Jeff Miller

January 31, 2021

This is Who We Are

This is Who We Are: Pillar 4

Jeff Miller

January 31, 2021

This is Who We Are

  
  Introduction:

  The Two Motivations to Share the Good News of Jesus That Are Embraced by Every True Witness (2 Cor 5:14-21):

I'm controlled by Love . (2 Cor 5:14-15)
I'm defined by Identity . (2 Cor 5:18-21)

  
    Trustee  (2 Cor 5:18-19)
  
Ambassador (2 Cor 5:20a)
Spokesperson  (2 Cor 5:20bc)

Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!

00:42-00:46
Open up your Bibles with me, please, to 2 Corinthians 5.
00:46-00:47
We're in this series.
00:48-00:49
This is who we are.
00:50-00:56
And if you're new around here, we've been spending some time talking about this is our identity as a church.
00:58-00:59
So if you're new, it's a great introduction.
01:00-01:15
And if you've been with us for a long time, again, it's just so important that we get back to this, that we don't forget who we are and what we're about, so we don't drift and start doing some crazy, unbiblical, non-Christ-centered things.
01:17-01:18
This is why we do these series.
01:21-01:28
2 Corinthians 5, while you're turning there, several years ago, we had a knock at our door.
01:28-01:43
I was sitting at the dining room table, and Aaron went and answered the door, and there was a guy at our door who said, "Hey, I just got done sealing a driveway up the street, and I got some extra material, I'll seal your driveway for $220.
01:44-01:45
Anybody ever have somebody show up at your house like that?
01:46-01:48
Show up and, "That guy's been to your house too? A lot of you.
01:51-01:57
Okay." Well, Erin goes, "You know what? My husband actually just did our driveway," which I did.
01:58-02:04
She goes, "My husband just did our driveway like a month ago, so it's like a 10-year sealant.
02:04-02:07
I don't think we need to do it again, but thank you.
02:09-02:11
And he goes, well, I have the extra material.
02:11-02:12
It won't take me that long.
02:12-02:13
It's only $220.
02:15-02:17
And my wife's like, we don't really need it, thank you.
02:19-02:23
And he said, is the man of the house home?
02:25-02:32
And I said, I'm right here, and I'm going to go get some popcorn, because I want to watch how the rest of this conversation goes.
02:36-02:38
I'm going to fast forward through the next few minutes.
02:41-02:48
He limped back to his truck and he came back next year.
02:48-02:49
Same guy, same story.
02:49-02:54
I was in the neighborhood and I have the extra material and I can do it real quick.
02:54-03:06
And my wife's like, "Still no." You're like, "Why are you telling us this story?" in heaven, I'm going to be that guy.
03:08-03:10
I'm going to be that guy in heaven.
03:11-03:35
Because I'm going to go around and say, "Hey, can I tell you how awesome Jesus is, and how He died to take away your sin and rose from the dead to give eternal life?" And everybody in heaven is going to be like, "We know." "No, no, no, if you receive Him, you have the gift of heaven!" they're going to be like, "Dude, we're here." Like, you don't understand.
03:37-03:41
Jesus Christ loves you so much that He was willing to lay His life down.
03:42-03:48
And they're going to say, "Goat boy, are you new here?" Because we know the message of the Gospel.
03:49-03:52
And I'm going to be like driveway guy walking around with my bucket of sealant.
03:53-03:56
"Anybody want to hear the Gospel?" We know! We got it!
03:59-04:00
No.
04:02-04:03
I'm going to be out of a job in heaven.
04:05-04:06
And that's okay.
04:07-04:08
Do you know what that means?
04:10-04:21
That means while I'm on the earth, I have to take every opportunity that I have to do the one thing that I will not be doing in heaven.
04:24-04:26
Not just me. You too.
04:28-04:38
Every opportunity the Lord gives you to do the one thing you will not do in heaven, and that is sharing the good news of Jesus with boldness.
04:41-04:42
This is who we are.
04:43-04:45
We proclaim the authority of God's Word without apology.
04:46-04:48
We lift high the name of Jesus through worship.
04:48-04:50
We believe firmly in the power of prayer.
04:51-04:52
And this is our fourth pillar.
04:54-04:56
We share the good news of Jesus with boldness.
04:57-04:59
So, how do we share?
05:00-05:01
How do we share?
05:03-05:10
I have a stack of books in my office that I was looking at this past week, and every book is about how.
05:11-05:12
How. How do we share? How do you share the Gospel?
05:13-05:13
How do you share the Gospel with someone?
05:13-05:14
How do you share the Gospel with someone?
05:16-05:22
And, you know, biblically there's really only one word used to describe how we are to share.
05:23-05:29
And that is the word "boldness." Boldness doesn't mean obnoxious, okay?
05:30-05:37
Boldness doesn't mean showing up at your neighbor's house saying, "Hey, pagan, you're going to hell!" That's not boldness.
05:37-05:39
That's obnoxious.
05:40-05:41
That's jerky.
05:43-05:45
Boldness doesn't mean condescending.
05:46-05:48
Boldness doesn't mean self-righteous.
05:49-05:50
Boldness simply means this.
05:51-05:58
When God gives me opportunity to share the message of His Son, I'm going to open my mouth and share it.
05:58-06:00
That's all boldness means.
06:03-06:04
But boldness is how.
06:05-06:09
And you know with this series, I'm not going to focus on how, I want to focus on why.
06:11-06:15
I want to talk about why do we share the message of Jesus with boldness.
06:17-06:18
Why? Why evangelism?
06:18-06:20
Why witnessing? Why? Why?
06:20-06:40
And some of you coming in here, maybe you heard Dr. Andrew give the announcements and you're like, "Oh, a message on evangelism! Oh!" Pack your bags, we're going on a guilt trip, and Jeff's going to get up and tell us what horrible Christians we are because we don't share with our neighbor, and you're not getting any of that today.
06:45-06:51
Because when it comes to evangelism, the message, we got that. Easy, right?
06:51-06:52
We got the message.
06:53-06:54
It's all written down.
06:54-06:56
You have a copy on your lap right now.
06:56-06:57
We've got the message.
06:58-07:02
And the method, that's easy too.
07:03-07:03
Boldness, right?
07:04-07:10
When God gives you opportunity, you're just going to open your mouth and say about what Jesus Christ has done for you.
07:10-07:11
That's easy.
07:14-07:15
Today I want to talk about the motivation.
07:18-07:20
Because I can give you all the information.
07:21-07:29
I've taught so many classes on evangelism and how to and different ways to, and I can give you that.
07:32-07:35
But something that I cannot give you is the motivation.
07:35-07:38
I can give you the message and I can give you the method, but I cannot give you the motivation.
07:39-07:39
I can't do that.
07:40-07:42
The motivation has to come from God.
07:43-07:45
Only His Spirit can do that.
07:47-07:50
So in your outline today, if you're taking those, I'm going to look at two things.
07:52-07:56
The two motivations to share the good news of Jesus that are embraced by every true witness.
07:58-08:03
I had some time allotted to shorten that heading, but I got a phone call and I never got back.
08:05-08:06
So that's what we're going with today.
08:07-08:13
The two motivations, biblically, to share the good news of Jesus, and these are embraced by every true witness.
08:15-08:16
2 Corinthians 5.
08:17-08:18
Jot this down first of all.
08:19-08:20
I'm controlled by love.
08:22-08:23
Look at v. 14.
08:25-08:30
It says, "For the love of Christ controls us." Stop right there.
08:33-08:44
"For the love of Christ controls us." And you have to see that Paul isn't saying, "I'm controlled by my love for Jesus." And I think that's what we want the passage to say.
08:44-08:51
Like, "I love Jesus so much and I just can't help sharing with people." That's not what it says.
08:52-09:14
He's like, "We are controlled by His love for us." And I just have to tell you, if you don't know the power that love has to motivate you to the point of actually controlling you, I would just say you haven't met the right person.
09:18-09:20
And you certainly haven't met Jesus.
09:22-09:26
Because nothing moves a person like love.
09:27-09:30
If you're married, you can look at your husband or your wife right now.
09:33-09:39
Go ahead, and then say, "Nothing moves me like your love for me." Go ahead.
09:40-09:41
Early Valentine's Day present.
09:44-09:46
I am so glad the people at home can't see this.
09:48-09:48
That was terrible.
09:50-09:51
That was unconvincing.
09:52-09:55
We're starting a sermon series next week on marriage.
09:57-10:01
Not really, but I'm really rethinking that now.
10:04-10:07
Nothing motivates like love.
10:10-10:13
Nothing motivates like Jesus' love for me.
10:16-10:20
You see, it's like telling a child to get excited about Christmas.
10:21-10:24
Or it's like telling a bride-to-be to be thinking about her wedding.
10:25-10:30
Or like telling the mom of a special needs kid to be protective of her child.
10:31-10:32
I don't need to do any of those things.
10:35-10:43
And that's exactly what it's like trying to convince someone who knows Jesus' love to share Jesus' love with other people.
10:43-10:45
They're like, "You don't got to tell me to share Jesus with people.
10:46-10:51
Because He is so awesome, and everything He's done, I can't help it.
10:52-10:58
I love telling people about what God has done.
11:01-11:03
So how does His love control us?
11:03-11:05
Well, get back to verse 14. He tells us.
11:08-11:31
He says, "Because we have concluded this, that one has died for all, therefore all have died, and he died for all that those who live no longer live for themselves, but for Him, who for their sake died and was raised." How does Jesus' love control us?
11:31-11:35
He tells us being alive in Christ means being dead to myself.
11:36-11:43
My life belongs to Jesus, and because it belongs to Jesus, I can't live for myself, because His love controls me.
11:45-12:19
My God loves me, and through the death of Jesus on the cross, taken away all of my sin, all of my guilt, all of my shame, and that love moves me to do everything that He's called me to do. I don't feel obligated to be standing up here and telling you this. And you talk to anybody who's serving in our ministry teams or our elders, nobody's obligated here. Nobody's taking a guilt trip to teach a class or lead a ministry. It's like, I'm doing this because of the the way Jesus loves me.
12:21-12:24
It's a privilege to do what He's called me to do.
12:26-12:30
So no, I'm not going to spend time today telling you how to evangelize.
12:33-12:34
And you're like, "Well, are you ever?" Yeah.
12:36-12:47
We're in a three-year series in the Gospel of John right now called "Knowing Jesus." If you know Him, you'll love Him.
12:48-12:52
But more importantly, you'll know that He loves you.
12:53-12:58
That's why we're doing this series in the Gospel of John we're getting back to in two weeks.
12:59-13:00
That's why we're doing it.
13:01-13:07
Because everything in the Christian life is about knowing Him.
13:07-13:09
It's about a relationship with the living God.
13:10-13:14
And when we talk about sharing the good news of Jesus with Buldus, That's how it happens.
13:15-13:17
It comes as you know Him.
13:20-13:21
That controls you.
13:23-13:28
The number one thing a witness for Christ needs is knowing Jesus' love.
13:29-13:33
And by the way, speaking of love, there's a secondary motivation from love.
13:35-13:36
And it's a love for people.
13:37-13:39
It really flows from the first.
13:40-13:40
Look at verse 16.
13:44-13:49
He says, "From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.
13:50-14:05
Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard Him thus no longer." Paul says, "I stopped seeing people as external, just looking at the outside." He said, "We used to look at Christ that way.
14:05-14:21
We looked at Jesus and we just saw He's this Jewish guy, and he's a blasphemer, and I don't really like him or regard him." Paul says, "That's how we used to think of Jesus, but now we see Him for who He is.
14:22-14:29
Our eyes have been opened." He says, "And now I see people differently.
14:32-14:35
I see people as spiritual beings.
14:37-14:46
And I probably don't have to sell you on the fact that we have drifted so far from that in our day, seeing people as spiritual beings.
14:46-14:48
How do we see people in our day?
14:50-14:52
More than ever, it's external, right?
14:54-15:01
Oh, if we find out your political persuasion, you're either an idiot Republican or you're an evil Democrat, That's how we see people.
15:03-15:09
Or you're like, "I'm independent." Okay, then you're a weirdo independent.
15:12-15:14
That's how we see people.
15:14-15:18
Or we look at people according to purely like sexual preference.
15:19-15:27
He is a homosexual, she is a lesbian, they are transgender, and we just, we want to slap these external labels on people.
15:30-15:33
or we look at people according to the money they have, or the money they don't have.
15:34-15:37
You're part of the 1%, you're part of the 99%, or whatever.
15:38-15:48
Can we just acknowledge that all of these things are external things that sometimes we don't get deeper to say, "This is an eternal soul.
15:48-15:59
This person is going to spend eternity somewhere, either in the presence of the God who loves, We're apart from the God who loves forever in hell.
16:03-16:10
We need to see people not as external, but as eternal.
16:13-16:13
Eternal souls.
16:15-16:21
And I have the message that God uses to transform them.
16:23-16:23
Look at verse 17.
16:25-16:28
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
16:29-16:30
The old has passed away.
16:31-16:34
Behold, the new has come." New creation.
16:35-16:40
Jesus Christ didn't come into the world to turn bad people into good people.
16:40-16:43
Jesus came to turn dead people into alive people.
16:46-16:52
Christ's love controls us, and as a result, His love for people is now our love for people.
16:54-16:54
And that's compelling.
16:57-17:01
So two motivations to share the good news of Jesus embraced by every true witness.
17:02-17:03
First of all, I'm controlled by love.
17:04-17:06
Second thing, jot this down.
17:08-17:10
I'm defined by identity.
17:11-17:12
I'm defined by identity.
17:18-17:20
Now, evangelism is commanded.
17:20-17:48
Yes, absolutely, 100%, great commission, but when it comes down to actually witnessing, to just simply say, "We're commanded to do it," that's true, but just simply saying that much doesn't really capture the bigger motivation behind sharing Christ.
17:49-17:54
I want you to see in this passage that your motivation has to be tied to your identity.
17:57-17:58
Think about it this way.
17:59-18:10
You need to move from "I have to witness" to "I am a witness." See the difference between the two?
18:11-18:12
"I have to witness.
18:13-18:17
That's what God has told me to do." There's truth in that.
18:19-18:23
The deeper truth is, I am a witness.
18:24-18:25
Because that's what God has called me.
18:28-18:39
And you're like, "Well, I hear what you're saying, Jeff, but you know, witnessing is not really my thing." And I would say, first of all, don't say it like that.
18:42-18:47
And second of all, if you're a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, Witnessing is your thing.
18:49-18:51
The issue is you're either a good witness or you're a bad witness, really.
18:52-18:55
But you're a witness if you're one of Christ's, right?
18:55-18:57
Because it's your identity.
18:57-18:58
It's not your chore.
18:58-18:59
It's your identity.
19:01-19:07
And you're like, "Man, can you back that up?" Well, let's look down at verse 18, shall we?
19:08-19:12
Because Paul describes this identity with three pictures.
19:12-19:14
The first, we're looking at verses 18 and 19.
19:16-19:17
The first picture is a picture of a trustee.
19:18-19:39
He says, "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
19:40-19:46
So first of all, according to God, if you're a believer in Jesus Christ, you're a trustee.
19:47-19:48
Did you see that?
19:49-19:51
He uses that with a couple phrases here.
19:51-20:02
The first one, he says, "The ministry of reconciliation was given to us," and then he says, "it was entrusted to us." Think about that.
20:05-20:11
In this church, we entrust money to Andrew and Sean.
20:11-20:13
They lead our finance team.
20:13-20:15
So when you give, we're giving to God.
20:16-20:17
Yes, right, Alex? We're giving to God.
20:17-20:18
Right? Okay, thank you.
20:20-20:25
We're giving to God, but there's a sense in the church that we're entrusting the money to Andrew and Sean.
20:25-20:26
Right?
20:29-20:38
And you're like, "If I'm giving money to God through these guys' hands, they better be reliable.
20:39-20:40
They better be honest.
20:40-20:47
We better be able to trust these guys if I'm giving the money that I worked for to them.
20:47-20:49
We better trust these guys.
20:50-20:55
But you know, if we do something even more audacious than that, we entrust our children to Mandy.
20:59-21:00
(laughter)
21:04-21:12
That statement I just made has nothing to do with Mandy's character as much as it has to do with how much more precious our children are to us than our money.
21:13-21:13
Amen?
21:16-21:19
That would have been a much easier sell when it wasn't Family Sunday.
21:19-21:20
Right?
21:20-21:23
When we're thinking of our kids back there instead of right here.
21:25-21:27
But we entrust our children to Mandy.
21:29-21:31
You know, this is life.
21:31-21:56
We love these people more than anything, and we do everything for them, and we come here on a Sunday, and we're like, "Mandy, here, I'm trusting you with the most precious thing that I have." Okay, so, God has given to us something that He is trusting us with.
21:57-22:02
God says, "I have this ministry of reconciliation.
22:03-22:25
I can change people eternally through this message." And God says, "Here, I'm giving this to you." Now just as seriously as we would take Andrew and Sean with the money, just as seriously as we would take Mandy watching the kids, how seriously do you think God takes it when He says, "Here, I'm trusting this with you"?
22:25-22:26
He's pretty serious about that.
22:28-22:36
You think God's pretty serious when He says, "Hey, people are lost, and people are self-destructing, and people are heading to hell.
22:38-22:40
So here, I'm giving this to you.
22:41-22:41
I'm trusting you.
22:42-22:47
You make sure they get this." You're a trustee.
22:48-22:49
It's in your lap.
22:52-22:53
Can God trust you with it?
22:56-22:59
So not only are you a trustee, you're also an ambassador.
22:59-23:00
Look at verse 20 again.
23:03-23:12
It says, "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God, making His appeal through us." Let's stop there.
23:14-23:15
An ambassador.
23:16-23:16
What's an ambassador?
23:17-23:22
It's somebody that's in another country, they're representing the king from their country.
23:23-23:23
Right?
23:24-23:33
And they're not in this other country for personal gain, they're not trying to establish their own agenda, and they're certainly not there to change the culture of the other country.
23:35-23:40
They are there simply to represent the king in another culture.
23:41-23:48
If you're a born again believer, you too are in another culture, and you too are representing the king from your culture.
23:51-23:54
You're like, "What's the other culture?" This!
23:56-23:56
Earth!
23:56-24:02
This is the other culture and you are a citizen of heaven representing the King of heaven.
24:05-24:07
That is a very serious responsibility.
24:09-24:11
You're representing heaven to people.
24:13-24:15
You're representing Jesus Christ to people.
24:18-24:21
So we're trustees, we're ambassadors.
24:21-24:24
Letter C, you're also a spokesperson.
24:25-24:39
Back to verse 20, he says, "God making His appeal through us, we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." First of all, it says God is making His appeal.
24:40-24:41
You know what that means? Appeal?
24:42-24:43
That's an urgent request.
24:45-24:48
God's like, "Hey, I need to tell you something, It's really important!
24:49-24:50
He's making his appeal.
24:52-24:56
God is making His appeal to the world through you.
24:59-25:02
But it's even deeper than that.
25:03-25:15
Because He says, "We implore you on behalf of Christ." Now that word "implore" this is going to sound strange.
25:17-25:19
That word "implore" means to desperately beg.
25:21-25:25
In other words, if Jesus Christ was here right now, what would He be doing?
25:25-25:30
He would be desperately begging the world to receive His gift.
25:32-25:39
Because it says, "We're imploring you on behalf of Christ." Like Jesus isn't physically here, but He's spiritually here in His people.
25:40-25:42
because I represent Jesus, I've got to tell you something.
25:43-25:47
He is begging you to get off of the path that you're on and to trust Him.
25:50-25:54
And I just have to ask you, church, do you see the heart of God behind these commands?
25:56-25:59
Do you see the heart of God that we are to represent?
26:00-26:16
Some people sort of view God in heaven as distant and unemotional, and He sort of put the plan out, God's just kind of in heaven with His arms folded, and He's like, "Turn or burn, I don't care." That's how some people view God.
26:17-26:22
That God's up in heaven looking down, and He's saying, "Look, get right, or get left.
26:25-26:30
Whatever." But there's a real passion and emotion behind this.
26:30-26:36
Because of the love that God has, Not just for His people, but for the lost.
26:39-26:40
Because of what is at stake.
26:43-26:47
What's at stake is something that we prefer not to think about.
26:49-27:12
So often people talk to me about unsafe co-workers, for example, and they're like, "Man, Jeff, I work with this guy, and man, Jeff, he is so lost, and this guy needs Jesus so bad, work with this guy, he needs Jesus so bad." And my response is, "If only God had a spokesperson working with that guy.
27:14-27:30
If only God had somebody, somebody that knew the message of Jesus, that could be in proximity of this guy, and maybe spoke the same language this guy spoke, and could maybe tell him, 'That's you, home slice.
27:32-27:36
In case you didn't pick it up, you're the spokesperson.
27:39-27:50
So these aspects of identity, being a trustee, being an ambassador, being a spokesperson, that means getting the message right, obviously.
27:52-27:53
You're going to get the message right.
27:53-27:54
What's the message?
27:55-28:00
Well, five times in these verses, five times, same word comes up, reconcile.
28:02-28:07
The Gospel is not often presented that way, but that's how the Bible presents it.
28:08-28:10
That there's a hostility between God and man.
28:10-28:18
We are enemies with God by nature, because God is holy and perfect and just, and we are sinful and rebellious and self-centered.
28:21-28:25
And we are enemies of God, and God wants to reconcile.
28:26-28:34
God says, "Look, you have sinned against Me, I have made provisions so that you can have your sin taken away.
28:37-28:47
Every nasty thought you've had, every rotten attitude, every harsh word, every time you've avoided doing what you know you should have done, all of that's sin.
28:50-28:51
Everyone knows.
28:53-28:56
Everyone knows deep down that we are flawed people.
28:56-28:57
Everyone knows that.
28:57-29:00
When you're sharing Christ with people, you already have that advantage.
29:00-29:03
We know deep down that we are miserably rotten people.
29:06-29:09
And people deep down wonder, "Well, what happens someday when I die?
29:09-29:10
Where do I go?
29:10-29:12
What happens when I stand before God?
29:12-29:18
What happens when I have to answer for all of the wrong things that I've done?" See, that's where the good news comes in.
29:19-29:28
This is where I get to represent God and say, "Hey, there's a way God will never hold your sin against you.
29:31-29:33
Like, well, how can that be?
29:33-29:37
You know, I've really messed up a lot of things in my life.
29:37-29:39
I've really made a lot of bad choices.
29:39-29:41
I've really hurt some people.
29:41-29:46
And I don't understand how you could say God will not hold my sin against me.
29:48-29:50
How can that possibly be?
29:50-29:51
Well, look at verse 21.
29:53-29:55
in my mind, the most profound verse in the whole Bible.
29:57-30:03
He says, "For our sake, He made Him..." That's God the Father made Jesus, okay?
30:03-30:28
"For our sake, He made Him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." In other words, for the one who will believe, When Jesus Christ was on the cross, God treated Him as if He lived your life.
30:31-30:42
And as a result of Jesus' sacrifice, now God treats you as if you lived Jesus' life.
30:45-31:03
That in a profound way that I will never be able I can fully wrap my brain around when Jesus was on the cross, He took your sin on Himself, and in exchange, He gives you His righteousness.
31:05-31:16
That in Christ, God sees you as sinless and perfect and holy, not because of your conduct, but because of what His Son accomplished on the cross.
31:17-31:18
I'm not going to tell you.
31:19-31:21
That's life-changing stuff right there.
31:24-31:32
So every true believer says, "You know, I don't really need commanded to share that message.
31:34-31:36
But I'll tell you what, I am going to share that message.
31:38-31:47
Because the love of Christ controls me, and honestly, that's just who God called me to be." Come on, let's pray.
31:48-31:57
Father in heaven, your gospel is beyond human explanation.
32:01-32:05
Sometimes those of us who have known it for a while can take it for granted.
32:08-32:21
What a staggering thought that the God of the universe would pay the penalty that we owe.
32:26-32:28
It's just staggering.
32:30-32:31
that You would love us that much.
32:34-32:41
That Your Son would take our sin on Himself and He would give us His righteousness.
32:44-32:46
It's absolutely staggering, Father.
32:47-32:51
And even if we can't fully wrap our brains around it, we believe it.
32:55-32:57
And we certainly thank You for it.
32:59-33:07
Specifically today, Father, we thank You that You have given us the ministry of reconciliation.
33:09-33:22
In Your wisdom, Father, there are literally trillions of other ways You could have used to communicate Your Gospel that You have chosen to entrust the message to us.
33:23-33:30
And I just pray for my brothers and sisters here, especially as the days are evil, especially as people want to hear it less and less.
33:32-33:35
At the same time, Father, You are preparing people for it.
33:35-33:44
You are already at work in the hearts of people that You are entrusting us to come along and share the message of Your Son.
33:46-33:52
Father, I pray that as we draw near to Jesus Christ, we allow His love to control us.
33:55-34:02
Father, I pray that we look at ourselves the way that You do.
34:06-34:10
We find our identity being ambassadors of heaven.
34:11-34:13
Father, it's all for Your glory and honor.
34:14-34:17
We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

