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December 4, 2020 7:00 am
Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ name after name given to his glory is unparalleled is affording is unrivaled is power has no limits in his sovereignty is without an why my telling you this relax. Just relax, so there's no need to be angry. I get why they're angry at her. I get that because that's all they have received. That's all they have meaning, purpose, and all that. That's all they had. You and I have is the king of kings and the Lord of lords in our life.
Relax is like abdicating the throne joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor broke your heart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now was once again he shows us how God's word meets our work and very furious and gave orders to destroy all the wise Bible writer will kill you all. That's amazing. They're all going to die. Verse 14 then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to area rock. He said the captain of the king's bodyguard who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon, and he said to area.the king's commander. For what reason is the decree from the king so urgent and then areata informed Daniel about the matter, so Daniel went in and requested the king that he would give him time in order that he might declare the interpretation of the king got some really between aligned to the supreme leader by Daniel.
He didn't want those men to die even want to murder all the magician all the soothsayers all the concertina. One of the murdered is wiser so urgent you give me a little time. So that's exactly what happens.
So in verse 19 it says then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a nightvision and then Daniel bless the God of heaven. God tells Daniel directly what the dream is and how to interpret. Then Daniel speaks here when he's addressing. He says this let the name of God. Be blessed forever and ever for wisdom and power belong to him and then this verse, it is he who changes the times and the E box. He removes kings and establishes kings and he gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to minimal understanding. It is he who reveals the profound and hidden things he knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with him to you oh God my of my father's I give thanks and praise for you have given me wisdom and power. Even now you have made known to me what we requested of you, for you have made known to us the king's matter.
Verse 21 is an interesting verse he says it is here to change the time he pops he removes kings and establishes kings remain king I remove kings.
I establish kings. I remove kings and I establish kings.
I remove members and establish numbers.
I remove Prime Minister's I establish Prime Minister's I remove presidents and I establish presidents. I do that not only do we do that said I do that why I'm sovereign over all the affairs of man.
This is Nebuchadnezzar pagan King as pagan as a man could be said, yeah, he's on I do that but are something else or that's really important for you to see that we often overlook in this verse, it is he who changes the times are in the box I been saying the last few weeks that America's changing. You see, and what we want to say you know why changing because of them out there.
That's why because of him up there is in complete control. This absolute complete control is that I change the times in the box. I want to think about this. Maybe from a little bit different perspective here when you come to the times what what if this is the beginning of the end times. Some of you asked me at all the time. You always get the same answer those of know me long enough Nebraska and works you can get the same answer I have no idea.
But is this the end times is just the beginning of the end times. What if it is the beginning of the end times. Okay just assume that from now if you know your prophecy at all. Our eschatology at all.
When you read about the end times. Tell me everything you read the Bible about America nothing right, absolutely nothing. Now there's a couple possibilities here. Some people would say well, but America could be part of the European Union. The old Roman Empire and certainly possible is getting a little less probable as time goes on number when Americans first started saying that it was because guess where everybody that was in America was from Europe is that the way it's going now know that so is it possible that America could be in steep decline. Is that possible yes, and by way of some mentally between services and I think he was right and you added that take the rapture of the church and in the church leaves Americo work. What is the standing of America. Now what is the culture like could be terrible. All I'm saying is, what if this is the end times are you going to stop that when you go to the voting booth. It we can stop it really stop God you're not. What if this one is God is going to restore America. What there's going to be a revival in America okay same thing though we going to do that, politically, if we make the right political choices, then God will do something unnecessarily.
But God's going to do what God's going to do. That's the point.
God is going to do what God is going to do. And I gotta be honest, I'm fine with that and so should you be he's God controls the times and he pops he controls the kings, his power has no limits, Abraham Cooper said there's there's not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ was sovereign over all does not cry out mine is mine. The whole creation's mine. The whole world is mine.
I'm sovereign over all open. Trueblood said this, he said the Christian is joyful not because he is blind injustice and suffering, but because he is convinced that these in light of the divine sovereignty are never the ultimate end the Christian can be sad and often perplexed, but he is never really worried because he knows that the purpose of God is the bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, Jesus Christ. He's right, Marshall Stegall said no power in this world. However powerful acts outside the sovereign ring and plan of the God who died for us. That's who Jesus Christ is in charge of this is glory is unparalleled. His authority is unreliable. His power is without limits.
