Steadfast Under Trail

 James 1:12
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Trials and tribulations are part of life. No one is exempt from facing them. Some people go through severe testing, but we all will face them at some level. Trails are defined as hard times, difficult situations that can cause us to doubt that God is in control, or that God is able to come through on His promises to help us. When we begin to doubt God, we are like the wind tossed here and there, unstable in our ways, unsure of our footing. Our direction is lost and we wander around without real purpose. Temptation is of the devil who’s only desire is to cause us to fail and start doubting what God has said. God does not tempt, but He will test us. He will test our resolve and our determination to stay faithful and steadfast. His testing is designed to make us stronger and to be rooted and grounded in Him. He does not delight in our failures and will use our failures as stepping stones to put our trust in Him when we face our next trial.

All Scripture

 2 Tim 3:16
 All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness.

Many people have a horse to ride when it comes to preaching the Bible. There are some preachers that you know will be preaching on praising God, another preacher will preach on hellfire and brimstone as their preaching legacy. As a person who believes that Christian should live with a perfect heart toward God and live holy and blameless, I like to focus on those parts of the scripture that emphasizes behaviors that are unspotted from the world.  Preaching Jesus, the good news of salvation is also at the top of my list, and to me should be the center focus of all scripture. What good is it to live a sinless life (avoid sinful acts) if you don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior. You can praise God morning, noon, and night, but if Christ does not abide in the heart, our praises are clanging cymbals. Yes, we must never get away from being part of the Vine, a part of Christ. For those who abide in Him, all scripture is given to us for instruction to live pleasing to God. We find answers to life problems, we are comforted by His promises, and stand corrected when we mess up. His word is full of grace and mercy, it will lead the sinner to repentance, and provide the believer with instructions to walk according to His precepts. ALL SCRIPTURE, the whole counsel of God is provided for us to make it into the Kingdom of God.

He Is Faithful

 Lamentations 3: 23, 25
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
He is faithful each morning to extend His mercy to us. It is a new day and God’s mercy never runs out, even though we have sinned and owe a debt we cannot pay, His mercy fails not to see our condition and hopelessness. How great is the mercy of God. It may seem that He has left us, but we must wait on Him and trust Him to take care of us. We don’t deserve His mercy, but He has  chosen us and our hope is in Him. Even though we may fail, He desires that we remain faithful and keep our trust in Him. He will not leave us or forsake us, as long as we continue to call upon Him and put our faith in His faithfulness to guide and direct us, He will keep His promise.

God’s Unchanging Hand

 Isaiah 41:13
I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

Hold on to God’s Unchanging Hand- An old song that was written by Jane Wilson in 1905. The message conveyed the thought that God is the same today, yesterday, and forever more. He does not change. His promises are the same today as they were when He First spoke them. He has not changed today. He is the same God who promises to take hold of our hand and will carry us through any situation or problem we may be facing. We hold on to these promises that He will not let us go. Keep our hand in His, let him lift us up, guide our steps, and wrap us in His arms of tender care.

Hold On To Faith

Heb. 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).

The devil is out seeking to destroy our faith in God. Our faith in the blood of Christ to remain clean and pure. We have come into this relationship with Christ through His death on the cross. His blood was shed to remove the guilt of sin. We have been granted access to the holiness of God. Let us not lose sight of the prize before us, His faithfulness to keep his promises to protect us from the darts of the enemy. The journey does not get any easier as we walk with the Lord, we must surround ourselves with likeminded believers, encouraging one another in the faith. Praying for strength in the times of testing. There is strength in numbers as we gather together in our respected places to worship and find solace in God. Let us draw closer to God and closer to the body of believers even more so as we see the end coming.

The Bethel Experience

Gen 28:15, 19 …behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest,…

And he called the name of that place Bethel…

Bethel, a place where Jacob experience God’s presence and promises. Running for fear of his life, Jacob came face to face with the God of his fathers. He realized that he could not make things happen on his own. Jacob had a earthly goal, but God had other things in mind. We sometimes think we know what the goal is, but God has something bigger to accomplish. We must come to a place where we are willing to relinquish our dreams and ambitions for God’s will to take place in our lives. The Bethel experience establishes a place where we have committed ourselves to God. His will is now our will, His way is now the way we take. We have seen heaven’s gate and been in the presence of God. With the help of and grace of God, there is no turning back. 

