions was the incarnation, the idea that God took human form in Jesus, but someone suggested that other faiths believe that God appears in human form.” Another scholar said that it was the resurrection. But another scholar said that other religions have people returning from the dead.                                Then, C.S. Lewis walked into the room, and sat down and during a lull, in the debate, he asked, “what’s is all this rumpus about?” “We’re debating what’s unique about Christianity” they told him….“Oh, that’s easy,” Lewis told them. “It’s grace”. “Christianity uniquely claims God’s love comesat a great cost, but it’s free of charge, no strings attached. No other religion makes that claim.

Philip Yancey once wrote: “There is nothing we can do to make God love us more. There is nothing we can do to make God love us less.”  We simply and freely receive that love….                    

How does God love, He loves SACRIFICIALLY. He pours out that love by giving, by serving, and by sacrificing, which is the character of true love.                                                             Here it is again, just 24 words which reveal so much….“For God so loved the world, that He gave (the ultimate gift) His only Son.”                                                                                                      How many know, we would think of it as bad manners to give a gift to someone and leave the price tag on it, (unless you’re Minnie Pearl) but this is exactly what God did when He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ. God wanted us to know what it cost Him to love us and purchase our salvation. So He left the price tag on the FREE GIFT of His love!                                                       

When I went to the auto dealership to get a car. They weighed my debt against my income, and decided how much I could spend for a car. There were some folks who were so wealthy that the price didn’t even enter into their purchase. They just picked up the phone and got whatever they desired. So, can you imagine if you wanted to buy the most expensive car, or an incredible house, or a yacht and all you had to do is tell them to put it on someone’s bill who was a billionaire! Just put it on the tab. 

When our sins are added up, all our failures, and every bad decision we’ve ever made, and it’s compared to our righteousness, our holiness or our worthiness, there is a huge short fall. But He did something incredible. He added up the total righteousness, the holiness, the worthiness of Christ and against that, He wrote these words, "Transferred to the account of Charles Elliott." That’s mercy.  That’s grace, that’s the miracle of sacrificial love. Before I did anything, He provided it, I simply receive it, and live it out and give it out to others. 

How does God love, He gives without measure.

A couple who were in love were talking and the girl said “Sweety pie, if you had 3 cars, would you give me 2”. Swooning, he said “Aww, baby doll, you know I would. She said, “Sweety pie, if you had 2 houses, would you give me one.”… He said “Aww, baby doll, you know I would”. She said, “Sweety pie, if you had 10,000 dollars, would you give it to me”. He said, “Now, baby, I really have to think about that one, you see, I HAVE 10,000 dollars!” 

The Father was willing to give His ONLY SON!  That’s what John 3:16 tells us. When you give to someone out of your abundance that is one thing; but when you give all you’ve got, that is quite another. If you had several vehicles it might be seen as a noble thing thatyou gave one of them to a family who had none. But if you were to give them the only vehicle you had that would be without measure…. God didn’t have a back-up. God didn’t have a spare. But He loved us so much that He was willing to give us the only one He had.

How does God love, He Loves Personally… This is not some abstract concept. It isn’t just a philosophical theory or a theological narrative. God’s love was made manifest in this world through the person of Jesus Christ the only Son of the Father. Jesus Christ came into this world to reveal to us the love of God in a personal way, in human form.                                                                                                                           A little child was trying to quote John 3:16 in the King James Version, which says, “his only begotten Son.” But the child misquoted it and said instead, “His only forgotten Son.”                                                                                                 It was one of those slips of the tongue that carried more truth than we would care to admit. Because for the majority of the people in the world today, Jesus Christ is truly forgotten. His life is forgotten. His love is forgotten. His sacrifice is forgotten. It is our mission as Christians – as God’s ambassadors – to help them to rememberHow God loves!!!.

More than fifty years ago, at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, a young sociology professor assigned his class the project of interviewing 200 city youths residing in Ghetto districts. Then he asked them to predict their future. Students predicted that ninety percent would serve time in prison. Twenty-five years later the same professor contacted each student and asked them to track down the original boys and discover what had happened. One hundred eighty were located and only four had ever been in jail. Why were their predictions so far off?                                                                      Looking for common factors, over 100 of the boys mentioned the strong influence of a teacher they all had in common. They then located the teacher, a seventy-year-old Sheila O’Rourke, in a Memphis nursting home. Puzzled by the interest in her, she could only exclaim, “All I ever did was love them all as if they were the only one.”                                                                                                       John 3:16 declares what every human heart—whether it understands it or not—wants to hear and needs to hear… GOD LOVES YOU! In fact, as Saint Augustine said, God loves all of us as if there was only one of us to love.     Oh my, Helpus to love more like you love, Lord!

How does God love, He makes Himself accessible…. He touched the untouchables, the outcast, the leper, the up and outer and the down and outer, it didn’t matter. (Covid wouldn’t have kept Him away)

I came across the story of Joe, who was a hopeless alcoholic. Joewas miraculously converted in a street outreach mission. He entered the mission as a derelict and dirty win-o for whom there was little future. But in Christ, everything changed.                                                                                      Joe became the most caring person at the mission. He spent his days there, doing whatever needed to be done. Whether it was cleaning up vomit left by some alcoholic, or scrubbing toilets after men had left them filthy, Joe did it all with a heart of gratitude. He could be counted on to feed any man who wandered in off the streets, get them cleaned up and tucked into bed when they were too drunk to take care of themselves.                                                                                                              One evening, after the mission speaker delivered his evangelistic message to the usual crowd of homeless drunks and derelicts, one of them came down to the altar and knelt to pray. Hecried out for God to help him change. The repentant drunk kept shouting, “Oh God, make me like Joe! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe!” The minister leaned over and said, “Friend, wouldn’t it be better if you prayed ‘make me like Jesus?”                                After thinking about it for a few moments, the man looked up with a puzzled expression and asked, “Is He like Joe?” Wow!

Oh, how God loves us! He sends you sunrises every morning and flowers every spring. If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo would be in it. Whenever you want to talk, He’s there to listen. He knows what you need before you need it. He can live anywhere in the universe, and yet He chose your heart. He has entered into our world and He longs to enter into the nitty gritty of our lives.

Jesus didn’t come into the world in order to rebuke you, He came to rescue you. He didn’t come to criticize you, He came to cleanse you. He didn’t come to punish you, He came to pardon you. He didn’t come to destroy you, He came to deliver you.                                                                                                  How does God love….We can expect God to keep His word. He is faithful and just. When He says He will allow us to pay the penalty for sin, He will. When He says He will forgive our sin, He will! He will keep His word in each case, but make no mistake about it.  God is love, but He is also Holy and Righteous.  Unresolved, unrepented sin demands a penalty. We can choose or refuse this great gift of His love. We can choose freedom over bondage, we can choose forgiveness over unforgiveness, we can choose sin over righteousness, we can choose heaven over hell – we can choose God over Satan –                                                                                                                       *…….The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:13  “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love”                                                                                         

June 25th, 1967, The Beatles first sang the song “All You Need is Love.”  The BBC had commissioned The Beatles to write a song for the United Kingdom's contribution on the first live global television link. The Beatles were asked to come up with a song containing a simple message to be understood by all nationalities. It was to be a clear message saying to all the world, that love is everything. It was seen by an audience of over 400 million people, in 25 countries. 

Let me compare each of us to a filter which God’s love must flow through. If the filter is clogged with sin, unforgiveness, anger, guilt, unworthiness, bitterness and shame, then love will be unable to flow fully and freely. Repentance before God unclogs our filter so that we can begin to love who God loves, how God loves. John 3:16 is the answer for marriages, broken relationships, how to do life, and it is the answer for Washington DC, and governments world wide. It’s the greatest peace accord for mankind. Would you turn to someone and tell them, “Clean your filter, it may be clogged up”

Jesus Qualified how we are to love, when He said in Matthew 22:37, “‘You shall Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

That’s, how the Lord says a Christian loves!                                                                     Gregory Cole writes….”The love I need more than anything is Your love. Without Your love, no other love will ever be sufficient. And with it, every other love becomes richer and truer and more life-giving than it could have been otherwise. We have learned all our best loves from You: the love of faithful friends, of spouses, of parents and siblings and children.            Love that commits. Love that sacrifices. Love that lays down its life. You authored each of these loves, taught us how to recognize them and long for them and give them away. Our best efforts at Valentine’s Day are just a fraction of the wholeness of love. So, today, let everything I see remind me of Your love. Let today be a day for Real love. Big love. Your love”. 

Pastor’s Prayer…. Lord, as we conclude today, we want to take this moment to check our filter. If there are things that may be clogging it up, sin, unforgiveness, bitterness, guilt and other things that we need to let you clean out, allow the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit free us to love in greater measure. Lord Jesus, help us all toremember and embrace the overwhelming love You have for us, all of us, as though there were only one of us. You know that those days when we struggle to love, and when we may feel so limited in our love, is when Your special love is what we need the most. I know You hear the desires of our hearts when it comes to earthly relationships, but in Your love, we can feel fulfillment, joy and purpose every day of the year. Help us to always remember that no matter what…. Your love is enough for every level of relationshipwe enter into. Thank You for capturing our hearts and transforming our every day lives into mountaintop moments thatinspire us to choose Your higher love over and over again. Bless our married love, our family love, our friendship love and our love for all those You love, that it may live out through us, and look more and more like You.   –In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

My message today is “Once More” Is Calling Your Name                              Prayer…. “Lord you are here in the midst of us, to help us to organize our internal world so we can influence our external world. Teach us the importance of spending undistracted time alone with you, to soak in Your presence and once again to hear your voice speaking into our inner being. We ask you to renew our purpose and rediscover Your plan for us in each situation and experience and we bring you afresh, into the center of our lives. Jesus, we give you the glory and all the honor, in Your mighty name, Amen.                                                                                                      When’s the last time you tried to eat just one of anything that is your favorite food? I’m talking about your favorite brand or flavor of potato chips… just one chip, one Krispy cream doughnut. (I don’t thing that is going to happen)                                                                                                     I remember once we took the family on a ski trip. I had never gone skiing before, but one time down the slopes and I immediately wanted “once more”…. That once more turned into a 10 hour day of skiing and let me tell you I was wiped out, but “Once more” kept calling my name….I just couldn’t get enough, and I was on the slopes doing it again the next day, and it felt sooooo Good, to be that overwhelmed by “ONCE MORE”!!!  

I am taking as my foundational scripture for this message, the16th chapter of Judges and I want to read the 27th and the 28 verses.
"Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and upon the roof about three thousand men and women beheld while Samson was made sport. And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray, and strengthen me, I pray, once more, O Lord”

Many people might say, “My life has turned out to be nothing like I thought it was going to be. I had such aspirations; I believed that all things were possible in Christ. I truly wanted to glorify God in the earth. But now when I look in the Bible and then look at my life, it seems as if I fall so far short of what I am supposed to be.”                                                  You see, there is a weakness in each of our hearts, just as there was in the hearts of those in Samson’s day. It is this inability to believe beyond what we can see with our natural eyes and register with our 5 senses and it can open the door to discouragement and disillusionment.                                          It is in these times that we must fall into the arms of our covenant God, who keeps covenant and wants to get us addicted on His goodness, His faithfulness, His grace, His mercy and love! I challenge you today, that no matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done, there’s a “once more” waiting to enter your life and take you places you never thought possible 

Haggai 2:6–7 “For thus says the Lord of hosts; Yet ONCE MORE,just a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts” If you seek me with all your heart you shall find me!!!!                                                    From my experience, it should probably more correctly say, If you seek me, I WILL FIND YOU, says the Lord!!!!

Haggai is staking everything on the fact that God said what He meant and He meant what He said! “The time has come that “Once More” I will fill you with My glory,” says the Lord. The word glory in the Hebrew text means “the weightiness of His presence, the honor and esteem of God, His majesty, His abundance and His sufficiency. The Lord will fill us with what we could never have achieved on our own. It does not come from human effort but rather from yielding yourself to be a recipient and a container of the glory of God. His glory precedes Him and is with Him.                                                                                                     Isaiah 52:12 “For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your REREWARD”. I want you to notice this word “REREWARD”…. In Isaiah’s day, when a ruler had a procession and all of his subjects line the thoroughfare to see him when he appears. He will send his rereward, or his glory before him. Folks will see a sampling of his riches and his abundance, his servants and staff, his power and his might, His royal guard, and then they see the ruler himself. You need to see this, Our Lord is on his way, He’s sending His rereward before Him, and He possesses all the resources of this earth, and He will endow us with all that we need to build, restore and fill this last temple period with Hismanifested presence, His majesty, His splendor, power, and glory.

Samson had experienced the majesty and authority of Jehovah and the “Once More” inside of Samson, could not be silenced by the entire Philistine nation, which had gathered to celebrate his final defeat….. They could not silence the force of his heart’s cry as he shouted out from the depths of his spirit….. once more, O Lord!!!!! It’s the cry that got God’s attention and brought a “once more” to Samson, and deliverance to an entire nation of people….

I was inspired by the story of Trey Wood, who was born with only one arm. ….Most people assumed that his handicap would prevent him from participating in a sport like football, which he loved so much. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, Trey decided to prove the experts wrong. Not only did he master the game of football in High school, he received an athletic scholarship to Sam Houston State University. He went beyond expectations and earned a starting position as a defensive back. One of his responsibilities was to knock down passes when the football was thrown in his area. Another one-armed young man named Dawuan Miller also had a dream to play football. In spite of his disability he, too, earned a scholarship and became the starting defensive back for Boise State University. Both players made first team. Both excelled at their positions. Despite lacking an arm, Wood broke the career record for Sam Houston State with eleven blocked kicks. Dawuan silenced the doubters by using his one arm to intercept two passes in playoff games.

On September 16, 1995, Sam Houston State, played Boise State in football. For the first time in the history of the sport, two colleges played a game with one-armed defensive backs starting for each team. Few will remember the score of the game, but no one who was there will forget how two one-armed players’ gutsy performances overshadowed the rest of the talent on the field. Each of these two football players did more with one arm than most people do with two. When people with limited ability, apply themselves, they can accomplish incredible feats. You can do amazing things in spite of any limitation you may experience, if you will dare to believe it!

George Elliot…said "It's never too late to be what you might have been."  

--Inventor Thomas Edison…..said "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." 

When Dr. Seuss wrote his first children's book, it was rejected by 27 publishers. By the time of death in 1991, his books had sold more than 200 million copies in 15 languages. Since his death another 22 million of his books have been sold. What if he had quit after his 26th rejection from a publisher? But he tried once more…

When Gideon cried out “Where is the lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob….it was in a time when the Philistines had overrun his fields, and his possessions, and they were having to sneak around by night, just to reap some of their own crops, and avoid the enemy at their door. Knowing the glowing stories of God’s miraculous intervention over their enemies in the past… Gideon was putting a demand on God’s integrity and faithfulness by saying, “Once More Lord”…..It was a covenant man calling upon a covenant God!!!!  And his cry ascended to the God who hears, the God who Sees… the God who Knows…and the God who Remembers covenant!

Samson wanted God’s power, but in his lifetime, he had also wanted what the world had to offer… The Godly women who lived lives which honored God and were true to His word, were just not Samson’s cup of tea! While he hated the Philistines, he loved the philistine women…. Amazingly, God still continued to use Him, because of His covenant upon Samson. But covenant is a two waystreet and it takes two in agreement, and there came a point when the ramifications of his disobedience caught up with him, and the harvest of his sin came home to roost! With his eyes poked out, chains on his hands and feet, and stripped in shame before his captors, Samson remembered what it felt like to experience God’s power, and be in covenant! A cry came forth from the deepest depth of his being, “Once more Lord, Let me feel Your presence, Your grace and redemptive mercy, once more”!!!! Oh, my, He always hears that cry!

How much power does Satan have….. The answer is… “As much as we give him”!!!!... There are countless numbers of folks, who were brought up in church, they were once committed to serving God and inspiring others, but something happened, and the deceiver has ways of pushing and forcing it down and trying to shut it up….but it will not be silent! We can deny it and make other things our priority, but it will *…..continue to call out….It’s a callto know the Spirit’s stirring once more, “let me feel your cleansing, your love, your majesty “once more”! Use me once more, Lord stir me once more by your Spirit!