Small Group Discussion
Read 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

What was your big “take-away” from this passage / message?
Explain how the love of Christ controls us (2 Cor 5:14-15). How does that motivate you to share the Good News of Jesus with others?
What is the difference between “I am commanded to witness” vs “I am a witness”? How does understanding your identity make you an effective witness for sharing the Good News of Jesus?
What would you say to someone who says, “Honestly - I don't really share Christ with others. It's just not my gift.”

Breakout
Pray for boldness – when opportunity comes to share Jesus with someone, you take that opportunity.

Jeff Miller

January 24, 2021

This is Who We Are

This is Who We Are: Pillar 3

Jeff Miller

January 24, 2021

This is Who We Are

Introduction:

We Believe Firmly in the Power of Prayer.

Matthew 7:7 - Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

James 5:16 - The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

  
  The Testimony of Hezekiah and Literally Everyone Else Who Believes Firmly in the Power of Prayer (Isaiah 38):

Desperation leads me to prayer. (Isaiah 38:10-14)
  
Prayer leads me to Provision . (Isaiah 38:15-17)

  The Testimony of Hezekiah and Literally Everyone Else Who Believes Firmly in the Power of Prayer (Isaiah 38):

New Perspective
  
Your Answer
  
Forgiveness
  
God's provision leads me to Worship . (Isaiah 38:18-20)

Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!

