Living from Problem to Promise

Living from Problem to Promise

Text: Ps. 126:1-6

The psalmist is writing here that Israel has been freed from captivity and has come back home to their homeland.

They had been slaves in Babylon, and God has freed them, and now they are coming back home.

They are celebrating that God has brought them back home; they didn’t believe they would be freed.

We serve a God who can free you from whatever you are wrestling with; how many know God can free you

· No matter what you are going through, God can free you from it!

· If you are honest, we all have something we have been wrestling with

· At times we are plagued with people problems

· Some things are bothering us today… I often think about when they will lay us off again

· There have been things I wanted God to free me from

· There have been people I wanted God to free me from

God has the power and the capacity to free you today

· He is a God who will give us victory and freedom

· Now that they’re home!

· Now that they are free!

And they know that the only way they got out of it was because of God!

· How many of you can say it’s only because of God who brought you out!

· The bank didn’t do it

· The job didn’t do it

· It was only because of God who brought you out

· It wasn’t you

· It wasn’t a relationship

· It wasn’t who you knew

· It was only God who brought you out!

· Because you knew it would take a move of God to get you out of this dilemma

First Point: Experiencing God’s Power

So, in vs1, we see they have (Experienced God’s Power), and it’s important for us to know that no matter what we are going through, we can experience God’s power to set us free.

· No matter how long you’ve been in it

· No matter when you did it

· You know that only God can bring you out

Vs1. When the Lordbrought back the captivity of Zion,

We were like those who dream.[1]

They said that God brought them back to Zion back home, and they thought they were dreaming.

· We serve a God who can make dreams come true!

· There was a time when I thought doing a church plant was a dream

· Here we are 13 years later

· When I went to Jeff City to the classes about church planting, I thought I was going for a weekend getaway for free.

· When I went down to the Lake of the Ozarks to Winder Mere, a Bible camp resort for the weekend, eating steaks and had a big breakfast, I thought I was doing it for a steak dinner and a weekend at the lake.

But look at us now; we’re celebrating 13yrs on this month on the 28th, and no matter what, we’re still here because of God’s favor and grace.

Phil 1:6: Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;[2]

· If God can give you the dream, He can make the dream come true

Point 2 We need to Express Some Praise

Vs. 2: Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

And our tongue with singing.

Then they said among the nations,

“The Lordhas done great things for them.”[3]

· We need to express some praise

· When God makes your dream come true, you will sing and laugh because you know it was only God.

· Not only will you sing, but people around you will see what God has done for you!

· When I think about us here, it’s only because God made everything come to reality.

One thing I’ve learned people will:

· Talk about

· Hope the worst for you

· Try to kill every aspect of your ministry

· Your life

· The devil can’t stop you!

· Romans 8:31: What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?[4]

Point 3 You ought to Pray

Look at vs.4: Bring back our captivity, O Lord,

As the streams in the South.[5]

· They are praying for God to restore everything that the devil had taken away

· Luke 18:1: Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart[6]

Point 4: Expect the Promise

Vs. 5-6: 5 Those who sow in tears

Shall reap in joy.

6 He who continually goes forth weeping,

Bearing seed for sowing,

Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,

Bringing his sheaves with him.[7]

Here’s the Promise: If you have been sowing in tears, you are going to reap in joy

· You've been crying long enough.

· You’ve been weeping long enough

· God’s about to bring some joy to your life.

Vs. six means as soon as you get out of one thing, here comes something else

· Soon as you get out of one sickness, here comes another

· One kid gets straight; the other one begins to act up

· You just straighten out one problem; here comes another

· But no matter what, you have held the course and believed God

But here’s the kicker you have been continually weeping, but you have been baring seed for soil

· And while you have been sowing, you will bring forth a harvest

· A sheave was when the harvest was so great; they would bundle up the harvest in bundles

· They have been blessed so much by God that they couldn’t even bundle it up

· I want God to bless NBM, bless you, bless me that we can’t even bundle it up.

· I want the streams to be overflowing in my life

God give us our peace back

Give us our joy back

[1] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ps 126:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [2] The New King James Version. (1982). (Php 1:6). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [3] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ps 126:2). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [4] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 8:31). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [5] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ps 126:4). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [6] The New King James Version. (1982). (Lk 18:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [7] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ps 126:5–6). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.