Three friends met on the street. One looked depressed and almost on the verge of tears. The others said, "Hey, how come you look like the whole world caved in?" The unhappy friend said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars." "That's not bad, said the friends" "Hold on, I'm just getting started. Two weeks ago, a cousin I never knew kicked the bucket and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear." "I'd like that problem, said the friends" Oh, there’s more, said the unhappy friend…"Last week my grandfather passed away and I inherited almost a quarter of a million." "Then how come you look so despondent, they asked"...."This week ……..nothing!"

Alexandra the Great fell into deep depression, and when asked why, he said “I have nothing left to conqueror”…..

We have entered the feel good era of Christianity…. Commitment has been replaced by fun and entertainment. Preaching has been replaced by feel good illustrations and seeker friendly sermons. Holiness has given way to happy hour. We get more excited about a shopping trip than we do about a revival meeting. We wink at sin and cringe at the holy demands of God. We have lost our fire, our power and our desire for the pursuit of God. We would rather play than pray. We would rather have our ears tickled than our hearts set fire by the Word of God. We would rather be entertained than challenged. We would rather stay like we are than become more like He is.

You can see it in our homes. You can see it in our communities. You can see it in our streets. You can see it in our entertainment. And, most devastating of all, so often you can see it in our churches! That’s why our nation is in the shape it is in today. We have been weighed and found wanting! Don’t bother me, I just want to feel good!!

Thank God, there is still hope! Thank God there is a Holy stirring among the youth of this nation. And our hope springs from passionate men and women of God who are crying out day and night….once more, Lord, once more!!!

Romans 13:14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”

God is listening for the cry of Repentance – Genuine repentance is the only hope our nation has for survival. God calls on all of us, to “turn” to Him “with all our heart”. He calls on us, to “rend” our “hearts” and not our “garments”. God isn’t looking for mere external displays of religion; He is looking for a heart change. He is looking for a people who are broken and who are willing to become true followers. He is looking for a people who will be sorrowful “with fasting, and with weeping, and with brokenness before Him”) This is the kind of people God will bless, and restore and use…ONCE MORE!

God is Listening For A Cry Of Restoration … Restoration is messy business…. Mark is a contractor and he can attest to that. It looks like a total mess, before it looks better. Things are ripped out and taken to the bare framework. Junk is piled everywhere before the cleaning up begins and the rebuilding starts. God calls His people back to a place of closeness and holiness. But first comes the place of brokenness and emptying out…then the restoration begins! God is calling on all the people, from the oldest to the youngest, to come back to Him. He calls for those occupied and consumed by the matters of this life to put Him first again, a place where He is our first priority.. He’s calling on the spiritual leaders of the people to come back to Him in an intense relationship, that is much more than the Pastor’s job or the deacon’s role, or the going through the motion of doing church.                                            God wants His people to seek His face ONCE MORE. He wants them to get hungry for Him ONCE MORE. 

I don’t believe I’m wrong, but according to the dispensational covenant, this world will experience one more earth shaking, purifying revival and reformation before the Lord comes. I believe we are in the processional that comes as an indication that the King Himself is near. The Father still has a remnant of people who love Him more than they love their self indulgences. I believe that God is going to purify His church and bring us to a place of repentance and revival “ONCE MORE”!!

When He does, there will be no doubt as to Who is in control. There will be no doubt about Who is to be worshiped and glorified. Even the enemies of the church will have to acknowledge that God walks among His people. There will be no doubt about Who is doing the work. Let the cry arise to heavenand be lifted before His throne, for the Lord to visit us once again and shake everything that can be shaken!

In the game of Chess, a checkmate, means that you have no more moves left to make. You are blocked on every side, with no escape and nowhere to turn. Checkmates in life, can be ...An incurable illness...A broken relationship...A wayward son or daughter...Financial ruin......A past that is destroying your future. Satan was crying “checkmate” as they took the bleeding, torn body of Jesus down from the cross and placed it in the tomb…. But the King always has one more move that the devil has not considered.

As we journey forward, we will continually experience checkmates in our personal and corporate lives. Dark times of seeming defeat, but we must always remember that behind every circumstance there is a supernatural power at work, and the King, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will always have one more move to make!

No matter how desperate your situation--it may even look like you have lost everything--but THE KING HAS ONE MORE MOVE up His sleeve. How do I know this? How can I be so confident to declare this to you? I know because our King has a well-documented history of last moves. 

Seas don’t just split open to allow people to pass through on dry ground, all by themselves. ...Water doesn't just spring forth from a rock on its own. ...Food enough for millions of people, doesn't just accumulate on the ground every night as a random event. ...An old man holding up his arms does not determine the outcome of a war. ...Thick city walls don't just fall down flat when people blow horns. ...Men thrown into furnaces and lion’s dens do not just walk out without a scratch of smell of smoke… ...A jar of oil doesn't just keep refilling itself. ...Actual dead men don't just walk out of their graves except in a fictional TV series. ...Wading into a dirty river doesn't cure leprosy. ...The blind don't see, or the deaf hear, or the cripples walk just because someone touches them or puts mud in their eyes. ...Threatening storms don't just stop because someone talks to them....Shackles don't just miraculously fall off on their own and prison doors unlock themselves and burst open.

Haggai 2:23 In that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you...and I will make you as a signet: for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts”
A signet is a sign of the authority of God. God was saying, “I will make you a sign to this generation, for I have chosen you—even in your captivity and despair.” Before we called out, it was not our choice but His! We are God’s secret weapon, that He puts into play just when Satan thinks he has won total victory. He is calling us to be ambassadors of the kingdom in this last generation. God is calling His whole church— in every place, and out of every denomination. Nothing is over until God says it’s over!
The choice we have is whether or not we will hear His voice and respond to it. Either we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life—that He can bring us into freedom and do the miraculous through our lives, or not!
God is about to produce the Greatest Show On Earth!....Remember, the Lord has promised: “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former”...A greater glory, once more visited upon His church! Once more, He will pour out the oil and fill every vessel… Once more we will enter into the promised land covenant…. Once more, we will see souls saved and set free, families restored, and God’s people set ablaze for Him…..Once more!!!

God heard Samson’s cry and He hears yours. He longs to do more in your life than you have ever envisioned. Because now the voice of God has come once again, calling you to rebuild. He is calling you into a freedom and ability that can come only from Him. I implore you today in Christ’s name to step out of all bondage and captivity—whatever it is in your life that has convinced you that God will never use you. Leave that place behind! As you respond to His voice, the Lord will strengthen you, give you His Word, fill you with His Spirit, and cause you to be a demonstration of His resurrection life in this generation! Your “once more” is calling…..Let’s answer the call!

Prayer….. Father, I make myself available to you so that my life can continue to be transformed through faith in Christ and the power of Your Word, that renews of my mind. Give me knowledge in my inner being that will cause me to truly be alive in You. Lord, I know transformation will not happen instantly, so give me the patience and strength to wait upon You, as You continue this process within me. You have clearly stated, that as I behold Your glory, I am being changed into Your image from glory to glory, even as by Your Spirit, Lord Jesus. I declare that transformation in my life has begun. Your love, peace, patience, and power will shine through me so that others will see You within me, wherever I go. I worship You and lift my “once more” to You Lord, as You flow through me and empower me to live the life I was intended to live for Your glory. Lord I open my spirit to you to do Your supernatural work in me. Let my heart be changed as You make me new, and mold me into who I am truly meant to be… In Jesus Name, amen…

If He has ever done a miracle, a wonder, an over the top, supernatural thing for anyone, anywhere, then He will do it for you…                           He is no respecter of persons and what He’s done for others He’ll do for you!!

In Australia, if you say “My shout”, then you’re letting everyone know that it’s your turn… If someone says “Can you shout me” they’re asking if you can cover the cost for them…. If someone says “It’s my shout” they’re saying they will pick up the cost of something….A shout-out, is to recognize someone in appreciation of them or something they did…. But in the culture of the bible, we see that SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO SHOUT IT OUT!Just saying it won’t do!

In the scripture which I open this session with, God is speaking to Joshua and giving him the battle plan for victory, even as the nation is entering the promised land….

Joshua 6:6 “Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. 2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

Anyone can shout after the walls have come down to your trial, test, or unsurmountable obstacle. But can you shout the shout of obedience and submission to God, when you see and feel nothing. But God has said to shout, and you don’t feel like it, or your flesh needs to see a reason to shout… as a matter of fact you feel more like screaming instead of shouting…..I like the words of Paul after he was converted

He said in Galatians 1:15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb, called me by his grace, and was pleased v16to reveal his Son in me, I did not confer with flesh and blood,"                                          1 Corinthians 15:50 I tell you this, brothers,flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the 

imperishable.

If the Israelites had consulted the flesh, they would never have shouted, and the walls would have remained unmoved…. I mean come on…. 6 days of marching, and 7 times on the 7th day! Most of us would have been calling 911!!!

For mankind, change is inevitable, for God, change is impossible. He cannot change. For God to change He would be in violation of every covenant, and every promise, and if He changed, even the balance of the universe would be in jeopardy! He is the unchanging one, and His word, His love, His mercy, His grace, His character, His purpose, His longsuffering, His covenant, His justice, His righteousness, His Glory and splendor and majesty, endure forever!

THE UNCHANGABLENESS OF GOD IS REASON TO SHOUT!!!

If we only make it about us, about our situations, ourcircumstances, and our conditions… Our injustices, our hurts, our wounds and scars, it will muzzle and snuff out, our shout….

But listen, John 8:36 declares “He whom the Son sets free, IS FREE INDEED”! The words “IS FREE” here, are in the present perfect tense in your life, not in a historic sense, but a progressive, ongoing, “IS FREE”… NOW AND FROM THIS TIME FORTH!!!We shout the victory we already have in Christ, no matter how the circumstances appear, we shout in order to see it manifest in our lives.  ​

Your feet shouldn’t touch the floor in the morning without your shout! You shouldn’t walk out of your house without your shout! 

The shout is your battle cry. Before the first step had been taken around Jericho, God told the people to SHOUT, FOR I HAVE ALREADY GIVEN YOU THE VICTORY! In the bible, the shout, was a declaration that God was on your side and the enemy would be overwhelmed with those odds…. The shout was lifted violently, to strike fear in the enemy and cause him to lose confidence and break his power. The shout is a declaration of your unmovable faith, your unshakeable trust in the maker and creator of all things, it is about tapping into the power of agreement to see thevictory before the battle begins. It is a speaking forth that what God has done He will do again, and even greater things! IT IS THE SOUND OF EXPECTATION!

Psalms 47:1 “Clap your hands all you people, shout unto God with a voice of triumph”!

On the count of 3, I want you to shout, HALLELUJAH!

Now, I’m going to whisper it…. (Hallelujah) Is it still a shout? 

When you blow out a candle, there’s no volume, but the candle still goes out. It’s not just about volume, but it’s about what’s coming out of your mouth. If I shout the promises, and I’m shouting the word of God…                                    It doesn’t make a difference about the volume if you’re in a situation when that wouldn’t be appropriate…. You can shout at a funeral, at the library or on the job…. And effect the atmosphere…Isaiah tells us that “His word shall not return void as it is sent forth into the earth”…. The word works if we work it! 

A shout is like a battering ram, to break down, break through, and push past, the barriers, the blockages and strongholds, that want to keep you from entering in… As we shout a praise to God, walls will fall… *……walls of sickness, walls of poverty, walls of oppression and bondage.  When we hit a wall that is keeping us from possessing what God has promised us, it is time to shout.  Bondages, strongholds, hindrances- COME DOWN! We need to shout them down in the name of Jesus.  

Our shout, is a command of authority given to us by the Lord, to put to flight the powers of darkness and challenge their authority, by confronting them with a higher authority.  

Let’s look at this scripture: Mark 10:46 And they came to Jericho: and as Jesus went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. v47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out, and say, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. v48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: 

but he cried the more a great deal, Jesus son of David, have mercy on me. v49 And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he is calling you. v50 And he, cast aside his beggar’s garment and rose and came to Jesus. v51 And Jesus said unto him, What do you need, that I should do unto you? 

The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.v52 And Jesus said unto him, Go your way, your expectant faith (shout) has made you whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way”.

The shout of Blind Bartimaeus caused a powerful move of God.Amen? His shout caught the attention of Jesus, and in the end, itcaused a miraculous healing that broke through blindness and poverty, and gave Bartimaeus his sight. Oh, my, there was power in Bartimaeus’ shout. Here’s a shout that caused Jesus to stop in His tracks, and give His full and undivided attention to a blind beggar!

Our shout will stop angels in their tracks….. Psalm 103:20 “Bless the Lord, all His angels, that excel in strength, that carry out His will, harkening unto the voice of His word”!

When we shout out His word with expectant faith, we stop angels and get their undivided attention, that they may carry out God’s will in our lives and our circle of influence….

Stop worrying if God will do it, and shout what He said He would do, according to His word. My Lord, the Holy Spirit can say something to us 10 times, and we will need 5 confirmations….thedevil can say one thing into our minds and we’ll believe it and start acting it out, with fear, and doubt and worry. 

There is a story of a fella from Boston who died and went to Hell. Satan says, "We're gonna make you miserable." He cranks up the thermostat to 95. "No problem. Just like Boston in June," he says. So Satan cranks it up to 105. "No problem. Just like Boston in August." Satan's getting angry. He tries a new tactic. He punches the thermostat all the way down as low as it can go. 100 below zero. The whole place is frozen. The guy from Boston starts jumping up and down, and shouting at the top of his voice, "YEAAAA! The Red Sox must have won the World Series!" (Of course we know hell is not a joking matter)…..We want to do everything we can to keep anyone from going there…

Expel your fears, and cast them out with a SHOUT that says, “God said it, that settles it, whether I can get my head around it or not!!!

I’M GOING TO SHOUT!

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given, seek, and you shall find,knock, and it shall be opened unto you. v8 For every one that asks, shall receive and he that seeks shall find, and to him that will knock it shall be opened”.

TRUST IT, BELIEVE IT, EXPECT IT!!! Don’t give up… You may try 10 things before the one thing that was always yours, opens up, so, keep on knocking…. The same word He spoke and the heavens and the earth and everything in them were brought into existence, is the word He delivers unto us.

A few months ago, we celebrated Palm Sunday. The good citizens of Jerusalem were looking for a deliverer to fight and win their freedom for them, like the Maccabees had been so many years before. They brought out their palms just as their ancestors had done. They wanted someone to lead them in breaking the grip that the hated legions of Rome had over them. They welcomed the Lord with shouts of joy, and threw their garments in his path. But they soon realized that THIS deliverer was like none they had ever known before. The result? Disappointment. And the disappointment moved them from Palm Sunday to shouting “crucify Him” in the blink of an eye.

Let me say this here… If you are always getting revelation that exposes everyone around you, but never gives you revelation that exposes you…. something’s wrong with your source of revelation….(repeat)

We have all known disappointment… perhaps with the Lord because the answer to a heartfelt prayer did not come in the way we expected. God didn’t work on our schedule, in our way, or it didn’t look like we thought it should. Or perhaps there was disappointment with the Lord’s Church, disappointment because the church was populated with broken people, making adjustments in their lives, just like all the rest of us. And your joyous shout was shut down. Stop reacting to what didn’t happen the way you thought, and begin to shout over what the Lord has already determined will be done….

Speaking of what has already happened…  A U.S. Navy destroyer stopped four Mexicans rowing towards Texas. The Captain gets on the loud speaker and shouts: “Ahoy, you 4 in the small craft. Where are you headed?" One of the Mexicans puts down his oar, stands up, and shouts, "Gringo, we are invading the United States of America to reclaim the territory taken by the USA during the 1800's." The entire crew on the destroyer double over in laughter.When the Captain finally catches his breath, he gets back on the loud speaker and asks, "So, just the four of you are doing this?"The same Mexican stands up again and shouts, "No, we’re the last 4. The other 20 million are already there.”                                     God has been where you are going. He’s got it covered. He has already invaded the enemies territory, and defeated the strongman. That’s reason to shout… 

I realized as I was preparing this message, that one of the things that steals our shout, is about where our treasure is… I am going to paraphrase a verse of scripture here, and I believe it is true…                                                                   Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.. NOW, let me paraphrase that…. 

“Where your treasure is, there your shout will be also”

We shout about the things that are important to us…. We shout at ball games when our child or grand child scores, or does well. We shout while watching sports on TV.. We shout when we find out we are expecting a child….We shout when our children are born… When they graduate, When we get a gift we’ve always wanted… When we got our driver’s license, When we get our first car….(on I could go)…., Things that have value to us….(isn’t that right)                                                             Where is our shout when it comes to eternal, spiritual, forever things? WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR SHOUT WILL BE!!  

