God's Response

The Lord Reigns, let the Earth be glad let the Distant Shores, Rejoice clouds, thick Darkness around him. Righteousness and Justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes. His foes on every side is lightning, lights up. The world, your seas, and tremble, the mountains, melt like Wax. Before the Lord. Before the Lord, of all the Earth, the heavens Proclaim, his righteousness. And All Peoples. See his glory, And a proclamation of the Lord and how he he works. And then we're going to be looking again this week at the work of God in his response to our cry. So we can have our hearts and Minds that direction. But let's pray.

Oh, Father in heaven. We rejoice in you and are thankful for your presence in our lives, in the power. That is there. That is at our disposal as we cry out to you for, father, as our hearts rejoice in, you, you respond with power and strength and we pray that we would have arts and limes, open to see that response within our lives, in our work. And we pray for your Mighty hand to lead us how thankful. We are for your desire to walk with us through this life. Lord, we do come to you with a desire to reach out and touch the lives of those that are present with us in many ways, whether their relatives or friends, or Neighbors. We have opportunities, father to reach their lives and touch their hearts. And we pray that your spirit would well up within us to help us be responsive to the needs that are there. The greatest need to know Jesus Christ. As Lord and Savior to change our direction from Eternal tragedy to Eternal. Joy and happiness. Father, we also understand that there are many in here that have request that.

Truly are Desiring of your work in our lives. And so, father, we pray that your hand would come down and touch each of our lives in aiding us. Throughout. The process, is that we're called to go through trusting you along the way for your, the mighty guide and strength. We do pray for your hand to be upon us as we worship you, that we would do. So with a desire to express our thankfulness, our joy, and our happiness, and walking in your life, to bless us as we continue on in this service. Lord, that we would truly lift you up with praise honor and glory in the name of Jesus Christ. Our Lord and Savior. We ask these things. Amen.

It's time to sing your song again.

Let me be singing when the car would shoot you.

And you put 10,000.

Yo.

And on that day, when my strength is failing.

Bless the Lord. Oh my soul worship His. Holy.

I will worship you.

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood, and righteousness sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus Christ, the solid rock. I stand. Your ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.

When he shall call with, trumpet sound in him, be found the lone faultless to stand Before the Throne sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.

Craigslist, Little Rock is sinking sand.

Alright, supercharged time.

Let's have a word of prayer before we get started. Father in heaven, we thank you that we have your word that is powerful and mighty and we thank you for your spirit. That is The Guiding Light to our lives and encourages us, and strengthens us to do the things that you call us to. We thank you for your your presence here today and that we can gather together as a body and worship. You father. May your spirit be fully active and alive in each of our hearts filling us with your presence and your guidance, as we look at your response.

