With You I Am Well Pleased - 12/2/2018
God bless you for coming in this weather. Always said I wish I was a Catholic priest for one just a Cajun Elizabeth so I can make a blessing and you'd all be blessed but consider yourself blessed in case I want you to turn with me tonight to Mark. I'm going to read the first chapter verses 9 10 and 11. This is one time that people hit God's voice. I mean, we all hear God's voice in our hearts, but this is literally a time that God spoke out and everybody present could hear it and he was bragging on his son. He was bragging on his son you familiar with it. It's going to its reach like this. Jesus came from that by the way, this is when he entered the ministry. We don't know at what point in Jesus life. He became aware of who he was and what his mission was. You know, I don't think when he was a little baby and Mary was nursing him that he looked up at her and said that you think I'm a baby, but I'm really God. You know, I don't think that I think that at some point in his life, you know, if when he was 12 years old, he asked him his parents didn't that they think he should be in his father's house. So it was a progressive thing. I don't think it happened instantly. I don't think the lightning struck him in there suddenly realized who he was. I think it was a gradual thing. Like we gradually grow in Grace and christlikeness even in our lives and it came to the point that you got to be about 30 and then he literally moved into Ministry that only lasted three years his whole Ministry on Earth is but it was in in less than thirty-six months less than 36 months. So when he started he went over obviously he had heard about his first cousin was baptizing and he went over to be baptized and when he was baptized this experience took place and God was just putting his approval on him to began his eternal Ministry there. Is he was now aware of what he was here for Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee. It was baptized by John in the Jordan and when it came up out of the water immediately, he saw it when was being torn open and the spirit descending on him like a dove and a voice Came From Heaven. You are my beloved Son with you. I am well pleased with you I am well pleased. Most of us would like to hear that for my boss wouldn't be most of us would like if we have a secular job to hear. I'm also a man. I feel pleased with you or maybe I'll spouse say to us sometimes up in the moment is I really am well pleased that I met you, you know, are there other maybe we like to hear it for my teachers. We like to hear from her teachers up there there. So many places are life, and we would like to hear this very statement here, but all of us, Jordan want to hear that Jesus one day well done. I am proud of you. And we all as I talked about this morning. We all are going to stand before the Judgment seat of Christ. Assuming everybody came out on a night like this is Born Again Christians. So I'll give you that all of us will stand at the judgement seat of Christ one day not by the way as I keep saying, we're not going to stand there to see if we save the lost by the fact that you're there means that you are saved and and you coming there to receive your rewards and we're going to be rewarded on the basis of what we've done in this life with what God gave us to do. You not going to be measured against the person beside you you're not going to be measured against anybody but yourself, but we all have to give an account and that's where I love for God to say to me. Well done son. Well done that we'd like to hear that and you don't have to be a missionary for the him to say that are you don't have to be a martyr for the him to say that are you don't have to memorize the Bible or you don't have to try to be a great Bible scholar. What he's talking about is just being practical being the kind of Christian on this Earth that when our time comes he was saying what he said, there's only son and you I am well pleased I'm proud of you is what do you say so I have two things that are three things that I like to point out here. And the first of them is if we want God to see there's something called responsibility. Responsibility, you know, we want our children to be responsible people. Will God looks down on us and he wants us to be responsible. He wants us to assume responsibility for who we are and what we are, you know, the next time one of my children come you a little test women say to my children. What is the last thing you said to you when you left home going somewhere? And I'll tell you what, they'll say. They say mama always said remember who you are. And remember who you represent. Well, that's what God says to us. Remember who you are. Tomorrow and when is the secular day in the world remember who you represent? Remember who you working for? That's what he wants us to be responsible responsible. Listen to what this by the way. I'm going to read the first chapter 8 worse. I wish I could tell you where this took place. Then this is one of those things in the Bible where God is talking and and and and and Satan is there and see greatness come for a reason. He's picked out somebody now. Don't say don't let that surprise you because about 30 minutes before Jesus was arrested where they're going to take him and crew Supply. He said Peter by the way. Satan has asked that all permission to shift you. Now that you young people don't know what a shifter is but in the old days you sifted your meal and you sifted your flower and what they do that for you get the impurities out of it get fresh. I never get the stuff out of it shouldn't be in there. So that's what shifting a soul is. And so God Satan had asked God for permission to shift leader. And that's it, but he didn't know that like Jojo got a new job would come through now the Bible doesn't say that God knew Peter would but Jesus said as you can read it for yourself, if you go over that got that he said when you are tested then strengthen your brothers went out. I'm going to read here and this is of a man. This is Satan asking permission to shift a man named Joe. Now. I don't know when this took place and the Bible doesn't tell us why Satan had access to heaven. Now, you know who Satan was not the word Satan music user accuser. Well went went when the gods number one Angel when he fell they but they called in the accuser and that translates