GOD IS LOVE

 

God is Love – 1 John 4:12-16

 

Intro:  Today we are going to look again at John’s exhortation about love.  As Burt Backarack said in 1969.  “What the world needs now, is Love sweet love.”  We know that is what all need right now.

 

(Slide 1)We know that we live in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit.

 

1.  John states that the assurance of God is living in us.  This assurance is manifested

     By the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  He is the third person of the Godhead.  He is

     The comforter that Jesus talked about.  Do you remember how in early message I

     Spoke about John had the clearest understanding of the all the apostles of the makeup

     And ministry of the Holy Spirit.?

2.  (Slide 2)  As the Holy Spirit works in us we begin to develop His thoughts, attitudes,

     Deeds and speech.    We begin to exhibit His fruit and gifts.  We walk with, love joy,

     Peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faith, patience and self control.  Use Moody’s

     Illustration of getting air out of the class.  Brother’s ands Sisters in Christ we need

     More filling of the Holy Spirit than air.

 

(Slide 3)  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world.

 

1.  In and through God’s Holy Spirit we see Him working through us.  Some of the

     Changes are subtle and longer in process others are dramatic and shorter in duration.

2.  This helps us to testify that God has sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world. John

      May have been thinking about his own transformation from an ambitious, fiery, quick

      Temper and zealous man to the apostle of love.  He may have been thinking how

      Peter was transformed from a boastful, fearful impetuous man to the fearless, humble

      And patient man of the book of acts.  He may of though of Simon the Zealot to went

      On to preach and die not for an impossible dream but for a Kingdom with no end.

3.   Jesus is our saviour, healer, baptizer and soon coming king.  Jesus as our Saviour

      Came as Luke said in Luke 19:10, to seek and save the lost.

 

a.  In John 3:17, John states that Jesus came not to condemn but the world through Him

     Might be saved.

b.  In Acts 5:31, Peter stated that Jesus is the Saviour and Prince to give repentance and

     Forgiveness of sin to Israel.

c.  Paul writes in 1 Tim 1:5 that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners which

     Paul called himself the chief.

d.  The writer of Hebrews tells us through Christ salvation we are made complete and

     Jesus right now is making intercession for us.

 

4.  (Slide 4)  The greatest witness of Christ’s Saviour hood  are those that allow the

     Holy Spirit to transform their lives into the image of Jesus Christ.  We are walking

     Billboards for Jesus.  What does your billboard say?  Do funny signs  (Slides 5-14)

(Slide 15)  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in Him and he in God.

 

1.  This is that heart confession that John saw as essential.  This meant you believe that

     Jesus is God.  Remember John believed that Jesus was God.  That was validated by

     Jesus’ transfiguration when John heard the Father’s voice telling him, Peter and James

     That this was His Son in whom He was well pleased.  He was there at Jesus’ water

     Baptism when the dove landed on Jesus’ shoulder.  He was there when the voice in

     The temple again stated that Jesus was God’s Son and was well pleasing to Father.

2.  This statement was also to refute the Gnostic theories of outlooks about Jesus.  Jesus

     Is not just a prophet, moral teacher, great religious leader, social reformer or example.

     He is the Son of God.  The perfect union of the divine and human.  He is God with a

     Face 100% God and 100% man.  Jesus is God, John taught.

3.  John saw this abiding together with God as essential proof of God’s work.  (Slide

     16)  Only God dwelling in us can bring this full revelation of God.  Talk about the

     time I was studying with the different United Church ministers.

4.  John taught in John 15 the principle of the vine and branches.  The vine is Christ and

    We are the branches.  We can do nothing spiritually with out Him.

 

(Slide 17)  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love.  Whoever

Lives in love lives in God and God in Him.

 

1.  John says we must know and rely on the love God has for us.  This is the motivation

    Behind mercy and grace.  This is spiritual revelation.  The writers of the Bible grasped

    This truth and wrote about it. 

 

a.  Moses in Deut 7:8 stated that God’s love redeemed Israel from slavery.

b.  Jeremiah says in Jer 31:3, that the love of God is everlasting and long suffering. 

c.  Jesus called this love universal and rescuing in John 3:16

d.  Paul in Rom 5:8, says that love of God  possesses action and was demonstrated

     Through Christ.  He further states in Eph 2:4-5, that the love of God is rich in mercy

     And makes us alive.

e.  John says it has been lavished on us and grace us the privilege to be called the Sons

     Of God.

