Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Rev. Dale Henneman
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Rev. Dale Henneman was the guest speaker while Pastor Les was on vacation. His message can be heard by following the instructions above.
Forgiveness: God's Remedy for Guilt
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This is a sermon that attempts to give biblical and practical insights regarding the subject of forgiveness.
Written Excerpts:
Psalm 32:1 “Blessed
is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”
Isaiah 43:24b-25 “...you have burdened Me with your sins, you have
wearied Me with your iniquities. I, even I, am He who blots out your
transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”
Jeremiah 31:33-34 “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Introduction:
The
Scripture that was read earlier in the service (Matthew 18:21-35), recounted
the story that Jesus told to illustrate the principle of forgiveness.
In
the account, there were two different cases of forgiveness (or lack of it). (1)
The forgiveness offered by the lord to his servant; (2) the forgiveness
withheld by the servant toward another servant.
As
we see illustrated in this story, forgiveness is something that we all hope to
received, but sometimes we’re not so eager to offer.
I
understand that last Sunday, Pastor Dale Henneman told a story or two about me!
So, I suppose I’m going to have to forgive him before I go on with this
sermon!! J
I
trust that the Lord will help us understand more about this blessing of
forgiveness, and that we will receive help for the struggles that some of us
may be dealing with today.
Are
you carrying a load of guilt and remorse or anger over some of your sins of the
past? Have there been actions in the past (either committed by you or committed
against you) that always weigh you down? Do they seem to influence all your
actions and reactions? Do they cause you to lose heart and lose hope?
I’ve
got good news for you today. God has a remedy. It’s called forgiveness.
I
want to take a little while this morning to discuss the nature of forgiveness
and how it relates to our spiritual relationships with God and our fellowman.
I. The Fundamentals of Forgiveness
II. The Foundation of Forgiveness.
III. The Fruits of Forgiveness.
I.
The Fundamentals of Forgiveness
A. Forgiveness is NOT…
In
describing some of the fundamental qualities of forgiveness, I want to start
off by explaining what forgiveness “isn’t.”
1. Forgiveness is not forgetting.
There are some passages in the Bible which declare
that God will not remember our sins and iniquities. So if forgetting past
offenses is possible by anyone, it would only be God, not us. (cf. Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 10:16-17)
However,
even with God, I’m not positive that the verses really teach that God cannot
recall our offenses any longer, once their forgiven. It may simply be a way of
saying that He will no longer hold them against our record or account.
In
any case, the Bible is clear about the fact that God doesn’t just say, “Oh
well, everybody messes up. We’ll just forget that ever happened.”
No,
the only reason God can forgive and “forget” is because He created a specific
plan for dealing with all our offenses, which we will talk about a little
later.
When
we speak of forgiveness between people, we definitely acknowledge that
forgiveness does not mean a person must somehow get to the point where the
offense has been forgotten, and if it’s not forgotten, then it must not be
forgiven.
True
forgiveness and the healing it produces simply means that when we do remember what
happened and the hurt we experienced, we do so without feeling anger, revenge
and bitterness.
2. Forgiveness is not excusing.
Some
people will try to rationalize away their pain by attempting to make up excuses
for the offender. They did it because….
If
the behavior can be excused, then forgiveness is unnecessary. If there really is a justifiable reason for
the behavior then forgiveness is not needed.
In
relation to the forgiveness offered by God for our sins, we affirm that He does
not excuse them. They cost the blood of His Son, so sin cannot be excused, but
God can forgive.
3. Forgiveness is not ignoring.
This
is somewhat related to the previous points. But we’re talking about minimizing
the situation; pretending it didn’t really happen or it didn’t really matter.
No
where in the Bible are we taught that God ignores sin. God did exactly what we
must do – face it and deal with it.
4. Forgiving is not the same as
trusting.
I
think I can support from the Bible the idea that even though God offers
forgiveness immediately, He may still require us to go through various
situations to prove ourselves faithful to Him.