Satan. Show Satan showed up and some kind of meeting and this is what I'm going to read. He shows up and he talks to God and he wants to get permission to attack Joe. Well, actually God says if you want to tag one, I'll give you one that that they will whip you at your game. He will be faithful to me. Here's where it went. The Lord said to Satan. Have you considered my man, Joe my service Joe? There is none like him on the earth. He's blameless. He's an upright man who fears gone and turns Away From Evil now saying that shown up and he was wanting to test someone and God says, yes, my man, Joe just my man Joe now Joe was so responsible. I'm talking about responsibility. The god allowed him to be tested. God said. Alright test my man is my man Joe here. God is saying I am well pleased with him. So if you want to chat to him if you want to try him, you try him. Now God knew God knew that Joe was going to stand strong and I don't think I knew that about Peter. I don't think he knew that about later cuz you know what? The next thing is Peter said that Jesus was when Jesus said Satan has asked permission to to to to test you to see if to you Peter said why Lord I would die for you I would die for you. And it wasn't I just answer but God just looked at him and said Peter before the cock crows in the morning for the rooster crows say against about to be daylight. You would have denied me three times. So you have this guy's ready to die. And Jesus said before the sun comes up tomorrow. You will deny me three times. So I don't think that God had that much, but he said if you come through it didn't go to strengthen your brothers, but let's come back. God said here. You can test my man Joe now. He knew Joe was stand tall and he knew I knew what was going to happen. He knew that he'd be severely criticized. It is hard to stand up and be faithful when the world is criticizing you for 42 chapters, Joe was under he had three fans rims that showed up and they accused him of everything you could think of but being faithful to God and just about the time they wore out then another guy shows up. So 4:40. Two chapters in the end of it book of Joe Joe is being criticized me being put down. He's being accused of things that have been accused of everything but God that man is responsible that man will come through and and even though you put through a lot of pain because remember Joe had what seven suns $3 he had livestock he had cattle he had camels he had he was a very wealthy man and then one afternoon like hurricane Michael one afternoon a tornado hurricane or something like that killed all seven of his children. And then the people began to come in and Russell Issaquah his livestock until he had nothing left but a broken body. You know the story, you know the story but God knew and all of that now I have counseled many times people that lost it all. It's a hardest thing in the world to go to someone and someone you've lost children. And you know, the hardest thing in the world is to talk to someone who's lost a child in the worst thing ever. Say if it you haven't lost one is I know how you feel because we don't we don't only person that's lost a child can know about what they feel. But if you hadn't lost one I had lost one. You can't say that as I told you I stood by my son while he lost one and it wouldn't it be the first time in my life. It was so I couldn't let my children would doing something I couldn't help. All I can do is stand there and pray. I couldn't pay the rent surance or buy them some tires or do things for them. I just had to stand there. I was helpless. SoJO Los 10 children one afternoon Seven sons and three daughters and all of his wealth all this about and all of that. God said, he would be he would be responsible. God is looking for responsible people. Actually. I think we put another way he's looking for steady people steady people steady people he describes what he would like to see us beat and in the first song the third worst and you're very familiar with it. It says he will be like a tree planted by the river of waters. That's the way God was like to see us in our Christian lives like a tree planted by the rivers of water responsible people be responsible be responsible ability who you accountable to. Who are you accountable to? Who do you pray to at night? That's who you accountable to that that that tells you who you accountable to and and and Jesus was Jesus was accountable to God. That's why God broke through the sky broke through the heavens and said when he was baptized he knew that Jesus was about hid what he came for a right then and he said this is my son in whom I am well pleased. He was a countable, you know, you can look at David. Look at David, you know, David's end of his life on the first day of his life, you know, he went to see his brothers and they win war and he got there and he found out that the enemy had a had a great big powerful killer and every day he came out and said let's don't all go to war just send one out fight me and if I win y'all are hours and if we win, you know if I win you lost a battle and if I lose we've lost to you. Can a 15 year old boy stepped out now? He didn't just come and step out his brother's trying to send him home. You remember that he stayed and then saw tried to get him to not to go out there and do that and he didn't do that because somewhere in David's life he knew that he was accountable to God and that's when when he walked on the field combat when he walked out there in the field and he said to go out you come before me with sword and shield and Javelin and let me check what I'm armed with. What do you say I come to you and the name of the Living God. That is what God calls accountability and who won. This is the sword the javelin rrr the word of God God one because this fifteen-year-old guy was accountable. He was accountable, you know any in a fight 5th chapter of Acts after the Ascension the disciples got fired up, you know and they began to preach and they were preaching in the temple area and the high priest had him arrested and put in put in prison for the night and he was going to bring them before the Sanhedrin tomorrow who had the power to send them over to pilate and let him be killed in the middle of the night the angel came told him to free them up and so go back and do what you were doing and the next morning when they sent to get him