00:41-00:42
This is who we are.
00:43-00:48
We saw a couple of weeks ago, we proclaim the authority of God's Word without apology.
00:49-00:49
Why?
00:50-00:52
Because God's Word always succeeds.
00:53-00:54
God says His Word is like rain.
00:55-01:00
from heaven to earth, goes where it needs to go, accomplishes what it needs to accomplish, which is life and growth.
01:01-01:06
"We lift high the name of Jesus in worship," was the message last week.
01:07-01:12
That worship in music is how we love God with our emotions.
01:12-01:13
That's why we do it.
01:14-01:16
Today, this is who we are.
01:17-01:19
We believe firmly in the power of prayer.
01:20-01:25
I'd like you to open up your Bibles with me, please, to Isaiah chapter 38.
01:25-01:29
We believe firmly in the power of prayer.
01:30-01:31
Isaiah chapter 38.
01:32-01:42
We're going to go back to about 700 to 712 BC in the days of King Hezekiah, who was a good king who God used to bring revival to Judah.
01:44-01:50
Isaiah 38, verse 1, it says, "In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death.
01:51-02:00
And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, 'Thus says the Lord, "Set your house in order, for you shall die.
02:01-02:03
You shall not'" Stop there.
02:03-02:16
So King Hezekiah became sick. Apparently, we're going to find out in verse 21, he had an infected boil. And all of God's people said, "Ew.
02:17-02:21
I don't make up the messages, I just broadcast them, but that's what he had.
02:21-02:27
And Isaiah showed up to King Hezekiah to give him a really hard spoiler alert.
02:27-02:45
And you saw very clearly in verse 1, here's the message, "You're going to die. You are not going to recover." All right, verse 2 says, "Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord." Why did he turn his face to the wall?
02:46-02:47
Because this wasn't for show.
02:48-02:54
Hezekiah wasn't making some spectacle or performance of this prayer.
02:55-02:58
This was just between him and God, right?
02:58-03:00
Like Jesus had taught us to pray.
03:01-03:02
Go in your room and shut the door.
03:02-03:04
I think that's what Hezekiah was doing here.
03:04-03:12
He's like, "Hey, this is just between me and the Almighty right now." Verse 3, this is his prayer.
03:12-03:32
"King Hezekiah said, 'Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart and have done what is good in your sight.' And Hezekiah wept bitterly." A very raw and passionate and real prayer, sort of reflecting on his life.
03:32-04:10
But if you look at his prayer, "Remember how I walked faithful, wholeheart, done what is good." look at that prayer, let's be honest, doesn't it just sort of look like kind of a self-righteous prayer? Like, "Look at me, look what I did, look what I did, look at me." And you're like, "Jeff, what King Hezekiah prayed, was it appropriate?" "Yes." And you're like, "Well, should I pray this way?" And I would say, "Absolutely not." You're like, "Well, how can it be appropriate that you're telling me I should never pray this way?" I'm going to tell you later, all But let's look at verse 4.
04:10-04:22
It says, "Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, 'Go and say to Hezekiah, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father, 'I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears.
04:22-04:25
Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.
04:25-04:37
I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.'" So Hezekiah repented and was given life, and he was actually given a timeline, fifteen years.
04:37-04:42
And he was also given deliverance from the Assyrian invasion of Judah.
04:42-04:49
Verse 7 says, "This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised.
04:50-05:04
Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps." So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.
05:06-05:16
Hezekiah was promised an extension of his life, and God says, "I'm even going to give you a sign." God says, "I will turn back time." Right now we're thinking of that Cher song, right?
05:17-05:19
That was the whole turning the shadow back.
05:19-05:23
Obviously, it was God turning the clock back.
05:23-05:24
It was symbolic.
05:24-05:28
It was God's way of saying, "I'm going to give you more time," right?
05:28-05:30
There was a symbol to go with the sign.
05:31-05:31
That's what happened.
05:32-05:37
We at Harvest Bible Chapel are committed to preaching the Bible in a certain way.
05:37-06:00
It's one word, begins with an S, it's a long word, the word is "straightforwardly." We are committed to preaching the Bible straightforwardly, meaning when we come to God's Word, we don't look at it as a puzzle book to say, "Well, let me try to figure out what He really..." I believe that we should receive God's Word as He presents it, okay?
06:00-06:08
that God wants to communicate His love and His gospel and His truth to us in a straightforward way.
06:08-06:13
So, that's how we read and study and preach the Word of God at Harvest Bible Chapel.
06:14-06:20
That said, many years ago, I was in a discussion with a Hyper-Calvinist.
06:20-06:25
Now if you're a Hyper-Calvinist, you are still my brother, maybe even my friend.
06:25-06:34
But we were discussing this question, "Does prayer move God?" And I brought up this passage that we just looked at.
06:35-06:42
But this is what the Hyper-Calvinists said to me, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no." You see, God did not change His mind here because of the prayer.
06:43-06:44
God...
06:44-06:45
Here's what's happening, Jeff.
06:45-06:54
God knew that Hezekiah was going to repent with Isaiah's message, and God had planned it like this all along.
06:54-06:55
This was all part of the plan.
06:56-07:04
And my response was this, "Well, if that's all that's going on in this passage, then God is a liar." If that's what's going on.
07:04-07:22
In other words, in order to force Hezekiah to pray, in order to force Hezekiah to repent, in order to force Hezekiah into heaven's agenda, God told him very clearly in verse 1, "You will not recover." Right?
07:22-07:23
Isn't that what he said?
07:24-07:28
Well, if God knew the whole time that He was going to recover, then that means, in verse 1, God lied.
07:29-07:30
And I don't believe God lies.
07:31-07:34
And look, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.
07:36-07:41
You could make a list of the ten billion greatest theologians, and I'm not even on it.
07:42-07:44
I'm just going to tell you what I see in this passage.
07:45-07:45
Here's what I see.
07:46-07:55
God said, "Hezekiah, you're going to die." Hezekiah cried out in prayer, and God instead extended Hezekiah's life.
07:55-07:56
Is that what you see?
07:56-07:57
Is that what you see?
07:58-08:04
What I see in this passage is prayer moved the hand of God.
08:04-08:05
That's what I see.
08:06-08:11
And I have to ask myself, if Hezekiah was here right now, what would he say about prayer?
08:12-08:13
Or like your kinship?
08:14-08:15
What did you learn about prayer?
08:15-08:17
Maybe he'd say something like Jesus said.
08:17-08:19
Remember what Jesus said about prayer?
08:20-08:22
We had a sermon on this once upon a time.
08:22-08:23
"Ask and it will be given to you.
08:24-08:25
Seek and you will find.
08:25-08:30
Knock and it will be opened to you." I bet Jehezekiah would say something like that.
08:30-08:34
Or maybe he would say what James said, in James 5.16.
08:34-08:46
It says, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." Like I said, I just believe the Bible straightforwardly.
08:47-09:00
And because of that I just don't understand why we talk our way around the simple and clear and life changing truth that God moves as a result of prayer.
09:01-09:04
I don't understand why we as Christians just can't say that.
09:04-09:05
Why I do understand.
09:06-09:12
It's because at some point we prayed for something that didn't get answered in the way that we thought it should get answered.
09:12-09:23
we want to use some theological acrobatics and talk our way around the clear simple truth as presented in God's Word that God moves as a result of prayer.
09:23-09:35
I mean in the church, when we consider the question, "Does God really answer prayer?" Like if I pray this specific request to God, is He going to give me the thing that I asked for?
09:36-10:39
Even in the church, people that have been walking with the Lord for a long time somehow want to talk their way around that. And we say things that are true, but as a way of sort of giving God an out for not giving me what I want when I want it. We say things like this, "Well, you know, prayer is really about lining up your will with God's will." Or we say, "You know, every prayer is going to be answered ultimately in heaven." Or we say, "You know, prayer is about drawing nearer to God than it is about getting an answer to your request. Now, are all those things true? Yes, they are. But you know what else is true? What else is true is that God moves as a result of prayer. And at Harvest Bible Chapel, our third pillar is we believe firmly in the power of prayer. As Hezekiah learned, look at verse 9, passage goes on, "A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after He had been sick and had recovered from his sickness.
10:39-10:44
This is his testimony under inspiration of the Spirit recorded for us.
10:44-10:48
And we're going to look at it under this heading on your outline.
10:48-10:58
"The Testimony of Hezekiah and Literally Everyone Else Who Believes Firmly in the Power of Prayer." Sometimes, Dan, I have a hard time shortening these, so I just have to just say what I'm thinking.
10:58-10:59
There we go.
11:00-11:07
"The Testimony of Hezekiah and Literally Everyone Else Who Believes Firmly in the Power of Prayer." Number one, draw this down, desperation leads me to prayer.
11:08-11:09
Desperation leads me to prayer.
11:10-11:13
Look at verses 10 through 14 here with me, please.
11:14-11:17
This is what Hezekiah said as a response to all of this.
11:18-11:21
He said, "I said in the middle of my days, I must depart.
11:22-11:26
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.
11:27-11:28
I said, I shall not see the Lord.
11:29-11:30
The Lord in the land of the living.
11:31-11:34
"I shall look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.
11:35-11:41
My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd's tent, like a weaver. I have rolled up my life.
11:42-11:44
He cuts me off from the loom.
11:44-11:52
From day to night you bring me to an end." So just a very poetic way, he's like, "My life is like a camping trip that's over.
11:52-12:04
Tent folded up, thrown in the car, done." He said, "It's like somebody weaving something on a loom, and like, project's done, it's over." He said, verse 13, "I calm myself until morning like a lion.
12:04-12:05
He breaks all my bones.
12:06-12:11
From day to night, you bring me to an end like a swallow or a crane.
12:12-12:14
I chirp, I moan like a dove.
12:14-12:16
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
12:17-12:18
Oh, Lord, I am oppressed.
12:18-12:23
Be my pledge of safety." Desperation leads me to prayer.
12:24-12:28
And we saw in verse 3 that Hezekiah wept bitterly.
12:28-12:29
They're like, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
12:30-12:45
If he was faithful and he was a believer, which obviously he was, what about, you know, no fear of death, and to die is to be in the presence of the Lord, and what about all of that?
12:45-12:47
Like, why does he seem so scared of death?
12:47-13:11
Why is he weeping here?" We have to understand in the Old Testament, they didn't have the revelation that we have, living on this side of history, this side of the cross, this side of the New Testament being written. They didn't have all of the information that we had. That's why in these verses, and you're going to see it again in verse 18, he talks about Sheol. What's Sheol?
13:12-13:42
Sheol just means the grave, right? Sheol just means like when I die, they're going to put me in a cemetery. You're like, "Well, what happens then?" "I don't know. I go beyond the grave. They called that place Sheol. They just didn't know everything about what happened after you died. His point was, you know, my life is over. It was done. So you see it was a prayer of complete desperation. Have you ever been there? Have you ever been there?
13:43-14:04
See some heads nodding. You have. Been to that place where I don't know what I'm going to do? Maybe it's because you have a sick child. Or maybe you get that phone call that somebody's been in a horrible accident and you need to get here right away. Or maybe you just found out that in two weeks you're not going to have a job. And you're like, "Now what?
14:04-14:16
What am I going to do now?" Well, for a lot of people, being in pastoral ministry, I've heard this testimony over and over and over. And people get to this point, They say to me, "Jeff, you know what?
14:16-14:18
I prayed like I've never prayed before.
14:19-14:20
Have you ever been there?
14:20-14:21
That's where Hezekiah was.
14:22-14:28
I prayed like I never have before." But you see, this is where the whole thing breaks down for a lot of people.
14:28-14:31
Because for a lot of you, desperation hasn't led you to prayer.
14:32-14:40
It's led you to princes, or it's led you to purses, or it's led you to pouting, or it's led you to self-pity.
14:41-14:44
But these are not the places where God is drawing you.
14:45-14:49
You see, God is drawing you through these desperate scenarios that we face.
14:49-14:50
You know what God is doing?
14:51-14:57
He is drawing you into a situation where you have no option other than Him.
14:57-15:06
He's bringing you into this situation where you're like, "Unless God shows up and intervenes on my behalf, it is all over.
15:06-15:22
I don't have a chance anywhere else." And I've got to tell you, that is a glorious place to be, because you're going to see God do something that you can't explain with human words or reasoning when He brings you to that place.
15:23-15:25
God's like, "I'm about to do something that only I can do.
15:26-15:38
Watch this." And you know, that's when prayer gets real, that you're not saying your prayers, you're not reciting some canned poem, you're not just giving God a list.
15:39-15:40
You are praying.
15:41-15:42
You're getting alone.
15:43-15:46
You're facing the wall, and you're crying out to God.
15:47-15:49
Desperation leads me to prayer.
15:50-15:59
I would just say parenthetically it shouldn't always have to be desperation that brings me to prayer, but I found often even in my own life that it's desperation that brings me to real prayer.
15:59-16:00
How about you?
16:01-16:02
It's reality, right?
16:02-16:04
Number two, jot this down.
16:04-16:06
Prayer leads me to God's provision.
16:06-16:08
Let's look at verses 15-17.
16:09-16:11
Hezekiah says, "What shall I say?
16:11-16:15
For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it.
16:16-16:20
I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.
16:20-16:26
O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit.
16:26-16:29
O restore me to health and make me live!
16:30-16:43
Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness, "And in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back." Prayer leads me to God's provision.
16:44-16:54