When Habakkuk the prophet had lost everything, and was surrounded with utter desolation, he shouted forth "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, and take joy in the God of my salvation!" The Lord was his treasure!                                                                                                             Sometimes a shout is, to expel upon the breath and reject doubt and fear and heaviness from our spirits. We are bringing strength, confidence and power into us, in their place.Our shout is a way of casting it out!

So SHOUT IT OUT!

I’m reminded of the blind lady who went to a special miracle service that was advertised not to far from her. She went forward and was prayed for and received her healing. A month later she still couldn’t see, but she kept telling everyone about her healing. She would stand up in church and testify about how she was blind but now she could see. Folks would laugh and scoff. Some would tell her that she was making a fool of herself. And one night, she was standing in front of her mirror, and she was telling the Lord, “Jesus, I know you healed me, I felt your power, and I know it’s true, but Lord they don’t understand, so, show all of them what you did for me.” And as she finished her prayer,                           she saw her reflection in the mirror. She said “Lord, thank you, I always knew it, but now they can know it too”!

Shout it, when you don’t see it, until you do!!!

Zephaniah 3:16 “Do not fear, do not let your hands fall limp. v17The LORD your God is among you, He is mighty to save. He will shout over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

It’s an awesome thing, when we shout and the Lord shouts back to us…

He shouted into the darkness and there was light, He shouted into the storm and it was calm, He shouted over His people and they were saved and preserved against all odds. When His shout mingles with our shout, heaven and earth will move in obedience.

Psalm 149:5 “Let the saints revel in glory, let them shout for joy upon their beds. v6 May the high praises of God (praising in the Spirit) be in their mouths, and a double-edged sword in their hands”…

Let’s join our Lord and master in His shouting…. Let those of earth, join in agreement with heaven’s host in the shout of victory, the shout of the finished work, the shout of expectant faith and confidence in the promises of God! Let’s wake up shouting and lie down shouting….

There’s a shout that is coming, which will shake the heavens and the earth. It will pierce the cemeteries and every place where mankind has died. It will shake the very foundations of society and reap the precious harvest of the earth. It will signal the end of one dispensation and the beginning of another, and it will usher in the “Day of the Lord”….WHAT A SHOUT THAT WILL BE! 

1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first”.

Are you ready for that shout? Have you prepared by getting your family and loved ones into the place of safety? Stop worrying about being rejected, or ridiculed. When you watch them being turned away from heaven forever, being ridiculed will be the last thing on your mind. Are you ready for the shout that will separate you and your loved ones forever!

The shout that will separate the sheep from the goats, the righteous from the unrighteous, the rebellious from the disobedient.

It’s time to push through your fears and concerns and believe me, when you know that their soul is saved and you will see them in heaven forever… YOU WILL BE SHOUTING! OUR GOD IS ABLE.!

When God in the flesh walked the streets of Jerusalem, His presence often upset status quo and messed up the work of Satan everywhere He went! When He showed up, the sick were healed, the dead were raised, and water was turned into wine!   

In the middle of a storm, He went for a stroll across the sea without a bridge! He stopped a funeral procession and touched the coffin and the boy that was dead in the coffin, got out!  He stood outside of a tomb and spoke to a dead man, called him by his name and he came hopping and wiggling out of the grave! He went into a room and shut the door on a girl who was dead and while the funeral service was going on (how rude is that), He said, “Talitha Cumi,” which is to say, “Daughter, I say unto thee, Arise!” and turned the obituary into a party announcement! He wasn't too good at natural math, because he divided 5,000 men plus women and children into two fish and five loaves of bread and fed everyone with 12 baskets full left over! That’s crazy math! He wasn't too good at natural medicine either... He spat in the eyes of a blind man and the blind man opened up his eyes and said, “I don’t know anything about Him, but one thing I do know, once I was blind but now I see!”  He is Lord of all, and as powerful as they may be now, every knee in heaven and earth will bow and declare His Lordship!

So, why not shout out like the blind man, and invite Him to mess up your day, turn it inside out and put it together again!!!

Give forth the shout of command, the shout of break through like a battering ram against the gates of hell, for they shall not prevail against your anointed shout. Give a shout that brings down the walls of the enemy, Give a shout that is your battle cry which strikes terror in the enemy and causes him to flee…..

In announcing this title, I am not trying to just be cute, or different, but to use it as a hook, to hang some truth on for us today…. If you can go out of here connecting what I want to share with UFO’s then the UFO’s won’t be what it’s all about, but what it’s connected to….

Billions of dollars and massive time and energy have been invested to discover if we are alone in the Universe. Every year thousands of sightings are reported and like the illusive Big Foot, conclusive proof continues to remain in the realm of fantasy.                                                            

In June 11th, 1982, Universal Pictures, released the movie E.T. In one weekend it had 12 million in viewer sales, and was an immediate Blockbuster. It generated 435 million dollars and surpassed Star Wars, to become the highest grossing film of all time, at that time. 

That kind of turnout reflects the tremendous interest in alien visitation, UFO’s and the big question…. “Are we alone, in the universe”?               

Who could forget those Star-Trek years – as CAPTAIN JAMES KIRK of the USS STARSHIP ENTERPRISE, spent his whole career dealing with Aliens. And of course there is Luke Skywalker, Princess Leah, and Hans Solo, in Star Wars, as they cooperated with and fought some pretty weird extra-terrestrial life forms….

There are nights when I have looked up at the Milky Way band which we are embedded in, containing 400 billion stars, each with planets circling them, and wondered what it would be like to be abducted by a UFO and taken to their planet and be the first to share the gospel with their kind…. (WOAH….. REEL IT IN MAN)

By now, some of you are seriously weighing the credibility of your pastor, but take a deep breath, and relax because UFO’s and alien visitations and even alien abductions have happened all through the bible…. As a matter of fact, all of us should expect these things to happen in the coming year…The UFO’S I’m talking about are 

“Unbelievably Fantastic Opportunities”

Going all the way back to the creation, In Genesis 3:8 indicates that 

Adam and Eve had an alien visitation every day….God walked daily in the garden and taught them, and fellowshipped with them…. 

We used to sing a song that kind of takes this for granted in our time…check out the lyrics… “And He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known. He speaks and the sound of His voice, all the birds hush their singing, and the melody that He gave to me, within my heart it’s ringing….”

God walked with Enoch and one day they just kept walking, and Enoch didn’t stop until he flew right by death and arrived in heaven. His legacy is “That he walked with God”

Elijah was abducted by God in a fiery UFO, and did not see natural death, but passed from life into life… these two men, Enoch and Elijah are a dress rehearsal for the great resurrection morning when all the righteous will find their way to their true eternal home. 

Methuselah walked with God 969 years and died the year of the flood. We don’t know all the adventures he and God had….Methuselah was alive when Adam was alive and he was still alive when Noah built the ark….These were incredible men and knew God in a special way!

Genesis 32:30, we read that Jacob saw God: “So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face…” Jacob also saw alien beings called angels ascending and descending from heaven.

Genesis 19 Abraham entertained angels, who stopped by his home to tell him that they were on their way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.  Abraham negotiates with them to save his nephew Lot….

Exodus 33:11 “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend”.

Jesus showed up in the fiery furnace with the Hebrew children and they could not be burned….And it’s not just ancient history….

I have heard countless stories of Jesus showing up in hospital rooms, in prisons, and homes in Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Nazi populations. 

During the six day war, when the Jewish people took back Jerusalem, there are countless accounts of Arab armies seeing 10-12 foot angels fighting for the Jews….The aliens showed up!

Tell someone… “You can always count on Jesus showing up.”!

The children were doing a reenactment of Jesus triumphant entry,  but because of a sore throat, 5-year-old Annie stayed home from church with her mother. When the rest of the family returned home, they were carrying palm fronds. Annie asked them what they were for. Her father said, honey, “People held them over Jesus’ head as he rode by on a colt,” 

“Well, wouldn’t you know it,” Annie grumbled, “the one Sunday I’m sick and Jesus shows up and offers pony rides!”

We’re talking about aliens, and I am looking at aliens right now as I face you in this room (you’re not scary at all)  The Apostle Peter says we are strangers and aliens.                                                                                                 1 Peter 2:11-12 “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among this world that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God in the day he visits us”.

We who are Christians are called to serve an alien entity, who came to earth 2000 years ago, to show us how to fight evil alien forces which also came to kill, steal and destroy. 

Before the foundation of the earth, his coming was planned… before the heavenly rebellion, before mankind, before sin, before all of that, the visitation was put in place.

So, understanding this…. We then realize that it is all spelled out in the original Star Wars trilogy…..not Spielberg’s version, but the version we find in Ephesians 6: 10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit (the alien tongue) on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people”.

MAY THE REAL FORCE BE WITH YOU!!!

The old song says --- “This world is not my home; I’m just a passing through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore….” If you are a Christian, you are not a permanent resident here… Jesus called us to live like aliens—to fix our minds on radically different priorities. Your ultimate allegiance is in heaven, your citizenship is there, You are an Alien and a stranger…                                                                  All Believers in Christ are aliens in this world. It’s difficult for us to fit into a world that is out of touch with the values, and principles of our home land….That’s what our struggles are mostly about. Because we are in the world but not of the world. We are just passing through… call it pilgrims, sojourners, pioneers, way markers, or aliens. We speak another language…. The bible…. We meditate on it, we decree it’s truths, we pray it, we teach it, we memorize it, we live it!!!! And, I am glad today to be an ALIEN FROM ANOTHER WORLD, How about you!

I love the sci-fi movies where those who are aliens have special powers… THAT’S US AS WELL!!!

The head alien (Jesus) endued us with power from the home land…. He said as I have overcome the world, you shall overcome also in my name. He said “The things I have done you shall do also in My name”… He actually bestowed on us these powers saying….                                                     Matthew 10:7 “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ v8 and Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse all kinds of diseases, castout demons. (KA POW) Freely you have received, freely give”, 

He even gave us power over the grave, saying “because I live you shall live also”

What a great tragedy it is when a believer throws away his faith and hope in the amazing future world that we have been promised,and renounces his citizenship there, and lives for "this present world."                                                                                                  John said it well, “The world is passing away and its desires, but the one who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17)

I want to stir you up to use the means God has given you to maintain your alien identity in a world constantly pressing you into its mold.

If you lose money you’ve lost something needed. If you’ve lost a friend you’ve lost more. But if you lose your identity, you’ve lostthe most important thing of all.

In some ways we can judge the invisible things by the visable… (by their fruit you shall know them) Here’s an interesting measurement of our claim to the lordship of Christ…..                                                                            1 John 4:20 says, "If anyone says I love God and yet hates his brother, he is a liar, for anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen."

I heard that a Pastor and his board chairman got in a heated argument over a detail in the building program. The pastor, being diplomatic, said “I suggest we go home and pray to God to grant us peaceful hearts”, as the chairman stormed past him into the churchyard. *……After worship the next Sunday morning, hegreeted the Pastor warmly, saying, “I took your advice, and I went home and said a prayer.” “Great!” said the Pastor. “So did I! I prayed that God would grant us both peaceful hearts and a fresh start.” “Well”….The chairman said, “That’s not what I prayed, I asked God to give me patience to tolerate you.” (He was almost, but not quite there)

So, love fervently…. Give cheerfully….Pray earnestly…. Believe intensely. Seek Him unceasingly…..Know who you are….Live out the Word….Never settle for less…..Make each day count…..Know where you’re going…..Know Jesus more, and more, and more…

We know that being a Christian begins with a supernatural act. That means it is not of this world. (beam me up Scotty) If we could do it, Christ would not have come. We could make the leap ourselves. Salvation is an action which is of another realm….                                                                                                                      Jesus taught his disciples to pray “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10).

This work which is activated in us and joins us to the realms of heaven, enters us to make us part of the supernatural realm. We are granted full citizenship, full participation, access to Divine counsel, power over Satanic intruders, permission and authority to act in God’s behalf, the right to speak His word as though He were speaking, and the ability to live forever…. 

Colossians 1:12-13 “He [God] has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,”              In the summer of 1805, some Indian chiefs and warriors met in council at Buffalo Creek, New York to hear a presentation of the Christian message from the Boston Missionary Society. After the sermon, Chief Red Jacket responded, “Brother, we are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this area. These people are our neighbors. We are well acquainted with them. We will wait a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less prone to cheat the Indians, we will then consider again what you have said.” Well, we know how that went…. It’s a wonder that any Indians ever received the gospel….

Unless you have had a supernatural act, done in your life from another realm, (we call it salvation) you will find it impossible tolive the kind of life the bible calls supernatural, it’s the will of God in us, as we journey through this world. 

It all starts, with receiving Him as savior, then take the next step and receive Him as your Lord and master. Both steps are necessary. The first is instant, the second, we walk out daily as we grow and learn through His word, which is our manual for this pilgrim life.                                                                            John 17:16 “You are not of the world, even as I am not of the world”

John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, the world hates you as it hated me”.

You’ve made him your savior, but have you taken the second step, and made him your Lord and master….

One day, the disciples were telling Jesus what the people around them were saying about him… One by one they chimed in, then Jesus asked them the most important question of all…”Who do you say I am”…. God makes this thing personal, and unavoidable….

Daniel in the lion’s den wouldn’t have survived if he didn’t know beyond a doubt who He was…I think of Paul in prison, when the jail burst open and they were set free… It was because they were sure and completely confident who they were…. Then there’s Peter, saying to the lame man, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." They knew who they were!

An old man with a cane hobbled with great difficulty through the hallway and into the pastor’s office and passed the women who were having their prayer meeting in an adjacent room. He was bent over and obviously in great pain.

Twenty minutes later he came out, walking upright and moving with grace and speed. “Praise the Lord, some of the ladies shouted, that’s wonderful that the pastor prayed for you and you were healed.”          “Well you’re close,” the old man told them. “What the pastor did, was to give me a new cane. Mine was six inches too short!”

The pastor gave him something better to lean on! That’s what God wants all of us to have… something better to lean on… Hallelujah, He’s our blessed assurance… Our strong foundation… A shelter in the time of storm… Peace that passes all understanding… Our shield and fortress… A mighty tower which we can run into…. A safe place… The rock that won’t roll… Our standard bearer… Our deliverer and lifter of our head….He’s theeverlasting arms… our comforter…. Faithful friend… our healer… helper in time of need… Justice and truth… Our keeper and confidence… Our reason and hope….Eternal lover… Master and King….  

And it’s about making Him Lord and Master…. I need all of that… how about you….

Would you take a moment as we close and crown Him Lord and King in your life this morning before we leave this place. 
Let’s pray…. Lord Jesus, I declare and establish that You are the Christ, my Great King, my Good Shepherd, my Only Master, my Helper, my sustainer, my Priest and intercessor before the Father, my True Light, my Truth, my Way and the Light of my life, my Wisdom, and my Everlasting Salvation.                                                                                                                                                                    I give You my heart and I ask you to take me, and use me as Your servant to spread Your mercy, grace and love to my world. I ask the Holy Spirit to make me more like You. I want to give You a central place in my heart, and I ask that you would teach me Your ways, that I might walk in Your will and plan for my life.                                                                                 May I always hunger and thirst after you, as I deal with all the issues of my life. Let Your words fill my spirit, my thoughts and my mouth as I speak with wisdom and truth. Lord, I desire to honor You in thought, in word, and in deedas once again, I commit myself unto you, as my Lord and my Master. I pray this for Your honor and glory, In Your glorious name, amen. 

He gives us something better to lean on! When the world seems all wrong, when it looks like it can’t be fixed, when everyone has turned against you, Yes, we have something better to lean upon and He won’t let us down!

As I announce the title to this message, I’m reminded that Moses told the people in Numbers 11:29 “Would to God that all the LORD'S people would prophesy, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them all”!

To prophesy in the Bible is to speak under inspiration…to declare forth the promises of God—and the intentions of God. His promises of peace and not destruction, promises of grace and mercy, of truth that reveals deception, and of hope that drives away despair, leaders who will do what is just and right in the land, and Salvation and safety for the people. A prophet is an office in the body of Christ, it is an abiding gift, to build up and strengthen the church. But we all can speak as we are inspired by the Holy Spirit. 

Proverbs 18:21"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits". Or death and life are in your words!

Romans 6:23 “To set your mind on the flesh is death, but to set your mind on the Spirit is life and peace”. 

