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September 15, 2020 8:00 am
Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ positive for the moment resetting everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let a talk on my personal whenever you're praying for pandemic and thanking God for you, think on a fundamental right now you see that somebody says no you think joining us today on this additional fellowship in the world. Pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our work such as I need to be hopeful eight verse 50 next Same idea. Verse 49 while he was still speaking, someone came in. He said from the house of the synagogue official said your daughters died. Do not trouble the teacher anymore.
How about a day is that not the child. My daughter when Jesus heard this, he said do not be afraid any longer. Only believe Shirley may well he offers it upfront. Notice the bank.
Verse 52. They were all weeping and lamenting for her and he said stop weeping.
She is not – is just asleep verse 54. He says arise. In other words, be hopeful in any acts.
One of things I say over and over again redundantly, probably to the chagrin of a lot of people, but I keep saying the worst thing that can happen to you can happen you the motive behind that is, those are words of hope the worst thing you can happen you can't sleep. I know from Scripture up on maps of the body and present with the Lord just on the little basis of what I've read it's probably better to be in heaven and here I'm just guessing this but I think it's probably better exponentially. So that's the hope of that's where hope is that the ultimate outcome is noticed in Luke 1313 and verse 12 again is teaching one of the synagogues in verse 10 on the Sabbath and there was a woman for 18 years when men sit caused by a spirit, and she bent double and could not straighten out office he could imagine what you look like half her life going 18 years she can understand the pain she's when Jesus already called Romany sender woman you're free from your sickness handling is that I got this.
He laid hands on her immediately.
She was made erect and started glorifying God. The whole point is God's is.
Don't despair the same God who sees the sparrow fall seizure life or mine. So the idea that I'm a child of God. Romans 828 all things work out for my good has to apply to every circumstance of life, including the ones were in it has to. That's the way this works so he said you need to be hopeful.
That's what these are just pictures of hope figure what he writes in Romans 15 pulses is now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit how your measurements. Hope to me asking much joy and peace. You have joined you on a piece you and I hope he severed the God is the God of hope. That's what God wants to give you here and again if you have hope you will be cynical we are to be gentle and cautious and we are to be hopeful we are to be thankful we are to be thankful for summer reading through the sender. If you know much about the New Testament church.
If you know much about the church at all, the whole New Testament church except for the Thessalonians. None of them really had it all together Thessalonians are probably the best church, the Caribbean is the worst church and everyone in between. Most of the letters that Paul wrote except the Thessalonians.
Most of the letters were because they were doing or believing something wrong in any road but what's what Paul says about Romans 18 first, I think God the God through Jesus Christ for all of you. First Corinthians the worst church. I give thanks to my God for you always fully Ephesians 1. I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
Philippians 1. I thank my God in my remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine. Colossians 1. We are always thankful he said to God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for you.
Thessalonians 1. We give thanks to God always for all of you. You're constantly mentioning you in our prayers. Thessalonians 2. We thank God constantly Thessalonians sweep for what thanksgiving can we return to God for you.
Second Thessalonians 1. We always thank and give good thanks to God for you. Second Thessalonians 2 we had always give thanks to God for you on notice. He thanked God more for the Thessalonians in anybody else which I find funny. He thank God for everybody is thankful.
He said to Timothy, I think God as I remember you constantly. My prayers, I thank you for that. Philemon, for I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy Philemon pause giving thanks.
Thankfulness keeps your hope alive pulses of Libyans and Roman Philippians 4 resetting everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be now known to God. I talk on that verse often whenever you're praying for anything like the pandemic and are you thanking God for it now. Do you think on upfront are you in a way to thank God when it ends. Now I'm ready to thank you see that somebody says no you thankful as a matter fact in Ephesians and I just read it. Ephesians chapter 5 in verse 20 said, always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God. Even our father always giving thanks for all things. What does that include how often should we give thanks and how what does it include always giving thanks for what all things what you mean a pandemic you Mina you mean economic uncertainty. Everything I think God why he got it I got this using this if this is an interesting thing how this works in our lives. In first Thessalonians 5 basis, pray without ceasing.
Give thanks in all circumstances. Doesn't really matter is pandemic is produced all kinds of different medical opinions all kinds of economic difficulties, all kinds of problems for the government deciding how they skip stimulus to the economy and all kinds of different ideas on that line. Politicians come out and tell us all kinds of different things all the time you see in you and I should be thankful. Are you said we thank God, in the middle of this. I'm not sure we do.
But the problem is, if I'm not thankful in my heart all the time to God.
I'm very vulnerable to cynicism. I'm just very vulnerable to it.
And I mean understanding used to be a one time even in our country. The news is reported as I do. I know you think this is crazy news all newscaster does is tell you the news, there's no there's nothing else, just tell them the news. But no one does it. Someone has to reinterpret the news to tell you what it means. And so depending on what channel you are on you here completely different versions of the same thing and you know what that makes you if that's what the voices are you listen to cynical you become cynical you see it really doesn't matter which side of the aisle says what all the matters is what is God's.
That's all that matters. But somehow we got ourselves right in the midst of this, and it's amazing thing to see just how cynical Christians are become cynicism looks at reality and calls it phony. That's what a cynic because I love the reality is all phony ever said that he thought that Kaman it's all phony but Cemex don't do anything there full-time job cynicism. That's their job. I'll be cynical about everything that's who I am but thankfulness and hopefulness.
They look at reality and they rejoice that we are in God's care. They see reality for what it is. Beware of men should be.
Beware of men from back to Genesis 3 for moment where we started. You know what happened after the fall the judgment of God came once he believed the cynicism of the serpent. The judgment came recall the fall of man and everybody got charged Eve God judge the serpent God judged Adam graduates. I mean there's judgment for this, but there's something else here. Adam and Eve you know when. You know what that stories like that.
