Duplo: The Father is in Control

Right Now Media:

The Father is in Control (Omnis), so trust Him!

All 3 have Omni - But attributes clearly seen in the Father since He takes on the “planning” role (Mk. 13:32)

Exegete

Look at how the Omnis can be seen in this passage.

Response: Give God control of your life. Seek Him!

God the Father is in control (Omnis - related to all the Persons; Jesus is always in control. The Spirit is always in control. But since God has the role of “planning,” we usually apply control to Him.

Right Now Media:

Ideas:

Good morning River Church Family. Good morning to everyone joining us online! Hopefully the time change didn’t mess you up too much!

Hey - many of you know that our Vision for 2020 is Growing in Christ. We believe this is God’s heart for our church. We are passionate about this. Our leadership team is committed to it. We’re going all-in with this. And we want to do whatever we can to both equip and invest in you, so that you will GROW!

So, this morning we have a gift for you that we think will help: Share video.

There are voices in this world that try to tell us different. The world. Ourselves. Even our church. They were false because they didn’t preach what the Father spoke or planned. They spoke against it.

God sees everything (Don’t you know my pain? God can’t see my sin.)

God plans the events of the world. He’s working them out.

God is present in the present...

He’s not distant.

He knows your pain. He does not ignore it.

Like the video said, this morning you should be receiving an email from Right Now Media inviting you to register! And again, this is at no cost to you. This is our gift to you!

Different person of the Trinity, but the Bible says that Jesus is God in person. And when Jesus was here, he was compassionate. He connected with our pain. He felt it.

We can think that God doesn’t see our sin (which is silly), but let’s think about a different approach...

Your sin causes God pain. This is complex. But I believe it’s a true reality.

That God’s heart is impacted when His child chooses to destroy their own life, or rebel, or run, or hurt others.

Leads into the next point...

Jeremiah was like, “Believe the Father!” His message wasn’t just “deal with it.” But trust God and trust He has a plan.

God is with you (where are you? I need you with me).

We want to invest in your family. Each person of your family can register their own personal account. And you have unlimited access. It works on every major platform, whether computer, smart tv, tablet or phone.

And if you do not get an email, it’s probably because we don’t have your email. If that’s the case, no worries. As you can see on the slide, on your bulletin, or on these cards, there are numerous ways to gain access. Follow any of these options and you’ll be able to easily register for your own account!

I am with you. God is personal and relational.

Ps - David was good at expressing this:

Though I go to the deep...

Before we move on, I want to quickly mention four things:

Even in the darkness...

It’s easy to see God in the sunlight (creation declares…)

We’re excited about this tool because know that you are busy! We truly believe this will both fit your life and help you grow. So, use it! (Previewed - Matt Chandler. 6 mins sections)

But we struggle to see God in the dark… But He’s there.

Also, we know that video is how we process information today. We’re not haters about that. In fact, we want to take advantage of it, which is why we are excited about offering you bible studies, conferences, trainings, devotionals, and kids shows in a - if you will - Netflix format (something you’re likely familiar with).

We have a lot of young families in our church. One of the most challenging things to figure out is how to have family devotional time. Whether it’s just you and your spouse, you and your teens, or you and your young kids, there’s something for you!

Finally, we want to share this incredible resource with your family, friends, and neighbors. Please, feel free to share the link on our website, QR code, or text option with whoever you want! Even if they don’t go to church, they will be able to register their own account and have full access to Right Now Media!

Our team is really excited about this! We believe this will help us Grow in Christ for 2020 and beyond! So, register today!

Lastly, you will also noticed that when you log in, there will be a tab that says, “The River Church Glastonbury.” In this section, there will be videos we recommend for Life Group, personal studies, and kids shows. Including the Bible Project, something I discussed last week!

Sound good?

In your announcement, let your members know that all they have to do is follow the link in the email, and they will be ready to go! They will also receive a reminder invite the following week if they do not accept the first.

The dark is nothing to God. It is as light to Him.

- This is who has our back.

This God promises to bring us home ()

Important - (all 3 together)...

Because as we grow in Christ, we will face dark times..

We live in a fallen world. It’s broken. Things naturally go wrong.

God is with me. He sees.