Not
long ago I used a passage of Scripture in my sermon that would apply to this
point. (Judges 2:21-22 21 I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations
which Joshua left when he died, 22 so that through them I may
test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the LORD, to walk in them as
their fathers kept them, or not.")
This doesn’t mean that God hadn’t forgiven them, it
just means that there may still be some consequences. In this case, the people
of Israel
The
same is true between people who have been offended and hurt. Forgiveness is a
gift that cannot be earned, but trust is something that must be earned,
especially when we’re talking about significant
levels of trust.
If
you have seriously offended someone, don’t be surprised that they don’t trust
you yet, even though you have sought and received their forgiveness.
If
someone else has seriously offended you, don’t put yourself through a guilt
trip just because you don’t feel you can trust them yet.
However,
having said that, anyone that has truly forgiven, ought to be willing to start
rebuilding trust. That ought to be the ultimate goal of forgiveness and
healing, but it is a process.
B. What Forgiveness Is
1. When we speak about the forgiveness offered by God, it is very close
to the biblical concept of justification – the wiping clear of our record of
offenses.
(Not
using justification in the way it is often used regarding personal behavior,
i.e. making justifications or excuses for conduct.)
No,
we are speaking in legal terms much like the term “expunge” that is used today
to refer to one’s criminal record being wiped clean. When God forgives us, He
justifies us and eliminates our record of sins.
2. In regards to interpersonal relationships, True forgiveness is letting
go of my hatred (bitterness,
revenge), my right to retaliate, and my right to hang on to the emotional consequences
of the hurt.
I
give up the claim I feel I have on the one who hurts me. I consider the account to be balanced
or the score even. I relinquish
whatever I felt I could justifiably hold over the other person.
In
reality, for a Christian, it means releasing them to God and trusting Him to
handle everything about them from now on. If God decides to bring consequences
upon them or not is entirely His business and I’m okay with it.
True
forgiveness involves relinquishing the emotional consequences of the hurt. Recurring waves of pain and anger may remind
me that healing is not yet complete, but they are not to be savored in
self-pity. Rather, they are to be
released to God in faith that He will bring more healing.
II.
The Foundation of Forgiveness.
A.
Forgiveness is founded in the nature of God.
The
underlying implication in the very first account of sin in the Bible is that
God is a forgiving God. When Adam and Eve sinned we don’t read about God coming
down and wiping them off the face of the earth and starting over with someone
else. No, the Bible tells us that God had a plan from before the foundation of
the world to provide for the forgiveness and redemption of sinners. (1 Peter
1:18-20)
Because
of His love, grace and mercy, God offers pardon and forgiveness to everyone who
trusts in Jesus. That is God’s very nature. He is not willing for any to perish
(suffer judgment) but wants all to come to repentance and experience His
forgiveness.
B.
Forgiveness is founded in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
The writer of Hebrews tells us “…without
shedding of blood is no remission.” (Heb. 9:22)
Jesus
Himself told his disciples in the upper room at the Last Supper, “This is my
blood of the New Testament (Covenant) which is shed for many for the remission
of sins.” (Matt. 26:28)
This
is what I was referring to earlier when I said that God doesn’t just tell us
He’s going to forget about our sins and act as if they never happened.
No,
the only reason God can forgive and forget is because the sin and the offenses
have been atoned for through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus
gave up His life and His blood so that our forgiveness could be “purchased.”
God
doesn’t say, “Oh just forget about it. It doesn’t really matter.” No, He simply
assures us that the awesome penalty for our sin has already been satisfied in
the death of Jesus and because of His death, we can be forgiven. The Debt has
been paid! Hallelujah!
III.
The Fruits of Forgiveness.
The
fruit of forgiveness is the simple fact that guilt and condemnation is removed.
Peace is offered and received. Healing and wholeness replaces pain and
devastation.
We
read in 1 John 1:9 that forgiveness is available when we confess our sin.
Ps.
32:5 “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said,
“I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the iniquity of
my sin.”