He is infinite in Revelation 20 says I am the Alpha and the Omega wise he say that I was there before there was of their and I'm the last thing that exist on the beginning and the end.
I am infinite Billy Sunday, who was the precursor to Billy Graham is a great evangelist in America said this years ago.
There are 256 names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ and I suppose this was because he was infinitely beyond all that anyone name could ever express. That's who he is.
You see name after name given to his glory is unparalleled is a 40 is unrivaled is power has no limits in his sovereignty is without end.
Why am I telling you this relax.
Just relax.
You see there's no need to be angry.
I get why they're angry out there. I got that because that's all they have. You see, that's all they have meaning, purpose, and all that. That's all they have. But when you and I have is the king of kings and the Lord of lords in our life. Relax is like abdicating the throne. He is so much more than a Savior. He didn't come just so that one day you and I can go to heaven he came so that he can bring heaven here and he does so little to one more passage I want to look at first Peter chapter 2 first Peter chapter 2. This is one of the truly great chapters in any of the epistles and what Peter writes here is interesting he starts this chapter by telling us who we are and then will tell us how we should be. The Bible does that often.
Paul does that almost every person rewrites first happy epistle who are waiting second half. Epistle now act this way.
Peter doesn't in this chapter… Who are we so he says in verse five you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The first thing he tells us in got understand how the Jews felt about this.
We are a holy priesthood, not just Levites, all of us. All believers are priests. All of us make offerings to God.
All of us offer up praise and thanksgiving to God.
That's just what we did this morning. That's why God reads her heart. He likes that we offer to him our praise and we offered him our Thanksgiving. We are a holy priesthood, then he goes down in verse nine he says this, but you are a chosen race that's God's part in our salvation are part is believing God's part is choosing. The Bible says that we are chosen by God. We are the elect.
God does his part. We do are some faith he said your chosen race, and then he says you are a royal priesthood.
That's a huge word the Jews wants to gasp you see in Judaism. How many were royal priests are there one Melchizedek, the King priest of Salem all the way back in Genesis. I believe that's a theophany of the son of God, and he said there that's what you are you are a royal priest you are a King priest.
How can I be a King priest because I'm in the King priest Christ is in me and I am in him. He says do you understand how special that is my relationship you are.
He said you are a holy nation, a people group. He said you're a holy people. What's that mean you been set apart by God called holy.
It is me. Nothing we do is holy, that's clearly not what the Bible teaches, but set apart by God as holy because of Christ.
Then he says you are a people for God's own possession when he would say when he looks at all of us together. Your mind to know about you but if you're looking for security somewhere you're not going to find any American political system.
When God Almighty sister you are mine doesn't make you feel I'll never leave you nor forsake you. How does that make you feel then he says, so that why all these things ours so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who was called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light. For once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God, he said, and had not received that once you had not received mercy and now you receive mercy. I want you to proclaim everything you are what you tell others about his back to the great commission.
Matthew 28 now that I gave you all this I want you to proclaim this. That's what I'd like you to do any changes in the says this beloved, I love that when Scripture calls us beloved. That's who we are. I urge you, as aliens and strangers. That's God's description of you as an American you're an alien and a stranger to this world as is yeah because you are my people effect another place in Scripture says you and I are citizens of heaven, he said get your aliens and strangers you hear not notice what is insane. He singer hears or separate yourself from here. Not all he said you're gotta be in the world but not of the world.
How do you proclaim the excellencies of him who saved me if I'm not in the world see the whole point of it is where Jesus and were to be salt and light that's our job representing God we are his ambassadors. The Scripture says he says yeah he says I urge you as alien strangers to abstain from fleshly laws that wage war against your soul. Don't live in sin. See when you live in sin, you lose your testimony you lose your salvation but you lose your testimony. How do you tell people how great it is to have Christ in your life when they look at your life and is not so great. You mean if I become one of you. I can be just like you just the sinful just as nervous just as anxious just as worrisome.