There is a song by Bryan & Katie Torwalt, titled “prophesy your promise” Listen to the lyrics…

“I found You in the middle of my mess, You had been there all along, With open arms and open heart, You called me in, And You didn’t hesitate at all, And the lies I once believed, They crumble with the weight of Your truth, And the fear that gripped my heart Is arrested, So that I can see You. When I only see in part, I will prophesy Your promise, I believe You, God Because You finish what You start. I will trust You with the process, I believe You, God. You set a table in the middle of my war, Cause You knew the outcome of it all. When what I faced looked like it would never end, You said, watch the giants fall. Fear can go to hell, and Shame can go there too, Cause I know whose I am God, I belong to You”.

Revelation 19:10 “The Word of the Lord is the spirit of prophecy”. God’s word is already inspired, and God breathed. 

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. 

We are being instructed here, that God’s word produces in us faith, so that we can move into the unknown with confidence that things we cannot see are being formed and shaped by God’s word coming out of our Spirit by the Holy Spirit which is transforming our voices into the creative Roush, or the God breathed word of prophetic substance.

We are familiar with Hebrews 11:1 which states that “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence (hypostasis) of things not seen” But let me present you with something you might miss here….

When you can receive this in your spirit, you understand that the reality which you are believing for, in your life, your home, your job, your city, is waiting to be spoken out by the promises of God that need to be come out of your mouth in a consistent and unrelenting persistence, which refuses to give up or quit.

Hebrews 11:1 is not about what faith is, as much as it is about what faith does! It is the very beginning of everything that really matters spiritually, and it originates in the Spirit realm but affects everything in the natural realm in our lives. By saying that it is the "evidence" or in the Greek, “hypostasis” we are actually saying that we have received the "title deed," of the things we hoped for…If then, you hold the title deed, you will begin to talk and act like it is already yours, not like it will some day be yours….

As part of this presentation by Paul, on this “hypostasis” faith, he gives a list of some bible characters who exampled this for us. He points to Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.

When you understand that God has already given you the title deed to what you cannot see, and you begin to speak and act like it, miracles begin to be released to bring it to pass…                                                            The children of Israel walked across the Red Sea on dry ground, manna came from heaven, water came out of the rock, enemies were defeated against all odds….The walls of Jericho fell down flat…and there are Gideon, Samson, David and Samuel, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised. God shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, their weakness was turned to strength. Women received back their dead, who were raised to life again.

Hold on to your “hypostasis,” your title deed… for it has great recompense of reward!

As we look at all this, It’s important that we keep in mind, a portion of scripture in James 4:3 “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures”.

We need to grasp this…. When our motive is to honor God, and to serve Him, and to put Him first, these things become our covenant with our God. But when we begin to make it about us and not about Him, we forfeit this principal because James tells us we are asking amiss… or with the wrong motives and desires….

Someone has said “Generally, a person has two reasons for doing something...There is One reason that sounds good, and then there is the real reason”.

The Israelites were told by God that He would bring down the walls of Jericho if they would walk around them 6 days and 7 times on the 7th day. But if you read the story, he told them to march in total silence, because he didn’t want them to speak words that would cancel the victory He was about to give them. God knew the power of the tongue! The 7th day, the 7th time they blew their trumpets, broke the pitchers which hid the torches, and shouted or (prophesied to the walls) and down they came! Marching only worked when they obeyed!

Speaking of motives, A young fellow who worked in an investment house was impressed and very appreciative at the interest his fellow workers took in the news that his wife was going to have a baby. Every day one or more of them would drop around to his desk to inquire: “How’s the wife doing?” “What does the doc say?” “Any news, daddy?” “How many more days till the big event?” What he didn’t know was, the reason for all the interest in his future fatherhood, was really about winning the office bet about the birth date, they had all put money on.

What if we got up every morning and asked ourselves… “Am I doing the things that I truly believe in and am I doing them for the best possible motives”?

God looks on the heart, while others may look on the outward appearance….                                                                                                       There are a lot of metals that on the surface look like gold. Centuries ago, people discovered that unscrupulous operators would take advantage of this to trick people into paying for worthless metal. In order to determine whether gold was genuine or not, scientists devised an “acid test.” The item that is supposed to be gold is rubbed on a black stone, leaving a mark on the stone. Gold is what is called a noble metal, meaning that it is resistant to the corrosive effects of acid. If the mark is washed away when acid is applied, then it is not real gold. If it remains unchanged, the nobility of the gold is proven by the acid test. 

The trial our faith, comes to confirm if our faith is in the right things and if our motives are right. Many folks do the right things and say all the right things, but they have motives that will not stand the tests….             1 Corinthians 3:13 “Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is” 

The difference between the Powerball faith and the Gospel faith is the difference between luck and trust.

The Powerball is all about luck—and your chances are one in 176 million, which is not very good odds.

The Gospel is all about trust—which is confidence that God will come through, not just for one in 6 billion of us, but for the whole world.

There’s another big difference—With Powerball, one lucky family, or maybe two, experiences salvation, freedom from debt and a change of their lives.

But Gospel faith is not just for one person or one family, although it’s personal for each of us. The Gospel faith is for the whole world, for the salvation of everyone, so that we experience a change in the way the whole planet runs. It’s about justice and righteousness and peace and salvation for all. Everyone’s a winner. Because It’s a sure bet.

When it comes to the lotto, as opposed to the promises of God, There’s a big difference in the math. People play Powerball trying to spend a little to get a lot. Turn $3 into $580 million. Did you know that your odds don’t actually increase the more you play? It’s a myth, because the lottery doesn’t work like chances in a raffle. With lotto, no matter how many tickets you have, your chances are still just one in 176 million.

With God’s promises, the more you invest in faith and hope, the bigger it grows and the bigger the payout. Give it all, get it all and more, full measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over!

Begin now, to prophesy God’s word into your world… You can begin with “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven”….

Prophesy a world of peace and justice, for the angel declared “peace on earth good will toward men”. Prophesy the world living together in harmony with God’s design. Prophesy right relationships, security, trust, and fulfillment of God’s intentions in the earth. 

And you can know that these are not wild fantasies and lottery dreams—they are the hopes of every generation, the sure outcome of free grace, the covenant of peace and justice and righteousness and safety and salvation from the God who was and is and is to come. For the time is coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill my gracious promise. Thanks be to God!

A young girl, who had never traveled, by train, knew that In the course of the day her train would be crossing two rivers and several wide chasms. The thoughts of that, begin to cause fear in her mind and the more she thought of it, the more fear rose up. As they drew near the *…..first river, the conductor noticed her fear and leaned over, telling her, “You can relax dear, somebody has put bridges for us all the way”. The girl was able to lean back with a long breath of relief and confidence and enjoy her trip.

He had just handed her the “hypostasis,” title deed to her destination!

So, lean back, child of God and prophesy the promises! Declare forth your destination… He has gone before you and built the bridges into your future, so you can arrive at your destination!

How about prophesying John 14:3 He has gone to prepare a place for us, and if He is preparing a place for us, He will come to us and welcome us into it, so that we may also be where He is”…

That’s what Peter did in the storm…. He cried out “It is Jesus”, then he said “Jesus, if that’s you, then let me come to where you are.”

The words we speak will either build us up or tear us down. It will attract our fears or transport us into His promises. Our tongue will either bring blessings or curses upon us—from both God and man—in both the present time and for eternity.

There is great power in your mouth! 

We have all heard the stories of how a false witness has condemned people to spend years In prison, even though they were innocent. We have also heard stories of how the right words can give hope to a 

suicidal person and turn them from death to life. A slanderer can destroy the reputation of a good person. A wise counselor can steer young people through the perils and vulnerabilities of their youth, and guide them into paths of success. How many lives were destroyed as a result of the words spoken by Adolf Hitler in the 1930s and early '40s?

Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”.

Proverbs 10:11 "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life"

Our words can reconcile people and make peace. Our words can make marriages sweet, families strong, and churches healthy. Our words can give hope to the despairing, help with understanding, and spread the gospel. Our words are the result of what we fill our spirit with.                                           Luke 6:45 “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart (the spirit) his mouth speaks”.

A critical spirit produces a critical tongue. A self-righteous spirit produces a judgmental tongue. A bitter spirit produces a bitter tongue. An ungrateful spirit produces an unforgiving tongue.                                                                                                                                                                   But a loving spirit produces a gracious tongue. A faithful spirit produces an accepting tongue. A peaceful spirit produces a forgiving tongue. A trusting spirit produces an encouraging tongue.

So, fill yourself with the promises of God, and that’s what will come out!

One day John Wesley was walking with a troubled man who expressed his doubt as to the goodness of God. He said, “My life has seen so much trouble and turmoil.”

At that moment Wesley saw a cow looking over a stone wall. He said “Do you know why that cow is looking over the wall?”“No,” said the man with furrowed brow and fearful heart.

Wesley said, “The cow is looking over the wall because she cannot see through the wall. To his friend he said, “That’s what you must do with your wall of trouble—look above it instead of standing there staring at it, unable to see all that God has planned beyond.”

Luke said it so well in, Acts 20:32 “And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance (the title deed) among all those who are sanctified”.

Like a hungry child, fill up your mouth so that it just automatically spills out everywhere and to everyone around you! Put so much in your spirit, you can’t contain it all…. And it just keeps spilling out….           

Let your mouth be “a fountain of life”… Encourage, more than you correct and criticize. Say something affectionate to a loved one at an unexpected time. Catch someone in the act of being good…Seek to speak words that are “good for building a person up and inspiring.”

In spite of Israel’s failings, short comings and rebellion, listen to how Isaiah speaks forth in line with what God has promised, and not the thing he may have see at the moment….

Isaiah 43:1 “But now, says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 

v3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. 4 Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. 5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; 

v6 I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth — 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

What if you put your spouse’s name, or your children’s names, or your friend’s and neighbor’s names in there? 

You would be prophesying the promises of God not the problem….

Bobby McFerrin sang a cute little song in 1988 that swept the country….

“Don’t worry, be happy”…. Ooh, oooh, oooh, ooh ooh ooh ooh…. Don’t worry be happy….(Here’s some of the lyrics)….

“Here's a little song I wrote, You might want to sing it note for note

Don't worry, be happy…In every life we have some trouble, Butwhen you worry you make it double, Don't worry, be happy. (come on, everyone) Ooh, oooh, oooh, ooh ooh ooh ooh…. Don’t worry be happy….

Ain't got no place to lay your head, Somebody came and took your bed 

Don't worry, be happy. The landlord say your rent is late, He may have to litigate. Don't worry, be happy…

Ain't got no cash, ain't got no style, Ain't got no gal to make you smile

Don't worry, be happy. Cause when you worry your face will frown

And that will bring everybody down..So don't worry, be happy..     (Everyone now) Ooh, oooh, oooh, ooh ooh ooh ooh…. Don’t worry be happy….”

That song tells us what to do, but not how to do it… What I’m giving you today is how to be Happy!!! ​PROPHESY THE PROMISES! COME ON… PROPHESY WITH ME TODAY…..

We can prophesy the promise of Hebrews 13:5 “He will never leave you, nor forsake you. 6 So I may boldly say, The Lord [is] my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me”.

We prophesy the promise of Romans 8:28 – “All things work together for good to those that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose”.

And how about 2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and a sound mind”.

Let’s keep going…Isaiah 59:19 “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him”.

And let’s do Isaiah 61:3 "He has appointed unto them, beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."

You are prophesying right now church!!! Let’s keep this going…..

Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…”

Let’s do 2 Timothy 1:12 "For I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep all that I have committed unto him."                                                                        *…….. One more before we close…. 2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God are “Yes in Christ. And so through Him, our “Amen is spoken to the glory of God”.

In closing, I declare the promise of 2 Peter 1:2-10 over your life and the lives of those around you….Join me in this powerful Prophesy…..”Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and Godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if youdo these things you shall never fail. In Jesus Name!

AMEN, let’s allow the promises of God to shine down and activate His covenant with His people in every situation we find ourselves in. God said it, we believe it, and that settles it!!!!

One beautiful December evening during the holiday season, Ken Chi and his girlfriend Jung Lee were sitting by the side of the ocean. There was a romantic full moon, and Ken Chi said, “Hey baby, let’s play Wee-wee-chu.” “Oh no, not now.      Lets just look at the moon”, said Jung Lee. “Oh, c’mon baby, let’s you and I play Weeweechu. I love you and it’s the perfect time,” Ken Chi Begged. “But I had rather just hold your hand and watch the moon.” “Please Jung Lee, just once… play Weeweechu with me.” Jung Lee looked at Ken Chi and said, “OK, we’ll play Weeweechu.” But only one time….Ken Chi grabbed his guitar and they both began… “Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.”

I have titled my message….”Joy to the World The lord is Come”                             I like the fact that the song by the same name says “The Lord is come”… because He is still coming into the hearts and lives of multitudes, every day around the world!

Luke 2:10-12  “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

In the heavenly realms of God’s glory, there is no sadness that can enter, no disappointment, no sickness and no death. And with all of that atmosphere of Divine perfection, permeating everything, God looked down at earth and saw the dark shadows of turmoil, trouble and spiritual darkness cast across the people of earth.                                                               AND WHEN THE ANGELS PROCLAIMED WE BRING YOU GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY, JOY WAS BORN! Into the earth… The Father in Heaven wrapped up all that Divine wonder, all that amazing atmosphere which exuded from the very presence of the Father, in the womb of a virgin, and He deposited it in a package called “Baby Jesus”…. sent it to earth and laid it in a manger bed….                                                                                                                           

Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that “The Joy of the Lord is my strength..

He came in a time when grief, sorrow and disappointment hung over society like a dark cloud. Hearts were weighted down with heaviness and people’s steps were filled with anguish, as they stopped thriving and were only surviving. It was an atmosphere that was a magnet for every evil work of the enemy. These things not only effected  people’s outlook on life, but it became systemic and faith and hope became the victims. There are few things that Satan relishes more than people who are in despair and bowed down with doubt and discouragement. When people lack spiritual comfort and joy, the Deceiver rejoices because then he can rule them with their feelings and fulfill their fears and negative words.2 Corinthians 2:11 Paul is speaking about someone who is experiencing excessive sorrow, and he gives us this advice….      “encourage and comfort him, lest somehow he be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.... in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes."

When JOY WAS BORN in Bethlehem, a flashing “EXIT” light was attached over the door that used to say “No Way Out”….. Jesus declared, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me”.

Scripture tells us that when Mary who was pregnant with Jesus, went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, as the two ladies came together, the baby Elizabeth was carrying, suddenly leaped for Joy in the presence of Jesus, who was in Mary’s womb…. We need more of God’s children to get a visitation of that exuberant, overwhelming, all encompassingjoy, in the presence of Jesus….

Isaiah 9:2 “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. v3 You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people rejoice before You as they rejoice at harvest time…”  Now in Isaiah’s day, harvest time was a time of days of celebration, with dancing and loud music, trumpets blaring, along with much shouting and laughter!

Isaiah goes on to say, Isaiah 61:1-3 as He speaks for the lord, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me because He has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and freedom to the prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord... To comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness." Can you receive it!!!!

The angels said We bring you G00D Tidings OF GREAT JOY…..                   And FAITH WAS BORN INTO THE EARTH! The words “I believe” are a vital link in every faith journey.  (say it with me… “I BELIEVE”)                                                                                 Mark 11:24 "I say unto you, that all things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and you shall have it."

I believe in doctors, and when I put my case into that doctor’s hands, I believe he can keep me well, and cure me of whatever ails me…. I believe in lawyers, and when I leave my case in his hands, I trust him to represent me, plead my case effectively and fight for me. I believe in  bankers and when I put money into their hands, I trust them to protect it, keep it accounted for and make it available to me when I need it with interest.  

I believe that my God sent a Savior, so that when I put my helpless case into His hands, and trust Him to do what I cannot do for myself—He will do exceedingly beyond all that I could hope, ask or imagine!                                  I must come to the place that I accept the fact that when my faith is weak, His faith is strong. If He could stuff God Himself in a baby’s body, what else can He do! I will rely on His faith when my faith is small. I will understand that He has more faith in me than I have in myself. I have come to understand that His faith has already supplied all my needs according to His riches in Jesus Christ. And I am greatly encouraged by the words of Paul….

Galatians 2:20 “I live, but it is not I, but Christ who lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”.                                                                                                         This verse deals with two levels of faith. Experiental faith and Positional faith. Experiental faith will fail you because it only extends to what you have or have not experienced. But it is Positional faith that will see you through, because it is based on the faith of the Son of God.