 

2.  John closes our passage this morning with the statement, “God is love.”  This is who

     God is.  Everything flows out from this virtue.  Paul states in 1 Cor 13:13, it is the

     Greatest virtue.  It is the axis of everything God does.  It is the hub of God’s

     Character. Every action, decision, thought or attitude He does begins with love. 

3.  Even His wrath is motivated by love.  Love does not allow self destruction to

     Continue. 

4.  John closes with, “Whoever lives in His love, lives in God and God in Him.” 

     This is the abiding Jesus talked about.  Those in abide or live in love will be

 

 

 

JONAH

 

Bible Verse:  But I with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you what I have vowed, I will pay for, deliverance belongs to the Lord.

 

Intro:  There are two themes that run through this book and I will cover in my remarks this morning.   First, Jonah was the greatest missionary known to man.  Secondly, the problems with doing the will of God.

 

Chapter One

 

-  Jonah was told to go and preach to Nineveh, because of their wickedness.  He board a

    ship bound for Tarshish. The opposite direction. 

-  Lesson:  You cannot disobey the will of God or run from it and if you do it has

   Consequences for you and those around you.

-  A storm came, veteran sailors were afraid, called on their gods and through cargo into

    The sea.  They woke Jonah, asked him to call on his God.  Cast lots to find out who

    was responsible, lot found on Jonah.  Found out he was running from God.

-  Jonah told them to cast him into sea, reluctantly they did after many attempts to not.

    When they did, the storm ceased.  A great fish swallowed Jonah

-  The whole boat came to God.  After this.  1:16

 

Chapter Two

 

Inside the Fish, Jonah repented. 

 

-  Inside the fish he prayed.  He cried out for help. Vs 2  He felt the separation and banishment of God.    Vs 4  He felt his life ebbing away and He remembered the Lord and His Holy Temple.  Vs 7  That is when he thought about the idol worshipper for forfeited the grace offered to them and then his call.  He saw things God’s way.  Vs 8

He remembered with sacrifice, songs of thanksgiving. 

What he vowed he will make good because salvation comes from the Lord.

Then the fish ejected him.

 

Chapter Three

 

-  Word came to Jonah again and he obeyed this time.  He went and told the people that

    In 40 days they would be destroyed unless they repented.  Vs 1-4

-  They believed God and Jonah, declared a fast with sackcloth, even the king believed

    And he made a proclamation.  Vs 5-7

-  The proclamation told the people to urgently call on God, give up evil & violence. 

    Vs 7-9

-  They believed God, repented and God did not destroy them. 

-  Jonah was the greatest missionary who ever lived, no other preacher has had an entire

   City repent. 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Four

 

- Jonah got mad, his bigotry, unforgiveness and hatred for the people came through

   He knew God was gracious, compassionate, abounding in love, a God who relents

   In sending judgment  Vs 1-3

-  This was the reason for him running, he wanted Nineveh to be destroyed and he knew

    God not destroy them if they repented.

-  He wanted to die.  He then went outside the city to see what would happened.  God

    Provided a vine to shade him.  A worm chewed the vine and it withered and he faced

    The full force of the sun the next day.  He then again wanted to die.   Jonah had a pity

    Party.  Three times he wanted to die.

-  God then responded by teaching this reluctant missionary.  He taught him two truths.

-  God takes care of our needs and he is concerned about the one.

-  He is also concerned about city and nations who do not know Him and He will give

   Them a chance to repent.  Their destiny is in their own hands.

 

 

FATHERS DAY

 

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

 

The “first evangelization” begins in your own heart, and when it takes root it becomes contagious within your family!  The family is entrusted the task of striving, first and foremost, to unleash the forces of good, the source of which is found in Christ the Redeemer of man.”

 

Fathers, you are called to unleash your children as “forces of good” upon the world. By making the following eight habits your own, you will be well on your way to attaining this goal.

 

1. Educate yourself in the faith

Read a chapter or a passage or two each day from  Scripture about the faith and to answer the questions that come up, especially the moral questions which confront everyone today.” We cannot pass on to our children what we ourselves have never taken the time to learn.