Sin. The temptation to not trust God. Or trust other things.

Giving - God will take care of me when I give.

But there is also spiritual warfare. Dark forces intentionally going after us!

God will fight for me.

The Father has plans

Good plans.

He’s working them out for good.

He’s even working evil out for good (Joseph). He’s using our stories and redeeming them for a purpose. Israel was there because of sin, but he’s using this time. It’s not wasted. You life isn’t wasted, even if you spent many years wasted.

The Father sees everything.

He sees the sin you did. It’s not that it doesn’t matter. It does.

That’s why Jesus had to die.

But in His, He also sees the brokenness. And His plan is to use your life to bring healing to the brokenness. They were to pray for their neighbors. That sounds weird. But it’s true.

Some of you are here because people you didn’t know were praying for you. God saw your pain. God saw your lonliness. God even saw your future and the path of brokenness you were headed towards.

God was moving everything into position because He sees all things and has a plan.

All of this was God’s power working things out according to His purpose. He has the power to save.

He saved the Israelites powerfully.

But this was all part of the plan of saving the world powerfully.

We are part of that story.

There was a purpose for Israel being there. Yes, it was punishment, but it was beyond that.

There is a purpose for your story. God has a plan for your life. God sees what you’ve been through, what you’re going through, and what’s ahead of you. You too have a future and hope.

God is growing you.

God also has a mission for you. Because he sees your neighbor’s story, brokenness, and has a plan for them.

v5 - Treat this move as permanently (build houses). That’s trust! God will tell me when it’s time to move. Until then, I’m here because that’s where He brought me!

Intro:

Call upon Him.

Seek Him with your heart.

Let God have control of your life. Plant your life where God has your or sends you.

Your plans.

Your heart.

Your life (where you live and what you do).

God is doing crazy things. We need to be like the tabernacle. Following the flame/cloud. We don’t move until it moves. We stay when it stays.

I’m doing something you wouldn’t believe...

Coronavirus - The church has always existed in difficult and scary times in the world. (Though a thousand may fall) - I’m saying this not say we hold some strange view of invincibility. While God can (and at times will) supernaturally protect us, our hope is not in safety, but in the Lord. We live boldly and without fear, even in the scary times. We trust the Lord is our strength and shield.

Intro:

Alright - if you have your Bible/app, turn to . We are continuing our Duplo series, using the theme of Legos to help us Grow in our faith. And we’re starting with the basic blocks - we’re starting with God … we’re starting with the Trinity!

Last week, we began with the first Person of the Trinity: God the Father. We saw how He is:

A perfect Father.

A providing Father.

A loving Father.

Today, we’re going to learn something else about that Father: That He is in control. Let me quickly use some theological words that help us realize this:

Father is omniscient (sees and knows all).

The Father is omnipresent (is everywhere).

And The Father is omnipotent (has all the power)!

I don’t believe it’s hard to understand that someone with those attributes is in control.\\\\\\\\\\

Now, just to be clear: All 3 Persons of the Trinity have these attributes. Jesus is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. The Holy Spirit is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are ALL IN CONTROL!

However, because the Bible reveals that one of the Father’s roles within the Trinity is “planning,” we see these attributes a little clearer through Him. And in the , believe we get a great example of this...

So, let’s dive in. But, before I begin, let me give a little context to our story...

Exegesis:

In the OT, God’s chosen people were the Israelites. By His grace, He picked them to be His covenant people. That doesn’t mean God didn’t love all people, it just means God had a special purpose for the Jewish people.

And let me share two of those special purposes:

They would be a light to the nations. God wanted to the world to look at Israel and discover the one true God.

They Messiah would come through them. The Savior of the world would be a Jewish man from the line of King David.

However, the Israelites weren’t great at living in God’s purposes. Actually, most of the time they chose to rebel against God, forget God, and wander from God. And before we get too prideful, just remember the church hasn’t done much better - and we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us!

And for hundreds of years, God sent prophets warning Israel to turn back to God or there’d be consequences (His discipline). And every now and then, some would repent; but overall, they failed to be faithful to God. So one day, God finally disciplined them for their unfaithfulness.

And at the time, Israel was divided into two parts: northern Israel and southern Israel (known as Judea, which is where Jerusalem - the capital city - was).