One of the gifts of the Spirit listed in Corinthians is the gift of faith. That gift is the very faith of God. Or, to receive and operate in the faith of God!

When Thomas asked to touch the marks where the spear went in and the nails pierced his hands, Thomas was relying on experiental faith. He said “except I see it and touch it, I will not believe”…. But Jesus said      more blessed is he that has not seen and yet believes”….                        Jesus encourages us to move from experiential faith to Positional faith in order to receive the greater blessing!

Faith is not merely your holding on to God--it is God holding on to you.

Saint Augustine said “Don’t seek to understand that you may believe, but seek to believe that you may understand”.

He took care of all that I need, before I knew Him. He made every provision for my entire life, before I was born.* All I have to do is receive the faith of the Son of God, and begin to walk in it and watch Him do what I could never do. Watch Him make happen what I could never make happen. 

After being out of town for a week, before Christmas, Tom was rushing to buy his wife a last minute gift to bring to her. “How about some perfume?” he asked the cosmetics clerk. She showed him a bottle costing $90. “That’s a bit much,” said Tom, so she returned with a  smaller bottle for $50. “That’s still quite a bit,” Tom squirmed a bit. Growing disgusted, the clerk brought out a tiny $30 bottle. Tom was getting impatient and said, “What I mean,” he said, “is I’d like to see something real cheap.” So the clerk handed him a mirror.

Don’t have cheap faith……Jesus gives us the gift of faith, but there are attributes which we must add to our faith so that it is deep, and wide, solid and established. Faith must not abide alone….

Our instructions are found in 2 Peter 1:5 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, (moral excellence), and to virtue knowledge, (insight and understanding) v6 And to knowledge temperance, (self-control) and to temperance patience, (steadfastness) and to patience godliness, v7 And to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity (to unselfishly seek the best for others). v10 Wherefore brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, you shall never fall.” 

The angels announced, we bring you Great Tidings…. So take your faith, deep, and wide and solid and complete, in the faith of God!                                 

When the angels announced Good Tidings…HOPE WAS BORN INTO THE EARTH! Having to hope when things are hopeless….it is then that hope begins to shine it’s brightest.                                                                 Someone said, “Hope is the thing a person must not lose, because when you lose hope, you lose the most important thing of all”.

There was a little town in Arizona named Flagstaff. The town was to be flooded, as part of a Government project which would create a large lake where the town was. For years, the construction of the dam took place. In the years before it was to be flooded, all improvements and repairs in the entire town were stopped. What was the use of painting a house if it were to be covered with water in six months? Why repair anything when the whole village was going to be wiped out? Why build anything, when it would soon be unusable. They even stopped decorating for Christmas. So, monthby month, the whole town became more and more run down, more neglected, and sank more into ruin. *……Someone put up a sign on main street…"Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present."

Jesus came to give us power in the present, because we have hope for the future!

Scripture tells us that wise men from the east made the journey to Bethlehem and they said we have come to worship Him… Were they wise because they worshiped, or did they worship because they were wise. They came in hope, they followed the star in hope. They could have done other things, but they worshiped Him. They could have done many good things, but they did the best thing, they worshiped the hope of the world. They saw with their own eyes what they had only hoped for, because they dared to believe what they could not yet see!

The angels announced that they were bringing great tidings….         PEACE WAS BORN INTO THE EARTH! And with the Gift from heaven, the kingdom of peace entered a war torn and weary world.                                               The world is not the way it’s supposed to be. You didn’t need me to tell you that; you already know as much. People’s lives are not the way they’re supposed to be. God has always had something else in mind. It was on his mind in the beginning when he went about creating the world and everything in it. He always had and still has A vision for shalom…      it means wholeness. Flourishing. Interconnectedness of all things. The way things are intended to be. It means right relationship with God, right relationship with others, right relationship with all of creation. But the shalom was disrupted, relationships became fractured. And up went the walls. Walls all around us; walls between us; walls within us. Our own hearts divided against us. But God laid a sledgehammer in a manger that would break down dividing walls…beginning with the wall between ourselves and our God… He made a way that would allow us to come into His presence, free of all condemnation, shame and guilt. Isaiah called His name….”Prince of Peace”….

Corrie ten Boom told of not being able to forget a wrong that had been done to her in a Nazi prison camp. She had forgiven the person, but the situation kept popping up in her mind. So she went to a local pastor and she confessed her failure. The pastor told her, “Up in the church tower, is a bell which is rung by pulling on a rope. But you know what? After the bell ringer lets go of the rope, the bell keeps on swinging. Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding dong. Slower and slower until there’s a final….. DONG, and it stops. The same thing is true of forgiveness. When we forgive, we take our hand off the rope. But if we’ve been tugging at that bell rope for a long time, we shouldn’t be surprised if the old thoughts, and memories keep coming for a while, until the final “DONG”…..The fading memories are just the ding-dongs of the old bell slowing down till it stops.” Jesus came at Christmas, to cause the old bell of anger, the old bell of resentment, and the old bell of shame and unforgiveness from continuing to ring until the final….”DONG” sounds out                                                                                                                                                              

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”.

There is a true story of the famous “Christmas Eve Truce” of 1914. Kaiser Wilhelm the second, had sent thousands of Christmas trees to the front lines in order to boost the morale of the German troops. After the trees were set up over their trenches, in sight of the enemies’ lines, a German soldier began to sing the beloved Christmas hymn “Silent Night” in German. His strong voice pierced the cold, wintery night and all the rest joined in as the opposing enemy armies sat in their trenches gripping their rifles. “Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin, mother and child. Holy infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace”. Soon the French and Scottish troops, huddled in their separate barracks, begin to sing along in their own languages. Then something remarkable happened. Slowly, soldiers from all sides began to climb out of their trenches, and meet in the war zone between them, without their weapons. They began to engage each one other in conversation, exchanging gifts, as they participated inhonoring the blessed babe of Christmas!                                                              Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be sons and daughters of God. Let it begin with each of us. Let it begin within our own hearts. What is impossible for us is now made possible with God.

When the angels announced they were bringing Glad Tidings….                         LOVE WAS BORN INTO THE EARTH.                                                                                                                               God is love and so, when Jesus was born love entered into human history in a new and unique way. When a person believes in Jesus, A new level of love is birthed in them by God the Spirit.                                                                                                                                 If you are a parent then you know that the day your child was born, a new dimension of love was born in you. 

My love for David in no way diminished my love for Chris or Karen. I love, each of my children with all my heart. That love does not diminish the love I have for Winnie. As each child was born, a new love was born in me. And I suspect that if we had more (Winnie would kill me) anyway, with every child, the same thing happens. A new love would be born. Parental Love is like that and so is the Christ love that is born in us.

1 John 4:9 This is how God showed his love unto us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

Each one of us has 100% of God’s love. That also means that we all have 100% access to God’s Joy, His Faith, His Hope, and His Peace. 

Christmas means we have 100% access to Christ by the Holy Spirit. And His Love is not pushy, it is not manipulative, and it is not presumptuous. God’s love was revealed in a common birth, to a common young girl, in a remote village, to very ordinary people. I think if I were God, I would have had a 100 foot angel appear in Holigraphic imagery in every major population center at the same time, and announce that God had come in the flesh, whether you liked it or not and you better like it!!!

But God chose to not impose His love on anyone, because then it would not be love given in return. The point was not just that God so loved, but that He wanted us to volunteer our love to Him in return, totally and completely.

God so loved that He gave….. Love gives without strings attached. Love does not pull back it’s expression, if it is not returned in kind. That’s the difference in emotional love and Agape love. Emotional love gives out of obligation, or manipulation. If you don’t love me, I won’t love you. But the Love that was Born on Christmas, is found in ….                                                        1 John 4:10 And this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.…

Love is like an echo, you get back what you send out…..

JESUS IS BORN IN THE EARTH….Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. We have been given, access, favor, grace, mercy, admittance, New life, and a new future by the gift God placed in a stable manger, 2000 years ago. Hallelujah! 

Prayer……”Lord, I thank You for Christmas, when you came into the earth to bring us Your Joy, Your Faith, Your Hope, Your Peace, and Your Love. When I think of the lengths You were willing to go to in order to put my life in order, it makes me want to shout, to celebrate, and to cry with thankfulness. 

You know me so well, and I am so grateful that in that foreknowledge, you provided for all my needs, for all of my life, and in eternity too. Without You, I would still be lost and in sin. But because of everything You have done for me, today I am able to celebrate the real Christmas. 

My life is blessed, You are my Lord, Heaven is my home, and Satan has no right to control me. I am eternally thankful for who I am in Christ. Thank you for Your birth, Your life, Your sacrificial death, Your resurrection, and Your coming again in the clouds of glory. I will praise You for the rest of my life and throughout eternity, in Jesus' name I pray, Amen!

Winnie and I have both gone through the lost phone, credit card, debit card scenarios, where you realize how dependent you have become on those little gadgets. There’s a lot of your life in those digital containers. So you end up backtracking to all the places you’ve been for the entire day, starting with the most recent and working your way down. What a relief to find these pieces of your cyber identity. But have you ever come to the place where you acted in such a way or spoke in such a way, or even thought in such a way, that you misplaced your cross somewhere along the daily routines of life.

So, my message askes the question “Where is the cross in your life”?

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. 25For whoever wants to save his life (hang on to the old life) will lose it, but whoever loses his life (lets go of the old life) for My sake will find it”.…

Well, as of today, there are only 18 more shopping days until Christmas. Typical of last-minute Christmas shoppers, one mother was running furiously from store to store. Suddenly she became aware that the pudgy little hand of her three-year-old son was no longer clutched in hers. In a panic she retraced her steps and found him standing with his *…...little nose pressed flatly against a frosty window. He was gazing at a manger scene. Hearing his mother’s near hysterical call, he turned and shouted with innocent glee: "look mommy! it’s Jesus - baby Jesus in the hay". With obvious indifference to his joy and wonder, she impatiently jerked him away saying, "we have too much to do to take time for that!"                       We don’t have to ask “Where the cross is in her life”….                                            (it got lost in the shuffle of things)

There was an article in Forbes magazine entitled "You’d Cry Too If It Happened To You." In that article, 11 men and women were asked to answer the question "Why are we so unhappy?" They all agreed we are unhappy because we have lost our moral and spiritual center. Listen to what Peggy Noonan says (I quote) "Poet W. H. Auden called his era ’the age of anxiety.’ I think what was at the heart of the dread of his day, was that folks could discern that they were beginning to lose God-- banishing Him from the scene and from their consciousness, and losing the perspective that He is a vital part of life’s daily drama”. She goes on to say It is a terrible thing when people lose God. Life is difficult enough, and people’s lives are riddled with fear, when they suddenly realize that to lose God, is to lose man’s greatest source of consolation and coherence"

We were in a huge mall in Washington, and I had to go to the men’s room. When I got back, I couldn’t find Winnie. I started describing her to one of the employees on the floor, and I said, I can’t find her, and she isn’t answering her phone. “He looked at me and said, “A wife is a terrible thing to lose.”…. (I don’t know what his story was) In Luke 15 Jesus tells of the lost coin, the lost sheep and the lost son. He says there was great rejoicing when each was found. But in each case Jesus says “How much more should we rejoice over every sinner that is found” It’s as though Jesus is asking each of us “Where is the cross in your life”  

Every state in the U.S.A. has a state flower and a state tree as symbols. Some also have a state fish, a state bird, a state stone, even a state insect. Massachusetts has nineteen such symbols. The Florida state tree is the Sabal Palmetto, the state flower is the Orange blossom, and the state bird is the Mocking bird. Folks from Main have been called “potato pickers”, folks from Connecticut have been called “Nutmegger’s”, Virginians are called “sore backs”, and North Carolinians are called “tar heels”. So when we got married, a “potato picking”, “Nutmegger” joined up with a “Sore back” “Tar heel” and our kids are really mixed up!!!                                                                                                  But Christianity has only one symbol, THE CROSS. (Hallelujah)                                                                                    If we or the world could be saved through human kindness or meditation, Jesus would have formed a sensitivity group and urged us to share our feelings. He might have come as a psychiatrist, but we didn’t need someone else messing with our head. He didn’t come as a politician, because the solution was not government but the soul. He didn’t come as a doctor because the real health issue was about the curse. He didn’t come as a global unifier because His kingdom is not of this world. But He came as a sacrifice for sin, because the world needed a savior!        

He didn’t come to restructure society, He came to save it! He didn’t come to make bad people good, He came to make dead people alive in Him. So He took up the cross, called disciples, gathered the church, and asked us all to follow him down a very different path of freedom.                     

Alexander the Great built the world’s first lighthouse. It was on the island of Pharos, at the entrance to the harbor of the city that bore Alexander’s name, Alexandria. It was Built in 280 B.C., and it stood six hundred feet high. It kept ships from being dashed upon the rocks, it gave sailors a reference point, and it guided the storm tossed and weary back home again. We consider the world’s greatest lighthouse to be the cross, towering above our sin and weakness, shining through our trials and our struggles, and guiding us through our storms and our adversity. It shines unceasingly, unerringly and unfailing. It reaches to the highest mountain, and it shines in the lowest valley. It’s the cross that gives me strength from day to day, it shall never lose it’s power!

The Cross is about intentional living….. It effects our level of accountability, our discipleship, our spiritual growth, our giving, our finances, our serving, our calling, how we love, how we learn, our joy, how we deal with pain and sorrow, and not only how we live but how we die, from day one, till the last day on this earth!

Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”.

Young Johnny didn’t like salads, but he loved croutons. So for years when his mom had a salad, he would always ask her for her croutons. This had gone on for so long as he grew up, that heassumed his mom didn’t like croutons. That is, until one day, at around 12 years old … they were eating and he happen to say, “Mom, I’m so glad you don’t like croutons cause I’ve been able to have all of yours for all these years. Well, his mom just startedlaughing … and she said “Honey, I like croutons”. Which really surprised him- “Why do you always give me your croutonsthen”?. “Because I love you more than I like croutons”. HMMMM                                        Let me say on a grandeur scale, the measure of God’s Love for us, that is revealed through the cross is difficult to get our head’s around… But the gospel says….Hebrews 12:3 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”. (He loves us more than He despised the shame and the agony of the cross)

The cross shapes and governs how you love.                                               Hebrews 9:28 “For consider him that endured (in love) with such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds”. 

The cross is vertical and horizontal. Through the cross, we are united vertically as we come back home to the Father, through Jesus our sacrifice, by the work of the Holy Spirit. Through the cross we are united vertically as we come into the understanding that we are all His creations, made for His glory, and designed with a divine plan. The cross declares that we all share a common bond. Sinners in need of a Savior, loved equally and fully by Christ.                                                                                                       The cross is a symbol of Unity. But there can be union without unity… tie two cats together by their tails and throw them over a clothesline. And you will have union, but you will certainly have nothing that even faintly resembles unity!

Matthew 5:21“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22“But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. 

But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 23“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24“leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. And first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift”.                                             (God puts a high premium on unity)            

Jesus didn’t come to start a religion, He came to start a relationship. Oh, my, think about it….God says in Matthew, that He feels so strongly about the horizontal aspect of the cross, that you can bring your tithe, and still lose your blessing if you are holding anger, resentment, and ill will, against your fellow believer. 

So it asks us all the question, “Where is the cross in our relationships”…. Are there some cobwebs in some areas that need to be brushed off and cleaned up… The best cleaning ingredient you can use is repentance and forgiveness…                                                                                                          

Has the cross made a difference in who you choose for friendship and who your core group is. I understand that Jesus was the friend of sinners, but that was not his inner core. It was the twelve and they were that core group for one another. Who do you chose in your social life, to fuel you up, and build you up and keep you going strong in the word and in faith. Who are you letting speak into your life and who are you letting bring correction when you need it, or are there some cobwebs growing there. You say, I’m a loner, me and Jesus got it all worked out. I don’t need anybody to tell me what it’s all about!  

Hebrews 10:22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day (the coming of the Lord) approaching”.

One pastor recruited the youth in the church to help him serve coffee after the sermon every service. One Sunday the pastor who was always encouraging fellowship among the church asked one of the young men if he knew why they served coffee after the church services. "The boy said, "it’s to help the people to wake up before they start driving home."

Well if you got to bed late or didn’t sleep well, try not to snore!Sorry that we have no coffee available for you…..

The horizontal part of the cross, (our fellowship) is vital to provide balance in our Christian walk. 

Our failure to let Christ rule in our hearts vertically … always has horizontal implications. The Lord is very serious about the horizontal and the vertical place of the cross in our lives…. Because one is a reflection of the other. Distance from Christ becomes distance from his people….