 

2. Put what you learn into practice

Knowing God’s instructions won’t benefit us or our children if we don’t live them. A father’s primary responsibility is to be a Christian witness to his children. Our homes can be a haven of moral virtue if we foster it through our own example.

 

3. Teach Christ’s truths personally

Parents are the first and most important educators of their children. Teach your children about God through your own experience. There is a great difference between “knowing about God” and “knowing God.” Share with them simple stories of faith that reveal how you relate to God in your everyday situations. God ought to be as real to them as you are.

 

4. Pray together

Church, reading the Bible and, above all, daily prayer.  This practice bonds a family in the faith, and every strengthening of family bonds is a victory for society. Even if you only have five minutes of nightly prayer with your children, do not underestimate its value. A child carries into his adult life those memories as “seeds of faith.”

 

5. Spend time with your children

Don’t let the pursuit of success or wealth cause you to miss your child’s fundamental need to know you as a father. Yes, you must provide for your family, and part of that is the time you spend with them. The great truths of our faith and how we personally relate to those truths can be taught through ordinary conversation, while fixing cars, collecting bugs, camping, fishing, hiking, gardening, or sports.

 

6. Guard the windows to the soul!

Keep a careful check over media influences that can lead your family astray. What if dad invited two strangers to come into the home and for an hour they engaged in sexual innuendo by words, dress and conduct? Shocking? Yet we often allow the same sorts of things into our house through the media. Fathers, don’t dull your family’s sense of sin! With a little diligence you can find wholesome alternatives.

 

7. Be vigilant over your children’s friends

Get to know your children’s friends, or at least try to determine whether their influence is good or bad. No kid is going to be perfect, so avoid being overly scrupulous.

 

8. Make your home a place of tranquility and peace - beginning with loving your wife

“Love your wives as Christ loves the Church” (Ephesians 5:25). That’s a tall order, but your sons will relate to women in much the same way you relate to your wife; and your daughters will learn from your example what to desire and expect from men.

 

John Chrysostom said the home should be a “little church,” a miniature kingdom of God. Is your home too stern, too demanding on the children? Or, are there few rules and little enforcement?

 

Is dad too busy and mom often irritable? Does the mood reflect a menacing storm? If so, each will seek their freedom and go their own way. Value honesty and hard work, offer great love, admit mistakes, ask forgiveness, and laugh much.

 

Adorn your home with constant reminders of your Christian faith: a crucifix, pictures or bring to mind events in the life of Our Lord.

 

Now, Fathers, the ball is in your court. Be confident, consistent and courageous. Your children will love you for it!

QUOTES FOR JULY 4, 2026

 

GENEROSITY

 

Generosity – “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:18-19

 

We are called to be good.  It means to be desired or approved of, to live at peace with each other, to be morally right; righteousness.  Good is an adjective of being Godly or being like God.  So Paul is encouraging us to be godly or like God.  So for our children and grand children we should be praying for them to be godly, good, live in peace, be morally right and righteous. 

 

Rich in good works.  Four years ago, Cassidy Strickland saw a homeless man rummaging in a bin for food near her house in the Hawkesbury region, NSW. “I thought, ‘How can anyone be that hungry?’” she says.

 

She told her mum, Linda, she wanted to do something to help other people in the same situation, so that weekend they made soup and served it to homeless people in their local park. “There were only four or five people there,” she says. The following weekend they did the same – and word had spread.

 

Making the venture official, Cassidy set up Hawkesbury’s Helping Hands, a charity that provides meals to the area’s homeless and disadvantaged. “At first, Mum and I bought everything and cooked it – soups, salads, roast dinners. Then some cafes and restaurants started donating food. Then people donated money so we could buy more food.”  Today, the charity feeds around 65 people every weekend, and provides hot meals, takeaway lunch boxes, sleeping equipment and toiletries. A team of 15 regular volunteers takes it in turns to help with the cooking. “We’ve provided 77,000 meals since we started in 2011,” says Cassidy, proudly.

 

Cassidy has even bigger plans for the future; her next idea is to fund a local drop-in centre. “It would be good for people to have somewhere to shower and wash their clothes,” she says. “I just want to keep helping. A little bit all the time adds up to a lot.” 

