SV#24Hisdelight
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it is mother’s day...
...it is a day where we take some time...
...to celebrate the one in our life...
...who served us in such a special way...
this is a hard topic to preach on...
...because this world is harsh… and sinful...
...which means...
...i may be addressing someone here...
...who did not have a mother...
...or maybe had a one that was not very good...
...or has wayward children...
...or was a wayward child...
...that makes this holiday a difficult one to celebrate for some...
but on the other hand...
...there are a lot of good mom’s in this room...
… and a some of you most likely had good mothers...
that is what makes this theme for a message so tough...
...we are a mixed bag...
...and being mothered is so important...
...so there are some here celebrating...
...but maybe some hurting as well...
so to ensure that all are being fed this am...
...i thought it important that we take some time...
...and focus our attention...
...on how motherhood...
...is a reflection of the character of our God...
one of my favorite things to do as a christian...
...is to take time to consider all the LORD has done for me...
...have any of you ever taken time to dwell on...
...all the LORD has done for you...
...it is a truly remarkable thing to think about...
...we do not need to look very far into our past to see our Heavenly Father’s involvement...
...He is involved on every level of who we are...
...from the beginning to the end…
...and everywhere in between...
we can count on Him being there...
...He is reliable and sure...
...and as we sill come to see...
...He has a desire for us...
...a plan...
...that will blown your mind...
so lets start at the beginning of that plan...
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
there is no haphazardness with our LORD...
...He does nothing by accident or by chance...
...everything He does...
...it is intentional and done for a reason...
there is not a single person here...
...who is an accident...
...not one who is here for no reason...
we are all valuable...
...all beautiful in the eyes of our creator...
...we are cherished creations of the creator...
every one of us sitting in this room this pm...
...were deliberately and with the utmost care...
...crafted and created by God...
...He created every part of us...
...for a purpose...
...we are all here...
...because He wants us to be here...
...He created us with passion and love...
...and He has a plan for each one of us...
that plan is so important...
...that He was willing to create us in spite of...
... ending up in a sinful and cursed world
knowing we were going to fall prey to sin
...knowing that our salvation...
... was going to have to be part of the plan...
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
it would have been just...
...for the LORD to condemn us for our sins...
...it would have been right for Him to do that...
...but He didn’t do that...
...He chose instead to make a way for us...
...to be reconciled with Himself...
...He created a way for us to be made right with Himself...
...He saved us from ourselves...
...He did not need to do this...
...He was under no obligation to save us...
...He was not fixing a mistake...
...or rescuing an innocent soul...
...we all have sinned...
...and fallen short of the glory of God...
...we deserved to die...
...but the KIng and ruler of all...
...decided that was not want He wanted to have happen...
...that us perishing in our sin was not part of the plan...
...so He saved us...
our creator...
...has now become our savior...
the Creator’s plan for our salvation...
...did not stop at Jesus...
...it started with Him...
...our LORD did not save us...
...just to release us...
...He saved us...
...so that He could adopt us...
...so that He could treat us...
... as His very own sons and daughters...
HE saved us...
...allowed His only true son...
...to die and suffer His wrath...
...Jesus allowed our sins to be placed on His shoulders...
...so that we would be worthy...
...to dwell in the presence of the Most High God...
he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
we are His children...
...we get to enjoy all that that means...
our creator and savior...
...has not become our Father...
as we go on...
...i want you to start to notice...
how the LORD treats us...
...how He feels about is...
...what He does for us...
He is the perfect parent...
to grow in this world healthy...
...we need a mom and a dad...
...they both play an important role in our development...
...the same is true for us spiritually...
...in order for us to mature and grow spiritually...
...we need the influence of what we would call...
...a mother and a father...
… and our God...
...by adopting us...
...has become a blend of both parents to us...
...He is our father...
… we can also see trates of a good mother in Him as well...
we see it all in our God...
listen to these passages...
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
do you see what i am saying here...
...we see the strength ans protection...
...the “I will stand between you and danger” stance of God...
...we see the allowance of so danger for our growth...
...that every good dad has...
...we also see the compassion...
...the nourishing nature...
...of God here as well...
like a good mother...
in this life...
...as we all know very well...
...there are a lot of Hard things we have to deal with...
...but every one of His children...
...can look back on what we have gone through...
...and see how our Holy Father...
...has protected and provided for us through those times...
