God is For You!

The God Fearing Christian can say - “The Lord is On My Side - the Lord is For Me!” 4-6

10,000 Sermon Illustrations (First Thanksgiving)

The first American Thanksgiving didn’t occur in 1621 when a group of Pilgrims shared a feast with a group of friendly Indians. The first recorded thanksgiving took place in Virginia more than 11 years earlier, and it wasn’t a feast. The winter of 1610 at Jamestown had reduced a group of 409 settlers to 60. The survivors prayed for help, without knowing when or how it might come. When help arrived, in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England, a prayer meeting was held to give thanks to God.

Psalm 118 is known as one of the procession songs, sung while walking to the Temple. It was sung by people going to the Temple to worship God AFTER participating in the Passover Meal. Psalm 113-114 were sung before and Psalm 115-118 were sung after the meal on the way to worship at Temple.

We are headed to the Temple of God - Heaven!

Do you ever feel discouraged?

Ever have feelings of discouragement?

Have you ever thought, “I’m not good enough, why would God love me?”

Have you ever sensed that LIFE and sometimes PEOPLE were against you? Nothing is going well?

What problems do you have going on today? What are you afraid of? Much of life is out of our control, but we still get overwhelmed, discouraged, and down.

The Psalm/Song before us today is a song of victory. Your value, worth, and importance is affirmed by the Lord in the verses of this song.

This Psalm starts and finished the first and last verse with the same 16 English words. 1, 29

Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Psalm 113. Nothing Too Great for Him, No-One Too Small)

A short run of psalms used at the yearly Passover begins here (Psalm 113), and is therefore commonly known as the Egyptian Hallel (Hallel means Praise). Only the second of them (114) speaks directly of the exodus, but the theme of raising the downtrodden (113) and the note of corporate praise (115), personal thanksgiving (116), world vision (117) and festal procession (118) make it an appropriate series to mark the salvation which began in Egypt and will spread to the nations. By custom, the first two psalms are sung before the Passover meal, and the remaining four after it. So these were probably the last psalms our Lord sang before his passion (Mark 14:26), and Psalm 118 had already made itself heard more than once in the confrontation of the previous few days.

Psalm 118 was the last song sung after Passover.

READ 1-6.

A collective voice of “them” and “us”, Israel, and “house of Aaron” gives way to personal pronouns, “I, me, and my” in verses 4-29.

This is a song. When we sing, we sing collectively, but the something and worship should also bringing you directly into the presence of God and into a personal moment of reflection and praise of God.

When a person is leading a public prayer, start your prayer off with him and pray along, but make the prayer your prayer. Make it personal.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (God-Fearer)

God-Fearer. One who fears God. This can be a term of reverence, an emotional reaction of terror, or a dread of God’s vengeance.

New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries: Updated Edition (3372a יָרֵא (yare))

יָרֵא yare (431a); a prim. root; to fear:—afraid(100), awesome(21), awesome acts(1), awesome things(4), became afraid(1), became … frightened(2), fear(165), feared(36), revere(10), revered(3), reverence(3), showed reverence(1),

New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries: Updated Edition (3034 יָדָה (yadah))

O GIVE THANKS = יָדָה yadah (392a); a prim. root; to throw, cast:—confess(10), confessed(3), confesses(1), confessing(2), gave(1), gave praise(1), give you thanks(5), give thanks(59)

The God Fearing Christian can say - “The Lord is On My Side - the Lord is For Me!” 4-6

Godly FEAR is a healthy respect and reverence for the LORD.

Unhealthy fear is afraid of men, circumstances, and problems.

Fearing God is greater is than fearing problems and being scared.

The God Fearing Christian can say - “The Lord is On My Side - the Lord is For Me!” 4-6

GOD IS FOR YOU!!!

Hebrews 13:6 (AV)

So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

THREE WAYS GOD IS FOR YOU…

I’m Rescued. 1-6.

Mercy = not getting what we deserve; but “mercy” has an emotional sense on the part of God towards us. It is not cold and dry. “Lovingkindness, faithful love, goodness, and loyalty” are part of this “mercy.”

חֶסֶד (ḥesed). n. masc. steadfast love, kindness, faithfulness, loyalty. The core idea of this term relates to loyalty within a relationship. In relation to the concept of love, it denotes God’s faithfulness to his people.

“In my distress” = Straights, a tight place.

Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (1973 צָרַר)

מֵצַר (mēṣar) straits, distress

When in a tight place, unable to move, seemingly unable to turn around, God can rescue you.

“It seems like I have no other option!”

“I’m Stuck. I’m in trouble. In between a Rock and a Hard place.”

The Christian can call out to God and He will deliver him to a large, spacious place! Freedom, room to grow and live, and do right.

WHAT DOES HE RESCUE US FROM?

He rescues us from our SIN.

He rescues us from OURSELVES

He rescues us from our STRUGGLES.

The Mercy of God Rescues Us!

Supernatural Mercy for each Morning.

Steadfast Love For Each Day.

Steady Kindness Every Moment.

When others are against you - God is for you and will rescue you!

Romans 8:31 (AV)

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

I’m Rescued. 1-6.

I’m A Refugee. 6-13

82.4 MILLION

Forcibly displaced people worldwide at the end of 2020 as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order. -UN.REFUGEE

35 million

are children

An estimated 35 million (42%) of the 82.4 million forcibly displaced people are children below 18 years of age (end-2020).

He uses a comparison, contrast musical method in the words of the Psalm. “One thing is better than another thing.” Trusting God is Better than _____________. 8-9

חָסוּת (ḥā·sûṯ): n.fem.; ≡ refuge, protection, i.e., a shelter that makes one in a state of safety

Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

TRUST = Refuge, shelter.

