Sermon Note (4th svc) Pastor Lawrence
God wants our lives to fill with good expectation of good!!
The bible expectation of hope is different from the world. Our Hope is to have confident expectation of good! Our Hope is build upon Jesus and His sacrifice at the cross! We have confident expectation of good things to come!!!
God believes everything is going to be alright!
We are resting in Him! Encounter our Savior!
Rejoice O barren! Whatever we are going through, this is the best time to praise the Lord! The best time to rejoice!!!
Psalms 34:1
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
This psalm was written at his lowest point in his life!
A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
If anyone can be disappointed or angry with God, David would be the prime candidate. However this is not what he reacted. He had to pretend to be mad!
At his lowest point, he will bless the Lord at all times! Praise the Lord no matter what we are going through!! He is good and He will turn my circumstances around! Look to Him! He is my answer!!!
We sometimes blame God. We need to realize God is for us! The enemy can attack but don’t be afraid. God will make our enemy pay for it.
2 Kings 18:3-5
” And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.
He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.”
2 Chronicles 31:20-21
” Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.”
2 Chronicles 32:1
“Chapter 32
Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord
After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them over to himself.”
Someone doing right here but the enemy came to attack him. Doing right is what we are supposed to do anyway. Whether we are christians or not.
The battle is not over! God is our Victory!!
2 Chronicles 32:17-19
” He also wrote letters to revile the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, “As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.” Then they called out with a loud voice in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and trouble them, that they might take the city. And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth—the work of men’s hands.”
Cast all my cares upon Jesus for He cares for me!!! Leave it in His hands. Is about Him fighting. Is in His hands. Don’t worry!
There is a revelation here. Ark of covenant is looking at the mercy seat. Man’s rejection of God’s leadership, provision.
God is a God who is willing to forgive and able to forgive.
2 Kings 19:14-16
” And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.”
2 Kings 19:35
“Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death
And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.”
Response in faith when we are being attacked. He is the Only Help! The greater the problem the greater the victory!
The challenges in our lives make us strong. Failures – we learn to trust in Him and He is our Victory!
Believe our sins are forgiven. He will fight for me! In this world there is tribulation but be of good cheers for He has overcome the world! We can always look to the Lord!
2 Kings 20:1-6
“Chapter 20
Hezekiah’s Life Extended
In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’ ”
Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.” ’ ””
God is not willing that any should perish. Shut up myself to a place where just me and God.
God answered King Hezekiah’s prayer super fast! God set him up so that he can come against his enemy to stop his enemy’s evil plan!! When God defend me it is for my own sake!
Don’t panic. Turn to the Lord for He is for me! Look to Him! He is always there!!
Samson was blinded and nothing he could do. Everyone gave up on him including himself. But God never give up on him.
His hair began to grow again.
Judges 16:28
” Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!””
He pushed the two pillars. He was used by God again. God never give up on him.
What we do is when it is useless we throw it away. But God don’t do that to us. We are not useless! Open our hearts to receive His mercy! Our best days are ahead!!
We can never change our past. Give that up!
The love of God is poured out into our hearts.
Isaiah 63:1
” Chapter 63
The Lord in Judgment and Salvation
Who is this who comes from Edom,
With dyed garments from Bozrah,
This One who is glorious in His apparel,
Traveling in the greatness of His strength?—
“I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.””
He comes to bring salvation to me! He sees us as children who do not lie. But when God sees us He sees us as children who do not lie. His faith is accounted for righteousness! Is imputed righteousness!!
Holy in His eyes!!
In Him we are the righteousness of God!!
Today we need to know even when things go wrong He is for me and not against me!!
He who is holy God, He is for us! God will never be against us again!!! He went through something for us!!! He knew everything that is going to happen to Him, but He still went ahead. He gave up His life for me. He went through that having us in His mind! He can be completely poor so that we can be completely rich!!!
Entire world was clothed in darkness when He was on the cross. He became sin tor us!! He became a man of sorrow cos He borne our sorrow and grief!!
Make much of Jesus’ mercy and grace!!!
Believe in Him! Hope again!!!
God came against His own Son that He became sin for us.
Hope again, my dear.
He went through something for us. PRAISE OUR KING, JESUS!