God Keeps His Promise, Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. In other words, instead of the pain of this life, causing what it causes so often in us anxiety and worry, fear what they do because all peace, joy and hope. He had the same suffering through Lisa but I know the ending. You know promise he keeps his promises. Thank you for joining up today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana between Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word meets our world says so Sarah can see were assigned a is old age and then this phrase at the appointed time at the appointed time that Hebrew word means exact specific at the appointed time. In fact, if you turn the page back to eight chapter 18 remember what God said in verse 14, we covered this before, but look at 1814 God speaking is anything too difficult for the Lord at the appointed time. I will return to you.

He said at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son becomes even more specific. At the appointed time. Not just any time hold your place here and go with the medial Ecclesiastes chapter 3 Ecclesiastes chapter 3 very familiar versus do you believe it was Simon and Garfunkel that saying this to start verse two Solomon the wisest man on the planet. At the time writes this time to give birth and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted the time to kill and a time to heal.

A time to tear down a time to build up a time to weep and a time to laugh.

Time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones at a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to shine embracing a time to search and a time to give up was lost at time he says to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart in a time to sew together. A time to be silent in a time to speak. I time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. 26 times time time time. The verse I didn't read his verse one there something else there is an appointed time. While Sainsbury's is Genesis. There is an appointed time for everything there is a time for every event under heaven. From my perspective here from God's is an appointed time you see this is interesting. God keeps his promises. There is no doubt about that but the ideas God's I want you to understand something I am sovereign over my creation. I am sovereign over time. That's astounding. By the way some of you don't like that. A lot of people don't like God's sovereignty at all. They just don't a lot of them satellite that God is sovereign and I'm somehow diminished know you're not diminished you're not diminished at all. In fact, God's sovereignty is clear doesn't exclude our free will at all were still have free will. But God saying I'm sovereign over everything. A second point might be this free was not that good a deal.

I know you might not know.

It's wonderful. It's most wonderful thing about us and we have free will know that's not the most wonderful thing about us the most wonderful thing about us as were created in the image of God, which includes free. Let me ask you when Adam and Eve exercise their free will that work out what happened.

You see, they exercise their free will, they became less like God and became slaves to sin and we inherit their nature, so the whole idea is I want our free will. It's man our free will is what rings okay. Man's will is free and let's look at it historically house it worked out. How is man treated man with his free will. How many men have murdered men how many countries have destroyed countries agreed to genocide how many were exercising our free will.

Be careful on free will is not really as wonderful as we might think it is God's as I am sovereign over all of this, God's plan is to redeem us from our free will and our evil desires and choices just part of God's plan has an appointed time is not responsible for overarching view.

So don't even tempt anybody but I'm sovereign over it as I see it all.

Once Old Testament scholar Walt Kaiser says this. This is a beautiful plan yet men and women do not and, as a matter fact cannot apprehended because of the prevailing worldliness so vast so eternal and so comprehensive in its conclusions. He said, is the plan that man is both frightened and exasperated in his attempts to discover it for himself.

Nevertheless, being built by God and made in his own image.

Man possesses a hunger within his heart to know the vastness of eternity and of God's plan, but he can't know that's a problem that's what we don't like God sovereign. He knows something we don't know and what he knows that we don't know is everything you see that change is completely God keeps his promises. No watch verse three Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him whom Sarah boarded him. Issac gritted me one of things I love most about God when you study the word. He has a great sense of humor. It is enough credit for that.

I would go. Just look in the mirror and you must know exactly what I'm talking God has a great sense of humor heat that they whispers in his ear. I'm sure there's a great name for Issac. He laughs that's what his name. He laughs why would God name the boy he laughs well if you remember, Abraham fell down on the ground laughing when God told him he is going to have a son, Sarah. He laughed that and then Sarah overheard it was talking to Abraham and she was a good tent, and she laughed to herself and God confronted her with her laughter. He said how about this you like laughing about the promises of God so much. How about you name the boy he laughs at something is happening here there mocking laugh has now turned into joyful laughter. This is the laughter of joy. There's no mockery here at all. He then says Abraham circumcise his son Isaac when he was eight days old.

He said as God had commanded him just as God had said please understand, he's not that there's this wasn't the first little boy ever circumcise the Egyptians have been doing it for a long time, but it for a different context.

International standard biblical encyclopedia. The men who wrote the article says this he said Egyptian temple pleadings show that circumcision have been part of the human culture since 4000 BC.

Usually however boys were circumcise when they reach puberty as part of fertility rituals God change this.

Starting with Abraham. The Hebrews were the only ancient practitioners of circumcision. He says to observe the right in infancy, thus freeing it from the Association of the fertility rituals and making it the sign of the covenant people kind of an interesting thing.

He follows God to the T. God keeps his promises is not in a hurry. He never forgets them in their always given in the context but there's a second point, a very important point for you and me. God's promises ultimately and always bring us joy. God's promises ultimately and always bring us joy. As believers notice what happens here with Sarah. Verse six Sarah said God has made laughter for me. Everyone who hears will laugh with me not at me with me.

She said look at the joy that she has and she said, who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children. She's 90 it's an amazing thought she gets it yet. I have borne him a son in his old age, says in verse eight, then the child grew, and was weaned in Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. Why did he do that is happy is joyful. What made him joyful. The fruition of the promise of God.

You see the promises of God are extremely important. Abraham and Sarah went through a lot since they heard the first promise to give up their families to give up their home.