To our cry, for your mercy and Grace, and your work in our lives. Father, may you touch me? That has I speak I would speak your words and your way that your spirit would guide everything that comes from me that it would be your power and your strength. You would reach out and touch lives here. Today. We thank you for that. We praise. Pray for your. And in Jesus name. Amen. Well, we've been looking at the work of God and how he works. Last week. We began with a cry for help from some 18. And today, we look at God's response and I'll be honest with you. This was a real tough one for me to kind of go through, because we look at God's response in scripture. We see how we responded at creation and that amazing work. How he responds to different people as he touches them in the Bible. And we think why doesn't Touch me like that today. You know, and I think so many of us go around life and we worship God and everything, but we really don't see his powerful hand working in and through us, like, we really want to and does. So as I work through this sermon and trying to think how in the world do you present something like that? And call people to understand that God does work in powerful Mighty ways as we look at the time of Christ coming, you know, and people were all around saying, well God isn't with us, you know, he's supposed to send the Messiah, but we don't see him and he's not there not realizing that he was working with Incredible and mighty work leading up to that. And it all comes down to our sense of really Trust in God and be willing to step out of where we are to do. Something. God has called us to even though we might fear for what that is. And some of you have taken those steps that take you beyond that. To you. Noah to have God, come to you and say, I want you to do a work that is completely different than what you're doing and you go. Wow, that sounds tough. But be willing to step out into it. Sometimes it's not something we can throw like a disease or something, that God brings us our way and do we are we willing to trust him in that? Well, there's one thing that you and I and blade as Believers have in us that we can do to step out and trust God in those ways. And yet so many of us. In fact, I think all of us fear to do that, you know, we're called in the 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 to be reconcilers of the world. He doesn't say yes, your pastors do that. He says, you believers do that. So each and every one of you who can say, I believe in Jesus Christ, as my Lord and Savior, you are called to step out from where you are and to proclaim the gospel to people who don't know the word of God. That's what you're called to. But you know what? Every one of us myself included are fearful to do that. Why? Because we don't, we fear what people might think of us to Proclaim Jesus Christ, as Lord? And Savior, We Fear what? The response might be in our neighborhood. We fear all those things and yet we have a something that is so special. It can change a person's Eternal existence and yet were afraid to step out and say a word about that. It comes with, do I trust God to allow me to step out and do those things. And so when we take a look at God's response in this chapter and we see these Mighty things happening behind the scenes, as God gets ready to respond. Well, those things happen because we decided to trust him for a situation, you know, we can describe situations, for instance, of missionary that goes overseas, and trust him to lead and situations that he's going to face not knowing what they are you? Oh, yeah. I can trust those to face those responses as diseases or something like that. Sure. We understand trust in God for that, but Do we trust him in the simple thing of presenting the grace that God wants to give? That's a Tuffy but it's a responsibility for each and every one of us. There's not one person that is here. Again. Just say I hate that's not my responsibility because that's a lie to yourself. It is your responsibility and it's my responsibility to be able to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ. Will people in need? And yet we fear that and turned away. So let's get with it. As we see the response. Remember that God wants to respond this way. To us, but are we willing to trust him to do that? Start enough. Psalm 18. Remember we did the first 6 verses will do 7 versus 7 to 12 here. This is God responding to I cry, you know, if you fall on your knees this week and say Lord, you're right. I haven't responded. I want to respond to your call for my life. You might cry. What do I do or make me willing to step up and be that witness? Here. It is. The earth trembled and Quake. The foundations of the mountains shook. They trembled because he was angry smoke Rose from his nostrils. Consuming fire came from his mouth burning, coals Blaze out of it, part of the heavens and came down dark clouds. Wear under his feet amount of the cherubim and flew. He soared on the wings of the wind. He made, darkness is Covering is canopy around in the dark, rain clouds of the sky and out of the brightness of his presence clouds, Advanced with hailstones and bolts of lightning. Wow. You read that sort of thing. You say, how would God respond to my prayers? Like that? Can I trust him to? Be so bold in what I desire from my life that he would respond in such a way, you know, and we see that response in scripture, you know, if the Israelites when they were in Egypt and they were struggling under pharaohs call and and God came and he answered with the plagues and then he answered with the provisions throughout their wanderings in the desert. He brought him to the Mountain of God Mount Horeb, and they were to worship him here and they see the mountain trembling. And I'm certain that it was shaking, like an earthquake before. And they say all well, I can see the power of God in that. But it's tough. Exodus 1960 and it says on the mountain on the third day. There was thunder and lightning with a thick Cloud over the mountain in a very loud trumpet. Blast everyone in the camp trembled. You know, it's the idea of Experiencing God and I think that, you know, you and I as Believers in Christ want to feel the response of God. Don't you don't, you want to feel the response of God in your life and just kind of shaking things up around you and allowing his work to be done through your life. What a shake that would be, and that's what he wants to do for you. And for me, just as he did, for the people of Israel in showing himself, powerful and mighty before them. To call them to believe. But you know what? We struggle with that we get afraid and terrified to do the things that God calls us to do. God's arrival at that mountain. It says Mount Sinai was covered with Verse 18 of Exodus. 19 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord descended on it and fire, the smoke billowed up from it, like smoke from a furnace, the whole Mountain trembled violently. You know, we designed for God's work in our lives, but you know, man is so fickle, you know, we recognize this ability to save our lives and yet to trust him to do some of the things he's called us to this worry and fear and struggles and that's what happened to the people. You know, what the Israelites did when he did that. They said Moses you go up and talk to him. We don't want to do that. You do that because we're afraid. And that's the way it is with our lives as we get afraid to do what God calls us to do. And yet his response to us when we trust him. Is this incredible response of love and joy and and really revelation of who he is. And his power in our lives. As we continue on notice. He sends share of them. The cherubim kind of God's workers worker bee Angels, you know, it's was the the cherubim that he sat at the gates of Eden, when he cast Adam and Eve out of there. Genesis 324 after he drove the men out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim in a firing sword, flashing back and forth to guard the way to the Tree of Life. That's those worker angels that get out and they they do those things that God called him to do and they are the ones that go before him and really broadcast is a presence in our is he moves along powerful things, and That's what goes before God. And when he works in our lives, it was our actions. That We are to expect in our lives as we are willing to step out and trust him for the things. He's called us to do.

