Sermon Tone Analysis

I hope you all had a little better week than last week.Thank you very much for the kind words that many of you had from applying these teaching to your life.

Just to bring you up to date on our series and what I want you to think about as we begin.We are looking at the Blessed and Happy life as it is put forward in the Bible.See it’s the truth that sets you free so we are focusing on what the Bible teaches us the Blessed and happy life are.From Psalm 1 we see that David described two types of people.1 is like a tree and 1 is like chaff.His point is the Blessed and Happy person is like the tree.The storms of life will come but they will stand firm and even bare fruit when it’s time.Where the chaff it is a different story.

The storms of life control them.Right now in Zimbabwe we have had a category 5 storm and so this is really put to the test.Psalm 1 also teaches us what makes us either a tree or chaff.What makes us stable is that God is with us, that He is in our life.It’s not just that we believe in God but that we follow Him as He lays out in the Bible and that is what makes us stable.Without God, we may have a good life but it is always going to be vulnerable to the storms of life.And eventually we end up like chaff.Last week was a very important part.We must be poor in Spirit if we are going to genuinely want God.That means we get to the place where we know only God and His presence can really help and so we look to Him and depend upon Him.When we do that then God gives us the power of the Kingdom of God.So here is where we build on this.Now we say ok I understand that.What does it mean that God is with me?What should I expect if God is with me?Those are very good questions and must be answered.Remember it is the truth that sets us free or the truth that works.If we believe something that sounds good but not the truth it doesn’t help at all.Our take home for today will be to see what can you know for certain about God being with you.We will look at 4 truths the Bible teaches us about God being with us.Pray first.Let me start by reading something from Gideon that I think many of you will relate to.

In this passage the Angel of the LORD came to Gideon and spoke something to Him.The Angel of the Lord is what is called a Theophany is a visible manifestation of God, most likely pre-incarnate Jesus.He announces to Gideon that The Lord is with Him.I think Gideon like most of us had an idea of what life would be like if God was with Him.Because right away when he was told that the Lord was him he said, if the Lord is with us why are we in this situation?Let me tell you their situation was bad.They would plant crops and the Midianites would come and steal it.They would bread animals and the Midianites would come and take them.It was so bad that many people went and lived in Caves rather than their homes.Even Gideon here was hiding in a wine press in order to get his wheat.Gideon’s idea was if God is with us then things should be better.My guess is that many here feel that same way and ask the same question.

If God is with us why all the trouble?Why isn’t God stepping in and stopping all of this.We are praying so what’s up?Today we will look at this.We need the truth of what it means when God is with us and when we understand it then we can be like that stable tree.If you get stuck in the place that Gideon was stuck and keep asking why isn’t God stopping this well you can end up like chaff very quickly.We will read a lot of Scripture today because that is the one place I know that we can get the truth.There are many places in the Bible that tell us that the Lord was with people but I want to start with Joseph.Read

But wait.

He was still falsely accused.

If God with Him shouldn’t that stop?

What a great story.

Here’s the background that helps us.Joseph was having a really great life.He was the favorite son of Jacob and set to inherit the wealth of his father.So most would probably say that God was Joseph and that He was experiencing the blessed and happy life.Of course when you add to it that the Lord was with him well certainly his life reflected that.BUT things changed.His brothers sold him as a slave to Egypt and he ended up a slave Potipher’s house.Make no mistake being a slave was no picnic.For

Joseph things went from bad to worse.After being in Potipher’s house he was falsely accused and ended up in prison.All the while being told that God was with Him.If you were like a Gideon you might ask, well if God is with him/me then why didn’t God stop that?Here is the truth - God had a different plan but he never told Joseph.If Joseph would have got stuck wanting that answer and expecting everything to be wonderful he would have been chaff and just sat in self pity in prison.Joseph didn’t do that.He got on with life right where he was at.And listen to what

and

What can we expect when the Lord is with us.When we follow Him, when we depend upon Him, He will cause what we do to succeed.It possible to prosper in the worst of times because the Lord is with us.

Let me read you another one.

This is spoken to Israel but the same truth will apply to us.It’s starts by reminding us that God knows us.If you are sitting in here today you have to know that God has His eyes on you and knows you by name and that you are His child.Verse 2 is the key.When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.Notice it doesn’t say: IF you pass through the waters.You will pass through.

You will have storms.

That’s not an option.He also says you will face fire, meaning a rough trials.Again not if but when.But God says I will be with you.Once again there are two responses.1 would be the Gideon.

If God is with me then why do I have to face the storm, the water or the fire?Shouldn’t He stop it.

It’s not right.

It’s not fair.All that will happen if you do that is you will be like chaff as those storms and trials of life happen.Or we can see the promise that God says.I will be with you.What can you expect?1 you don’t have to be in fear as they come.Oh and how many of you fell to fear this week?

Money was going to be washed out?

That was Monday and Thursday.You would be raped?

You would be beaten.All those just sent many into a panic.God wants us to know if we realize He is with us and hold onto Him then we don’t need to give into fear.And even as the storm comes it will not destroy you.You can endure it.He will help you.

Let me give you one last one.Maybe God wants to use you to make a difference.Read

There is one last one that I feel is important to know.Just maybe God is calling you to make a difference and be used by Him to help others.Here Gideon was called to save all Israel.It was not because he was so powerful but because God would use him and save Israel.Here is what is important in this one.God chose Him and God used him.You can’t take a verse like this and say all of them could have been a Gideon and been used to deliver the nation.Just like not all of us could say that.But you should listen because God may use you to make a difference during this time of turmoil.It could be in a national level, it could be at a community level, it could be in at a church level or family level.But just be aware that because God is with you He may want to use you right now to do something.He is not looking for the necessarily the strongest smartest person but the person who will be used by Him, the way that He wants and most importantly who will allow all the glory to go to God.