It started with God using the nation of Assyria to wipe out the northern Kingdom. But afterwards, God used Babylon to invade Judea.

And when comes around, King Nebuchadnezzar has conquered Judea and had taken prisoners to Babylon. There were still some left in Jersualem, but it wasn’t be long before the southern kingdom was completely finished. But right before that happens, the Bible tells us that the Jews sent letters go back and forth between Jerusalem and Babylon.

Some of the letters were written by the prophet Jeremiah. And one reason he wrote was because there were false prophets saying the Babylonian captivity would was almost over! And the Jews didn’t need to worry because they’d be home in no time!

They said this for many reasons:

For personal gain. Who wants to be the bearer of bad news. Everyone would rather have a positive message.

Because they didn’t see their sin as serious.

Because the may have been some chaos in the Babylonian empire and the false prophets assumed Babylon wouldn’t have the strength to survive. After they fell, they prisoners could just go back home.

But that was a lie! Which is why Jeremiah - who was God’s true prophet - writes to them saying...

Jeremiah 29:4–14 ESV

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord. “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Basically, Jeremiah tells the exiles, “Get used to Babylon, because you’re going to be there for a long time (70 years). Anyone who says otherwise is lying. Therefore, live life as you normally would in Jerusalem. Plant, Build, and Start families.

… and he also adds a strange request: Pray for your neighbors...

Real quick, two reasons for why Jeremiah adds this:

Practically speaking, if they are living in Babylon… when Babylon has peace… the Israelites will have peace. So, it only makes sense to pray for your neighborhood.

I believe it hinted at God’s heart for the nations. God wanted to do a special work in Babylon.

And Jeremiah finishes by clarifying the main reason why the exiles needed to spend a full 70 years in Babylon: It was the amount of time necessary to shape their heart. God knew it would take 70 years to generate real repentance. Then, they would willingly return to Him with all their heart.

And that’s what God is really concerned about. He cares about the relationship with,.... not necessarily the comfort of.... His people. If it’ll result in a eternal relationship, God will allow momentary trials for our ultimate good!

That’s why Jeremiah boldly declares...

In fact, he says...

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

You probably have heard this verse before, even if you haven’t spent a lot of time in the church.

Crazy stuff was going on in . But God is in control of all of it. He was simply working out His plans. And this is even more clear when we look at this story through the lens of His 3 attributes of omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence.

A lot of crazy stuff is going on in . God is in control of all of it. And this is even more clear when we look at this story through the lens of His 3 attributes of omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence.

So, let’s look again at our story, considering these 3 attributes, and also make some applications to our own lives while we’re at it.

Application connected to God the Father:

God sees everything (Omniscience):

First off, let’s start with omniscience. God the Father sees everything. He knows everything that’s going on, in creation, and in our lives.

Maybe you’ve thought that you got away with doing something wrong because God didn’t immediately punish you - or you didn’t get caught.

The Israelites thought that oten. But they didn’t get away with anything. God saw it all. He knew about the sin. He knew about idolatry. He knew about the wickedness of their heart. But... God is merciful. He is patient. He gives us time to repent and change our ways.

God has a plan.

However, by , time had ran out. It was now time for the God to deal with their sin. And while no one likes to think about answering for sin or receiving God’s discipline, God loves us too much to leave us in sin. And so He correct us through discipline, as a loving Father does.

Hebrews 12:11 NLT

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

CORRECTION was the purpose of the exile: For God’s people to turn from their sin and return to God with their whole heart. Through the Father’s omniscience, He saw the exile was a necessary step to produce soft hearts...

App: What about us? Do we think we’re getting away with sin because no one else knows about it? Or God hasn’t disciplined us yet?

Galatians 6:7 NIV

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Don’t be fooled...

Galatians 6:8 ESV

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

God sees it. God knows about it. Let me encourage you, turn away from the sin and run back to Him. Don’t wait to be corrected through discipline.

-----------------

However, God ‘s omniscience isn’t just about seeing our secret sins, He also sees our pain. And has compassion. And has a plan.

Sometimes we go through tough times and ask, “God, don’t you SEE what I’m going through?”