Trouble Times

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

We all go through trouble times. We face things in life that bring uncertainty. We become anxious, and our hearts become fearful of the “What if’s” of life. Our minds are filled with “If only” we would had done it differently. Then there is the trouble of the soul when God seems to be afar off and it appears we are all alone facing life’s unwanted circumstances. Where is peace? Will trouble never cease? In times like this we need Jesus, we need a comforter that will calm life’s trouble waters. In the eye of the storm, the Holy Spirit is there, sent by the Father to bring peace and assurance that He will never leave us or forsake us. His promise is for those who love Him and keep His commandments. He knows our heart and knows our desire to live for Him. He said, He will not leave us comfortless. He will come, and where Jesus is, there is peace.

Stagger Not

Romans 4:20 “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God,”-

There were time in Abraham’s life that he did stagger, but ultimately he choose to put his faith in God to work out his life. There are times in our life that we face situations and think that we can handle them without consulting God or asking God for help. We put a lot of faith in our own ingenuity and cleaver planning. God did give us a thinker to use, but faith will reach out to God as we use the brain that God has given us. When it is all said and done, we give God all the credit and praise Him for what He has done. Faith is not some magic formula or power that will give us what we want. Faith is to believe God that He has all things in His hand and knows what is best for us. Even tho we cannot see it for ourselves, faith will carry us through. By faith, we can live victorious lives and stagger not at the promises of God.

For Those Who Love Him

Nehemiah 1:5 “and said: “I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and fearsome God, who keepeth covenant and mercy for those who love Him and observe His commandments,”-

The promises of God most often come with some conditions. He promise never to leave us or forsake us. But if we rebel against His will and walk away from His commandments, then He is not obligated based on His word to be with us. He still may pursue us and entreat us to return, but His presence in our lives is no longer assured. For those who truly love Him and are doing their best to follow His will, He will stay true to His word. He will not forsake us if we wholly submit to His will and keep His commandments. Their is a work to be done and He calls each of us to answer the call. He has promised to go with us to guide and direct our path. The task may seem unsurmountable, but He is a great and awesome God who is able to give us the power and grace to do what needs to be done. For those who love Him, He will make a path and walk with us. 

This Mountain

Joshua 14:12 “ Now therefore give me this mountain whereof the Lord spoke in that day,...”- God’s promises don’t always happen in the time we think they should. Caleb waited 40 years to receive the promise given to him. The promises of God are sure and they will come to pass. By faith, we can claim “this mountain”. We all have our own “mountains” that God has promised. It may be that our mountain is a friend or loved one that we have been praying for a long time. It may be that small struggling church that God has called you to help and carry the load. His promises are true, and will happen according to His will. There may be lots of things on our wish list that we have asked God for, but His promises to us go beyond the material things of this world. He has promise to meet all of our needs and many times He fulfills these things beyond our expectations. But the greatest promise we have is the assurance that He will always be with us no matter what we are facing or what we are going through. This mountain of grace is ours because He promised us never to leave us or forsake us. The Lord has spoken through His word and we can claim it by faith. Like Caleb, we can trust God to give us “this mountain” for His word never fails.

The Promise Gospel

Isaiah 37:14-21, 33-38

The people of Israel suffered for their disobedience toward God. They suffered the consequences of their sin. Isaiah is given a promise from God of hope. A Blessed promise that a redeemer will come to take their sorrows away and give them new life and hope. What a comfort to know that all is not lost, that Jesus desires to take of life of sin and give us something worth living for in this world.