In
Matt. 18, The servant who was forgiven such a huge debt by his lord received a
huge benefit that he could never earn. He ought to have shown that same grace
to his fellow servant, but he didn’t.
Receiving forgiveness from God
or from others is a great relief from a terrible weight of guilt and
condemnation.
However, it is often much
more difficult to forgive myself or to offer forgiveness to others.
But, forgiveness is the only
route to healing.
Conclusion:
A number of years ago, someone put up a poster
at the treatment center where I used to work. The poster simply read:
“Forgiveness: Giving Up All Hope for a Better
Past”
When we go against God’s will and break His
commandments, we find ourselves under a heavy burden of guilt and condemnation.
We experience feelings of regret and remorse. We wish we could go back and undo
the past and make different choices.
However, no matter how earnest our desires and
wishes, there is no way to undo the past. There is no way to go back and
reverse the choices and the consequences.
The only logical thing to do is throw ourselves
on the mercy of God, admit our guilt and seek His forgiveness. We give up all
hope for a different past or a better past, and we allow God to wipe the slate
clean and help us find a better future.
When we deeply offend someone else or when we
are deeply injured and offended by
someone else, there is no way to go back and undo what has been done. The past
is gone and it can never be better than it is.
Forgiveness is the only option. It is the
logical response when we’ve reached the point where we’ve given up all hope for
a better past.
I may be speaking to people
here today that are burdened down with guilt and remorse over sins and
disobedience against God. God promises everyone forgiveness if we will come to
Him and confess our need and put our trust in Him.
I may be speaking to people
who been deeply injured and scarred by the senseless (and in some cases, evil)
conduct of another person. The pain and sorrow has nearly driven you to
despair.
God has a remedy for all of
that. It is forgiveness. Letting it go and letting Him deal with it. Releasing
my control and my revenge to God’s healing and grace.
Worth Fighting For
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This message has a patriotic theme as it was given during July 4th weekend. It highlights principles of faith that are worth fighting for and even dying for.
Written Excerpts:
I wanted to use this week’s
sermon to speak about a topic related to the Independence
I thought I would introduce the sermon by sharing a few quotes from
leaders of the past. I think you will find these interesting and appropriate
for our consideration. This first one speaks specifically about freedom and
liberty.
Is life so dear or peace so
sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it,
Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me
liberty, or give me death!
(Patrick Henry) http://www.brainyquote.com
The latter part of that quote is probably familiar to most of us. These
words of Patrick Henry illustrate the sentiments of many of the patriots in the
early history of our country. They truly believed that dying free was far
better than living in slavery and tyranny. Those people clearly felt that there
was something worth dying for.
This quote by Patrick Henry and others like it are especially
appropriate in connection to the celebration of our nation’s Independence
I found a few other quotes that I think are certainly relevant for our
modern situation in America
The greatness of America
A patriot must always be
ready to defend his country against his government. (Edward Abbey, Author) www.brainyquote.com
The highest patriotism is not
a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one's country deep enough
to call her to a higher plain.
(George McGovern) www.brainyquote.com
As you probably remember, George McGovern was a liberal candidate for
president of the US
Finally, I want to share some quotes that relate to the matters of
faith, morality and God. Yes, freedom and liberty are invaluable, but there is
something else that is just as valuable and certainly “worth dying for” as
well.
I tremble for my country when
I hear of confidence expressed in me. I know too well my weakness, that our
only hope is in God. (Robert E.
Lee – www.brainyquote.com)
Patriotism consists not in
waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as
strong. (James Bryce, English
Diplomat – www.brainyquote.com)
He who is void of virtuous attachments
in private life, is, or very soon will be void of all regard for his country.