You wouldn’t be the first to ask that! Godly people suffered under the Babylonian exile too. One of them was the prophet Jeremiah. There was also another good prophet, Ezekiel, already taken prisoner to Babylon when Jeremiah wrote his letter. Godly people suffer too.

And God sees them. He sees their pain and has compassion on them. And He has a plan. One that involves a good future that He sees through His omniscience. A future that, if they trust Him, will give them hope!

App: Maybe you’ve been serving Jesus faithfully and things just keep going wrong. You can’t figure it out. It makes you wonder, “God, don’t you see what’s going on?”

Let me assure you, your Father sees it all and He’s in control. He has a plan… a good plan. And if you’ll let Him, He’ll show you how your life fits into His future plan and you’ll receive supernatural hope!

Which brings us to the next attribute...

Sees our sin.

Sees our pain.

God has a plan (sees and knows the future).

God is everywhere (Omnipresent):

God is omnipresent. He is everywhere!

King David said...

Psalm 139:7–12 ESV

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Ps 139:

You know what he’s saying? He’s saying, “God, I know You are everywhere. You are always with me.”

In Babylon, the Israelites learned good lessons about God’s omnipresence, even though they were a result of bad choices. They learned:

God is not limited to one place. When Jeremiah told the people to go about their lives as normal in Babylon, that included worshiping God. Yes, they didn’t have the temple anymore. Yes, they weren’t in Jerusalem. But God is everywhere. And they could still worship Him in Babylon.

Additionally, they learned that God cares about all people, everywhere, not just the Jews. Otherwise, why would the Lord instruct His people to pray for other people, their new neighbors? Strangely, this shouldn’t been a new lesson for them...

Way back in the day, God told Abraham, the father of both our faith and the Jewish nation...

Genesis 12:3 ESV

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:2 ESV

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

And in this statement was hidden the mysterious promise of a Savior. But not just a Jewish Savior, a Savior for the world - One who “all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” But again, the Israelites weren’t the best students of God’s lessons.

They often were selfish about God’s covenant love… But now.... God had moved them out of Jerusalem and into the nations. I believe partially to teach them how to share his love with the world, which started with “pray for these people.”

Isaiah 42:6 NLT

“I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations.

So, they rarely, if ever, reached out as a light to the nations.

...But now.... God had moved them out of Jerusalem and into the nations. I believe partially to teach them about his love for the entire world, which started with “pray for these people.”

But now God had moved them to the nations. And He said, “Live here. And worship Me here.” Because God is everywhere.

App: Do we treat God like He is omnipresent? Or does He only come around on Sundays? Is He only found in church?

Christians should believe our Heavenly Father is everywhere. He is always with us, wherever we go! Which means we can (and should) be a blessing for people, a light for God, wherever we go!

That means that we too can be a light for God anywhere we are.

At school with our friends, because God is with us there.

At work, because God is with us there.

Here’s a controversial one… even when we miss church on Sunday to be present in the community. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

Now, here me out. I’m not saying church isn’t important. It’s EXTREMELY important!!! It should be one of our top priorities! We should value getting together with God’s people to worship and learn His Word together. There are things that happen spiritually, that can only happen when God’s people are gathered for corporate worship.

That being said, sometimes we can’t be here on Sunday. And when we can’t, we might as well be on-mission! Because remember, God isn’t limited to one place. And He isn’t concerned with only church people!

There is a River Church family that shall remain nameless who recently missed a season of Sunday mornings due to a sport. While I could’ve been worried, I wasn’t. Instead, I felt God wanted me to empower them to be seasonally on-mission.

So, instead of guilt-tripping them for “picking the sport over Sunday,” I said, “Go be a light! There are families you are meeting right now that have no gospel presence in their life. Go to that “Babylon” (or that location away from God’s house) and pray for those families. And when God gives you the opportunity, be a blessing and invite them to know the God you know.”

Because you know where the gospel isn’t being taken? To families who play sports on Sunday morning. Why? Because all the Christians are in church. But the families that truly need the gospel are out there! At the soccer field! At the football field! And God loves those people. He wants to reach them! His Son Jesus died for them!