Like Hezekiah, when you get to this place where you pray like this, you will not only see prayer answered, but you're going to find that you get way more than you were expecting from God.
16:55-16:56
Way more.
16:57-17:00
Do you know God always over delivers?
17:01-17:01
Every time.
17:02-17:03
Right, but what do you mean?
17:03-17:05
Look at verse 17 again. I want to read it again.
17:06-17:10
You can't miss this because you're going to see this show up in your own life when you pray like Hezekiah prayed.
17:12-17:18
Passionately, sincerely, he says, "Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness.
17:19-17:28
But in love, you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back." There's three things that God gives you in prayer.
17:29-17:31
Three things that God gives you, they're right here in verse 17.
17:32-17:33
The first one is new perspective.
17:34-17:35
New perspective.
17:36-17:37
God's not a vending machine.
17:38-17:49
Like, well, I have this thing that I want, so I just go to God in prayer and I press, you know, like A7 and out comes the Milky Way Midnight and then thanks, I got what I want, I'm out of here.
17:50-17:51
God's not like that.
17:51-17:54
He doesn't just want to give you the thing you're asking for.
17:54-17:57
He wants you to get to a better place.
17:57-18:00
And you pray and you want God to change things.
18:01-18:04
But when you really pray, God also changes you.
18:05-18:09
And Hezekiah saw that ultimately, this is so profound.
18:10-18:14
Hezekiah saw ultimately his bitterness was for his welfare.
18:14-18:26
He says, "God, you allowed these things to happen "in my life for my own good." So one thing that Hezekiah got in prayer was a greater understanding of the ways of God.
18:26-18:32
I think Hezekiah understood the ways of the Lord better than he ever had as a result of this trial that he went through.
18:33-18:51
So God in prayer gives you a new perspective. Letter B, three things God gives you in prayer again, verse 17, God gives you your answer. God answers prayer. In his way, in his time, God answers prayer. Hezekiah clearly got a direct answer to prayer. He got his life extension.
18:52-19:01
And somebody right now is like, "Well, he still eventually died." Yes, but can we not miss the fact that God very clearly gave him the very thing that he was asking for?
19:02-19:07
And I have to ask you, I guess I have to ask me first, but I have to ask you too.
19:08-19:09
Do you pray expectantly?
19:09-19:10
You pray in faith.
19:11-19:14
Do you pray watching to see how God is going to answer?
19:15-19:15
Because He will.
19:16-19:20
Three things God gives you in prayer, a new perspective, your answer, and letter C, forgiveness.
19:21-19:32
Listen, if you have not received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can experience the forgiveness of sin, and it's just a prayer away.
19:33-19:34
That's how close it is.
19:35-19:41
You don't have to go somewhere and do this or that, or jump through all these hoops, or light all these candles or whatever.
19:42-19:46
Forgiveness of sin is a prayer away if you have not received Jesus Christ.
19:46-19:50
Get alone with God and say, "God, I realize I'm a sinner.
19:50-20:01
I have really messed things up in my life, and I've messed things up in other people's lives and God, I've made a mess of myself, but God, you sent your Son to die on that cross in my place.
20:02-20:05
God, I believe Jesus Christ took my sin on the cross.
20:05-20:09
God, I believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead so that I can have eternal life.
20:10-20:13
You get before the Lord and pray like that, sincerely.
20:14-20:15
You have forgiveness.
20:16-20:31
If you're someone here that's like, "I've received the forgiveness of Jesus," then I would encourage you, let your forgiveness in Christ move you just as forgiveness moved Hezekiah to thank God for taking away your sin.
20:32-20:32
Thank God for that.
20:34-20:34
Do you see that?
20:35-20:48
Verse 17, he says, "You've cast all my sins behind your back." God just took Hezekiah's sins and was like, "Whoop, done, gone." That's what God does with sin to the person that comes to Him sincerely.
20:49-20:52
That's what Christ has provided through His death on the cross.
20:53-20:54
One more.
20:55-21:00
"The testimony of Hezekiah and literally everyone else who believes firmly in the power of prayer." Number three.
21:01-21:03
God's provision leads me to worship.
21:04-21:05
Look at verse 18.
21:05-21:07
"For Sheol does not thank you.
21:08-21:09
Death does not praise you.
21:10-21:19
Those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness." He's basically just saying there are worship services happening at the graveyard.
21:21-21:25
He says, verse 19, "The living, the living, he thanks you as I do this day.
21:25-21:28
The Father makes known to the children your faithfulness.
21:28-21:44
The Lord will save me and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives at the house of the Lord." Yeah, there might not be a worship service happening at the graveyard, because I'll tell you where one is.
21:44-21:50
I plugged in my electric guitar at the house of the Lord, and we are jamming our worship.
21:51-21:53
God's provision leads me to worship.
21:54-21:58
He was saying, "If I went to the grave, God, I can't thank you here.
21:58-21:59
I can't praise you here.
22:00-22:01
I can't tell others about you here.
22:01-22:32
I can't sing to you here, but the living, the living." verse 19, "I will thank you, I will praise you, I will glorify you, but worship is always the end game of God at work." That's always the end. When God shows up and answers prayer and does the thing that only God can do, the end result is always worship. You know, I could say so much more about that, but that was last week's sermon. Available on our website, listen again, but God's provision leads me to worship.
22:33-23:02
We get to move on now, look at verse 21, it says, "Now Isaiah had said, 'Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.' Hezekiah also had said, 'What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?'" Verse 22, it's almost like under inspiration of the Spirit when this was being recorded, it was like, "Oh yeah, there was that one thing I forgot to include." When Hezekiah said, "What's the sign?
23:02-23:16
I should go up to the house of the Lord," we know what he was saying was, "How do I know I'm going to get healed?" And we know that that's what he meant because if you look at 2 Kings 20.8, it totally clarifies that.
23:17-23:20
Like, "Hezekiah, you're going to be totally healed." Like, "Well, how do I know?
23:20-23:21
How do I know I'm going to be healed?
23:21-23:25
How do I know I'm going to eventually end up back in God's house?" Well, here's the sign.
23:26-23:28
But it was just kind of tacked on the end here.
23:29-23:31
That's all that's going on there.
23:31-23:34
But look at verse 21 closely.
23:35-23:51
Isaiah the prophet had said, "Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover." I need to say this, P.S., God uses medical means to heal sometimes.
23:53-23:57
God here gave very clear direction to Isaiah.
23:58-24:19
Looking at that statement, he says, "Take a cake of figs, put it on the boil," and then that last phrase, "that he may recover." In other words, recovery for Hezekiah was to come through some medical intervention that admittedly I don't understand, okay?
24:20-24:21
I'm not a doctor.
24:22-24:25
So I can't tell you how fig cakes clear up an infected boil.
24:25-24:34
And because I'm not a doctor, I feel it's my obligation to tell you that I cannot recommend using fig cakes to heal other things.
24:35-24:35
Okay?
24:36-24:41
Don't try to use fig cakes on COVID-19 or apply fig cakes to grandma's gout.
24:42-24:43
I'm not giving you medical advice.
24:43-24:45
I'm just telling you what happened, and here's what happened.
24:46-24:49
Sometimes God heals instantly and supernaturally.
24:50-24:50
True or false?
24:51-24:53
True! We have seen that so many times in this church.
24:53-25:04
I could keep you here until the Super Bowl telling you stories of amazing, supernatural, instantaneous healing as a result of prayer.
25:05-25:07
He absolutely does that.
25:07-25:17
But other times, and I would say I believe most times, God uses doctors and medicine as part of the process.
25:18-25:23
So, our conclusion, when all has been said, is this.
25:24-25:26
All healing is God's healing.
25:27-25:32
You know, our situation recently was a lot like Hezekiah's in this.
25:33-25:41
We had a situation with my son, who was having extremely violent, aggressive outbursts.
25:42-25:47
And I can't even paint a picture for you how horrific some of these episodes were.
25:48-26:00
And I can't tell you all the times racing home from this building, and I think I have shared with you in sermons in the past, crying out to God in the car on the way to arrive at a horrific scene.
26:01-26:03
And this had gone on for three and a half years.
26:04-26:15
Well, a lot of you at this church that have been here for a while will remember our friend A.J., the young man who would sit in his wheelchair, sometimes backed by guest reception, sometimes at the top of the stairs.
26:15-26:19
and unfortunately he had passed away.
26:19-26:25
I had his funeral, and sometime after his funeral, I got a call from a lady.
26:26-26:29
And this lady's name is Christy, and she's sitting here today.
26:30-26:34
And I said, how can I help you?
26:34-26:36
And she said, the Lord told me to call you.
26:37-26:38
And I said, well, I'm listening.
26:40-26:41
Like, what else do you say, right?
26:42-26:48
I'm making an extremely long story very short, but if you want to buy me lunch or Starbucks sometime, I'll tell you the whole story.
26:49-26:56
But Christy had led us to a doctor that was able to prescribe the right medication to help my son.
26:57-27:01
And we've entered a completely different chapter of life as a result.
27:02-27:10
That I can't even describe to you how that mode of living has changed for us.
27:10-27:12
But here's the point, church.
27:12-27:22
My story, like Hezekiah's, was a combination of God's direct intervention and medical intervention at the same time. Do you see that?
27:23-27:28
So the question is, who gets the glory? Does Christi get the glory? No.
27:29-27:32
What about Dr. Morgani? Does she get the glory? No.
27:33-27:35
What about the medication that she prescribed?
27:35-27:39
Do we do worship psalms unto the medicine? No.
27:40-27:43
God gets the glory, because all healing is God's healing.
27:44-28:00
So listen, bag the notion, "If I have enough faith, I don't need to go to the doctor." Bag it. Bag the notion, "Well, if you have enough faith, you don't need to take your medicine." Bag that. That is not biblical. It's stupid.
28:01-28:06
And people think they sound so ultra-spiritual saying stuff like that.
28:07-28:10
It is not biblical. We have proof right here.
28:11-28:15
And I am absolutely positive that God loves and uses doctors.
28:16-28:17
Do you know how I know that?
28:17-28:20
Because God had a doctor write about half of the New Testament.
28:20-28:22
So, all healing is God's healing.
28:23-28:28
Oh yeah, earlier, Hezekiah's prayer, verse 3, go back to that for a second.
28:29-28:30
Hezekiah's prayer.
28:30-28:41
"Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart and have done what is good in your sight." Remember when we talked about that way back when?
28:41-28:46
And I said, "Was Hezekiah's prayer appropriate?" Yes, it was.
28:47-28:48
Should we pray like that?
28:49-28:50
Absolutely not.
28:51-28:51
How can that be?
28:52-28:53
Well, listen to this.
28:54-28:56
Hezekiah lived under the old covenant.
28:57-29:05
And under the old covenant, don't miss this, Under the Old Covenant, blessing was dependent upon obedience.
29:06-29:11
Leviticus chapter 26, Deuteronomy chapter 28, God says, "Here's how it works.
29:11-29:19
You want blessing, you obey Me. You disobey Me, you get cursed." That was the Old Covenant. But we don't live under the Old Covenant.
29:19-29:21
We live under the New Covenant.
29:21-29:22
Do you know what the New Covenant teaches?
29:23-29:30
that every spiritual blessing has been given to us because of Jesus Christ.
29:31-29:34
So we are not to pray like Hezekiah.
29:35-29:40
You see, he prayed according to his obedience in order to get blessing.
29:41-29:49
In other words, we could rightly say, "Hezekiah prayed in his own name." Hezekiah prayed, "Bless me because of who I am, God.
29:49-29:55
Bless me because of what I've done, God." That's not how we pray under the New Testament, under the New Covenant.
29:56-30:00
We pray, "Father, bless me because of who Jesus is.
30:00-30:09
Bless me because of what Jesus has done for me." And this is what it means to pray in the name of Jesus.
30:10-30:23
Have you ever wondered what that meant when we pray, "In Jesus' name, Amen. In Jesus' name, Amen." And it's the classic prayer closure, "That's how we know we're done." What does that even mean?
30:23-30:24
This is what it means.
30:25-30:35
That God, I'm not coming to you, appealing to you based on my horrible track record and very limited occasional obedience.
30:35-30:38
I'm not coming to you, appealing to you based on that.
30:39-30:41
I'm coming to you as you told me to.
30:42-30:48
Jesus said, "Whatever you ask in my name, it will be given you." God, I'm coming to you based on the obedience of your Son.
30:49-30:51
I'm coming to you based on Jesus Christ.
30:52-30:59
I'm not praying in Jeff's name, I'm praying in Jesus' name because of what you have guaranteed me in Jesus Christ.
31:00-31:12
So you see, church, when we pray, we don't get on our knees and, "Oh, we hope and we wish that we get some kind of a blessing from God because of our obedience.
31:12-31:18
"Oh God, you know I've tried, and God, you know I've done my best, and God, you know my heart." We don't pray in our name.
31:19-31:31
We pray in Jesus' name, where we say, "God, I know that I'm guaranteed to receive the blessing because of Jesus' obedience, in Jesus' name." Let me ask you, how would you pray?
31:32-31:38
How would you pray if you really firmly believed in the power of prayer?
31:39-31:45
How would you pray if you knew the blessing was already guaranteed because of Jesus Christ?
31:46-31:47
Bow with me, please.
31:47-32:03
Our Father in Heaven, God, I just don't know what to say, except I'm sorry for the times that I treat prayer like part of the job, or part of the walk, or part of the routine.
32:04-32:17
And I might read a list to you, and I might get ultra-distracted, but God, bring us to the place where we pray as if we believe what Your Word says about prayer.
32:18-32:22
We've seen Your hand at work in so many ways.
32:23-32:25
God, we believe You will continue to be at work.
32:26-32:31
Father, I pray that You would help us to understand the means by which we come to You.
32:31-32:40
Our road is not paved through our works or intentions, but it's been provided through the work of your Son.
32:41-32:51
Thank you, Father, for this glorious privilege that you've given us to come before you, cry out to you right before the throne of the King of the universe.
32:52-32:57
Father, let us receive everything that you want to give us.
32:57-33:00
We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