There is seldom an instance of a man guilty of betraying his country, who had
not before lost the feeling of moral obligations in his private connections. (Samuel Adams: Letter to James Warren,
November 4, 1775, www.foundingfatherquotes.com)
Without morals a republic
cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the
Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure (and) which insures
to the good eternal happiness, are undermining the solid foundation of morals,
the best security for the duration of free governments. (Charles Carroll: Unknown,
www.foundingfatherquotes.com)
We have staked the whole
future of our new nation, not upon the power of government; far from it. We
have staked the future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of
each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the
Ten Commandments. (James Madison: Unknown,
www.foundingfatherquotes .com)
… he is the best friend to
American liberty, who is most sincere and active in promoting true and
undefiled religion, and who sets himself with the greatest firmness to bear
down profanity and immorality of every kind. (John Witherspoon, Signer of the Declaration of Independence ,
Clergyman and President of Princeton University --Sermon at Princeton University
"It cannot be emphasized
too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by
religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus
Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum,
prosperity, and freedom of worship here." (Patrick Henry, Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution --The Trumpet Voice of Freedom:
Patrick Henry of Virginia
We have no government armed
with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and
religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest
cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was
made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the
government of any other. (John
Adams: Address
to the Military, October 11, 1798, www.foundingfatherquotes.com)
"God who gave us life
gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we
have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people
that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated
but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is
just; that His justice cannot sleep forever…." (Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President, Drafter and Signer of the Declaration of
Independence --Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, p. 237.
http://christianity.about.com/od/independenceday/a/foundingfathers.htm)
I have taken up considerable time to share these quotes from various
leaders in the early years of our nation, but I felt that they were well worth
sharing.
I hope that we can see more clearly that many of these patriots who
willingly laid down their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor, held
religious and moral convictions that provided the foundation for their
opposition to the tyranny and injustices they confronted. Their commitment was
not simply to freedom alone, but to freedom as understood and defined by the
moral standards revealed in the Word of God.
They obviously felt that there were some things that were worth dying
for! Or, to put it another way, some things aren’t worth living for.
So, today I would like to use these ideas to transition to a
challenging passage of Scripture in the Gospels.
In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus had just engaged in a conversation with his
disciples concerning his true identity. Peter boldly declares that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of the Living God, for which he was highly commended by the
Lord.
Then in verse 21, Jesus begins to tell them more plainly and openly
than ever before how that He must go to Jerusalem
Peter, the man who had just been highly commended for his confession of
faith about Jesus, begins to rebuke the Lord. The things that Jesus just
revealed did not fit in with Peter’s idea of Messiah.
But Jesus knew that His death and the atonement by His blood was
absolutely essential for the salvation of the world. So, He rebukes Peter and
tells him that he is not being mindful of the things of God, but only the
things of man.
In other words, Peter’s concept of Savior, Messiah, and salvation were
all tainted with human ambition, not divine motivation.
According to Matthew’s account, Jesus immediately begins to teach His
disciples more thoroughly about the cost of discipleship. If He was going to
give up His life, then they would be expected to lay their lives on the line as
well.
I. Discipleship requires a new
behaviors.
(William MacDonald, Believer's
Bible Commentary) To deny self is not the same as
self-denial; it means to yield to [Christ’s] control so completely that self
has no rights whatever. To take up the cross means the
willingness to endure shame, suffering, and perhaps martyrdom for His sake; to
die to sin, self, and the world. To follow Him means to live as He lived
with all that involves of humility, poverty, compassion, love, grace, and every
other godly virtue.
(Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament)
Mark
8:34 - Let him deny himself. The word is aparneomai. … it means
"to forget one's self, lose sight of one's self and one's interests."
The [tense of the] verb … speak[s] of entrance into a new state or condition.
It is "Let him at once begin to lose sight of himself and his own
interests." Take up his cross.
The cross was the instrument of death. Here it speaks of death to self. Follow
Me. The word "follow" is akoloutheō "to take the same road
as another does." It is used with the associative instrumental case. It
is, "Let him follow with Me." The idea is not that of following
behind another, but that of accompanying the other person, taking the same road
that he takes and fellowshipping with him along that road. The first two
imperatives are aorist, giving a summary command to be obeyed at once. The
"coming after" and the "taking up" are to be obeyed at once
and are to be a once-for-all act. That is, these acts are to be looked upon as
a permanent attitude and practice of life… The word "follow" however,
is in the present imperative, which commands the doing of an action and its
habitual, moment by moment continuance.