Matthew 10:32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. v33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. v37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. v38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me”.

Maybe that sounds a little harsh, but let me say,,,The cross is our symbol of victory. It is in the face of overwhelming odds that we look at the cross and declare because He lives we shall live also. Because He overcame we shall overcome also. If we walk around speaking defeat, and failure, and sickness, then the cross was for nothing. With our mouth we declare his worthiness by declaring, and acting, and living in the reality of His finished victory. His victory is my victory, His victory is your victory! My mouth declares His worthiness!!!                                                                               Your picture is on God’s refrigerator…. Just like we keep pictures of our kids and grandkids on the refrigerator. God lovesus so much that if He had a refrigerator, our picture would be right there on it.

Parents, have you noticed when we go to an event in which our kids are participating, we really only watch our kids or grandkids? Your kid may be on the sidelines or the bench instead of on the field or court, but you’re going to be watching him or her. There may be 30 little girls out there at the dance recital, or 20 other kids in the Christmas play, but your eyes (and your video cameras) are focused on your kids. If they happen to make a football tackle or a goal or perform a beautiful grand pirouette ,we want to tell everybody, “That’s my girl!” or “That’s my boy!”                                                                                                                        That’s how our heavenly Father watches over us with love and compassion. As the song based on the word of Goddeclares…..                               “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!”

Perhaps you heard about the guy that bought his, wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas? His friend asked him, "Hey, I thought you said that your wife wanted one of those dressed out 4-Wheel drive Humvees for Christmas”." "That’s right, She did”, as a sly look came over his face, “but where am I gonna find a fake Humvee?"...

Where is the cross in our lives, because there are a lot of fakes that are trying to pass for the real thing. You can fool some folks all the time and you can fool everyone some of the time, but you can’t…(well you know the rest)

The old song says, “I will cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down, I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown. To the old rugged cross I will ever be true, it’s shame and reproach gladly bear. Till He calls me some day to my home far away, where His glory forever I’ll share. So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down. I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown”. (Thank You Lord)!

We lived in Miami for a year, before coming to Key West in 1976. We had some dear friends, Mary and Ted, who helped us move in a U-Haul truck. Mary had claustrophobia, and was very fearful of the narrow bridges at that time, which had to be crossed to get to Key West. But she had never been to Key West, and was more excited to see Key West, than she was afraid of the bridges! As I think of that….

I think of how God, through the cross, built a bridge that would reach from this sin cursed world, with all it’s struggles, pain, sorrow, and trials, and that cross would bridge the gap between this earthly dimension, and into the dimensions of heaven’s glory! And like Mary, we might draw back at times from what the cross demands of us, but our excitement and joy at seeing heaven and all of it’s glory, far out weighs any misgivings we might have!!! In college, some of us were talking about what we would do when we got to heaven. One guy said, I’m going to check out my mansion. Another said, I’m going to check out the ability to fly… Another said, I’m going to find all my family that has gone before. The last guy said, I’m just going to fall at Jesus feen and worship Him for about 100 years… Boy, we all wanted to change our answers!!!

Before they were called Christians in the New Testament, they were called “The people of the Way”…. I like that… and the fish symbol was their secret form of identity… We are the people of theway, just make sure we don’t get in the way of those who want to make the journey!

Jesus said in Matthew 23:13 13"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, and youwill not let those enter who are trying to”.

The word “woe” in the Greek is a judgment. It signifies impending doom, condemnation or the wrath of God. Jesus used it more than anyone else in the bible….

When we keep the cross at the center, we won’t be blocking others who desires to enter in, and we will never hear God pronounce “Woe”..Amen?

Mahat-ma Gandhi, a Hindu, is considered the father of modern India. His birthday, Oct. 2, is a national holiday in the second-most populated nation on Earth. In 1891, after graduating law school in London, he moved to South Africa to practice law. The racial system of apartheid was strictly observed in South Africa.Gandhi was fascinated with all who searched for truth and studied the Bible along with other religious texts. He loved the Sermon on the Mount and seriously considered becoming a Christian. One Sunday, he decided to visit a church in South Africa. Gandhi’s skin was light brown, as he entered the church, a South African white man said with a belligerent tone, “Where do you think you’re going?” 

Gandhi replied, “I’d like to attend worship here.” The man said, “There’s no room for your kind here. Get out of here, or I’ll have some of my men throw you down the steps.” Gandhi never seriously considered becoming a Christian again. This incident might have been one reason he later would utter the famous quote: “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians”. 

Who knows what India would have been like today if Gandhi had been welcomed into church that day and given his life to Christ? We’ll never know…..Because someone blocked the way, a nation was affected….

While we decorate our Christmas trees this season. Let’s remember that the real Christmas tree was decorated by God Himself, as He hung Jesus upon it for the sins of the world. That none should perish, but that all should have eternal life through Jesus His son!

Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that we could barely get by. The cross is our symbol of victory over poverty spirits, over everycurse that came through sin, it declares that because He lives, we shall live also because the same spirit that raised him up, lives in us. 

There is no child and adult Holy Spirit, No female and male Holy Spirit, No preacher and church member Holy Spirit. The same spirit that Paul, Peter, John, Matthew, Mark, and Jesus had while on earth, lives in every believer, no matter what age, or the gender, race or color. THE SAME SPIRIT THAT RAISED CHRIST FROM THE DEAD, DWELLS IN US! It’s the same power, the same anointing, the same source and availability. It is the crucified life that fully releases Him in our lives. 

Colossians 3:16 Let the revealed Spirit word of Christ dwell in you richly….that means extravagantly, abundantly, fully, and bursting at the seams! (in other words, you can’t help yourself)!It’s bursting out!                                                                      So where is the power of the cross, of victory in our lives! Let us cling to the old rugged cross, let us never cease to cherish it and be devoted to the difference it brings into all of our lives! (AMEN CHURCH)!!!

Prayer, “ Lord Jesus, as we remember Your bleeding body hanging on the cross, it provides a firm foundation to our faith. The nails and the spear, Your grief, the anguish of Your soul, and the depth of the agony you endured in Your love for us, inspire us and fire our hearts with praise and gratitude. We will bless You Lord forever and give our love and devotion to You every day of our lives. 

Let us always be bursting forth with your love, your joy, your grace and mercy, that You made possible, everywhere we go and in everything we do. Always let our direction in life begin and end from the place of the cross of Your victory. 

Let us never forget that this is where it all begins and it is ourconstant guarantee that we too shall overcome by the power of redemption through Your finished work. We too can shout “It is finished, it is done.” Because of the cross, I have a sure foundation, and the sure hope that all things will work together for our good and Your glory!                                In the mighty name of Jesus….                                                                                 I’ve placed a table in front of the cross, and I want to give each person a blank sheet of paper. Don’t write any thing on it. God knows what it is….write on it with your finger, But if it’s guilt, the cross has covered it all… if it’s insufficiency, lack, or incompleteness, He bought redemption for you there… if it’s a physical need, He paid the price for your healing…. Take a moment, and bring that paper with whatever need or request it is and lay it before the cross of our victory….

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen” 

My message today is “This Too Shall Pass”….. When I had the privilege of my only experience of passing a kidney stone, (thank you Jesus) …they comforted me with these words…. “This too shall pass” .. But at the moment, all I wanted was some morphine to stop the pain…                                                                                                                            I heard those words spoken by Winnie, while she was carrying each one of our children. “This too shall pass”…I’m sure every expectant mom has uttered these words….                                                                                                      When each of our children entered their teen years, Winnie and I comforted each other with those words…”This too shall pass”….and thank God it did!                                                                                                     Speaking of young people, I often see where young lovers have carved their names in trees, and most folks think it’s cute and romantic, but it makes me wonder why so many young lovers carry knives with them on their dates…Hmmmmmm!

One of our favorite TV detectives is Columbo, with his junky car and disheveled appearance, he is always underestimated by those he is investigating. And it throws them off guard and gives him the advantage. His famous set up in every show, is that he asks questions of the suspects, who realizes they are about to be caught, then he leaves the room, but he doesn’t actually leave. He waits for them to trip themselves up by making a phone call or saying something to their partner in crime, who is nearby. At that critical point, he re-enters the room and says, “excuse me, but just one more thing”….. Gotcha!!!                                                                “Just one more thing”…. That’s the way it always is with the human experience… JUST ONE MORE THING! THERE IS ALWAYS ONE MORE THING TO GET THROUGH, TO WORK OUT, TO RESOLVE, AND TO OVERCOME….

I want you to try and remember that stress, that disappointment, that deep concern you had on a certain date in the past… the date I’ve selected is October 10, 2013, (are you thinking) Oh, you can’tremember. You just proved that whatever it was, “This too shall pass”!

My mom’s favorite saying to us was “Get over it, in 100 years, you’ll never know the difference…. She was so right!

Many folks believe that the statement, “This too shall pass”… is in the bible, but it isn’t a bible quote….(SAY WHAAAAAAA!) It was one of the favorite quotes of Abraham Lincoln, and it is also said that an Eastern monarch gave command to his wise men to invent a sentence, that could always be displayed, which would be true and appropriate in all times and situations. And they presented him the words: "And This, Too, Shall Pass” It can make you laugh and rejoice, because you are glad that a lot of things are over and behind you…. It can make you cry because you wish so many of those wonderful and cherished times could have lasted a lot longer or never ended at all…

Someone has said, you can never really go back home, because you’ve changed and it has changed…..You’re at a different place now. But the truth is also that you can never really leave home, because it’s part of you…..We visited one of the churches we pastored many years ago. We were shocked, because we hardly knew anyone there. Folks had moved on and new folks had come. Those who were there before were forgotten, and their accomplishments were now replaced by others who had taken their place. New methods, new vision, new personalities, but the same message of the gospel. (hallelujah)

When I hear the words “This too shall pass” I hear another statement. “I shall pass this way but once. Any good that I can do, let me do it now, for I may never pass this way again” And I am reminded that we must all do what we can do now, in this present time, because what we do will either help the next ones who are standing in the wings, or it will make it harder for them. How I raise my family, gives them a foundation for raising their families. How I do ministry will give the next person a leg up, or make it harder for them. This sign in the harbor is one we all need to take heed of “You’re responsible for your wake”…..

I think of the incredible epitaph which is spoken about David and the life that he lived. Yes, he fell and he got up, and he fell, and he got up, but oh what he accomplished, even to the point that David, had a heart after God…. But here’s the awesome statement that became God’s permanent record of David’s life….                                                                                       Acts 13:36 “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep and his body was buried with his fathers…” Who here wouldn’t want to hear God speak those words over your life….

Once I preached on the topic of "Suffering" and following the service a

woman met me at the door and said, "I really had no idea what suffering really meant till I heard your sermon". I’m still not sure how to take that comment…..

When I hear the words “This too shall pass”…. I see the principal of seed time and harvest… One sows, another waters, but we all rejoice together in the harvest…. The old slogan of years past is still true today…. “Only one life, will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” As we sow the seeds of Christian charity, believing that the Lord of harvest will always fulfill His covenant with the seed, our labor shall never be in vain in the Lord. Little is much when God is in it!

A man working on the Golden gate bridge needs a cable to hold on to in the strong winds, and the dizzying height, something to hold him steady and keep him from falling. I believe this declaration can be that kind of stability in our lives….”This too shall Pass” can be a life line….

To be a believer in Christ is to understand that with all the things that have come and gone, we are part of a world within a world, a kingdom within a kingdom, that shall not perish and shall never pass away.

While the words “This too shall pass” are not in the bible, there are some verses which give us a look at the grand scheme of kingdom overview….. Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.                                                                                                                     1 Corinthians 13:10 When that which is perfect comes, that which is in part will be done away.                                                                                                

God deposited His perfect gift in imperfect vessels, so that the perfect is not going to come, it HAS COME. Eternity is within us, which makes us immortal and eternal beings. What if we lived as though we could never die? The bible refers to physical death as sleep. It’s like waking up to a new day. The bonds of earth will pass, and loose us to ascend to our God and enter that heavenly realm, where we shall be with Him eternally. We shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is…                                                Pinch your flesh container and say with me… “This too shall pass”…                                       Scripture tells us Job 23:10 “He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          And God is making it clear right here, that His blessings and promises, far outweigh and far exceed any human failings and curses which we may encounter in our earth journey, in its many trips around the sun, as we encounter the solar system as well as the molecular world of plagues, diseases, and various afflictions. Then there are the lessons of life we must all learn in the school of hard knocks… Not to mention the trials and tests we must all endure. But He tells us not to focus on all these things, but focus on letting the gold which these things produce in us… shine, shine, let it shine….

Often, this gold making process in us is like watching a parade. You can only really see about 4 or 5 floats or marching groups at a time. But if you go up in a helicopter, you see the beginning of the parade all the way to the end and everything in between, So the key is to move up higher like Paul on the deck of the sinking ship. It still sank, but Paul moved up higher and saw the end from the beginning, and he saw that this too would pass. He saw the outcome and was able to save everyone on the ship, by getting wisdom that is from above. God sees the beginning and the end of our parade, He sees that you have already overcome, He sees that you came through it stronger and better off than when you went in. 

No, we won’t be spared every time, but we will be purified and more valuable to the kingdom when the process is finished…. 

Isaiah 41:9 “You are My servant.’ I have chosen and not rejected you. 10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness”.

Everyone who believes in Christ will be healed, either here or here and there. We will all receive perfect bodies, no longer susceptible to sickness or disease, or malfunctions of any kind. One day Winnie is going to rise and they’ll find a metal hip joint on the ground with no body attached. Cherie’s knees will be left behind, and they’ll find a prosthetic laying around with no Scott anywhere to be found. Paul says “and we shall be changed”…. That’s another way of saying “This too shall pass’….

There’ll be no more memory problems, weight problems, or dysfunctional issues of any kind. We shall be like Him….

No matter what problem, troubles, trials, tests, storms, turmoil, plague, pestilence, or limitations we have encountered… “This too shall pass.”    In the midst of all that is not yet, is the inspiration and the hope of what will surely be…. And it becomes the due north needle on the compass of our journey. 

It’s the slaves in the bowels of a slave ship singing and African chant… (Hum it) and God used it to touch John Newton’s heart and he quit the slave trade when he wrote the words to that mournful chant. And the pain of those slaves came through as….

“Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like Me, I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see”…. Through many trials, toils and snares, I have already come. Twas grace that brought me here thus far, and grace will lead me home. When we’ve been there ten thousand years. Bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, than when we’ve first begun…. 

I have bad news and good news for you….The bad news, you are dying! It’s no joke, biologist tell us that every day, to some extent, each of us are dying...The cells and atoms in our bodies are dying. In fact, every atom and every cell that is now in our bodies will die off within the next seven years. In essence, we are experiencing a daily dying of our physical being. This too shall pass…..But the good news, you are being restored! Just as the cells and atoms in our bodies are dying, likewise new ones are being created to take their place. It is my understanding, (and I make no claim to being a biologist) this process makes a complete transition every seven years. So that every seven years, you become a completely different person.

Every seven years Winnie gets a completely new and different husband….

But one day that cycle will be terminated and there will be no more death or dying. We will become new and stay new forever….

The finish line in a race is all the way around the track from the starting line…. God will usually require that we finish what we’ve started before we begin something new. While we are still here in this season and time… we have to live by the principle that Inorder to step into a new season of life we have to complete the last one. Often, God won’t give us a new word until we’ve been faithful in the last word. When it comes to this principle, many folks want to keep their cake and eat it to.

God will often take us through one thing, before He puts new things on us. The danger is that we compare what’s happening in our lives with what’s happening in the lives of others, but that only creates discontent, and frustration. Jesus told his disciples when they were comparing themselves with the other disciples…. “What is that to you, your focus should be on following me.” 

The weather service has super computers that can do 232 trillion operations a second and it still cannot tell the weather a month into the future. God knows the end from the beginning. With all our comparisons, we cannot grasp why our heavenly father would work a certain way in one person’s life and another way in someone else, even though they may be in the same situation. But they have a different destiny….

In one situation God told David to go up to battle and he would win…     In another situation God told David if he went up to battle he would lose. David could have thought that because he won the last time, he would win this time, and he would have been DEAD wrong! David was a warrior king and lead his army into battle, but there came a time when God told him to no longer go to war with his men. His season changed, and now he was to be the ruler and the statesman and not the fighter. 

Each season may require a different strategy, so as we enter the new season, we can’t take for granted that it will be like the last time… This too shall pass….