Cleanse from Sin- double for all her sins

• Parallels to New Testement-
• Captivity is over- Sin’s consequences
• A people who knew better are forgiven

Consolation of God- comfort ye

• The God of All Comfort
• “My People” His desire to bring back

Comfort in Pardon- her iniquity is pardon

• Proclaim His Promise
• God still loves the sinner
• Atonement is made-

Cry in the Wilderness- voice crieth in the wilderness

• John the Baptist
• Highway to be prepare

Crooked Made Straight- crooked shall be made straight

• The World we be turned upside-down
• All things pass away, all thing new
• From darkness to light

Coming of Christ – the glory of the Lord shall return

• Seeing Christ for who He is –Lord of Lords
• The Salvation of the Lord

Controlled by God-Spirit of the Lord bloweth

• Life is but a vapor- God controlled our days
• He only needs to speak the word

Changeless Gospel- the Word of our God shall stand forever

• The unchanging God- His word is still the same

Conquering Savior- God will come with a strong hand

• More than conqueror are we- Through the blood
• He will bring his people through- He will bring us through

God's Promise to Abram

Genesis 15:5-18

God has committed Himself to keep His Word. He has declared and assured those that put their trust in Him that He will do what He says He will do. Abram, a man who believed that God had called him to leave the land of his fathers, now entreats his God to give him some assurance that God’s promises are still true. God is not slack concerning His promises as some men count slackness. He rewards them that diligently seek Him. God had promised Abram that his seed would be as the stars in the heavens. The fulfillment of such a promise, in the eyes of Abram began to grow deem as his life began to set in the western skies. But, God keeps His promises, once again makes Himself real to Abram and assures him that He has not been forgotten.

Renewing of the Promise-(look now toward the heavens)
• The Faithfulness of God
• When God speaks, so shall it be
• Heaven and earth shall pass away, but God’s Word …
Righteousness of Abram (counted it to him for righteousness)
• He Believed in the Lord
• He knew whom he served
• He was considered righteous because his faith was steadfast
Request by Abram (whereby shall I know)
• The human element to faith
• Discouraged, but not defeated
• A sign from God often will help seal a promise
Required Worship (he took unto him all these..)
• Gathering of the sacrifice
• Go to the place of worship- truth is often reveal in worship
• Divine-appointment, simple- ritual and sacrificial-substance
• Believing-spirit, patient-waiting, and expectant-attitude
Revelation of the Promise (know of surety..)
• Horror of darkness- feeling of uncertainty- The unknown
• The enemies intimation- The hindrances to see God
• The prophecies of a great nation
• The promise of return
Reassurance Given (unto thy seed have I given..)
• The promise of God giving Abram’s seed
• The promise of the land
• It is God that makes this promise
• God said it, I believe it, that settles it for me.

The Death of Elisha

2 Kings 13: 14-25

Review: Joash in his early years of his reign desired for the house of God (temple) to be restored. It pleases the Lord that His house be maintained and presented acceptable at all times. This is only accomplish when those who worship there are willing to give of their resources. Not giving to the needs of the house of God is a reflection of one’s attitude toward the work of the church and God’s kingdom.

The Passing of a Prophet

• A life of plains, valleys, and mountain top experiences
• Weeping for Elisha- Joash stability was leaving
• Regarded as more importance than all the armies of Israel

The Prophecy of the Prophet

• Demonstrated the meaning of the arrows
• Shooting the arrow eastward
• The defeat of the enemy- Syrians in Aphek
• Joash strikes the arrow only 3 times- Limiting God’s power

The Passion of the Prophet

• He was wroth.
• Joash knew better- He refuse to believe
• He was disappointed and frustrated with Joash
• He saw Joash as a faithless man who depended on his own.

The Power of Influence of the Prophet

• Man made alive in Elisha’s tomb
• Bore testimony his character-activity- preserver- life giver
• Bore witness to his connection to God- “Surely this was a prophet of God”
• God still wanted to work his divine purpose for Israel even though the prophet was no longer on earth.
• It showed that God was the “God of the living and dead”

The Promise of the Prophet fulfilled

• God kept his promise/covenant with Israel
• The promises of God are always kept, but we must also keep our promises that we make to God.