In the Land of the Living
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 8 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
If we stop for a moment and take a snapshot of the future the Bible prophesies JUST before the end of the Book, it looks pretty bleak!
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
YIKES!!!
Don’t stop before the end of the Book!
Don’t stop before the end of YOUR Book…it’s still being written!
It might be a low-point in your personal story, but don’t quit now!!!
13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
In the END of the Book - We WIN!!!
Jesus Wins
The Church Wins
The Question is: How do I endure until the END?
The Question is: How do I endure until the END?
The biggest key to all of this is:
What do YOU believe?
What do YOU believe?
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.
So many people believe that God has changed from who He was in the Bible: (I’m about to throw a BUNCH of ideas out there without citing any sources, etc. - these are all pretty commonly held beliefs in our post-modern society)
Doesn’t do miracles anymore
Doesn’t heal people anymore
Doesn’t destroy the works of the devil anymore - in fact, He now partners with the devil for our refining
Has so much grace that He doesn’t call sinners to repentance
God loves everyone so much that He won’t let people go to Hell
Everyone is automatically God’s child
Lying is okay as long as it’s for a good cause
Here’s what the Bible says:
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
What you believe about this scripture will change everything in your relationship with God!
Jesus = The Word = God
We cannot selectively choose which scriptures to believe and when to believe them.
If we do that, our life will be built on shifting sand and we will be thoroughly confused in our relationship with God.
If we actually, literally, wholeheartedly believe this verse our hope will SKYROCKET and we will Endure!
If God is the same yesterday, today & forever:
If God is the same yesterday, today & forever:
- AND HE IS!:
1. Will He still protect His People even in the midst of a plague that is destroying the world we live in?
1. Will He still protect His People even in the midst of a plague that is destroying the world we live in?
22 And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. 23 I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.” ’ ” 24 And the Lord did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.
2. Can He still make water come out of a rock when there is no drinkable water around?
2. Can He still make water come out of a rock when there is no drinkable water around?
5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
In fact, 1 Corinthains 10:4 might actually allude to the Rock following the children of Israel around the wilderness.
3. Can God still feed us when there is no food around?
3. Can God still feed us when there is no food around?
31 And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
17 Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. 18 So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need.
35 And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
Surely, if God can give food when there is no food, then multiplying existing food daily is no problem at all!!!
4. Can God still make sure that NOT A SINGLE ONE of His children is sick or feeble?
4. Can God still make sure that NOT A SINGLE ONE of His children is sick or feeble?
37 He brought [Israel] forth also with silver and gold, and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.
25 “So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.
5. Can God still create wealth from nothing & cause you to prosper in a time of economic tragedy?
5. Can God still create wealth from nothing & cause you to prosper in a time of economic tragedy?
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. 13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; 14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.
5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased.
6. Does God still want us to lay our hands on the sick, diseased, & dead? And, can He still protect us from catching the sicknesses & diseases we are praying for others to delivered from?
6. Does God still want us to lay our hands on the sick, diseased, & dead? And, can He still protect us from catching the sicknesses & diseases we are praying for others to delivered from?
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
Times may have changed, but God has not!
Times may have changed, but God has not!
6 “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
If God did it for ANYONE…EVER, there is a great chance that He will do it for you!
11 For God shows no partiality [undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is not different from another].
Our unchanging God is the very reason why we can “believe to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the Living”
Just One Thing:
Just One Thing:
Choose to believe in the God of the Bible TODAY & rely wholeheartedly on an unchanging God in unstable times.
Discussion Questions:
Discussion Questions:
What’s the funniest thing you’ve done or had happen while your mind was wandering?
Do you 100% agree with the Bible when it says that Jesus Christ is the same??? How does your belief (or lack of belief) in this scripture affect the way you approach your relationship with God?
Please read Romans 2:11 (perhaps in a few translations) and share what this scripture means to you and how it impacts your relationship with God.
Do you feel that you can walk with great certainty into the future? Please share a bit about why or why not.