 

Mother Theresa took care of 1200 lepers every day and her organization helps lepers in 126 countries of the world. 

Canadas own Mark Buntain built a state of the art hospital in 1977, founded a church that ministers to 20,000 people a week, has 100 school ministering to 35,000 children, feeds 25,000 people a week. 

     Canada`s Gary Skinner he founded together with his wife Marilyn in 1984 in Kampala.

     Watoto Church is a cell based, community church with over 24,000 people gathering each weekend to celebrate Christ. Watoto Church cares for community holistically through 2,900 cell groups that meet in homes each week. 

     In 1994, Gary and Marilyn founded Watoto Child Care Ministries, an international organisation as a compassionate response to the cry of Africa’s millions of children orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS. Currently they are caring for almost 3,000 Ugandan children in Watoto villages where every child is raised in a family setting rather than an institution.

     The Watoto Children’s Choir tours the world The choir has performed before presidents and royalty in the White House, Buckingham Palace and many other National Parliaments. Audiences are inspired as the children sing, dance and celebrate their story of hope.

     Almost 3,000 women have experienced an improved quality of life through Watoto’s Living Hope. Their children, more than 15,000, have a better chance of fulfilling their potential. Through Living Hope, they are equipped with necessary life skills through vocational training and empowered through income generating projects enabling them to become productive members of the community. The comprehensive psychosocial support these women receive has given them purpose, dignity, and a future. These examples are being rich in good works.

 

These examples are showing the next phrase of being generous and ready to share.  Is this your testimony?  Do you want your kids to do this?

 

WHEN Lennon Maher saw on the news that some children in developing countries have to walk miles to school each day in dangerous conditions, he couldn’t believe it. “It made me feel bad because nobody helped them, and their mums couldn’t help them, either,” he says.  As a result, Lennon asked his mum if he could walk the 3.8km home from his school once a week to raise money to help the children he’d seen on the news. “I wanted to buy bikes so they could cycle, not walk, all that way,” he says.  After doing some careful research, he decided to donate the money he raised to ChildFund, a charity that helps children in poverty worldwide. “Every time I get $99, I can buy another bike for children who can’t get to school,” he explains.

 

Lennon’s aim was to raise $1000, but he’s already smashed his original goal. “I’ve raised enough for 13 bikes,” he says. “My new target is to buy 20. I want to keep going.”  He’s enjoying knowing that he’s making a positive difference to other people’s lives. “It makes me feel happy and nice to do something good for other people,” he says.  Charity is clearly in Lennon’s nature; last Christmas he sold his old presents to raise money for another children’s charity. “It was things I didn’t need any more,” he says. “I raised $308. Other children need the money more than me.  Lennon is doing what Paul says, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future. 

 

When you share yourself and be godly with others you are taking hold of that which is truly life.”  Our lives are to be abundant and generous.  That is why we did the shoes for teens, that is why we are doing the shoe boxes for Samaritans Purse and collecting money for Hope Mission.  We need to pray this over our family and be an example for our kids.  We need more Cassidy’s and Lennon’s.  We have the message of hope, peace, healing and forgiveness.  Let us share it with those in our world this week.  In Matt 25:40, Jesus stated when we do to the least of these you did it unto me.  Mother Theresa said when you minister to others you are ministering to Jesus in his destressing disguise

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

 

Fruit of the Spirit – July 15, 2018 – Gal 5:23     

 

     Self Control or Temperance:  Self-control has been defined as the ability to control one's emotions and behavior in the face of temptations.  It is evidence of God working in our lives.  Self Control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

      It is at the height of Christian virtue in a fallen world.  Self-control is simply that important, impressive, and nearly impossible practice of learning to maintain control of the beast of one’s own sinful passions. It means remaining master of your own domain but also when faced with trial or temptation. Self-control may be the epitome of “easier said than done.”

     Christian self-control is not finally about bringing our bodily passions under our own control, but under the control of Christ by the power of his Spirit.

      Jesus showed it every day when dealing with His disciples, people who came for help and the religious persecution by the Pharisees, scribes and  Saduccees. 