All the Christians are in church. Sometimes, because they feel like God can only be found inside the sanctuary. But the families that truly need the gospel are out there! At the soccer field! At the football field!

So, come in here to be equipped. But then be ready to be sent out with a gospel mission! Am I giving everyone permission to skip church like it doesn’t matter? No. But I am challenging us to treat God like He’s in control, like He has a plan, and like He’s omnipresent. If God gives us an opportunity to be a light to an unreached people (even on a Sunday), then GO DO IT! Because God is there too!

But don’t go rogue or disappear. For your own spiritual health, stay connected to your church family!

Catch the livestream (that’s why it’s there).

Use Right Now Media for solid bible teaching.

Open up your YouVersion Bible App!

And make sure you’re in a Life Group and faithfully attending during that season of mission, so that you don’t become isolated!

God is everywhere. Let’s start treating Him that way!

Wherever you are, remember God is there too. So, worship Him (Spotify). Share Him (inviting people, or giving them Right Now Media). Be a light for Him (pray or be present). The gospel is supposed to go… You know where the gospel isn’t going to? Certain families who play sports on Sunday morning because all the Christians are at church. So, instead of being a church that shames people, why not empower them and equip them to be missionaries? The Father is on the football field just like He is in the sanctuary.

If God sends you there, maybe He has a plan… Because...

God is not

God is in control (Omnipotent):

Finally, and we’ve said it a couple times, but God is in control. However, when I say that this time, I’m want to highlight God’s omnipotence - meaning, He’s all-powerful.

There is not one moment in the history where God has lost control. I understand that can be difficult to accept, because a lot of bad, out-of-control stuff happens!

When the Israelites (God’s chosen people) were sent to Babylon, I can imagine them saying, “How did this happen? I thought God was with us! He powerfully saved us from Egypt. We saved us from giants in the Promised Land.”

I can picture them saying, “What just happened? I thought God was with us! He delivered us from Egypt. We conquered giants when we came to the Promised Land.”

And even in their recent history, under King Hezekiah, God supernaturally saved them from Assyria, by an angel who killed 185,000 soldiers in one night. So, why are they now sitting in Babylon as exiles? Maybe God lost control?

App: Have you felt like God has lost control?

It’s easy to feel this way. It’s hard to reconcile a good, all-powerful God, existing side-by-side with all the pain in the world? Why does God let bad things happen? An easy explanation would be, “Maybe God has lost control.”

But let me suggest that maybe that type of thinking is a little off. Personal comfort isn’t an accurate way to measure God’s control. We can’t be like:

Comfortable: God’s in control.

Uncomfortable: God’s lost it.

But we kinda do that, right? That’s why we worry. We worry because we don’t believe God is in control.

For example, I know many (even Christians) are worried about the Coronavirus. It’s scary, especially when it’s all over the news. We feel like this… [photo].

And let me say, it’s okay to take this serious. We should take precautions. Listen to experts. Be wise with travel and health practices. But, let me also encourage you, “We don’t need to worry. God is in control, even when people are sick.”

Plus, worrying ultimately accomplishes nothing...

God doesn’t want His people to worry because He is in control;

Worry accomplishes nothing anyways.

Worry accomplishes nothing anyways.

Jesus said...

Luke 12:25–26 NLT

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

Corrie ten Boom understood this. She helped Jews escape Nazi Germany. She lived through one of the most horrific times. A time when one could ask, “God, have you lost control?” A time filled with justifiable worry! But look what she says about worry...

“Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrows. It empties today of its strength.”

For God’s people, worrying accomplishes nothing. It changes nothing. The only thing it accomplishes is bringing our heart to a place where we actually saying, “Father, You must NOT be in control.” And when that happens, like Corrie said, we lose the spiritual strength sourced from our faith.

We don’t need to worry. Instead, let worry remind us to ask ourselves, “What do I really believe?”

“Do I believe God is in control, even in bad circumstances? Do I believe the Scriptures when I read that the Lord is our strength. He is my shield. He is my hope.”

Because here’s the reality: In times like this, God’s actually giving His people an opportunity to shine bright because of our unshakable hope. To be pillars of strength for our friends. And to be men and women of supernatural courage. For God’s people, the hard times have purpose.