Have you ever struck out? You were sure you could at least get on base…. I need to be careful when I say this, but you can miss your seasons and still fulfill God's purpose for your life. Let me explain it by using a baseball analogy. You can strike out several times and still win the game. Striking out doesn't mean its all over, just that at bat is over. The best hitters in the world are also some of leaders in striking out. Sammy Sosa had more strike outs than anyone else in baseball for 3 years in a row! 1997 - 99. But...In 97 he had 36 home runs, in 98 he had 66, and in 99 he had 63. In the record books of the top ten home run hitters in a season in baseball, he occupies positions 3, 5, 6.                                                   

If you miss a season it can have serious repercussions, but you can still have a great final season, if you just don't quit. All of us can admit that we’ve missed what God wanted us to do at one time or another. But praise God, that is what makes grace so amazing, and that is why we sing so much about it and celebrate its power in our lives.

Don't make permanent conclusions about your present seasons. Whether you speak them out loud or just start thinking them….

"I just mess everything up" …."I never get it right"…. "I will never love again, I’ve been hurt too badly"…."I don’t think I will ever find happiness"….. "Things will never get better"… Listen, No one needs all that extra pressure when they’re in a difficult season!

How different would David's story have been if 1 Samuel 30:6 didn’t say, "And David encouraged himself in the Lord”. Listen, we have enough things to discourage us without discouraging ourselves! Stop presiding over your own funeral. Stop digging your own grave!

We are the people of the resurrection…. And “This too shall pass”!!

If the devil hands you the mike to say some final words, stand up there and shout out… 

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.                                       38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And then finish it off with 2 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”. (When This Too Shall Pass)

Prayer….. Lord, when things get complicated and intense, calm my heart, and bring me to Your place of peace. I know that no matter how things turn out, when You are at the center of my life, I will still be standing when it’s all said and done. Let Your Spirit keep me balanced as my spirit stays open to your truth.                                                              Lord, Grant me courage to do what is right, no matter what others around me are doing. Speak Your words into my spirit and let Your will be at the center of my convictions. When I am weary and fear and worry and doubt surround me on every side, let me trust in Your mercy and find rest in You.                                                                                                         I know it may not be easy and it may take time, so give me patience and perseverance that I may remain strong and resolute. I place my path, my direction, my goals and my very life in Your wisdom, Your love, and Your grace. In Jesus name, Amen.

Revelation 21: 4-6 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done”…

Stuart Hamblin wrote country and western songs and before he got saved he was well known in that day and time for a song hewrote titled "I won’t go hunting with you Jake but I’ll go chasing women" He also wrote “If You've Got The Money, Honey, I've Got The Time”… “The Twist”… “Young Love”… ”Hello Mary Lou” ..”Oh Lonesome Me”.. “This Ole House”…“Blue Moon Of Kentucky”.. “I Walk The Line”…

Well, Stuart got saved and John Wayne made a bet that Stuart wouldn’t last six months writing gospel songs. Sometime after the six months was up, Stuart saw Wayne who told him "you cost me some money, Stuart-- I made a bet that you wouldn’t last six months". Stuart said "It’s no secret what God can do". John Wayne said, that sounds like a good song title and so Stuart went home that night and wrote the song "It is no secret what God can do." And the rest is history.. He was inducted  into the country music hall of fame, He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was known as one of the most prolific gospel song writers of all time. I guess John Wayne really called that  one wrong. 

You see, Stuart Hamblin, had a new beginning and became a new man….

As the line says in his song “It is no secret what God can do”…..”WHAT HE’S DONE FOR OTHERS, HE’LL DO FOR YOU”…..

When I was a kid, we used to play “soldiers” we would run around with make believe guns, sometimes they were toy guns or sticks, shooting at the other team and play “war”. During the battle we would get shot, fall down, count to 10 and jump up saying “new man coming *……in”. Those were the days, when we jumped up and said “new man coming in”. What a privilege in Christ to jump up and yell, “New man coming in”

When Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden, the relationship between God and man was changed, and God immediately beganmaking arrangements to bring man back to him. To do whatever it took to hit the reset button and restart that relationship. Right then and there, he made them a promise.. Satan will bruise your heel but you will crush his head.                                                                                                            A mother and her 7 year old daughter were reading the story of Adam and Eve and how sin came into the world, Jessica and her mother talked about why bad things happen in the world. Later that week, Jessica was sick and had to stay home from school. Feeling quite miserable, she told her Mom, “If only Adam and Eve hadn’t eaten the fruit, I wouldn’t be sick.” And before her mother could answer, Jessica added, “Of course, if they didn’t eat it, we’d all be sitting here naked!”

Every time we see the rainbow we’re being reminded that God is in the business of making all things new again!                                                                                                              When the sin of man reached it fullest, and God decided to do a reset, God found Noah, and through the flood he made all things new again,Through Abraham God started a new relationship with man, and all things were reset and made new again. And then after 400 years of silence God spoke again to man, in the form of a little child in a manger in Bethlehem. 

He isn’t dependent on what we might think is possible, but He makes the impossible, possible so that all things can be new again.

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 5:17 made this statement “Any one who is in Christ is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come.” 

We often refer to salvation as the new birth. But what if we called it the “New Beginning”… because it truly is. This new birth brings about a new perspective, a biblical outlook in which we see everything is in God’s hand…even the mysteries of life that we can’t understand.

By His grace, He’s given us a new way of life.

By His love we have a new relationship; we are God’s children and Hisfriends.

By His power we have a new freedom, our trust is in something eternal.

By His Spirit we have a new heart; we are dead to sin and alive in Christ.

By His word we have a new direction, His will, His way, and His time.

By His promises we have a new confidence; All fear is gone.

By His wisdom we have a new purpose, and new meaning.

In Gal. 6:15 Paul also wrote to the church… “The only thing that counts is the new creation.”

Paul is telling us….”Don’t go by how it looks, how you may feel, or even what you have known”….. The only thing that counts is the new creation. One man said, “I was a drunk, spent all my money on booze, neglected my family, and was a terrible husband, but somewhere at the end of my rope, I met God. I gave my life to Jesus, and since then I am no longer a slave to drink, no longer a slave to pornography, I dropped my filthy language, and my family has been restored.”                                                                                                 Over and over again, in the midst of our sinfulness God is hitting the reset button and making all things new again.

In Genesis 1:1 God created something out of Nothing, and He is still able to do everything that needs to be done to create a new beginning, out of NOTHING!

It doesn’t matter where you’ve been, or what you’ve been through. It doesn’t matter how you’ve failed, or how you’ve fallen short. God says that your new address is a NEW BEGINNING! 

We’re like the man who had an old shotgun which he brought to a gunsmith, hoping to get it fixed up. After looking it over, the gunsmith said, “Well, this would make a very good gun if it had a new stock, and a new lock, and a new barrel.” God’s new beginning is lock, stock and barrel….I have to admit that I have had a couple of cars that could have been good running cars if you jacked up the radiator cap and drove a new car under it…..

You can see this in John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, (a new beginning) I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am (in your new beginning). 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”…  you already know the way, to God’s new beginning….                                            BELIEVE, TRUST, AND OBEY!      

Let’s say that a guy was jumping around screaming with joy and you couldn’t help but notice it. He was making such a hoopla you would have thought that he won a million dollars. People stopped what they were doing, you could see the smiles on their faces when they heard the man shout for joy - then, you could see the shock on their faces as the realization came over them that the man making all the commotion, the man who was shouting, and jumping was a man who had never walked a day in his life. Let’s say that this man had sat at the gate called beautiful in the Temple for over 40 years. In over 40 years no one had ever seen him walk, stand or run. They looked once, they looked twice, and yes it is indeed the man who cannot walk - and he is shouting and jumping around. He has met his new beginning….

There’s a scripture you need to hang on your refrigerator… 

Acts 3:20 “Times of refreshing shall come from the Lord….” Refreshing here, is renewal, to be revived, to breath again, to be restored, to enter into the blessing……

An elderly couple passed away and found themselves at the pearly gates. An angel was there to welcome them. First he showed them their mansion. The husband, overwhelmed by the sheer luxury of it all, asked, "How much does this place cost per night?" The angel replied, "Sir, this is heaven, it doesn’t cost anything." Then they were taken to the dining room where table upon table was piled high with the most delicious foods you could imagine. Againoverwhelmed by the glory of it all the man asked, "How much for the meals?" The angel said, "You forget, this is heaven, it’s free." Then they were taken to the most fantastically beautiful golf course they had ever seen. As the man stood there open-mouthed the angel said, "Now before you ask, there are no greens fees, this is heaven, everything is free." The man looked at his wife and said, Why did you take such good care of me, I could have been here 10 years ago!"

How about believing with me, that we can have some heaven to go to heaven in!!! I believe that’s what the Father has in store….

When I see our Father God, in the book of Revelation, declaring, “See, I’m making all things new.”….. I thrill at the fact that the one who says that in the future, is the same one who speaks to us here and now. He’s the same….. there is no shadow of changing with Him…. We fully believe that what He can do then, He can do now! He tells us…. “I Am the Alpha and the Omega, I Am the beginning and the end”.

In his book Dare to Believe, Dan Baumann illustrates the unique experience of knowing that something is ours, yet having a future longing to enjoy it more fully. He explained that at Christmas time he would always do a lot of snooping, trying to figure out what was in the gifts underneath the tree. 

One year he discovered a package with his name on it that was easy to identify. There was no way to disguise the golf clubs inside. Baumann then made this observation: "When Mom wasn’t around, I would go and feel the package, shake it, and pretend that I was on the golf course using those clubs on the fairway and the green. He says….I was already enjoying the pleasures of a future event; namely, the unveiling, and then the enjoyment of those clubs. It had my name on it. I knew what it was." But only "Christmas would reveal it in its fullness." Friends, It may look like hell right now, but Christmas is coming!!!

There are many areas of our lives where our Lord, has gift wrapped new beginnings for us, but they are waiting to be unwrapped and enjoyed. They already have our name on them, they are already ours, we just need to unwrap them and step into them….

Jesus unwrapped new beginnings for the blind, the lame, the leper, the demon possessed, the deaf and oh yes, the dead….!!!

What if we lived knowing our new beginning was just around the corner, like we knew it was already ours, Our name is right there on it…. Can you see what it feels like, what it looks like, and how it will change your entire life!

Whenever and wherever Jesus shows up, New beginnings show up with Him…. Isaiah 43:19 “ Behold I will do something new! Now will it spring forth, will you not be aware of it”?

This indicates that we can have a new thing and not be aware of it. So I thought about that…. What would keep us from being aware of the very thing we dreamed of and prayed for when it comes. Or what would keep us from receiving it when it is already ours?

Have you felt there was more, but you don’t know exactly how to get there? You knew that you were capable of more than you’re seeing right now, but it would be too uncomfortable to take the steps necessary to take that journey… Or perhaps, you have no trouble seeing others doing the very things you secretly desire, but you can’t see yourself doing it…

Believe me, I never could have seen myself doing what I’m doing today. I was a popcorn speaker. Pop up, open up, and sit down! I was terrified to speak in front of anybody. I thought I had nothing to say that everyone had not already heard. My first sermon in church was on a Wednesday night, when the pastor was away, and he asked me to do the sermon. I got up, a nervous wreck, spoke for 5 minutes and the pastor’s wife stepped up and bailed me out! At that moment, I was thoroughly convinced that I would never be a preacher. But then, I received the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and you couldn’t shut up the Holy Spirit in me.. *……In other words, the Holy Spirit is saying “Go for it”!!!!

I love Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatever opens up, grab it, and do it. And do it heartily unto the Lord!” 

Galations 6:9 “Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap the reward if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith”.…

This is the process which allows us to discover our strengths and weaknesses and turn our weaknesses into our strengths. It is the program God has given us to find and use our gifts to build up and encourage the body of Christ. In the process, we begin to step over into the New beginnings which God has put our name on….

The way you finish your current season will determine how you begin the next one. So finish well….

Remember the words of the prophet Zechariah 4:10, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin”         I don’t know what doors you are waiting on God to open in your life, but I want to encourage you—press into the doors God has offered to you right now and watch Him go to work on your behalf. You may not feel like your current role is one of significance, but I can assure you—anything God has given you to do is significant. It is your new beginning, and it’s custom made for you…

Missionary Jim Elliot so famously said, “Wherever you are, be there with everything you’ve got”.

When Isaiah spoke to the Jewish nation and said “ Behold I will do something new! Now will it spring forth, will you not know it”?                         This verb “know” in the Hebrew language is “YADDA”, IT IS far more than cerebral awareness and consent. It has to do with the total giving of yourself, as in the husband-wife relationship within marriage. Adam knew Eve and she bore a son… Abraham knew Sarah and she bore him children. This is a knowing, which gives birth to the new thing of God! Often when a couple are expecting a child, the husband will say “we are pregnant” …That’s about the level of commitment by both of them…                                                  God says I will make a new beginning, and we say… We are making a new beginning…YADDA! I KNOW IT!!

Sometimes we miss God’s new thing because we don’t feel that we deserve a new beginning. We just settle for whatever we’ve got. When you feel like that and think like that, you have to know that God doesn’t agree with you. God sees you through the eyes of Grace and mercy. And when God sees you, this is what He says…                                               Deuteronomy 28: 8 “The Lord shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouses, and in all that you set your hand unto, and He shall bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you. 11 And the Lord shall make you plenteous in goods…..12 The Lord shall open unto you His good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto your land in His season, and to bless all the work of your hand: and you shall lend and not borrow. 13 And the Lord shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if you hearken unto the word of the Lord your God, which I command you this day, to observe and to do them…”

When you do what only you can do, God will do what only He can do. God is a promoter of the faithful, not the discontent or impatient. In other words, if you want God to promote you into the next season, of your new beginning, get busy investing yourself right where you are, (whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might).

We could certainly say of Paul, that he did what he did with all his might. He was killing Christians wherever he found them with all his might. God knew that here was a man that was totally committed to what he was doing… Listen to his words…                                                                         "Forgetting what lies behind, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the Heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus." Through the Spirit, God has transformed Paul, and being open to that Spirit, he finds himself ready to act in new ways to relate to God in a totally new beginning.

I challenge us all to watch for those new ways God is presenting to us, to get on board and follow them to the new thing God has for us.

When Paul says “forgetting what lies behind”…. He’s telling us not to limit Him to what He’s done before, or what we may have experienced before. 

When the children of Israel were up against the Red Sea, and the Egyptian army was bearing down on them… Moses had to quite them down and hear God for that time of transition… Egypt, coming down on them with Chariots and horses and foot soldiers, represented the former things. The other side of the Red Sea represented the New Thing. How easy it was for them to let the former things, hijack the new thing. The deciding factor was which one would they believe was the most real to them….Your new thing has to be more real that the former things…..

Perhaps you are hearing this right now and facing a situation so overwhelming that unless God does something that transcends human imagination, you don’t know of any way that it can ever work out.                                                                                             But think of this…Maybe what the Lord’s getting ready to change IS YOU rather than the circumstance, and then, He can change the situation! 

Perhaps God wants our focus to be on the creator of New Beginnings more than the new beginning itself!                                                                                                         Winnie was after me to tell her the surprise I had for her on her Birthday. But I refused to tell her, because I wanted it to be a beautiful surprise. Even though she pressed me, I refused to give in…

God is like that…. He wants us to know that it’s coming, because we trust Him, and we trust His word, and we trust His character. 

His perspective is so much more far reaching, because He sees the new thing, and then all that the new thing is connected to, with all it’s ramifications for our lives and the lives of others. If He were to tell us, we would limit it to our small, Key hole view, and miss everything that it really is, in it’s far reaching implications. He sees the seeds in the apples on the trees in the seeds in the apples on the tree…. and that has already taken you into thousands of degrees of connection!!

He saw that I would skip my senior year of high school, and go to college, where I would meet my partner for life, and end up in New England where she lived, and become the pastor of our first church there. And by meeting her, have 3 children, who would follow us in the ministry, and meet her nephew, who would come to Key West and be a vital part of the ministry here, and by coming, he would meet his wife, who would also be his partner in the ministry, and on, and on, and on…

I’m glad I told some folks about God’s new beginning. The lady that T-boned me in a blizzard in Connecticut and as I pried my damaged door open and walked over to her driver’s door window. The Holy Spirit whispered to me that God had arranged this meeting. That’s what I told her, “God allowed us to connect”. Well, that shocked her, but it opened a door to introduce her to Christ. She received her “New beginning”, went to bible college and became a missionary.   