II. Discipleship produces new
principles.
Saving one’s life, means losing it.
Losing one’s life means saving it.
To live, one must die.
III. Discipleship reveals
eternal values.
What profit in gaining all earthly wealth, but losing eternal soul?
Conclusion:
Jesus clearly believed that you and I were worth dying for! Do we feel
the same about Him?
Do we feel the same about His Word and His commands?
Do we believe that principles based upon the Word of God are worthy
fighting for and doing what we can to not only preserve them, but to promote
them and propagate them as well?
I find myself repeatedly coming across articles and stories that reveal
just how little I have been willing to risk for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I am sure that some of you have been aware of a Christian pastor who is
also an American citizen that is in prison in Iran American Center
This pastor is only one example. I’m sure that many of you have also
heard reports in the news lately about the woman who was sentenced to die in Sudan Sudan
Most, if not all, of the patriots who played important roles in the
early establishment of our nation were men and women who sincerely believed
that there were universal and timeless principles that were worth dying for.
Freedom and liberty were values that they considered so valuable. But a
significant portion of those patriots also believed that God’s Word, the Ten
Commandments, and moral principles were essential to the establishment of true
liberty in this nation. They were willing to give up their lives to make
religious liberty a gift that every American would share.
The question that challenges my own heart this morning is this: “Do I
hold any moral and spiritual values so dear that I am willing to give up my
life for them?” “Do I especially consider my faith in Jesus and allegiance to His will
so important that I am willing to give my life?”
When the Going Gets Tough
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This is a sermon based on various Scriptures that speak about trial and testing that Christians are sometimes called to endure.
Introduction:
I want to introduce my subject today first before we look at some
Scriptures. What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase, “When the going gets
tough?” The tough get
going. I didn’t know who was credited with coming up with that phrase, but a
couple of different websites gave credit to Joseph Kennedy, the father of
President Kennedy.
The expression refers to the fact that you can tell which people have
strong character, because when life gets hard and they are confronted with
extreme difficulties, they don’t give up and cave in, but they rise to the
challenges and come through with courage and victory.
When we witness this kind of character in others we admire them and
hold them in esteem in our minds and hearts. The question naturally arises, “How did they get to be so tough?”
Well, there obviously was something deep within them that tends to
accept challenges rather than run from them. (Perhaps it was a personality
trait they were born with.)
But, in addition to that, they acquired some of the toughness by going
through tough experiences that prepared them for more trouble ahead.
Every person that has ever lived has discovered sooner or later that
life is not always easy. Some have discovered that it is almost never easy.
We’ve all learned that there are physical challenges, intellectual challenges,
spiritual challenges, etc. The question is how are we going to respond when the going gets tough?
I felt drawn to this subject because of several interesting passages of
Scripture that apply to this issue.
I want to refer to several different passages of scripture today to
express and explain what God’s Word says about the tests we face in life.
1. Many Scripture references
like James 1 teach us that tests and trials are a normal part of life; even for
a Christian.
James 1:2-3 (NKJV) 2 My
brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing
that the testing of your faith produces patience.
I have preached from this text before, but let me just say this much.
James is telling us that this life is full of trials, temptations,
disadvantages and challenges. He does not say, “IF” we meet up with trials, but “WHEN” we do.
It is impossible to escape them, so what are we going to do about them?
Well, James says that the appropriate response is to look at them as a reason
for joy.
What??? Why would we rejoice over tests and trials? Because we know
what it will do for us if we successfully overcome them. We will get stronger.
We will become better. We will improve in endurance and patience.
2. Some Scriptures reveal that
there are people who follow the Lord only because of the benefits they hope to receive.
John 6:26 (NKJV) 26 Jesus
answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because
you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.