Just this terrible. I can be just like you as I draw people doesn't. He said keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles the unbelievers keeping behavior excellent.
Why so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, that they may because of your good deeds as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. That's why she is not just that the idea that he said what I want you to do is to keep your behavior.
Excellent. I wanted to be different for the culture right now that is extremely angry and anxious and bored.
We are then just imagine a whole group of people that aren't anxious, but have peace are angry, but have joy are fearful, but have hope. Just imagine if that's us.
Somebody's going to say to you that runs in the you how in the world do you do that, how can you be like that.
What's going on. One answer Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of lords. That's why so he goes on, and he says in verse 13, submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a cane as one as one of the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers in the praise of those who do right, for such is the will of God, that by doing right. You may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Human government decreed by God is an institution decreed by God, why because were sinners and the earth was cursed and left to ourselves it goes from bad to worse. It always does. So what is one of the ways you can curtail the sickness and all of us human government. In fact, what you find when human government falls apart. Let's go to the great tribulation, when all human government falls apart how's the world better than ever right never been so good. Total anarchy. It's always been like that with the question how good is human government not very how many great human governments of the been coupled maybe a few I'm a bad human governments of the been multitudes. How many absolutely terrifying human governments of the big times is a debit human government is still there to have some sense of order you submit to it. He said brother to a king or governor all by the way what, who was King who was Emperor when Peter wrote it. Nero is insane and murderous Christians is insane to get you submit while when do I not submit when it directly violates me submitting my Lord Peter and John Arad member that I preach and the word of God.
The authorities bring you minutes okay now we'll let you know more preaching, so were sorry we have to obey God rather than man. He told us to go and proclaim the words of one proclaim the word Inuit is what you want, but will not stop you see that's human government. I don't submit to it that way human governments in a government like ours, you can import any baby one now in some states almost anytime you want. I don't want I will not what the government said you have to abort babies that happen in China you are limiting the amount of children you what you say I won't do with me as you want but I won't to those of those kind of issues those are big issues but he says I cited that you submit see his whole point is this, he said at this freemen do not use your freedom for covering for evil, but use it as bond slaves of God. That's who I'm bond slaves of he said honor all people. That's everybody that's on each side of the owl. Any religious faith agnostic gave his eye on her. Everybody love the brotherhood. That's us in the body of Christ. Fear God. Honor the king. So that's what I want from you because ultimately, none of that really matters. I'm a child of God, a part of God's household, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has glorious unparalleled. He has power that's unrivaled he has. I mean, without limits. He has authority that's unrivaled and he has sovereignty that will never end, my Lord, and yours is the King of Kings and Lord of lords. That's for my loyalty is the reason I'm saying all that is just back to the same word relax. Just relax, get us involved in the process is your conscious want you to be involved. It's a privilege relax the closer the words of Stu Weber. I love what he says. He said I must follow my Lord, no matter what is his voice that I must listen to, not the voices of those around me. However strident however persuasive it is his word that must govern my life, not the word of others.
That's what I'd like for you and for me that his word govern your life whispering father.
I believe that we live in a country that has so much media were so overexposed to it constantly that we sometimes lose sight of who we are and even more so, we lose sight of who Jesus Christ is. We thank you for the privilege in this country that we have the voter conscience. We thank you for that we can be part of the process.
We pray for the benefit of our entire country that things would go in a better direction, but ultimately father. We trust you. We trust our Lord Jesus Christ. Ultimately everything will be in subjection to him.
His plan is a plan that will never change. It's a plan that is unwavering and was set in place long before we ever exist. We should get comforted and we should be able father think the greatness of Jesus Christ's name and pastor Bill Gebhardt on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever missed one of our broadcasting or maybe you dislike the message one more time. Remember the good a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the Fellowship in the Word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast so many of our previous audio programs as well Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous forecast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website FVC Nola.org that SBC 10 oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sensors are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the messenger looking for.
You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listening room. And remember, you can do all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website is FVC Nola.org for pastor Bill Gebhardt and Jason Denhardt. Thank you for listening to fellowship in order