I went to see verse 21 chapter 3 the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife."
He said.
So what the judgment was, but he didn't show them something else is even more important when love is what the enemy feeling shame, guilt, hiding the Lord made garments of skin that tells me first he had to kill a couple animals and then can you imagine the Lord.
Now he can do it anyway once.
But just imagine this picture can imagine the Lord sowing his garments is selling to garments up of skin for them so they can cover them. The catastrophic fall of man and God's love intercedes and says yeah I made garments from his love covers their shame and guilt.
The everything to this God allowed his own son to be stripped naked so you and I could be clothed in righteousness. The exact opposite of what happened with Adam in the. He allowed his son to be stripped naked, mocked and crucified so that you and I could be clothed in righteousness as the love of God.
God is not cynical in the face of evil. He loves in the face of evil is a we should be the last thing I want to say is this, we must stay close to Jesus. You know the story in John 15 Jesus said I'm the buying of the branches. You know that and he says you need to abide in me, you stay close to me and you will bear much fruit, but apart from me there is nothing you can do. You can't. You have to stay close to me when circumstances difficult as these circumstances are. This is a time where all of us should be really thinking how close can I say to my Lord. The circumstances we are living in a very distracting the hard for us and if we let it let cynicism commander own heart and take over know was interesting about that is. That's why these kinda crisis produce that kind of problem philosophers and want to look at is in first Samuel chapter 17 first Samuel chapter 17 a chapter of the Bible you been familiar with since you been young.
If you grew up in the church is the famous story of David and Goliath and overly I can imagine how many kids been taught the story of David and Goliath, but it's an amazing story on a whole bunch of different levels and I just want to show you something here. Does Goliath pose a threat to the armies of Israel, incredibly so. In fact, they're terrified he starts out on one side of the valley and there over here any Thompson. He moves down the valley. He Thompson he moves across the valley. Thompson is at the base of the other side going up and taunting them, and then David comes on, these guys are terrified this is as frightening to them or something could be so you see what ends up happening when you get here, what he says in verse 28 that's will pick it up now. Elia's oldest brother heard when he spoke to the man. David was checking things out in an alley abs angry burn against David and he said, why have you come down. He said, and with whom of you left those few sheep in the wilderness.
I know your insolence in your wickedness of your heart, for you have come done in order to see the battle. Let me ask you see a touch of cynicism everywhere. What Gleaner fuel sheep there. David, I know you got terrible motives.
I know why you're here. You see, that's his brother he's talking to.
That's exactly what he says he has cynicism here. David says what I do now. I just ask a question he ignores it is generally answered his brother, but notice what happens not in verse 34 in verse 34. David said to Saul, your servant was tending his father's sheep, and when a lion and a bear came and took a lamb from the flock. I went on after him and attacked him and I rescued Eddie from his mouth and when he rose up against me. I season by his Pyrenees struck him when I killed him years, your servant has killed. He says both the lion and the bear and he said this uncircumcised Philistine to be like one of them why he taught the armies of the living God was they would say I walk with God. I walk with God. We often think how good a young teenage boy kill with his own hands. Goliath, how about this how many young teenagers you know that have a slingshot could kill a barrel lion.
Everything about that famous again. I told I stay close to God. He said this is just an uncircumcised Philistine gods already done things for me in my past, because I stay close to God will be all right.
How many people thought David was good to be all right in this David and God.
I think everybody on Israel silently. So David walked on into the belly said there's a dead man walking. This kid has no known chance at all. Goliath's early thought he had no chance. He tries talk to him and insulted him. By the way David spoke right back with the same trash talking in the same insulting notice in verse 47 is sitting in that all this assembly may know that the Lord he said is not delivered by the sword of the spear for the battle was the Lord's and he will give you a new my hands are our hands. That's the cry of his battles. The Lords is that I know that I love what he says when he says this you know that the Lord is not delivered with a sword or spear.
You seem to be delivered by the Lord is all that really matters here. I think maybe misguided way. We say no.
The only way to be delivered to the good vaccine that will be delivered might be delivered to long life and ends up in hell.
I don't know if you call that deliverance or not, but the battle is the Lord's see how long will this last just as long as the sovereign God allowed the last one will be the outcome. Just exactly what the sovereign God decided it will be in you and I should not become cynical about that we should become thankful and hopeful and use this time to walk closer and closer with our Lord. We are to be gentle and cautious we are to be hopeful and thankful where to stay close to Jesus.
Our culture has always been cynical, but the circumstances of the day it made cynicism an art form among all of us, and I've had enough conversations with enough Christians to know that all of you that I talked to were vulnerable to the same kind of cynicism, a child of God does not want to let cynicism dominate his heart. We just don't want to fall into that temptation. We need to be sensitive to our own citizens. We need to be sensitive to and when we hear cynicism being spoke to us and we need to be more sensitive than we speak cynicism to others because it does not glorify God. Let's be gentle and cautious helpful thankful and want just about as close to Jesus as we can so that my confession on my own sentences. Father, I think.
So often we struggle so often. I think we justify our cynicism by saying that we just been discerning the father if we were just discerning, we would not give off an attitude is so cynical. My prayer is that we just look in our own heart understand our own thought process and the way we speak to others for their visa circumstances, especially in this media driven world we live in really has tremendous potential to draw each and every one of us to become cynics but as children of God father.
It's our responsibility to be hopeful and think to be gentle once exclusive use for your glory is an pastoral giver on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike a list of the method one more time. Remember the good a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast so many of her previous audio program at Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible.
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