This verse appears in a narrative about Jesus leaving one area where
the crowds of people had been and went to
His observation about them indicates that some people really are not
interested in the significance of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, but
they’re only interested in what Jesus can do for them to make their life better
or easier.
Some people are not interested in being a disciple and learning to
exemplify the character of Christ. They merely want enough religion to ensure
that God will answer their prayers and get them through the rough times of
life.
They only want enough of God to satisfy their earthly and physical
desires while they’re here on earth and then take them to heaven where everything
will be peace and pleasure forever.
But, I believe the Bible teaches us that God is not so nearly
interested in making our lives comfortable. I believe He is much more concerned with helping us develop His
character and mimic His love and grace to a world that is lost.
3. Some Scriptures teach us
that God allows tests to come to us for the specific purpose of revealing how
much we really want Him.
There are several examples in the Bible, but let me share just two.
Deuteronomy 8:11-20 (NKJV) 11 "Beware that
you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His
judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 lest--when
you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in
them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks
multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have
is multiplied; 14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget
the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of
bondage; 15 who led you through that great and terrible
wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land
where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; 16
who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not
know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in
the end-- 17 then you say in your heart, 'My power and the
might of my hand have gained me this wealth.' 18 And you shall
remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get
wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it
is this day. 19 Then it shall be, if you by any means
forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship
them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. 20 As
the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because
you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.
Judges 2:20-22 (NKJV) 20 Then the anger of
the LORD was hot against Israel; and He said, "Because this nation has
transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My
voice, 21 I
also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left
when he died, 22 so that through them I may test Israel,
whether they will keep the ways of the LORD, to walk in them as their fathers
kept them, or not."
In these two passages of Scripture, it is as though God is saying to
His people, “I provided peace, prosperity and blessings for you, but rather
than honor Me and serve Me with gratitude, you have forsaken Me and deserted
Me. So now I will take away the benefits and blessings in order to test you and
reveal whether you really want Me or not.”
I’m afraid that the Christian churches here in
I believe God is ready to tell His people in America
I know that many people don’t really like to think about it or talk
about it, but I am more convinced than ever that the “storm” is about to come.
The testing is about to begin.
4. How can a person stand
through the test?
When the testing comes, there is only one thing that will matter. When
the blessings we have enjoyed in this life have been taken away, we will be
forced to recognize that only eternal values matter. Bank accounts won’t matter. Reputation won’t matter. Material
possessions won’t matter.
The only thing that will truly matter is a personal vibrant faith in
God and a knowledge deep within our hearts that no matter what happens in the
world around us, we belong to God and we trust in Him to get us through.
There is a verse in Daniel that I have used before in a sermon, but it
is appropriate for our consideration here.
Daniel 11:32 (NKJV) 32 Those
who do wickedly against the covenant [the willful king] shall corrupt with
flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great
exploits.
According to this passage, it is the people who truly know God that
will be able to remain strong and stand firm in the midst of severe tests. It is only the people who truly know God that will be able to carry on
the work of God and the work of faith in spite of great opposition.
The song writer wrote these words, “When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.”
Someone else once wrote, “When I got to the place where God was all
that I had, I discovered that He was all I needed.”
I felt led to bring this truth today, because I believe that the day is
coming when many of us will discover in a new way, just how important our faith
is, and how important our Christian family is. We will learn that the only way we will be able to cope with the
darkness and despair around us is because we believe the Word of God and we
know that Jesus already has won the victory and He is going to win the final
victory over all evil. Without that confidence and knowledge we will crumble in doubt, defeat
and despair.
Conclusion:
I want to simply say that the signs are all around us and the
stage is set for some huge global changes, and we are getting nearer to the
coming of our Lord just by the passing of time. Some people interpret that to mean that Jesus is going to come and
rescue us out of this world so we won’t have to endure any of this pending
trouble, but I’m not so sure.
Just like God tested Israel ,
and just as God has permitted many other countries to go through the fires of
testing, I believe God may very well allow America
Or, are we just “following him for the loaves that he feeds us?”
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