Small Group Discussion
Read Isaiah 38

What was your big “take-away” from this passage / message?
Tell of a time you experienced a clear and direct answer to prayer.
Why does God often employ “medical means” to bring about healing (Isaiah 38:21)?
Why did Hezekiah pray as he did, recounting his good works (praying “in his own name”)? Explain what it means to “pray in Jesus’ name” (See John 14:13-14)?

Breakout
Pray for one another to grow as pray-ers.

Jeff Miller

January 17, 2021

This is Who We Are

This is Who We Are: Pillar 2

Jeff Miller

January 17, 2021

This is Who We Are

Introduction:

We Lift High the Name of Jesus Through Worship.

"I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation…the delight is incomplete till it is expressed." - C.S. Lewis

  
  3 Things to Say on Your Way to Church (Psalm 146):

I am Choosing to worship. (Ps 146:1-2)
  
I am done trusting Man . (Ps 146:3-6)
  
I am making worship Personal . (Ps 146:7-10)

Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!

00:41-00:46
You know, we just got done singing together.
00:46-00:57
We had this whole band up here, playing music, so we could sing.
01:00-01:03
Doesn't that seem a little strange, when you think about it?
01:05-01:12
I mean, we get up on a Sunday morning, We put on our spiffy clothes, well, maybe you did.
01:15-01:27
And we dragged the kids out of the house, and we come to this auditorium, and all of a sudden we turn into a choir.
01:28-01:43
I mean, there's some friends here, and there's some people here probably you've never met, complete strangers, but suddenly, in this room, we're all a choir. Like, why do we do that? Doesn't it seem weird?
01:46-02:58
Well, it's really, I guess, not that weird when you think about how we use music in so many other contexts, right? Because singing, music, it's, music is this, it's this outlet of emotion. Music is the way that we express joy. And if you think about it, we do it all the time, don't we? For example, you go to a birthday party. What do we do at a birthday party? We take a cake and we light the cake on fire, and then what do we do? We sing it, Right? Happy birthday to you, now blow out the fire and make a wish or whatever. And that doesn't seem so strange. Right? Or what about you go to a baseball game. Remember back when we used to do those kinds of things? You go to a baseball game, sports people, in the middle of the seventh inning, what do we do? Seventh inning stretch, and what What do we do during the seventh inning stretch?
03:00-03:03
Take me out to the ball game.
03:03-03:05
Why don't we sing that before the first inning?
03:06-03:09
The game's almost over, and we're like, oh, take me out to the ball game.
03:10-03:10
We're here.
03:12-03:14
But we get together and sing.
03:16-03:21
I know, the Pirates game is usually over by the first inning.
03:25-03:26
Look, I'm hurting with you.
03:29-03:33
We get together with a group of people and we sing.
03:33-03:43
But by far the strangest context in which this happens, by far, not even open for discussion or argument, is Christmas caroling.
03:44-03:45
I never got that.
03:46-03:58
We get a bunch of our friends, we show up at somebody's house, and we're standing in in their yard, and we start singing at them, like, "Hey, I know you're in there all warm and probably watching TV.
03:59-04:09
Come out into the cold, because me and my friends are trespassing, and we would like to sing at you." I don't get it.
04:12-04:14
But I do get the music thing.
04:16-04:18
I don't get caroling, but I get music.
04:19-04:23
Because music is a very emotional thing, right?
04:25-04:33
On your way home, just flip through the radio stations, and I want you to think about the content of the songs.
04:33-04:34
What are the songs about?
04:37-04:40
Typically it's something very emotional, right?
04:40-04:41
Love.
04:42-04:43
Passion.
04:44-04:45
Right?
04:46-04:46
Heartbreak.
04:47-04:49
She thinks my tractor's sexy.
04:50-04:51
Okay, not every song.
04:52-05:04
But, for the most part, music is about expressing emotion over something very deep in our soul.
05:05-05:05
Right?
05:08-05:15
Singing is emotional, and that's why singing is one aspect of worship We are very serious about it, our church.
05:19-05:25
God's Word tells us that we are to love the Lord our God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
05:25-05:32
And we can love God with our mind by studying the Word together.
05:32-05:38
We can love God with our strength by using our physical abilities to serve our neighbor.
05:38-05:41
But the question is, how do we love God with our emotions?
05:42-05:43
The answer is music.
05:44-05:53
God has given us music so that we can express love to God, so we can fulfill the command to love God with our very emotions.
05:56-05:57
That's why we worship in song.
05:57-05:59
I love this quote from C.S. Lewis.
05:59-06:00
Listen to this very closely.
06:01-06:15
He says, "I think we delight to praise what we enjoy, Because the praise not merely expresses, but completes the enjoyment.
06:17-06:21
It is its appointed consummation.
06:22-06:28
The delight is incomplete until it is expressed.
06:28-06:47
What he's saying is there's something about that act of expressing praise and enjoyment that completes the whole enjoyment process saying. In other words, to illustrate it, think about what do we do on a roller coaster?
06:48-07:07
We don't just sit there and, "This is fun, this is fast, this is windy." What do we do on a roller coaster? We put our arms up and we scream and we laugh and we're, why do we do that? We're expressing the joy. Or when your favorite team scores, what do we do?
07:08-07:11
We jump up and we cheer and we scream.
07:12-07:15
Just imagine what we'll do when the Penguins actually win a game this year.
07:16-07:20
But we express our joy that way.
07:22-07:24
There's something in us that we can't help it.
07:26-07:32
Or maybe with food, we have to express it.
07:32-07:34
We can't just enjoy it.
07:34-07:38
we have to express our enjoyment of the food, right?
07:39-07:44
You're eating that brownie, and you're nom nom nom nom, nom nom, oh, it's so moist.
07:45-07:50
And I say that because I know that word really bothers a lot of people, but it's so moist.
07:51-07:54
And, but why do we have to express that?
07:54-08:03
There's something about, as C.S. Lewis put it, it's like a consummation of our enjoyment to express that.
08:05-08:25
So when we come in here, and we are expressing emotion with the vehicle that God has given us - music - worship lets us love God with our emotions.
08:26-08:32
Worship lets us express our joy what God has done for us.
08:34-08:51
Now, you have to understand, when we worship together, we don't just have this bucket of songs on little pieces of paper, and we just pick out some, and we're going to sing these ones.
08:51-08:57
I want to show you today, briefly, we're talking about why we do some of the things that we do.
08:57-09:10
I want to show you why we worship Bible chapel, the way that we worship, because there's some people like, "Why is worship structured that way, and why is there so many songs?" Well, typically, I'm going to draw you a picture here.
09:10-09:20
I'm hoping you can all see this, and if you can't, you can squint or see if your neighbor has binoculars, or, dare I say, sit in the front.
09:22-09:23
I know, I know, I'm sorry.
09:23-09:24
Too far?
09:26-09:33
All right, so this is going to represent the Old Testament temple, tabernacle, not to scale, okay?
09:36-09:43
Don't be looking at the back of your Bible with those pictures like, "That's not exactly proportionate." Come on, show me some grace here, alright?
09:46-09:54
Let's just say this is the Old Testament tabernacle temple.
09:55-09:58
It was the building that God told Moses to construct.
09:58-10:05
It was the portable version through the Exodus, and then ultimately Solomon built the permanent version, the temple.
10:06-10:17
But it was very specific in that you had these courts, and then you get into the holy place, and this place here was the Holy of Holies.
10:17-10:20
This is where the Ark of the Covenant was.
10:20-10:29
The top, the mercy seat, and that's where the high priest went year Leviticus 16 to offer sacrifice for the sins of all the people.
10:29-10:36
We have the altar out here, and then obviously the curtain would be right here.
10:37-10:40
Man, that's practically a photograph, Jeff, I know.
10:43-10:56
But typically, this is typical, okay, generally at Harvest Bible Chapel, we usually do like five songs, and the first song is usually usually what we would sing as we are going to worship.
10:56-10:57
And what would we sing?
10:57-11:00
There are songs that are called to worship.
11:00-11:03
Hey, let's come together, let's sing, let's praise.
11:03-11:09
So the one songs are typically like the call to worship.
11:09-11:14
We are going up the steps, we are going to the presence of God.
11:14-11:16
Hey people, let's worship.
11:16-11:17
Those are the one songs.
11:18-11:25
And usually in the middle of the set, The three songs are the songs that you sing in the courts.
11:25-11:30
And what are God's people talking about in the courts of God's temple?
11:30-11:32
These are songs of testimony.
11:32-11:34
Here's how God has been good to me.
11:34-11:36
Here's what God has done for me.
11:36-11:37
Here's how God saved me.
11:38-11:39
Here's how God provided for me.
11:39-11:41
Here's what God has done.
11:41-11:43
Those are testimonial songs.
11:44-11:49
But when you get to the end of the worship set, typically, these are the fifth song in to the set.
11:52-11:57
But when you get to the fifth song, you're in the Holy of Holies now.
11:57-12:01
And I know we're not high priests and we can't go in there and Jesus tore the curtain down.
12:01-12:03
Don't make this a theology thing.
12:04-12:08
But the point is this, we are going into the presence of God.
12:09-12:34
So usually by the end of the worship set, the five songs, we're not thinking so much about us and our benefit and, "Hey, let's come and worship people." At this point, we're saying, "Now, we are in the presence of God, and this is a pure ascription of worth." That's typically the flow of our worship.
12:35-12:39
The people up here are leading us in worship.
12:39-12:58
When I say leading, they are literally taking us somewhere, up the steps, through the courts for testimony, ultimately into God's very presence where we're thinking about nothing but His majesty and His beauty and His awesomeness and His incomparable qualities.
13:00-13:13
And you're like, "Well, what about songs 2 and 4?" Look, I don't mean to be a smart-aleck here, but song 2 is just basically something between a 1 and a 3, and song 4 is something between a 3 and a 5.
13:13-13:18
Okay? So, again, it's about the flow, generally.
13:19-13:22
But that's why we worship - did I get that right there?
13:22-13:28
Okay. That's why we worship the way that we do at Harvest Bible Chapel.
13:29-13:31
We were made for this.
13:32-13:38
Which is why pillar number two of Harvest Bible Chapel is lifting high the name of Jesus.
13:42-13:42
I could be done now.
13:43-13:51
But, we spent so much time last week talking about God's Word, I think we should spend some time in God's Word, don't you?
13:51-13:54
So open up to Psalm 146.
13:57-13:58
Psalm 146.
14:00-14:06
And you know how it is, there's times that we come to church and we're just not getting it.
14:06-14:07
And we're not feeling it.
14:07-14:10
And we're wondering why everybody else is feeling it and we're not feeling it.
14:13-14:21
So as we look at Psalm 146 today, I'm going to give you three things to say on your way to church.
14:23-14:33
In other words, as you're walking through one of these doors, or you're turning on your computer to stream - that's on your way to church.
14:33-14:37
When you're on your way to church, I want you to say these three things to yourself.
14:39-14:42
And watch what it does to your worship.
14:42-14:43
And this all comes from God's Word.
14:44-14:49
The first thing you need to learn to say to yourself, number one, I am choosing to worship.
14:51-14:52
I am choosing to worship.
14:52-14:54
Look at verse 1, Psalm 146.
14:54-14:56
It says, "Praise the Lord!
14:57-15:00
Praise the Lord, O my soul!" Stop there.
15:01-15:01
Praise the Lord.
15:02-15:06
Literally, that's the word "hallelujah." It's a beautiful word.
15:07-15:08
Hallelujah.
15:08-15:09
It's an imperative.
15:10-15:13
It's a word that's basically saying, "Hey, people! People!
15:14-15:18
Come on! Let us go worship God together!
15:19-15:20
Let's do it, people! Come on!
15:20-15:48
Let's worship God together!" That's the word "hallelujah." And that's why when you get to these Psalms, Psalm 146-150, all begin and end with the word "Hallelujah." "Hey, hey, let's do this, people!" But then he says, "Praise the Lord." Look at this, "O my soul." He's rousing his own soul into action.
15:48-15:51
Do you realize he's commanding himself?
15:52-15:52
Do you see that?
15:53-15:55
He's commanding himself to worship.
15:56-16:00
Like, "I'm not really feeling it today." "No, no, no, soul. Listen, soul.
16:01-16:02
This is what we're doing, soul.
16:02-16:11
We are worshiping today. That's what we're doing." And what do we call it when we command ourselves to do something?
16:12-16:14
We call that making a choice. Right?
16:15-16:16
Making a choice.
16:17-16:18
Look at verse 2.
16:19-16:22
He says, "I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
16:23-16:30
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being." Do I have a choice there? I will. I will.
16:31-16:33
As long as I live. As long as I have my being.
16:34-16:35
I'm going to do this.
16:38-16:39
Please hear me, church.
16:39-16:44
Worship is, yes, is loving God with our emotions.
16:45-16:46
Yes, absolutely.
16:46-16:50
But, this is where a lot of people miss it.
16:53-16:57
It is a choice to love God with our emotions.
16:58-16:59
Do you see that in the text?
17:01-17:09
Here's the thing, because worship is so immersive, we often excuse ourselves from doing it.
17:09-17:12
We come in here and it's easy for us to check out.
17:13-17:15
I just don't really feel like it today.
17:15-17:17
Had a hard day yesterday.
17:18-17:20
Kids were little snots on the way to church.
17:20-17:21
I'm just not feeling it.
17:22-17:24
And we can excuse ourselves.
17:28-17:29
We see this more and more in our culture.
17:31-17:35
We don't feel like doing something, we just don't do it, right?
17:36-17:38
We see it all the time in marriages.
17:39-17:42
I don't feel like loving my wife today, so I'm not going to do it.
17:43-17:44
We see it in the workplace.
17:44-17:46
I don't feel like doing anything at work today.
17:47-17:48
How many times have you heard that?
17:49-17:52
I didn't really do anything at work today because I didn't feel like it.
17:54-17:56
They ain't paying you for your feelings, pal.
17:57-17:57
or school.
17:58-18:00
Well, I don't feel like studying.
18:04-18:15
I think we would easily acknowledge that marriage and work and school, these are all things that we must go after whether we feel like it or not, right?
18:18-18:21
And I would suggest to you it's so much more with worship.
18:22-18:24
So much more with worship.
18:28-18:34
Sometimes you have to make the choice, and then the feelings catch up.
18:37-18:45
A couple of weeks ago, we went to one of those big indoor water parks for my son's birthday.
18:47-18:49
Some of you know how I feel about those.
18:49-18:51
I'm not a big fan of them personally.
18:53-18:57
giant indoor Splash Lagoon Kalahari things.
18:58-19:04