     Alongside love and godliness, self-control serves as a major summary term for Christian conduct in full flower.  Christian self-control is multifaceted. It involves both “control over one’s behavior and the impulses and emotions beneath it” (It includes our minds and our emotions — not just our outward actions, but our internal world. 

     Biblically, self-control, or lack thereof, goes to the deepest part of us: the heart. It begins with control of our emotions, and then includes our minds as well.  An example is when Jesus healed the Gaderene demoniac.  It states  in Mark 5:15 and Luke 8:35 characterize the healed demoniac as “clothed and in his right mind.”  That is what Jesus does with us. 

     2 Timothy 1:7, For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline or self control.  Paul uses similar language to speak of being in his right mind (2 Corinthians 5:13, and Romans 12:3 exhorts every Christian “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,” but to exercise a form of self-control: thinking “with sober judgment.”

     The Bible says the source of true change and real power  is outside yourself, where you can lawfully indulge. The key to self-control is not inward, but upward.  It comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit  True self-control is a gift from above, produced in and through us by the Holy Spirit.

     Self-control is not a gift we receive passively, but actively. We are not the source, but we are intimately involved. We open the gift and live it. Receiving the grace of self-control means taking it all the way in and then out into the actual exercise of the grace.

     As a Christian we want Jesus to get glory. We want to control ourselves in the power he supplies. We learn to say no, but we don’t just say no. We admit the inadequacy, and emptiness, of doing it on our own. We pray for Jesus’s help, secure accountability. 

In l1 Corinthians 9:25, Paul equates self control like this.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

   It is doing what Philippians 4:8-9 says.  “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

     It is doing Romans 12:1-2.  “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

     Ultimately, our controlling ourselves is about being controlled by Christ. When “the love of Christ controls us” (2 Corinthians 5:14), when we embrace the truth that he is our sovereign, and God has “left nothing outside his control” (Hebrews 2:8), we can bask in the freedom that we need not muster our own strength to exercise self-control, but we can find strength in the strength of another. In the person of Jesus, “the grace of God has appeared . . . training us” — not just “to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions,” but “to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” 12).

     Self-control is a gift, produced in and through us by God’s Spirit, Christians can and should be the people on the planet most hopeful about growing in self-control. We are, after all, brothers of the most self-controlled man in the history of the world.

     I love this next part.  Jesus Christ in his life he was “without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). He stayed the course even when sweat came like drops of blood (Luke 22:44). He could have called twelve legions of angels (Matthew 26:53), but he had the wherewithal to not rebut the false charges (Matthew 27:14) or defend himself (Luke 23:9). When reviled, he did not revile in return (1 Peter 2:23). They spit in his face and struck him; some slapped him (Matthew 26:67). They scourged him (Matthew 27:26). In every trial and temptation, “he learned obedience through what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8), and at the pinnacle of his self-control he was “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). And he is the one who strengthens us (1 Timothy 1:12; Philippians 4:13).  In Jesus, we have a source for true self-control far beyond that of our feeble selves.  I want to close with some scriptures of Self Control.

 

Proverbs 16:32

32 Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.

Proverbs 18:21

21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 25:28

28 Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.

Titus 1:8

8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.

James 1:19-21

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

1 Peter 5:6-8

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

     I close with two examples of Biblical Self Control.  David when he refused harm Saul and Daniel when he purposed to not eat the Kings food.

LESSONS TO LEARN

 

 1 Chronicles 16:11 – April 6, 2008 – The Lessons of 1 Chronicles

 

Intro:  The Book of 1 Chronicles, it is so rich with history, pageantry, stories of faith, victories and defeats, deceit and honesty, love and hate and of course David, a man after God’s own heart is the central character.   Today I am going to look four lessons we can learn from this book.

 

The Spiritual point of view of life brings clarity to all other areas. 

 

1.  We live in an era and society that tries to divorce spirituality from everyday life.  We

      Can’t bring our religious beliefs into politics, business or economics.  Yet it is a

      Relationship with God that helps to bring integrity, honesty, fairness, transparency

     And other positives attributes into these areas.  David showed this in his dealings with

     Individuals and his nation. 

2.  You need God to be your anchor in the storms of life.  You need the word to be your

     Compass to & through the many path ways the world offers.  You need prayer to

     discern the will of God, his plan and purpose for your life.  You need the counsel and

      support of other believers to be that iron to sharpen and focus you.  You need the

      Holy Spirit to be your teacher, counsellor and indwelling strength.