New beginnings have far reaching implications beyond which our minds cannot begin to fathom, as we step over into them in simple obedience. 

What the Lord wants us to understand when He says He’s going to do a new thing and “Now shall it spring forth” …. It is already in process. You can’t see it yet, but it’s already set in motion; just like after a long, cold winter, up North, there’s a change going on inside the Earth, where it can’t be seen underground, preparing to bring the approach of spring. In the midst of what has perhaps been the cold, bitter winter of your soul—or the drought of a long dry spell—the Lord says He has set in motion that which will bring about deliverance and bring a time of growth, development, refreshing, and fruitfulness.                                              When you’re upset, weak, lonely, worried, anxious, depressed, in danger, need courage, struggling with loss, struggling with finances, struggling with work, in danger, or you have sinned or missed God…. He has a “NEW BEGINNING” FOR YOU!

When God’s “new thing” sprouts in you, it may look like winter, but you will catch the fragrance and beauty of the springtime of His purpose before you ever see it.  Hear Him as …God would say to you… “Hear my words as I declare the kinds of things I can do and My inexhaustible resource of wisdom and power. Don’t confine Me to what I’ve already done or try to anticipate what I will do next. And though you may be captive, exiled, or guilty, My “new thing” is still there for you. I am your complete Deliverer, making a way for you where there is no way. I am renewing my covenant with you.. I have not forgotten my promise to you and My word will not return unto me without all being fulfilled. It shall be line upon line and precept upon precept. I have waited so that I could be generous and abundant unto you. You are coming into my fulness and my completeness. You shall put on my fulness like a garment and you shall not take it off. I come in My wholeness and completeness to make you whole and complete. My “new thing” will prepare you for whatever is to come, and out of it, you will find new themes and new mountain peaks, in your praise unto Me as you view horizons which you have never dreamed that you would see. Trust and obey”….

God has a New Beginning for someone here today….

It 

was told to me, that Moses was walking down the street when he bumped into George W. Bush when he was president. “Hello,” Bush said. “Nice weather we’re having, huh?” Moses took one look at the President, turned, and ran as fast as he could in the other direction. A short time later Moses was walking down the same street and there was George Bush again. Once again Bush tried to initiate a conversation. And againMoses turned and ran the other way. Bush was tired of this bizarre treatment, so the next time Moses ran away from him, Bush chased him down, and demanded to know why Moses was avoiding him. Moses who was out of breath, told him, “The last time I talked to a bush I spent 40 years in the desert.”

We have come through one of the most turbulent election cycles in our lifetime. Relationships have been sacrificed on the altar of politics. violence and revolution has become the new paradigm..... Justice has becomes the casualty, and truth has become trampled in the streets... Before the election, there were people we liked a lot and some we didn’t like that much. After the election, we still like the people we liked and don’t like the people we didn’t like that much. The big difference now is that we are all grouped into “winners” or “losers”…. Many folks have been afraid to voice their political opinions because it will put them as a target for somebody, regardless of where they stand. I have heard so many remark at how things have shifted so quickly, and how things are easily accepted, which would never have been accepted or even permitted just a short time ago….

But life will try to put us in categories, and label us. So often we grow up in either the group of winners, or the group looked at as losers…. 

In the body of Christ, that should not be the case….                                         In Luke 15:3–7 Jesus told His followers a parable…."Which of you, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn't leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends, his family and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance."

My message today, is titled “God Always Wins”….. Wars may rage, plagues and pestilences, famine and political ideologies may seem to be ruling the day, but God will always have the last word. Even if He has to chase us down….

Romans 8:28 still says….”And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose”.

God always wins. But not every person will win with Him – only those who put their trust completely in Him thru thick and thin – who refuse to be beaten by circumstances but instead see God’s creative hand shaping His purposes in the thick of it all. 

Paul, was in prison but refused to be a prisoner of the situation, or let it be the measure of his effectiveness or his life’s calling. 

We may wonder how Paul could keep his faith up and sing praises in such terrible circumstances. How could He stay happy while things looked so bleak? I’ll tell you how.                                                                           Read It in Ephesians 3:1: “For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles.” You can miss it if you don’t read it correctly …. Paul doesn’t say, “in prison for Christ Jesus.” He says, “a prisoner of Christ Jesus.” Small word – big difference. Everyone else looked at Paul said, “Oh, man, tough luck to be a prisoner of Rome.” Paul looked at it all and said, “What a privilege – I’m a prisoner of Jesus Christ.” Paul knew what most of us never get. It’s not about us; it’s about Him. It changes your whole life when you see that every circumstance in your life is at His direction and for your good – even the ones that look like prison at the time. He’s in charge, and He can be just as exalted by our adversity as by the good times, and that’s all that matters.  So, if you put your name in there, it changes everything…. 

(your name) ____________, a prisoner of Christ, here for God’s glory!!! GOD ALWAYS WINS! He cannot lose… after all it isn’t just history, it’s His Story! He is the central figure, after nations, kings, presidents, and all the kingdoms of this world have come and gone….HE REMAINS! 

Graeme Keith was treasurer of the Billy Graham Association for many years. He told of riding an elevator with Graham once when a man got on and recognized the evangelist. He said, “You’re Billy Graham, aren’t you?” Graham answered, “Yes, I am guilty of that.” The man said, “Well, you are a truly great man, I am so honored to meet you.” Graham answered, “No, I’m not a great man. I just have a great message from God, and I’m delivering it the best I can.” 

The Apostle Paul knew that, and it allowed him to live a humble but joyous existence –  not boasting in Himself, but boasting in the service of His Lord and Savior, regardless of how God brought it about.

I Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

God never loses. It’s a hard truth to grasp; it doesn’t always look that way. It sure didn’t for Paul. He had long hoped to arrive in Rome as a preacher; instead he arrived as a prisoner.

Where others saw defeat, Paul saw, and experienced victory even in his chains. Paul saw God using his adversity to forward the gospel, turning his test into triumph, a hard place into a high place, a rocky path into a red carpet, and lock-up into a set-up for God’s glory!!!!                                                                              Orrin Woodward….. “

A person either hates losing enough to change or he hates changing enough to lose.”

If there had been no prison, there would have been no letter. To the Philippian church. The Philippian believers were greatly edified as they saw the attitude which Paul exemplified. And, that letter became part of the inspired Biblical collection, so that not just the Philippians were edified, but Christians over two millennia! Paul also wrote to the Colossians, the Ephesians and Philemon from that prison situation. Had he not been “put on the shelf” those letters may never have been written. And had he wallowed in his own seemingly God-forsaken circumstances, none of this would have happened.                                 

Paul reminds me of John Bunyan whose preaching was so biblical and powerful that it was rejected by the compromised 17th century Church of England. They jailed him in order to silence him. So, he *……preached in the jail courtyard. Soon not only were large numbers of prisoners coming to hear him preach, but hundreds of citizens of Bedford and the surrounding area came daily and stood outside the prison to hear him explain Scripture. So, they revoked his outside privileges, *…..placed him in a solitary cell and thought they had silenced his voice. 

But Bunyan spoke loudest of all through what he wrote in that cell – We know it as “Pilgrim’s Progress” – perhaps one of the greatest Christian classic, that has ministered to millions of people – the most widely read and translated book of all time outside the Bible itself.                                  GOD ALWAYS WINS! 

Israel arrived at Canaan 40 years after they were delivered and walked out of Egypt. Has there ever been a people who saw God’s hand at work in their behalf more than they did…. Going before them, keeping their bodies even in old age, bringing water from a rock, raining down manna when they had no food, defeating their enemies, showing them the way through the wilderness….and all that with his visible glory!!                                                                      When they finally got to the place of entering into Canaan, Moses sent 12 spies into the land to check things out, but they brought back a mixed report. 

Their view of God, determined their view of their situation. Joshua and Caleb said, “Man, it’s a great place God has brought us to– full of fertile soil, flowing with milk and honey.We have never seen such an abundance.” But the other 10 said, “Man, it a tragedy waiting to happen. They’ve got giants there that make us look like grasshoppers. They said, the tragedy is that God ever brought us out of Egypt to this terrible place. Everything here wants to kill us. We will all die if we go in there.”

They Judged God by the standards of Man and it lowered their expectations. They forgot that God Always Wins!!!

When Hudson Taylor went to China as a missionary, he adopted Chinese dress, including the pony tail. One day as he waited for a boatman to ferry him across a river, a wealthy Chinese man came up, insisted he have the boat and pushed Taylor into the mud, unaware he was a foreigner. Taylor was angry but did not strike back. But as he got up, the Chinaman recognized he was a foreigner. He said, “What! You a foreigner and you did not strike me back when I struck you?” Taylor replied, “The boat is mine. But come; I will take you wherever you want to go.” On the way, he was able to share Christ.                                                                                The gospel advances when we place gospel values and principles over personal rights and feelings –it’s becoming harder and harder in our entitlement generation– but it is the attitude that puts us on God’s winning side.                                                                                                                                                                                          James 1:2 “ Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, knowing that it’s intended for good purposes in your life”.                        Martin Luther said, “Live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning and is coming back tomorrow.” In other words, live like it’s about Him, not you”.

An airline passenger, was weary from a long week, frustrated with the crowded conditions, and beset by crying babies around him, and finally asked the flight attendant, “Is there any way I can get bumped up to first class?” She replied, “Not unless we hit some turbulence.” 

My dear friends, I promise you that whatever turbulence comes into your life, God intends it to bump you up to a better place.                                                          So let’s do as James suggests and as Paul exemplifies:                                 

We might as well go ahead and get it settled…. GOD WILL HAVE THE LAST WORD… HE WILL HAVE THE FINAL SAY!!!

As they took Jesus’ lifeless body down from the cross and laid it in a borrowed tomb, Satan was boasting to all the demon hoards“This time I win.” And for that dark Friday and dismal Saturday it appeared he had.

What Satan intended as the ultimate evil, the most hopeless of hopeless situations…..God used for the ultimate good. The tomb that man had shut up and the powers that be, had sealed as final and done…. God rolled the stone away and Jesus walked out on Sunday morning. Hey, hey, Friday may be here, BUT SUNDAY IS COMING, Resurrection is promised, redemption drawethnigh, restoration is His guarantee!!!

PSALMS 118:17 "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD." Come on…. Make it personal… “I SHALL NOT DIE BUT LIVE AND DECLARE THE WORKS OF THE LORD”!

There is no scene so dark that God cannot brighten it.

There is no label so permanent that God cannot change it.

There is no heart so hard that God cannot soften it.

Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turns it however he wills to”.

That person can be a boss, a spouse, a child, a co-worker, a classmate, a politician or judge, a parent or even a king.

It’s not over till it’s over and it’s not done until it’s done!                                                                It doesn’t matter how hard the enemy fights or how bad it gets, our God can change things. No matter how the enemy punches, God has a counter punch.

Our unwillingness to get along, and to forgive and cooperate with God’s program, is not going to stop God from completing His plan. There is no power, there is no authority, there is nothing in all the earth that can stop God from accomplishing what he has set out to do. Period.

Someone said, “Self-control is to a person what brakes are to a car: without it, a crash is inevitable.”                                                                       Joseph showed self-control when he could have retaliated against his brothers. As second in command he had the power to crush them for what they had done to him, but he didn’t. Instead he blessed them….       As believers we march to a different drummer. The high road in the Christian life is not revenge or retaliation but forgiveness. Remember the Lord is our defender and HE ALWAYS WINS!

There are some battles where God has to do most of the fighting and our part is standing strong in our faith, keeping our confession right, and stay open to His quite inner voice…..

Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”.

Too often we remember the tragedies of life rather than the celebrations of life. We identify more with the hurts and injustices done to us than the promises God gives us in each of those situations. So, rather than focusing on our hurts, failures, hardships, disappointments, and regrets, let’s build some monuments that remind us of how God took care of us and how God used those times to make us what we are today. To give us concern and compassion for others, because we believe and are fully persuaded that as Philippians 4:19 declares “My God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. v20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen”.…

The Jewish people still celebrate the victory God used Esther and Mordecai to bring, in one of the dark days in their national history. They celebrate how God took care of them and every generation is reminded of the goodness and faithfulness of God.It’s called the Feast of Purim and they read the book of Esther and whenever the name Haman is mentioned they boo and hiss and beat on wood but every time the name Mordecai or Esther is mentioned they shout and cheer.

They are remembering that GOD ALWAYS WINS!

WHEN GOD WINS, THE PEOPLE HE USES ARE OFTENUNEXPECTED

A shepherd boy, David, becomes the King of Israel

Fishermen who Jesus chose, become world changing apostles

A baby adrift in a basket, named Moses, becomes a national deliverer

He took Joseph from a prison, to the second to Pharaoh

Paul, the persecutor of Christians, became the apostle to the gentiles

A rugged wilderness man named John, prepares the way of the Lord

And a baby lying in a manger in a cow barn becomes the King of Kings!

If we said we have never felt that God could use us, or that others could do a better job….. we’d be lying…. We’ve all felt that way at times….no one is an exception….. Speaking of struggling with the truth….

A Minister was walking down the street when he came across a group of kids, who had surrounded a dog, and concerned thatthe kids were hurting the dog, he went over and asked "What are you doing with that dog?" One of them said, "This dog is just an old neighborhood stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take him home. So we've decided that whoever can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog."

Of course, the minister launched into a lesson about lying .."You kids shouldn't be having a contest telling lies! Don't you know it's a sin to lie," and then he ended with, "Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie." There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the reverend was beginning to think he'd gotten through to them, the smallest child gave a deep sigh and said, "All right, preacher, you get to keep the dog."

I Corinthians 1:25 “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. v26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. v27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to amaze the strong. v28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, v29 so that no one may boast before him”.

I think what Joseph said to his brothers as they stood before him in Egypt, where they had come to purchase grain, after their betrayal, after being sold as a slave, and after years of prison… They didn’t recognize him because he looked like an Egyptian, and held the position of second only to the pharaoh, who was the most powerful person in all the region. And as they knelt before him, he fought back the tears, as he spoke those powerful words that said it all. 

“You meant evil against me, but God intended it for good.”Genesis 50:20

One of my favorite John Piper quotes is “God is always doing 10,000 things, and we might be aware of three of them.”

If life shows us anything, it shows us that….

God is at work when evil seems to be winning…

God is at work when our plans have become frustrated 

And God is at work all the time, any time.

Because God always wins, we can submit and surrender and let Him lead and direct our lives. He will use us, no matter who we are or where we’ve been or what we’ve done!

Maybe Satan has been using you for a punching bag, and putting the label of “loser” on you…. “You should have done better with the family thing”…. “You should have done better with the job, or your Christian walk”…. Or whatever he has tried to get you with the loser sucker punch. 

Your God Never Loses…. Give it all back to Him… while you’re struggling with your 3 things, He’s already working on 10,000 ways to turn around those very situations.

Even as believers face death and the grave, they can go forth shouting, “Ain’t no grave can hold this body down”….. God Always Wins!!!!

Give it totally to him, today and trust Him when you don’t understand….

Our Prayer…….Lord Jesus, I know that I need to walk in forgiveness, because you’ve forgiven me, the moment I ask. But I realize that the reason I struggle with a lot of things is because I haven’t forgiven myself and others that I need to. I believe You died and rose from the dead, so that I could walk in victory in every area of my life. Lord I praise you for the wonderful future that you have prepared and I will not lose heart when faced with the pressures, anxieties, and troubles that come in this fallen world.

Thank You, Holy Spirit for preparing us for kingdom living, which breaks off the labels and shackles of the present circumstances. Continue to transform us into faithful servants who live to hear you say “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master.” May we walk by faith and not by feelings, opinions, or the situations of the moment. Lord, You know our hearts better than we do.. You do not see us according to our flesh, but through your transforming work of redemption. Renew our minds and give us confidence with the truth found in Your written and revealed words. 

Guard our hearts from a critical spirit, and help us to not lose our direction when we feel the pressures that would lead us into doubt. May we always remember the cost of our freedom and the sacrifice You willingly made. Help us to live our lives for Yoursake at our workplace, with our friends and families, and wherever else we may go this week. We bow our hearts before you as we lift our voice in praise, In Jesus’ name….

Once again as you have done many times before….. Let it go, because God always wins! You can trust Him with it…..See it leaving your hands and going into His hands… See it coming off of your shoulders and landing on His shoulders….. You don’t have to carry it    any more!!!

GOD’S GOT THIS