It's basically taking a four-hour cold shower in a warehouse with 200 strangers.
19:05-19:06
(audience laughing)
19:09-19:11
It's not my favorite thing in the world.
19:11-19:15
And when the trip comes, I'm just kind of like, dreading it.
19:15-19:16
But you know what?
19:18-19:21
I gotta confess to you, I had a lot of fun this year.
19:23-19:23
Why?
19:25-19:31
Because I talked myself into, look, it's not about how I feel about it.
19:32-19:33
This is about my son.
19:34-19:40
This is what he loves to do, so I'm going to go with a good attitude because this is for him.
19:42-19:46
And just with that little adjustment in my head, I had a great time.
19:49-19:55
And church, it's so much more with worship I think we need to take a page out of the psalmist's book here.
19:57-19:59
He's like, "Come on, soul, we're doing this.
19:59-20:00
We're doing this today.
20:01-20:02
I know you had a hard day.
20:03-20:04
I know you're sad.
20:04-20:05
I know you're grieving.
20:06-20:11
I know you're overwhelmed, but soul, listen, we are doing this today because it matters.
20:12-20:16
Because it's important, and because..." Number one answer, He is worthy.
20:19-20:19
We're doing it.
20:21-20:25
no matter what happens, no matter how I feel, I choose to worship.
20:26-20:33
So you need to go after worship that way, and you're going to find that your emotions will catch up with you.
20:34-20:47
And, if you're willing to do that, I guarantee you, you're going to find that by the time the worship set is over, you're going to be disappointed that it's over.
20:50-21:01
on your way to church, streaming at home, walking through the doors, first thing you need to say to yourself when you walk in, you say, "I'm choosing to worship today." Can you say that?
21:02-21:17
"I'm choosing to worship today." Secondly, number two, something else you need to say that's going to amp up your worship, "I am done trusting man." "I am done trusting man." Look at verses 3 and 4.
21:18-21:27
He says, "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man in whom there is no salvation.
21:29-21:36
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth on that very day, his plans perish." Stop there.
21:37-21:44
Very clearly, he says, "Stop trusting princes." Princes?
21:45-21:50
Prince Charming, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Prince of the New Power Generation.
21:50-21:52
What prince am I trusting?
21:56-21:58
He's talking about political leaders.
22:00-22:02
He's talking about important people.
22:04-22:09
People that our society deems are important.
22:12-22:17
He says, "Look, your leaders, they can't save you.
22:19-22:19
They can't.
22:20-22:40
Even the best leaders that have the best intentions, the psalmist says, they're going to take those intentions with them to the cemetery." And people, we have this horrible flaw We look for saviors everywhere, except heaven.
22:43-22:45
At this point, you're like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, okay.
22:47-22:50
Who puts their trust in people, really?
22:50-22:52
Like, who really does that?
22:52-23:05
I don't know who you think you're talking to, Jeff, but it's not this group, because who really puts their trust in people?" I would reply with, "Are you kidding me?
23:06-23:08
"Have you been living under a rock the last few months?
23:11-23:19
"Have you not witnessed this most recent election "in our country?" You're like, "Oh no, he's getting political." Look, this is what the text is talking about.
23:20-23:22
We put our trust in princes, and that's what we saw.
23:23-23:23
Can we step back?
23:24-23:39
We're not making this a, well, okay, we're making a political thing, but can we step back Please, and just be honest with ourselves, and acknowledge that this is what we saw with the last election.
23:40-23:41
From both sides!
23:44-23:53
My guy has to get in, because if the other guy gets in, he's going to destroy the country, but my guy is going to save the country.
23:53-23:55
True or false, both sides?
23:55-23:55
True or false?
23:56-23:56
True!
23:57-23:57
True!
23:58-23:59
Both sides!
24:02-24:21
Can we not step back and realize this country has become so trusting and princes looking to people to save and God's Word says in whom there is no salvation they cannot save you.
24:25-24:29
And I hate to tell you this, but people always disappoint you.
24:31-24:32
Because we're people.
24:34-24:37
If I haven't yet, I'm going to disappoint you someday.
24:38-24:40
So will these wonderful leaders in our church.
24:42-24:43
Not intentionally.
24:46-24:49
But the best person you know is going to disappoint you in some way.
24:50-24:51
to some degree, because we're people.
24:52-24:52
Right?
24:56-24:57
So what's the alternative?
25:00-25:08
See the problem, when we come in here, and we're "yay, Republican, yay, Democrat," whatever name you're...
25:08-25:17
When we come in here, we have all of our hopes tethered to a political person.
25:19-25:20
and they got ready to worship.
25:23-25:52
Verses 5 and 6, it says, "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever." I love this, it says, "Blessed is he whose help is God," And then he says, "whose hope is in God." Help is God moving today.
25:54-26:01
Help is God actively present with me, sustaining me, strengthening me, guiding me today.
26:01-26:02
That's help. What's hope?
26:03-26:05
Hope is the promise of His Word being fulfilled tomorrow.
26:06-26:07
That's hope.
26:08-26:10
God said it. I know He's going to bring it about.
26:12-26:15
I'm trusting not princes.
26:17-26:22
People always disappoint, but God keeps faith forever.
26:22-26:23
Underline that in your Bible.
26:24-26:28
We will have ushers at the door checking your Bibles as you leave to make sure that it's underlined.
26:28-26:30
God keeps faith forever.
26:33-26:43
So on your way to church, walking in the door, streaming us online, you need to say to yourself, God is my help. God is my hope.
26:44-26:46
And I am man.
26:50-26:51
And watch what that does to your worship.
26:53-26:58
And finally, three things to say in your way to church.
26:59-27:01
I am making worship personal.
27:02-27:03
I'm making it personal.
27:04-27:06
Look at this list. We're going to go through this real quick.
27:07-27:08
I want you to look at this list.
27:10-27:19
Verse 7, talking about the work of the Lord, it says, "Who executes justice for the oppressed." Have you ever been wronged?
27:21-27:22
God's going to bring justice.
27:23-27:25
Write that down. He's going to bring justice.
27:27-27:34
He goes on, "Who gives food to the hungry." Have you ever been hungry?
27:35-27:36
Physically? Spiritually?
27:36-27:37
God will provide.
27:38-27:40
The Lord sets the prisoners free.
27:41-27:42
Have you ever felt trapped?
27:43-27:45
Maybe it's not a physical prison.
27:45-27:51
Maybe you've never been to Butler County Prison or Allegheny County Prison, but maybe you've been trapped in a prison of addiction.
27:55-27:56
God brings freedom.
27:57-28:03
Verse 8, he says, "The Lord opens the eyes of the blind." Again, physical blindness, spiritual blindness.
28:04-28:06
God turns the lights on.
28:07-28:09
We talked about that in our study through the Gospel of John.
28:09-28:10
I love this next one.
28:10-28:23
It says, "The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down." Now, when you first read that and think "bowed down," you might get your Sunday school thinking on like, "Oh, somebody praying." That's not what he's talking about.
28:24-28:25
It's the person that's beat down.
28:26-28:30
It's the person that's like, "I can't take another step.
28:31-28:32
I'm done.
28:33-28:38
I am so exhausted, and I can't do this anymore.
28:41-28:42
God picks you up.
28:44-28:49
God says, "We're going, and we're going together." That's just awesome.
28:51-28:58
Into verse 8 it says, "The Lord loves the righteous." I thought God loved everybody.
29:00-29:04
He does, but understand, God has a special love for His people.
29:07-29:08
The same way you do.
29:10-29:12
Your kids versus you love somebody else's kids.
29:14-29:15
That's how it is with God.
29:15-29:17
He has a special love for His kids.
29:19-29:25
Verse 9, He says, "The Lord watches over the sojourners." Have you ever felt out of place?
29:28-29:29
God is with you.
29:31-29:33
He says He upholds the widow and the fatherless.
29:37-29:37
Is that you?
29:38-29:42
Sometimes you feel like because of life circumstances you don't have anyone?
29:44-29:51
God has a special compassion for people who feel alone, abandoned, or forgotten.
29:54-29:59
At the end of verse 9 it says, But the way of the wicked He brings to ruin.
30:01-30:01
Are you wicked?
30:03-30:09
Is somebody who has refused God's grace and you live for yourself at the expense of others?
30:10-30:13
Well, I've got some news for you, but this isn't good news.
30:14-30:16
The news for you is this, God hasn't forgotten you either.
30:19-30:22
And you are on this list.
30:24-30:28
And for some of us, maybe we're on this list in more than one place.
30:31-30:35
And I could do a sermon on every one of these things, obviously, but here's the point.
30:37-30:42
God did not create us in order that we would have to figure things out on our own.
30:44-30:47
That's the point of this list, is to say God is active.
30:49-30:51
And He meets you where you are.
30:51-30:59
And He wants you to experience His presence, His provision, and His comfort.
31:00-31:14
And when you personally know Him, and you know God's work, it naturally makes you want to express your gratitude in worship.
31:17-31:32
You know, your level of gratitude in any context, your level of gratitude is always proportionate to the size of the gift.
31:33-31:33
Right?
31:35-31:36
I'm going to prove that to you.
31:37-31:39
Livvy, I'm going to ask you, would you like some money?
31:41-31:42
Smart girl.
31:42-31:42
Alright.
31:44-31:45
Well, you're alone because I got some.
31:47-31:47
Here you go.
31:48-31:48
Here you go.
31:49-31:49
A penny.
31:50-31:51
Are you thankful?
31:51-31:52
She is thankful.
31:52-31:54
She's not just saying that.
31:54-31:55
She really is thankful.
31:57-31:57
Watch this.
31:58-31:58
Would you like some more?
32:00-32:00
Check this out.
32:04-32:05
Would you like a dollar?
32:06-32:07
Here you go.
32:08-32:10
Are you more thankful now than you were for the penny?
32:11-32:11
You see?
32:11-32:12
She's illustrating this point.
32:13-32:20
The more gratitude you feel comes from the greater the gift is.
32:20-32:21
I should have said that the other way.
32:21-32:24
So you're thankful for the dollar much more than the penny.
32:25-32:25
How would you like $5?
32:26-32:27
Would you be thankful for that?
32:28-32:29
Alright, check this out.
32:29-32:30
Boom! $5.
32:32-32:35
Now are you more thankful for the $5 than you were for the dollar?
32:36-32:39
And you're way more thankful for the $5 than you were for the penny, right?
32:41-32:45
$20. We're in the middle of a pandemic.
32:49-32:51
So I'm going to have to owe you on that one.
32:52-32:54
Unless, can somebody loan me $20?
32:55-32:59
It's for a good cause. Nobody?
33:01-33:04
All right, pandemic. Thank you, Darla.
33:05-33:07
Thank you very much, Darla.
33:07-33:09
Would you be thankful for $20?
33:11-33:14
Now, were you more thankful for $20 than you were for $5?
33:16-33:26
And you're sitting here like, "I never prayed so hard for Pastor Jeff to keep preaching in my life." You see the point?
33:27-33:30
The greater the gift, the more thankful you are.
33:31-33:33
I want you to think about this.
33:36-33:36
Here's the point.
33:37-33:39
the greater the gift, the greater the gratitude, right?
33:40-33:43
I want you to think of the gift that you've received in Jesus Christ.
33:43-33:45
I want you to think about that for a second.
33:47-33:50
You're a lost, wayward sinner.
33:50-33:57
And He came after you, and He said, "I love you." And I died on the cross to take away all your sin.
33:57-34:04
You never have to feel guilt or shame for the rest of eternity, because your sin has been taken away.
34:05-34:09
Jesus rose from the dead to give us the promise of eternal life.
34:10-34:20
He said, "You will never die." Yeah, your physical body might wear out, and your spirit's going to go to heaven instantly upon death here, but you're never going to perish.
34:21-34:23
You have eternal life.
34:26-34:29
And you have all of these blessings on the earth, right?
34:30-34:37
The fellowship of the most amazing church family I have ever seen in my life, here in this room and watching through the stream.
34:39-34:42
The blessing of the fellowship of the body.
34:43-34:47
We have every provision from the hand of God.
34:51-34:57
And one of the most mind-blowing things, do you know the Bible says that we are co-heirs with Christ?
34:57-34:58
Do you realize what that means?
34:59-35:02
Like, what does Christ stand to inherit?
35:04-35:04
Everything!
35:05-35:07
And the Bible says, "Us too!
35:08-35:10
We are co-heirs with Christ.
35:11-35:26
We will inherit everything!" And when I think about the gift that God has given us, and I could go on and on and on, all of these gifts that have come through Jesus Christ.
35:28-35:30
How can I not worship Him?
35:32-35:39
How can I come to church and hear the music and see the words and just stand here with my arms folded like this is for somebody else?
35:39-35:40
Then you're not getting it.
35:42-35:43
You're not getting it.
35:46-35:50
Verse 10, he says, "The Lord will reign forever.
35:51-36:02
Your God, O Zion, to all generations, praise the Lord." It comes from the very depths of your soul.
36:04-36:05
Because it's personal to you.
36:06-36:13
You're like, "Hey, I didn't come in here to sing about Charles Wesley's faith, or Martin Luther's faith.
36:13-36:18
I came in here today to praise God for what He did for me.
36:19-36:21
For what I see Him doing in my family.
36:21-36:25
For what I see Him doing in my church family right here.
36:25-36:26
That's why I'm worshiping.
36:27-36:32
because this isn't some conceptual thing or just some ink on a paper.
36:32-36:37
This is a living and active God who has showed up mightily in my life.
36:38-36:49
And I am here to tell Him exactly how I feel about Him in a congregation of people who are saying the same.
36:51-37:07
So when you turn on that stream or you walk in these doors, You need to say to yourself, "Hey, I'm making worship personal." I'm going to pray, and I'm going to give you one more opportunity to do that this morning.
37:07-37:07
You ready?
37:08-37:09
Get ready. Let's pray.
37:10-37:16
Father in heaven, we lift high the name of Jesus in worship.
37:19-37:30
Father, I really believe that the worship service in heaven is eternal, because it is going to take us all of eternity to even list the reasons that you deserve it.
37:32-37:47
For all you are, and for all you've done, Father, make us a people who say, "I choose to worship." Oh my soul, praise the Lord!
37:48-37:53
God, make us a people that stop looking to Washington We can start looking to heaven.
37:54-37:56
We're done trusting princes.
37:59-38:01
We're trusting the God who keeps faith forever.
38:04-38:05
God, let us make worship personal.
38:08-38:09
Let us count our blessings.
38:12-38:21
Let us recite the glorious deeds that You have done on our behalf, on behalf of this church.
38:24-38:34
Father, the worship isn't just us trying to hit a note or keep a beat, but it's a very expression of joy.
38:37-38:40
We love You with our emotions.
38:43-38:46
We praise You in the glorious name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Small Group Discussion
Read Psalm 146