out of jail. There was no one there and the people came back and said the guys you're looking for and they're teaching the word. So they got them this time and this time it says without violence. They didn't try to be violent because a lot of people are listening and they will respect them these guys and they pulled them in now you standing before the most powerful group of people that are Hebrew could stand before 70 men the most powerful the most people in the in the in the in the Jewish World at that time the Sanhedrin and they they they just remember that if you read the whole story the high priest said you got a trying to make his blood be ours and who who who painted the Judas the money the very guy that said you trying to bring his blood down on us so they didn't try to beat them that time they going to beat them later, but they said you can't preach at his name anymore in this place. You understand and Peter this about fellow that betrayed the Lord of fellow they couldn't stand up the person that betrayed him three times in one morning before. The rooster crowed he said now whether it's right to listen to you man or not. You'll have to decide but I can tell you one thing me and these guys right here can only do one thing we can only tell you about the word of God. Now that was most courageous thing from a man who denied Jesus three times two months ago three times in one night. Men, like David men like Peter this these people are accountable to God, they feel an accountability, you know, our problem is that we're not responsible and we don't feel like accountable to God, but as I started off I said everyone of us every one of us is going to spend one day at What's called the Judgment seat of Christ now, he's not going to judge just to see where we lost to say. He's going to judge me and you for what kind of Christians will you been and that's going to determine what kind of rewards would you get? and so we have to be accountable David was Peter was we should and the third thing the third thing and by the way until 7:17 says if you will walk before me. Then I will establish you but I want you to look at the way. He said that what comes first before I'm going to give you much you got to walk before me and other words you got to be accountable to me. Emma third one to come on down to the third one is dependability dependability responsibility accountability and now to dependability the Bible says of Ezra and 7/10. Ezra is in Babylon. It wasn't later God's going to use him to bring the last group that came from Babylon and and and took the group back to Israel. He's a leader of the last group the leader of the first group whose name. I don't remember right now and then Nehemiah led the second group and the third group was led by Ezra who wrote the book of Ezra in 2nd Chronicles 7 17. Ezra said, if you walk before me, I will establish you. Now what he said and 7/10 was Ezra set his heart to study the law of the Lord in other words. Ezra is God's people were not slaves and babbling but they were vassals. They were foreigners living in but and babbling they would never foreign Citizen and by the way, not all the Jews came back lot stay behind. That's why we know the story that stirring we stole the story of Mordecai. That's why we know the story of Ezekiel all those people stay back. They did not come back to they did not go home when they got the chance. And and so but anyway, the Bible says of Ezra he decided to just to spend his wife in the study of God's word. He was a long way from home that time he didn't have any hope of ever going home. And so he decided that he would get in God's word and he would study that's being Dependable to God. You're not let me tell you something the most the most untalented person in the world has something that he can do. Better than anyone else. He can be Dependable to God. He can be Dependable to God, you know in Everett shirts you find one or two good old science who doesn't pray in public have never been today could have never told her Sunday school class who never been recognized for any great feet, but they're always in their place when a word is stalled. That's what my friend is dependability. You just know old so-and-so is going to be there and they said in the same place that will service, you know, they set in the same place and you'll find one or two or three or four of them Eric Church, you go to the people that never been to teachers than ever been leaders in the church. They've never had any power positions, but they always there. That's what God wants for me. And you if we want to hear him say Well done my good and faithful servant. Then we have to be Dependable like these people we have to be Dependable like this and that covers what God do it offers us, you know church Bible School Sunday school be Dependable. It's really easy. There's one thing we can do better than anyone else. We can be Dependable God for what he's giving us. So God watches this or which he looks at you and looks at me. He keeps a record of it and one day when we stand there. We want him to say. Well you did a good job. You can never say no you can never speak or you can you can never do this or that what you were always there and I am and I'm proud of you welcome home because you have done a good job. Say the same thing almost to us that he said that Jesus. He looks it our responsibility. He looks at our accountability. He looks about dependability. And what he says about us is what he's going to say when we stand before him and our time comes it doesn't take much effort to be Dependable. Does it or countable? It doesn't take much effort. All it takes is US deciding to do it just decided to do it. David decide to go out there and kill that giant now I'm sure that David's heart was pounding in his heart in his chest when he walked out there, but he said I've come to do this for God I come to do this for God. Peter, you know made a mess of his life, but he came out on the other side and he said that the most powerful group of Jews in the world. Y'all can do it. You can say what you want to say me and these guys have to do what God told us to do cuz we accountable to him we all accountable to him and he's depending on us let's try to be that person. God bless you for being here tonight, but just business meeting so Jason is going to come and share the business meeting. So come on Jason and