3.  This book talked about the spiritual state of David’s kingdom.  Recounting from

     History.  The author Ezra who wrote this between 430 and 400 B.C. used David’s

     Kingdom as an example of how God could rebuild a nation.  Remember when David

     Became King of the Israel it had been many years under the leadership of

     Saul who started off well but through his own pride and sin led it to the civil war and

     Witchcraft.  Saul’s ultimate defeat was his own suicide.

4.  Ezra through David’s example shows God mercy and judgment.  God is with David

     But when David fails judgment comes.  Yet God is merciful because David repents

     And this heart of repentance is the key to God calling David a man after His own

     Heart.  Our nation needs healing, rebuilding and restoration.  This will only be done

     When men begin to focus again our relationship with God.  Matt 6:33 is a key. 

 

Individuals and nations need spiritual foundations.

 

1.  For us as believers Jesus Christ is the foundation we build upon.  Paul stated that he

     Had made a decision to know Christ and Him only.  Jesus told the parable of the

    House on the Sand in Matt 7 and Luke 6.  The one on the rock stood firm during a

    Storm, the one on the sand fell.  Who or what you build your life on will determine

    Your outcome when a major storm of life comes.

2.  Nations are the same.  Pr 14:34, states “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a

     Reproach to any people.  Ezra knew this so as he was writing this history, he needed

     To keep the focus on God Ezra recounted from Jewish history that importance of

     Keeping God as the forefront.  He uses David and his descendents as examples. 

3.  Ezra used these writings to uplift the nation of Israel who had just returned, rebuilt the

     Temple and its walls to see God and his hand upon their lives.

 

 

4.  The promise of David’s line and kingdom was first and foremost a spiritual Kingdom.

     Ezra believed as we do that the spiritual always leads the natural.  Your focus,

     Decisions, belief systems, priorities, attitudes, speech patterns and actions will be

     Determined by who or what you believe in.  

5. The word tells that the spiritual foundations are built on faith, (Heb 11:6), trust,

    (Is 28:16), Putting God’s word into practice, (Mt 7:24), taking hold of the life given by

    God, (1 Tim 6:19) and turning away from wickedness.  (2 Tim 2:19).

 

This book as a warning of how a nation can go from Chaos to stability or vice versa.

 

1.  Ezra saw that true stability surrounds the presence and power of God.  The symbol

     Of that was the ark.  It was a symbol of God’s symbol of God’s promises.  He also

     Spends a lot of time talking about the priesthood, the law and the religious rites.

2.  True stability is when you allow God’s presence, power and promises flow through

     Every area of your life.  1 Chron 4:10, talks about a man named Jabez who asks God

     To bless him enlarge his territory and influence, keep you hand on me or be with me,

     Keep me from harm and pain or causing it.  God granted it.  This is a promise God

     Will keep us in perfect peace when on minds are focused on Him.

3.  Through David we see when He follows God he is successful.  When he doesn’t

     Failure and chaos follow.  That is why we must stay close to the Lord.  We have an

     Adversary an enemy called the devil who will pounce on any failure, weakness or

     Situation.  David learned the hard way the price of this lesson.  Let us learn from his

     Example and not make the same mistake.  Gal 6:8 remind of this.  Talk about pastor

     Who lost it all because of his pride?

 

God keeps His promises.

 

1.  In this book we see David calling on the Lord in times of trouble and peace.  He

     Knows how to communicate with God and because of his faith, a messiah was

     Promised to his line.  Jesus is that Messiah.

2.  I know from experience that God keeps his promises.  Paul says in 2 Cor 1:21,

     That no matter how many promises God makes, they are yes and Amen through

     Christ.  God keeps his promises church.  He heals, saved, delivers, restores,

     Forgiveness, restores, reconciles, encourages, strengthens and so much more. 

     Through David we see that.  Ezra when he wrote these accounts wanted to remind

      His audience and us.  God is faithful and he keeps his promises and agreements.

      The only thing that violates his promises is disobedience.  On this day as we prepare

      To take communion, let us realize God greatest promise which came through Jesus

      Christ.