David knew to “Shelter in God.”

Psalm 61:1–4 (AV)

Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

Today's Best Illustrations, Volumes 1-4 (The Christmas Story Never Told)

“Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt’ ” (Matthew 2:13 KJV).Jesus was a Palestinian refugee. As a matter of fact, Jesus was an Asian-born baby who became an African refugee.

The Christmas story is about an Asian-born baby who becomes an international migrant.Half of the babies born in the world are born in Asia, and Jesus was one of them.

Half of the 18 million migrants in the world are Africans, and Jesus touched the African migrant experience. Twenty percent of the babies in developing nations died the first year from water-borne diseases; whole villages of babies died before Jesus had an opportunity to die for them on the cross.Jesus was born in a borrowed barn and buried in a borrowed grave and was homeless most of his life. The authentic Gospel has enormous power for the whole world when we tell it the way it really is.—Raymond Bakke, Christian Reader, Vol. 32, no. 6.

Enemies will Surround You/Us. 11-12

Who do you trust to protect and provide for you?

Other people?

Civic leaders? (Princes/Nobles)

Government?

Who do you rely on to deliver you and take you to a place of safety?

A Refugee from the Bees of Life. 12

When bees are swarming and angry - look out!

Bees die trying to protect the Bee interests. They leave their stinger in and when they pull up, their guts fall out. The bee dies.

Some people will do anything and everything they can to harm Christians and the name of Christ. Seek Shelter in Jesus!

A Refugee with Endurance From Harm. 12-13

The world, flesh, and devil want you to fall, fail, flounder and flat out quit.

Don’t quit. Don’t give up living for Christ.

You can endure by the Grace of God!

Shelter in God!

Proverbs 18:10 (AV)

The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

I’m Rescued. 1-6.

I’m A Refugee. 6-13

I’m Righteous. 17-21

10,000 Sermon Illustrations (We Are Made Righteous)

Righteousness is an attribute of moral purity belonging to God alone (John 17:25). It is He alone who is truly righteous. No one in the world is righteous in the eyes of the Lord, that is, except the Christian. We are counted righteous in the eyes of God when we receive Jesus by faith (Phil. 3:9). Our righteousness is based on what Jesus did on the cross. The righteousness that was Christ’s is counted to us. We, then, are seen as righteous in the eyes of God. Though we are actually worthy of damnation, we are made righteous (Is. 61:10) by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. As a result, will spend eternity in the presence of the holy, pure, loving, kind, gentle, and righteous God. Our righteousness.

A Sinner With Eternal Life. A Sinner Made Right By God.

10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Righteousness)

The word “righteous” goes back to a base, reg, meaning “move in a straight line.” Thus, “righteous” (rightwise) means “in the straight (or right) way.” Used with reference to morality, “righteous” means living or acting in the right way.But what is the “right” way?

In our society, people commonly say that everyone must determine what is right for oneself. However, Scripture offers a different standard—indeed, the ultimate standard of rightness or “righteousness,” God Himself. God’s character reveals what is absolutely right. He is the measure of moral right and wrong.

A Sinner Serving the Lord. 17 “Declare His works.”

Sometimes “Self-Righteousness” is what makes us feel unloved or uncared for, or alone...

10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Contrast Self-Righteous Service with True Service)

Self-righteous service comes through human effort.True service comes from a relationship with the divine Other deep inside.

Self-righteous service is impressed with the “big deal.”True service finds it almost impossible to distinguish the small from the large service.

Self-righteous service requires external rewards.True service rests contented in hiddenness.

Self-righteous service is highly concerned about results.True service is free of the need to calculate results.

Self-righteous service picks and chooses whom to serve.True service is indiscriminate in its ministry.

Self-righteous service is affected by moods and whims.True service ministers simply and faithfully because there is a need.

Self-righteous service is temporary.True service is a life-style.

Self-righteous service is without sensitivity. It insists on meeting the need even when to do so would be destructive.True service can withhold the service as freely as perform it.

Self-righteous service fractures community.True service, on the other hand, builds community.

A Sinner Corrected/ Chastened/ Disciplined by God. 18

A Sinner Living the Right Way. 19-20

I’m Rescued. 1-6.

I’m A Refugee. 6-13

I’m Righteous. 17-21

When things go wrong - praise and thank God.

When times are good praise and thank the Lord.

When you don’t know what to do - praise and thank the Lord.

When God gives clear direction - praise and thank Him.

No matter what happens - God is for you - give Him the glory!

GOD IS FOR YOU!!!

RESPONSE:

GIVE THANKS FOR BEING RESCUED.

GIVE THANKS FOR BEING A REFUGEE.

GIVE THANKS FOR GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS.

All possible by Jesus, the Passover Lamb; be saved.

I love You, Lord For Your mercy never fails me All my days, I've been held in Your hands From the moment that I wake up Until I lay my head Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

And all my life You have been faithful And all my life You have been so, so good With every breath that I am able Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

I love Your voice You have led me through the fire In the darkest night You are close like no other I've known You as a Father I've known You as a Friend And I have lived in the goodness of God (yeah)

And all my life You have been faithful (oh) And all my life You have been so, so good With every breath that I am able Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God (yeah)

'Cause Your goodness is running after It's running after me Your goodness is running after It's running after me With my life laid down I'm surrendered now I give You everything 'Cause Your goodness is running after It's running after me (oh-oh)

'Cause Your goodness is running after It's running after me Your goodness is running after It's running after me With my life laid down I'm surrendered now I give You everything 'Cause Your goodness is running after It keeps running after me

And all my life You have been faithful And all my life You have been so, so good With every breath that I am able Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God (I'm gonna sing, I'm gonna sing)

'Cause all my life You have been faithful And all my life You have been so, so good With every breath that I am able Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God