They give up everything that they knew to be common. They became wonders in a very unusual place in the land of Canaan. You see, they gave up a lot. They found themselves in the sense that a nomadic life and only really had for all of this was this grandiose promise of God and they got the seated fruition. One of the reasons that God gives us promises is to change our perspective now.

He understands how difficult life is.

So he says let me give you some promises that you can hold onto that illustrate that I want to go to Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter 8 in one single verse.

There the apostle Paul.

He says in verse 18 for I consider that the sufferings of this present time. By the way, he knew sufferings is stone left for dead on several occasions speak with Rod. He was hated everywhere he went he find himself shipwrecked on more than one occasion called ashore off the ship recommend be bitten by poisonous snakes. I mean, Paul had a very difficult time suffering and when we do that.

What we often want to do if you're facing it all. Why God why, how did you let this happen. I mean how would you let this happen. This is awful. This is painful. This hurts you see how good this happen we all go through that the apostle Paul went through that he knows what it means.

This offer, but what 20 says, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us what you talking about the endgame is talking about glory well when you get that idea. I think someone promised you see I think that's one of the promises of God. He promises that over and over and over again. Paul was very aware of what Jesus said to the other apostles.

I go and prepare a place for you. You see, so that where I am, there you may be also. He knew that he knew the endgame. He knew that the idea that the ultimately end up in a place would have no more sorrow on the more tears he understood all that and he said you know what when I understand what the content is of the promise that God is given. He said then I consider the sufferings of this present time, not even worthy to be compared to. In other words, instead of the pain of this life, causing what it causes so often in us anxiety, worry, fear what they did because in Paul peace, joy and hope. He had the same suffering he'd been through it, he said, but I know the endgame. How do you know he's promised. He keeps his promises. You see, and his promises always and ultimately work out for our good. You see for our joy.

That's what Paul says in, it makes all the difference in his life.

Think of the promises of God.

We think of all of the Old Testament promises that a Messiah would come a Savior. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds most of around 700 years before Christ was born. He's coming and became will call his name Emmanuelle God with us.

My guess is also by the way, he'll be born in the house of David and Glenn.

These are all promises and when they came to fruition. There's tremendous joy. If you believe the promises. Think of all the promises of God is made that are still yet to come see you think of that.

Think of you promised the Paul writes in Romans eight. You see, if you took right across the page to verse 28 and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose as a promise is everything was good.

All the things in your life are good using wound up of individually or not so good. Now it'll all work together for the good. How do you know that God's as I promised you see a promised seek God's promises are several important to us in that particular way. God's promises always and ultimately bring us joy.

That's what he is saying so to simple truths this morning. One. God keeps his promises. Ultimately, they work out always for our joy. One close by giving you just a few words. Five words. The first word is this.

Remember, remember that God is never accidentally laid remember that God is never surprised by something one on your life ever, remember that God's plan unfolds in time and remember that his plan is always accomplished because of his power. She God keeps his promises.

We need to remember that the second word is forget forget your own agenda.

I know you don't want to have an agenda for your life.

I'm going to make it happen. I know are we have agendas but I'm just wanted tell you something, God disrupts a lot of personal agendas. There is no question about that.

I thought I was going to be an architect at one time and living in Western Pennsylvania playing in the snow. Thank God he had other ideas she'd be careful with that. Forget your own agenda. I look alike through a straw, and so do you. That's all I see. I sees all of it. He sees everything in the future.

I can't see any of that. Remember, forget ask you going through a difficult time. You have to ask God for wisdom and strength, comfort you know why he promised those he said you go through a tough time you asked for wisdom. I give it to US restraint or give it to you. Ask for comfort but by the way, I hate to say it's a conditional promise.

You have to ask the leaving hell.

I asked for comfort in getting really sound like you believe that very much.

Remember, forget ask for. Give forgive yourself for being self absorbed. Forgive yourself for being shortsighted. Your human we wallow in our free will. We always think we know what's best. We often don't remember forget, ask, forgive and live live under the shelter of God's sovereignty live under the protection in the hope of God's promises, it makes such a difference in our life.

Look, if you wanted to stay focused on all the terrible things others going on in your life you have plenty plenty to stay focused on for the rest your life but you will benefit all. See Paul took a promise that was out there and he said all of this. You can even compare to what I know is coming my way. So I'm not full of anxiety, I'm not full of worry, I'm not full of fear. I'm full of joy and peace and hope because I believe the promises of God. God keeps his promises and his promises ultimately and always bring us joy this.

Father, I realize that there are times when you're promises seemed very far away. We become completely focused on the circumstances of our life and father. I must say that so often pain-and-suffering make us spiritual cowards and we just wallow in it. We feel so sorry for ourselves that we can get by our own victimization.

Father, I just pray that the next time or if somebody's in the midst of it right now that they simply look at the promises that you have made them the assurance that those promises will come true and that they deal with what is real suffering and real pain in their lives, but they deal with it from a perspective of the promises that are yet to come. Father makes all the difference in the way we live our lives and we live our lives with that kind of peace and that kind of joy in that kind of hope, regardless of the circumstances around us. We truly live our lives out of salt and light and we impact our world because that's not the way in which the world usually reacts to difficult.

I pray father that for your glory and for our good. We believe with all you will keep promises to us in Christ pastoral Gebhardt on the radio ministry of fellowship in. If you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike of the sum of the method one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio programs as well at 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 with radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a 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 of fellowship monitored visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC 10 oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastoral sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series are looking for. You can search by title. Once you find the method you're looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own. And remember, you can do all this absolutely free of charge.

Once again our website is FVC Nola.org for pastoral Gebhardt fundraising Gebhardt thank you for listening to fellowship in order