...how He cared for us...
...stood up for us...
...and made us better through...
...those times...
we can see how our LORD cares for us...
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
our Father cares for us...
...He provides and protects…
...He gives us everything we need...
...and then some
we are all blessed beyond measure...
...because we are the children of a generous and loving God...
Teaches and disciplines and guides us...
Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
this is an important part to understand...
...about our relationship with our God...
...His willingness to teach us how to...
...and enable us to become holy...
our LORD takes the time to patiently guide us...
...in the paths He has for us...
...He shows us where we should go...
...He makes our steps firm...
...ensuring that...
...even though the terrain may be dangerous...
...we will never be destroyed...
...this is really important...
...this is all building up to a part of God that is so important...
...but goes overlooked so often...
His willingness to discipline us...
...to teach us and guide us...
shows us that He has a plan for our lives...
...shows us that He has a desire for where we go and what we do… and who we are...
...show us that He is invested in us becoming better...
...becoming someone more that who we are...
becoming more than what we were born into...
He plan… His desire...
...that plan we have been talking about...
...since the beginning of our time this am...
...is for us to become Holy...
...for us to become more like Christ...
but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Paul states in...
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
we are told here to live as Christ lived..
the obvious problem with that...
...is that Christ was the perfect son of God...
...and none of us could ever be like that...
so why does our God...
...want us to be like Christ...
...why did He save us...
...and adopt us...
...and work toward changing us...
...why is He investing so much...
...and giving up so much for us to become holy...
...why does He love us so much...
...that He was willing to surrender His only true son...
...that we could have the chance...
...to live the christian life...
why does He tell us to strive for perfection...
...even though it is not something we could ever reach...
...the answer is...
...because He wants to be with us...
think about it for a moment...
...who out of all beings that ever existed...
...had the best relationship with God...
...Jesus...
.that is why we are being made like Christ...
...that is why we have been unified with Him...
...in His death and resurrection...
why He adopted us
...we are being changed...
...so that we can be close to God...
...so that we can enjoy the benefits of...
... an intimate relationship with God the Father like Jesus has
and so that...
...get this...
...the God of the universe...
...may enjoy having us close to Him...
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
...think about that for a second...
...we often talk about how we can get close to God...
...how we can come to enjoy the benefits of a relationship sith Him...
...but never really stop to ask ourselves why our LORD does all this...
He is perfectly content in Himself...
...so He does not need us in any way...
...He created everything perfectly...
...so He does not own us anything...
...He is perfect and Holy in every way...
...lacking in nothing...
For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
...so the only real explanation is...
...He does this all...
...so we can be close to Him...
...because He wants to...
...because it brings Him pleasure to have us close...
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
...basically...
...God delights in us...
and that to me...
...my dear brothers and sisters...
...is the more amazing thing...
...i have ever heard...
...that means...
...that He created each of us...
so that He could enjoy being with us...
...He loves you that much...
this is so important to believe...
...because it changes our whole life...
we looking into the wonderful truth...
...last week...
...that we are able to delight in our God...
that we can delight in Him...
...and trust Him with every part of our lives...
...we are told to not be afraid in this life...
...we are told not to worry...
...we are told that we have no reason to be concerned with...
...where we are… what we will eat… what we will wear… where we will live...
...we are told to cast all our cares upon Him...
and more than that...
...to find our delight in Him...
...our joy...
...our sense of worth and value...
these are all the truths and miraculous benefits of being a cherished Child of God...
...all of this happens
...all this is true...
...all this can be trusted...
...and all can be our reality...
...because of this truth...
...all this happens because...
...and only because...
...for some reason...
...the God of all...
...the Alpha and Omega...
...the King and Ruler and creator of all the universe...
...chooses to love us with a steadfast and everlasting love...
… He chooses to delight in us...
“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
do you remember the definition of delight i gave last week...
“delight is a more permanent pleasure than joy, and not dependent on sudden excitment”
this is so amazing to me...
...that the God of all...
...loves us like this...
...this is where our hope comes from...
...this is where we can rest...
...our Fathers love for us...
...will never fail...
...it will never faulter...
… never grow weary...
...it is not dependent on us in any way...
...not dependent on our attitude...
...or track record...
...His love for us is perfect...
...because He is perfect...
...He delights in us...
...because it brings Him pleasure to do so...
AMEN
