2020.08.23 - Business As Usual

2020.08.23 - Business As Usual 

Saturday, August 22, 2020

10:20 PM

 

Habakkuk 1:1-4

1:1 The Prophet Questions God's Judgments 

 

 

The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw. 

 

2 The Prophet's Question 

 

 

O LORD, how long shall I cry,

And You will not hear?

Even cry out to You,"Violence!"

And You will not save. 

3 Why do You show me iniquity,

And cause me to see trouble?

For plundering and violence are before me;

There is strife, and contention arises. 

4 Therefore the law is powerless,

And justice never goes forth.

For the wicked surround the righteous;

Therefore perverse judgment proceeds. 

NKJV

 

 

Habakkuk 2:2-3

 

2 The Just Live by Faith 

 

 

Then the LORD answered me and said:

 

"Write the vision 

And make it plain on tablets,

That he may run who reads it. 

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time;

But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.

Though it tarries, wait for it;

Because it will surely come,

It will not tarry. 

NKJV

 

Habakkuk 3:17-19

 

17 A Hymn of Faith 

 

Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls —  

18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

I will joy in the God of my salvation. 

 

19 The LORD God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer's feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.

 

To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

NKJV

 

 

2020.08.12 - Chief Of Sinners

2020.08.06 - Chief Of Sinners - Loudest Of Saints 

Would you have enough faith in His grace to testify against yourself in a murder trial where you are the accused?

Thursday, August 06, 2020

11:54 AM

 

1.     Stephen

a.     Acts 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 

60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. KJV

2.     Luke 

a.     Likely Luke authored Acts - very similar writing styles - 

                              i.         Luke 1:1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. KJV

                            ii.         Acts 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: KJV

                           iii.         Luke was - 

1.     Luke  was a physician 

2.     Luke was with Paul on journey to Jerusalem and Rome and remained faithful to Paul when others forsook him.

3.     Paul and Luke were at the very least co laborers in Christ and likely close 

4.     Luke was Paul' s physician - Paul trusted him with his life 

b.     There is no reason or support that Luke was actually there when Stephen was martyred - so how did he find out it, who told him the story in such detail?  One that WAS there, one that saw and heard it all, one that could have been counted guilty of the death of an innocent man - Saul

3.     Paul

a.     How certain was he that God had really saved him?

                              i.         1 Timothy 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: KJV

                            ii.         1 Timothy 1:11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. 12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. KJV

b.     He was certain enough that he penned those words.  He was certain enough and confident enough in the grace of God that he told his physician, his friend, that he stood there while Stephen the Righteous was stoned to death for the Gospel of the same Jesus that Paul/Saul himself had persecuted and now declared!

c.     Paul knew Christ, forgiveness to the point that he share this story that has been one the great moments of faith in our Bible with his physician and friend, free of guilt and condemnation and without wavering in the truth!   JUST WOW!

 

 

 

 

 

2020.08.09 - Do Something (I'm MAD)+

02 - Do Something 

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

10:23 AM

Nehemiah 2:17 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. 18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? 20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem. KJV

 

1.     A Long Time To Do Nothing 

a.     120 years.  120 YEARS!  That is how long day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year the walls of Jerusalem were broken down.  People walked by.   People fell in love and were married, children were born, young ones grew older and older ones passed on and were buried and still the walls remained broken down.  How times times wer tongues wagged and heads nodded at the disgrace, how many times was it said that someone (SOMEONE) should do something about those burned down walls?!

2.     Catalyst

a.     One really can make a difference

                              i.         One drop of blood cleansed me from my sin 

                            ii.         One confession gained me eternal life through Christ

                           iii.         One woman saved a nation when she was moved to action (Esther)

                           iv.         One boat saved humanity from annihilation ( The ark)

b.     It takes only a small voice or the last snow flake to start an avalanche - start one for good

 

3.     MAD

a.     Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. KJV

b.      

 

2020.08.05 - Thankful

2020.08.05 - Thankful 

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

3:59 PM

 

1.     Unthankful

a.     Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations , and their foolish heart was darkened. 2 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 4 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own  hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. KJV

a.   Glorified - NT:1392 doxazo (dox-ad'-zo); from NT:1391; to render (or esteem) glorious (in a wide application): KJV - (make) glorify (-ious), full of (have) glory, honour, magnify. 

1.     NT:1391 doxa (dox'-ah); from the base of NT:1380; glory (as very apparent), in a wide application (literal or figurative, objective or subjective): KJV - dignity, glory (-ious), honour, praise, worship. 

b.   Thankful - 

2020.08.02 - Choose You This Day (I'm MAD)

2020.08.02 - Choose You This Day 

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. KJV

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

10:10 AM

1.     Pivots

a.     In order to make a difference - BE the difference!

                              i.         Joshua Joshua 24:15

1.      called everyone together and a choice was given

2.     Serve God or not!

a.     Many chose to serve Him but did not remain faithful

                            ii.         Elijah - Mount Carmel 1 Kings 18:21

1.     How long halt ye between two opinions

a.     It was a picture of a bird hopping between two branches unable to decide where to land

2.     The people feared The Lord but they also were afraid of the king and queen

                           iii.         Peter  John 6:67

1.     Will you go away too?

a.     Where will we go - You have the Words of Eternal Life

2.     Sides

a.     God is on your side but you had better be on His side

                              i.         Joshua 5:13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? 15 And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. KJV

3.     Changes

a.     How did they change the word, their culture and those around them? They first chose to sell out and serve God with all they had!

                              i.         Joshua

1.     Defeated Jericho with quiet people and a shout

2.     Rooted sin from the camp w/ Achan

3.     Sun stood still for his battle

4.     We are well able to take this land

                            ii.         Elijah

1.     Prayed it would not rain

2.     Prayed it would rain 

3.     Fed by ravens

4.     Raised the dead - THIS IS WHAT WE NEED RIGHT NOW

5.     Called fire from Heaven

6.     Parted the Jordan and walked across

7.     His hearse was on fire and he wasn’t even dead!

                           iii.         Peter

1.     Preached and 3K were saved

2.     Showed us the amazing grace of God