What was your big “take-away” from this passage / message?
Why is music important for congregational worship?
How - specifically - can you choose to worship when you don’t “feel like it” (Psalm 146:1-2)?
How does trusting man (Psalm 146:3-4) keep a person from worshiping God?
Name one of God’s works or promises for which you are especially thankful for right now.

Breakout
Pray for Harvest to be a worshiping church - and for YOU to be prepared to come and worship on Sundays.

Jeff Miller

January 10, 2021

This is Who We Are

This is Who We Are: Pillar 1

Jeff Miller

January 10, 2021

This is Who We Are

Introduction:

We proclaim the authority of God's Word without apology.

Isaiah 55:10-11 - For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but sit shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

Romans 10:17 - So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Psalm 19:7-9 - The law of the LORD is perfect, previving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.

The Life Stages of the One Who Receives God's Word (Psalm 19:7-9):

New Life . (Ps 19:7)
Wisdom for living. (Ps 19:7)
Joy . (Ps 19:8)
Light for my path. (Ps 19:8)
Clear Conscience . (Ps 19:9)
Confidence . (Ps 19:9)

How to Let the Word Rain on You (Psalm 19:10-14):

Want it. (Ps 19:10)
Apply it. (Ps 19:11)
John 13:17 - If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Ask for God's help with it. (Ps 19:12-14)