Whether it’s Babylon, Nazi Germany, or the Coronavirus, God is in control. God has a PLAN for good! More than that, He has POWER to bring His plan to pass!

Sometimes, we feel like that because we measure God’s control by the comfort of our lives (Corona). Let’s be honest, while none of our perfect, sometimes we experience scary things even when we haven’t done anything wrong.

God’s people have faced this before. Don’t worry (Corrie Ten boom) When we worry, we say, “God, I believe you’ve lost control.” For real.

We see that in the Babylonian captivity. God’s purpose was to bring them back to Himself! And by His omnipotence, by His POWER, He accomplished that, even if it involved uncomfortable circumstances!

Two… trust this...

That’s true for us today too! Because God is omnipotent (or all-powerful), if we trust Him, those good plans will succeed, even if they are momentarily scary and painful!

That’s why Bible boldly declares:

Isaiah 46:10 NLT

Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.

Psalm 138:8 ESV

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Philippians 1:6 ESV

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

The Father, the first Person of the Trinity, is in control. He sees and knows everything. He is everywhere. And He has all the power. Therefore, take heart when you hear...

God is working out a good plan for us:

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Even though the Israelites deserved this, God is working out a plan.

The Father is able to make good on His promises because He’s in control.

Even if we haven’t done anything wrong, as Christians who follow Jesus by faith and obedience, we too can trust that God is working out a plan… ( - ).

Response:

How do we respond to this?

The key to all this, and for the Israelites, was responding to God. While the Father is sees all, is everywhere, and is all-

What that means for us is we can choose to follow Him. We can choose to reject Him.

Moses told the Israelites this hundreds of years before.

And they were now in Babylon because they chose to reject God.

But God has a plan. If we choose Him, He promises to be with us.

For those how choose to follow the Father with all their heart, the One who is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, God has a future and a hope for . One that cannot be taken away. One that He has the power to accomplish (Phil 1:6).

How do we respond? Let’s look to God’s word...

Jeremiah 29:12–14 ESV

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

We can respond the same way God wanted the Israelites to respond:

Call upon the Father. He sees you!

Seek the Father with your heart. You will find Him because He’s everywhere - He’s near to you.

Give the Father control of your life. By His power, He WILL bring His good plan to pass in your life!

Your plans.

And if you’re still wondering if God can truly do anything good in your life, if His plans for your life can come to pass (because maybe everything you’ve already tried and failed), if He can get you out of the mess you’re in...

Your heart.

Remember: He is in control. And He has all the power! And He has a future and hope for you! It’s His plan to turn your ashes into beauty.

If today you need to surrender your life to the Father’s control, start by placing your faith in God’s Son - Jesus Christ. The One who died for your sins (even the secret ones). It’s thru Jesus that we can truly come to the Father with all our heart and live for God. Jesus Himself said...

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

If you need to do that today, call out to Him in your heart.

Ask Him for forgiveness.

And tell Him you’re ready to surrender to Him as Lord!

And if you do that, come talk to me after service! I’d love to be a part of your faith-journey.

However, if you’re more comfortable filling out a Connect Card and having me reach out to you during the week, I’d be happy to do that too.

And, if you’re listening online, send us a message!

Your life (where you live and what you do).

Also, I want to mention… if you are truly worried about the Coronavirus, we want to pray with you. God promises that when we pray, He exchanges our worries for peace.

God is doing crazy things. We need to be like the tabernacle. Following the flame/cloud. We don’t move until it moves. We stay when it stays.

There are people here who would love to pray with you after service, including me.

I’d love to pray with you after service. Or you can fill out a Connect card and drop a prayer request. Online, we’d love to pray for you too. Leave us a comment or send a message. With that, let’s pray.

I’m doing something you wouldn’t believe...

Or you can fill out a Connect card with a prayer request.

Online, we want to pray for you too. Leave us a comment or send a message.

With that, let’s pray.

Prayer: Father, thank you that you are in control. In the good times and the bad times. Help us to trust You in both. And give us faith when we struggle to do that. Help us to live in a way that proves we believe You see all things, You are everywhere, and You are all-powerful. Take every worry from our heart. Forgive us for our sins. And teach us to repent of our sin and give our entire heart to You. In Jesus name, amen.