1 Corinthians 1:24 - but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!

00:00-00:05
Over the next four weeks, we will be looking at the four pillars of Harvest Bible Chapel.
00:06-00:07
This is who we are.
00:08-00:16
So if you're new around here, and we see a lot of new faces around here, which we are so thankful for, but if you're new around here, this will get all of our cards on the table.
00:17-00:17
There's no secrets here.
00:18-00:20
This is exactly who we are as a church.
00:20-00:41
And if you've been around for a while, this series will be important for you too, because Because it's so important that we remind ourselves who we are as a church so we don't get off mission and so we don't stop pursuing the advancement of the gospel in the way that God has called us to serve him.
00:41-00:42
This is who we are.
00:43-00:44
And it all starts with pillar number one.
00:45-00:50
We proclaim the authority of God's word without apology.
00:51-00:53
We'll talk about that statement today.
00:54-01:02
How do we proclaim His truth the first way, the first word I want you to think about is the word "authority." We proclaim His truth with authority.
01:03-01:12
Now imagine you're walking down the street and some guy across the street hollers over at you, "Hey, stop for a second, I need to talk to you." And what are you thinking?
01:12-01:14
You're thinking "Creeper!" and you keep walking, right?
01:15-01:22
Okay, same scenario, you're walking down the street and a guy across the street says, "Hey, stop for a second, I need to talk to you." And he pulls out a badge.
01:23-01:24
It makes all the difference, doesn't it?
01:25-01:25
Why?
01:26-01:28
Because of the authority, right?
01:29-01:39
Authority, defined, is the power or right to give orders, to make decisions, and to enforce obedience.
01:40-01:53
And when you go through God's Word, when you read the Gospels specifically, you see it over and over and over that when Jesus taught, It says people were amazed.
01:53-01:56
People were astonished at what?
01:56-01:58
Very specifically, it says, at his authority.
01:59-02:03
Jesus never buried the truth beneath both sides of the argument.
02:04-02:07
Jesus never discussed multiple interpretations.
02:08-02:10
Jesus never tried to make people feel comfortable.
02:11-02:14
That he didn't chase after people that walked away.
02:14-02:16
Jesus just said, "Hey, here's the truth.
02:16-02:17
"Here it is.
02:17-02:19
"This is the word of God.
02:20-02:21
and you've got to deal with it.
02:21-02:27
At Harvest Bible Chapel, God's Word is our authority.
02:28-02:38
Everything we do, everything we believe, everything that we strive after as a church finds its origin in this, the Word of God.
02:39-02:41
So we proclaim His truth with authority.
02:42-02:43
How do we proclaim His truth?
02:44-02:44
Without apology.
02:45-02:48
Proclaiming the authority, God's Word, without apology.
02:49-02:52
We are not apologizing for something that God said.
02:52-02:53
We're not gonna do that.
02:54-02:55
I mean, could you imagine what those sermons would be like?
02:56-03:10
We got up here, whether it's me or Alex or Ryan or whoever gets up here to speak, and we're like, "Hey, I want you to open up your Bibles, "and I gotta tell you ahead of time, "I'm really sorry to have to tell you this, "but God wants you to turn from your sin.
03:11-03:35
"I'm really sorry, but God, "God is asking politely, and I'm sorry to tell you." And if you've come here seeking spiritual guidance, I'm sorry to tell you that Jesus Christ, according to the Bible, it seems that maybe Jesus is the only way to heaven.
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If you take the Bible straightforwardly-- and I'm really sorry that I've got to tell you that.
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And since I'm apologizing for all these things God said, really sorry to tell you that if you refuse God's grace it seems that maybe if again if the Bible is true and if God was speaking straightforwardly it seems that if you refuse God's grace you're going to be separated from him forever in a place called hell and if that offends you I'm really sorry. How long would you attend this church if those were the servants? I would hope not at all. When it comes to God's truth, listen, we're not sugarcoating it. We're not dressing it up and we are certainly not trying to update it. We are just trying to do one thing and one thing only and that is make it clear. That's what we're going after. So that's the how. I'm sorry, that's the what rather, God's Word. And the how is with authority and without apology. That's not what I want to talk about today. Today I want to talk about why. Why do we do that? Like why is Why is that a pillar? Why is that the first thing we're talking about as we're talking about the pillars of the church?
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Why? Why do we proclaim the authority of God's Word without apology?
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And the answer is because God commanded it and I could be done today You're like really you weren't here last Sunday and that's what you did over the last two weeks I said I could be done, but I'm not going to be but God commanded it, but there's another reason behind that There's another there's another why that I want to show you today Why do we proclaim the authority of God's Word without apology?
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Because God's Word always succeeds.
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Isaiah 55, are you there?
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Isaiah 55 is all about salvation.
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And when you get to verses 10 and 11, he's talking very specifically about the Word of God.
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And the Word of God is this vehicle that brings the salvation message to man.
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And I want you to see, we're just going to look at two verses here.
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verses 10 and 11. It says, "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth." Let's stop there. Now you see obviously he's talking about the word of God and I want you to look at the metaphor we're going to talk about this for a few minutes this comparison he's comparing the word of God to rain and Isaiah is saying with both there is a coming down from heaven to the earth that's how rain falls and he says the word of God is like that from heaven to man. That is how God comes near to his people. Every time you read the Word of God, every time you hear a biblical sermon, or you sit in a biblical true to the text Bible study, every time you are exposed to the straightforward reading, understanding, preaching, teaching, proclamation of God's Word, what is happening is God is coming near to you.
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That's how he does it.
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You're like, well, how effective is that?
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Well, let's look at the rest of verse 11.
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He said, "It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." See that language?
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He says it's not going to return empty.
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Anytime the Word of God is proclaimed, the preacher can't step back and say, that did nothing, because God said it did.
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He says it accomplishes his purpose.
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He says it succeeds the thing that he sent it out.
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Let's talk about that analogy.
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The word of God is like, first part of verse 10 says, rain and snow.
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Let's forget about snow for a second.
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Let's just talk about rain, right?
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Where does rain come from?
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Well, it comes from the heavens.
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And where does it go?
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It goes to the earth, but you know, it always goes where it needs to go to give life to the plants, which in turn is to feed us.
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And that's what he's talking about here in verse 10, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater.
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He says, that's how rain works.
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It comes down from heaven to give life.
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Now just talking about rain for a second.
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Have you ever worried about the rain?
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I don't mean like during a drought or something like that.
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I mean, have you ever looked out your window when it's raining and maybe you look out and you look at your garden and you say to yourself, boy, I sure hope this rain works this time.
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You ever done that?
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You ever looked at the rain and said, what if this rain is too dry?
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What if those raindrops are too slippy?
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What if it doesn't take this time?
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You ever done that?
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Or have you ever tried to figure it all out?
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That you're sitting there watching it rain and you're like, well, how does the same water get used for thousands of years?
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Because you realize it's the same water we've had from the beginning, right?
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There's not like a factory in Cleveland that's making new water.
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How does a dead seed sprout?
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How does it grow?
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Have you ever tried to figure all that out?
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No. You don't worry about the rain and you don't try to explain the rain.
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You just simply believe it because...
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because that's just how it works. Right?
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That's just the way it is.
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You don't control the rain, but you know that when it comes down, it's going to do what it does.
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It's going to give life and growth. That's what it does.
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That's the way it works. That's the way it always works.
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And that's the point of the analogy with God's Word.
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is when He rains His Word down, it always succeeds.
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And there is great confidence in that.
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Whoever's up here speaking, so long as the Word is being proclaimed, I've never wondered, is it gonna work?
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Is it gonna be effective?
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Is it gonna change lives?
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Is it gonna transform people?
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I don't have to wonder about that, because God says it does.
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I'm just like, bring it, bring it, let it rain down.
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It will do what God says it does.
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That is why we preach the Word straightforwardly at Harvest Bible Chapel.
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I want to see people saved.
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I want believers to mature in their walks with Christ.
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I want everyone knowing Jesus Christ and growing in Him.
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And there's only one way that that happens, and that's through the faithful teaching and proclamation of the Word of God.
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And I've got to tell you, I just don't understand churches or pastors that neglect that.
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And at the risk of sounding critical, here we go, it's just baffling to me.
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It's absolutely baffling to me that God would give such a clear command.
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Say, "Hey, tell people what I said." And then God backs that command with a promise.
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You tell people what I said and my spirit's going to make sure that it works and that life and growth happens.
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I'll take care of that.
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You just tell people what I said.
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I just don't understand how we can have such a clear command with such a powerful promise and churches are content to get up and give a pep talk or a feel-good emotional booster or a cute devotional.
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It's like we want to give people the warm fuzzies as they're on their way to hell.
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And I have to ask, are we that concerned with the here and now?
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Really?
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That's our drive?
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drive?" You're like, "Yeah, but Pastor Jeff, someone might get offended." You know what? God might get offended. Has anybody thought about that? Do we care about offending God by getting up here to people who need life and growth and giving them some stupid, "Here's six ways to be a better employee at work." this week, and we're all, "Oh, that was so nice.
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My pastor just said I'm gonna be such a better employee at work this week," and hip, hip, hooray.
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And there's no thought of reoffending God.
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People need life and growth and salvation, and God says this is where it comes from, right?
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So in New Testament, same teaching, Romans 10, 17 says, Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.
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Where does faith come from?
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The Bible tells us.
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Faith comes from the Word of Christ.
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It comes from the Word of God.
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And the way people grow in their faith is through hearing the Word of Christ.
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The life and growth bloom under the reign of the Word of God.
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So what does this blooming look like?
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I want you to turn back to Psalm 19. We're going to go through this quickly.
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I just want to show you what this blooming looks like.
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Because the Bible is so clear in how it illustrates.
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Psalm 19. Psalm 19 shows us the effect accomplished by the Word of God.
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The very thing Isaiah 55 is talking about.
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And in Psalm 19, verses 7 through 9, we get a synonym for the Word of God.
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You'll see very clearly. But I want you to look at the effect.
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because you're going to see this progression life stages of the one God's word if you're taking notes the first of all look at verse seven it says the law of the Lord is perfect reviving the soul. Number one new life that's where it has to start see that it says revives the soul that's the first thing God's word does it takes a dead person and turns them into an alive person it transforms them by nature you are dead in your sin you are alienated from God That's your natural state.
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You were born into rebellion from God, and it is the Word of God that leads you to Jesus Christ.
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So that's the first step, the first part of this blooming new life.
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Look at that again, verse seven.
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It says, "The testimony of the Lord," again, another synonym for the Word of God, "The testimony of the Lord is sure," look at this, "making wise the simple." That's wisdom for living.
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Interestingly, that word for simple literally means somebody that's easily seducible.
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Do you know somebody that will just believe anything you tell them?
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Don't point.
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Don't don't don't like nudge.
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Don't do any of these.
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This person right here, Pastor Jeff, my husband.
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But that's that's what the word means.
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It's somebody that will believe anything, anything you tell them easily seducible.
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And the word of God takes somebody that believes everything or doesn't know what to believe and gives wisdom.
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guiding in choices that bless us and honor God. Wisdom for living. Thirdly, look at verse 8, it says, "The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the hearts." Third stage in this blooming, we get the new life, we get wisdom for living, and the third thing is joy. And there is no one on earth that is happier than the one who knows Jesus Christ and walks in his wisdom. There's no one on earth happier than that. The person that says, "My sins are forgiven. Heaven is waiting for me.
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I have the presence of God. I have the promises of God. Nothing will ever separate me from the love of God. There is not a greater joy to be had." That's the next part of blooming.
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Fourth one is light for my path. Verse eight continues. It says, "The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." We live in a dark world. Have you noticed? Have you We've been under a rock for the past week.
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We're in a dark world and it's the light of the Word that guides us.
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God's Word lets us see things for what they really are.
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Not what the media tells you they are.
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Not what your neighbor tells you they are.
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God's Word shows you life and reality for what it really is.
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Light for my path.
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Number five, clear conscience.
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Says the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.
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That word clean means without blemish.
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spotless. In other words, nothing in the Word of God is going to steer me wrong.
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You know, I have never in 25 years or whatever it's been of following Christ, I have never regretted choosing to follow the Word of God. I've never done that.
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Where I've said, "Okay, this is what the Bible says, so this is what I'm going to do." And then after the fact, I'm like, "Oh man, I totally should not have done that. I should have done my own thing." That has never happened. It's never happened. Why? Because God, that's what he says here, it's clean, it's spotless.
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I have a clear conscience so long as I apply the word of God.
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And then finally, last stage of blooming here, just write down the word confidence.
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It says the rules of the Lord are true and righteous, all together, true and righteous.
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In a world of growing obvious evil, in a world of fake news and misinformation and censorship and all these other things that we're dealing with, you know what, I'm sticking to this.
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Because when it's all over, when the curtain closes on human history, there's only one thing that's gonna be standing, and that's the word of God.
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This is going to be the final witness.
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To everyone who has ever received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we have this testimony.
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This will stand your inheritance of eternal life.
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But I also have to say, for everyone who has ever rejected Jesus Christ, this is going to stand as a testimony against you.
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That I didn't know, and I should have, and I was going to, and I never got around to.
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We have a testimony right here. Today's the day of salvation.
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The Word of God gives me confidence, whatever happens, I have confidence that the Word of God will stand forever.
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So did you see the progression?
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the bloom, new life, wisdom, joy, life from my path of clear conscience and confidence.
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And I would just ask you, who doesn't want a life like that?
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Is there really someone who would look at that list or listen to the last few minutes of this message and say, I hear what you're saying, but you know what I want out of life, Pastor Jeff?
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I want the opposite.
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I just want to walk around like a simpleton, not knowing what to believe, a joyless life.
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I just, you know, no confidence in anything.
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I just, that's the kind of life that I want to live.
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Really?
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Not me.
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I know for most of the people that are sitting here in this room, and for the people that are watching this at home, or overseas, or wherever you're streaming this, this describes exactly the kind of life that you want in Jesus Christ, empowered by his word.
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And that's why at Harvest Bible Chapel, we proclaim the authority of God's word without apology.
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The Word of God does the work of God.
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This whole ministry is built on that statement.
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We believe that the Word of God does the work of God.
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I could close here, but I'm not going to.
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Like, "Oh, Pastor Jeff, stop teasing us." "Pastor Jeff, I will make my baby cry." And to you I say, "I don't care." Because I've told you when I hear a baby crying, it sounds like, "Amen, Hallelujah, preach it, brother," in my ears.
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That's what I hear.
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Bring it, babies.
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Bring it.
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I wanna close talking about you.
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Because just like that ground, that seed, the water has to be let in, right?
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You have to let the word of God in you.
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You have to let it.
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In other words, using this rain analogy, if I went out in my yard and I built this canopy over the garden to make sure that not a drop of rain fell on the garden. I can't wonder why it's not full of life, right? I can't keep walking out saying, "Why isn't this thing growing? Why is the ground all dry?" Because I blocked the rain. And it's the same for you. If you refuse to let the Word of God soak into you, don't walk out of here wondering why you haven't changed. "I sure don't see the transformation that he was talking about today, are you letting the Word soak into you?
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Like, well, how do I do that?
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Well, I figure since we're already in Psalm 19, let's just close.
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I wanna look at these last few verses because he tells you.
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Here's how to let the Word rain on you.
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He tells us very simply, a letter A, verse 10, first thing, want it.
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You gotta want it.
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You gotta want the Word of God.
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Look at verse 10, it says, "More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold, sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb." You gotta want it.
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See, I can share the Word of God with you as clearly as I can.
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I can do everything to help you understand it, but the one thing I cannot do for you is make you want it. I can't do that. I wish I could, but I can't.
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No one can.
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You're like, "Well then, how can I want it?" Well, the Bible tells us right here, using our two strongest drives.
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Did you catch that?
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Or I should say two of our strongest drives.
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You can probably think of one or two more.
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But our two strongest drives, money and food, right?
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More to be desired than gold, sweeter also than honey.
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So let me ask you, what makes people want money and food?
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What makes people want that?
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Don't think too hard.
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What makes people want money and food?
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It's a simple answer.
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It's seeing the personal benefit.
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That's why people want money in food.
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I want that money because of what I will buy with it that I think will make me happy.
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Or I want that food because I think it will taste good and I will enjoy eating it.
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There's a personal benefit.
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It's this sense of this will make me happy.
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And I'm not gonna talk about the money thing because Alex and Stacy are gonna talk about that with financial peace.
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And they're more the experts on that.
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But you know what?
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it on, watch it. The food part was not a good place for it, amen. It says, the Word of God is a sweeter also than honey in the drippings of the honeycomb. Now if I was going to rewrite the Bible, and I'm not, but if I were, I would say sweeter also than a Milky Way midnight. That's what I would put there. I'm not going to do that, but I'm just saying to me, I get that analogy. Do you know who likes Milky Midnight's everybody who's tried them right people who have tasted them then eat the entire bag of them as happens in my house you taste it and you love it and you gotta have some more you see God's Word is like that once you taste it I mean really taste it really sit down prayerfully God help me understand Help me to take this in.
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The people that taste, really taste the Word of God, can't get enough of it.
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Like honey, like Milky Way Midnight, like insert your favorite candy here.
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But the point is you've got to want it.
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You've got to want it.
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You try it, you will.
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When you see the personal benefit, you'll go ask.
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Let it be. You've got to apply it.
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Apply it.
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In verse 11, he says, "Moreover, by them your servant is warned, and keeping them there is great reward, warning, reward, warning, reward.
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What's the difference?
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The difference is in the phrase, in keeping them.
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That's the difference.
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In keeping them.
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Jesus said in John 13, 17, "If you know these things, "blessed are you if you do them." You see, it's like any diet, exercise program, budgeting plan, right Stacey?
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That knowing all about it does you no good, unless you actively make it a part of your life.
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That's how the Word of God is.
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You have to want it.
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You have to apply it.
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But here's the thing with applying it, it's impossible to make that happen by yourself.
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That's why we have letter C here.
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We see it next thing in the text.
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You have to ask for God's help with it.
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See, I can't say to you, all right, now go out and apply God's Word.
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See you next Sunday, tickety-boo, apply God's Word.
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You can't do that on your own.
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You just can't.
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You have to ask for God's help.
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Look how clear this is.
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He says, "Who can discern his errors?
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"Declare me innocent from hidden faults." He's praying here.
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He says, "Keep back your servant also "from presumptuous sins.
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"Let them not have dominion over me.
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"Then I shall be blameless and innocent "of great transgression.
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"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart "be acceptable in your sight, "O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." You gotta ask for God's help.
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If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, God has given you His Spirit, who indwells you, and He's given you His Word, and the two always work together.
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And that's what's so beautifully demonstrated in this short prayer at the end of Psalm 19.
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Right after God's Word is so clearly described, the bloom of the growth of God's Word is so beautifully illustrated, the very next thing out of the psalmist's mouth is, "God, now help me be the person that you've called me to be.
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Help me to be the person that you said I am in Jesus Christ.
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You pronounced me that.
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Oh God, help me to be who you need me to be.
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So incorporate God's word into your prayers and let it soak into your heart and ask God for the faith to apply it and then receive the life it promises to bloom in your heart.
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Why do we proclaim the authority of God's word without apology?
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Because it always succeeds.
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It always succeeds.
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Did you know there's only one thing really in the Bible that's referred to as the power of God?
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Well, Jesus Christ himself is called the power of God.
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That's in 1 Corinthians 1.24, right?
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It says that Jesus Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, but Jesus Christ is God.
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So, I'm saying aside from God himself, aside from his person, there's only one thing that the Bible refers to as the power of God.
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What do you think that is?
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Like, oh, I know, it's like the plagues in Egypt, right?
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No?
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What about like the storms and the earthquakes and these big natural disaster things?
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That has to surely be referred to as the power of God.
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No, that's not it either.
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Like, oh, I know the miracles of Jesus, right?
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When he was raising the dead or giving sight to the blind.
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That, that's the power of God.
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Well, that's certainly power of God, but that is not specifically what the Bible refers to as the power of God.
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Do you know what the Bible calls the power of God?
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Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, "for it is the power of God, "for salvation to everyone who believes, "to the Jew first and also to the Greek." The gospel message, according to God's word, is the power of God.
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I want nothing more for you, church, than to see the power of God in your life.
27:51-28:12
And the only way that I can unleash the power of God on you, aside from staging some kind of a pseudo Benny Hinn thing, I'm slapping you around, not gonna do that, but I can unleash the power of God on your life through the clear proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because that's the power.
28:13-28:18
You know those unsafe family members and friends and neighbors and co-workers that you have?
28:18-28:23
And you think, man, I would just love the power of God unleashed on their life.
28:23-28:25
You can give them that by giving them this.
28:26-28:29
The power of God is the gospel.
28:30-28:35
And that's why we proclaim the authority of God's work without a pause.
28:35-28:35
Let's pray.
28:36-28:44
Father in heaven, I feel like we barely scratched the surface on everything Your Word says about itself.
28:45-28:49
Father, I pray for all of us that we would leave here with a renewed confidence in Your Word.
28:50-28:53
Your Word is Your power manifested.
28:54-28:56
Your Word brings life and growth.
28:57-29:01
And You have very clearly said that Your Word always accomplishes the purposes for which You send it out.
29:02-29:11
So God, I pray, as a church, by Your grace and Your strength, we would never veer from a straightforward proclamation of Your Word.
29:12-29:26
Whether it's in small groups, or ladies' Bible studies, or men's Bible studies, or whatever, Harvest Kids, all of these opportunities that You've given us, Father, let Your Word be front and center.
29:27-29:28
Let Your Word be our authority.
29:29-29:37
Let Your Word, Father, continue to bring the transformation power through your spirit, according to your promise.
29:37-29:40
We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

Small Group Discussion
Read Isaiah 55:10-11 and Psalm 19:7-14

What was your big “take-away” from this passage / message?
In Isaiah 55:10-11, God's Word is compared to rain. How is God's Word like rain?
Suppose someone asks you, “Why does HBC only do expository (verse-by-verse) preaching?” How would you respond?
On a scale of 1-10, how much do you desire the Word of God? (1 = not at all, 10 = I constantly want it). Specifically, how can you want it more?

Breakout
Pray for one another to grow in your hunger and application of God's Word.

This is Who We Are: Pillar 4

Introduction:

The Two Motivations to Share the Good News of Jesus That Are Embraced by Every True Witness (2 Cor 5:14-21):

This is Who We Are: Pillar 3

Introduction:

The Testimony of Hezekiah and Literally Everyone Else Who Believes Firmly in the Power of Prayer (Isaiah 38):

The Testimony of Hezekiah and Literally Everyone Else Who Believes Firmly in the Power of Prayer (Isaiah 38):

This is Who We Are: Pillar 2

Introduction:

3 Things to Say on Your Way to Church (Psalm 146):

This is Who We Are: Pillar 1

Introduction:

The Life Stages of the One Who Receives God's Word (Psalm 19:7-9):

How to Let the Word Rain on You (Psalm 19:10-14):

Upcoming Small Group Questions CLICK HERE

How much of the Bible have we covered since 2011?

Introduction:

The Two Motivations to Share the Good News of Jesus That Are Embraced by Every True Witness (2 Cor 5:14-21):

Audio Transcript

Introduction:

The Testimony of Hezekiah and Literally Everyone Else Who Believes Firmly in the Power of Prayer (Isaiah 38):

The Testimony of Hezekiah and Literally Everyone Else Who Believes Firmly in the Power of Prayer (Isaiah 38):

Audio Transcript

Introduction:

3 Things to Say on Your Way to Church (Psalm 146):

Audio Transcript

Introduction:

The Life Stages of the One Who Receives God's Word (Psalm 19:7-9):

How to Let the Word Rain on You (Psalm 19:10-14):

Audio Transcript