God creates things. And this is the response that we have. In Psalm 104, verse has three be in for, he makes the clouds, his Chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. It makes winds, this messenger flames of fire, his servants.

you know, when we think about God and All he is, you know, sometimes we we minimize him in some respects because we don't think I missed the one who is Grand enough to create a universe and the feel that power and that strength that he exuded, and just speaking a word and the stars came into existence speaking your word in the world appeared and plants and animals and finally man appeared. You know, the power that is there. They have that flyer come from his mouth, fire is an element of change in the power and strength and we need to remember that as we go for that. God is right there with us, that he is living in us and that power exists inside of you. Think about that, you hold God in your life and that power is there for each of us to take advantage of and so often we sit back and are fearful about stepping out and allowing God to truly move in our lives. In many of those situations. Well, here's God's reply to our cry, you know, he comes powerfully and majestically but then he replies in the Lord thundered From Heaven vs 13 and 15 to 15 from Heaven. The voice of the most high resounded, he shot his arrows and Scatter, the enemy with great bolts of lightning. He routed them. Valleys of the sea were exposed in the foundations of the earth, laid bare at your rebuke, Lord at the blast of breath from your nostrils. Wow, that's pretty incredible. When you look at it, you know that God's response to your cry. I can be so powerful and dramatic. And I think it's just our trust. That doesn't allow that we don't trust him enough to overcome the fear that lies within us to really cry out for him to make those amazing changes that in our lives and the lives of the people around us. And we need to think truly about what is going on. His voice is powerful. Remember I said, it's his voice. They called everything into being, it's his voice did called your life to be. And that's the voice of the Mighty God that that can change live. As we trust in him. Psalms 29:4 says, the voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is majestic. When he uses his voice Mighty change occurs, it's Majestic because of the wonderful things that he gives and you recognize that as you walk out the door and you look up at these Majestic Hills that surround us and as you see the beauty in the nighttime, yes, his voice is majestic is powerful, it creates, and it changes and it makes a difference. We need to remember that. It truly makes a difference and cannot believe that is really our Folly. You know, when we don't believe that God is in control. It's our fawley. There were a number of tribes that wanted to go against the people of Israel in the time of Joshua, fact, and they gathered together, and then some of these tribes were people that had been related to the A people of Israel and in time, but they gathered together to come and take over the land. And their Folly was that they really didn't believe God. Josh, if I did and he cried out to the Lord and the Lord answered without the loss of a single soldier. Here's the story as they have gone out, and they've had the

The priest going before them with singing and playing of songs and all of these things and they got to look down into the valley. And here's what they saw in the valley of their enemies, the ammonites and more B, Rose up against the men of Mount seir to destroy and annihilate them. And after they finished watering the men of seer, they helped to destroy one another, you know. It's our Folly when we don't understand and believe that God works powerful and miraculously in the lives of people and can change even the minds of men.

And we need to trust that he can do that through us.

It becomes overwhelming. When we see the process of God's hand working. I know that Mary and I have taken the opportunity to watch the hand of God moving and mighty ways as we chose to give up the life that we had here in the states and go overseas and trust him. The guy we didn't know what was going on. Particularly when we chose to step out of our work that we had been doing. I was a teacher and I was teaching in Budapest but then we went over to go to roads and start a work there. We really could watch the mighty hand of God moving in. Our four ways to touch people's lives and it was stepping out there and trusting that. Okay. God called us Island. There was a reason and so we're going to trust him to do it then. So we saw him. Iraq. What is things happening there? Changes and lives. People coming to God. That we had no idea that just a little things that we were doing with touch those lives. But each day, before we headed out onto our journey around the neighborhood, and every day we would do this, we would go out and we'd save Lord. Take us to places that you can do your work and we'd go out and we begin to talk with different shops and restaurants and different things like this. And we could see God changing hearts and lives in those places. Not because we were doing anything, that was powerful or Mighty. But when we step out and trust, God, God can do those things. We have the story of Deborah and Barak in judges 4 and 5. And remember that they were being conquered by this community of people and they were going against the people of Israel and holding them in bondage. And, and there was nothing they could do about it. They had chariots iron chariots and everything that allowed them to be Victorious. And yet, God called Deborah to come in Barack to go and Conquer. These people remember Barack was fearful and there isn't really putting his trust in God. He said, I'll only go if you come with me and so he gave his trust over to somebody else, but God was still faithful. The thing is that he allowed the conquest to be by a woman instead of himself. But in this battle judges for 15 at barack's, Advanced the Lord routed Cicero and all his chariots and army By The Sword and Seth Roy got down from his Chariot and fled on foot. Remember, he went to a tent and as he was resting in that tent, a lady, founded a spear through his head. You know. We need to trust God When God says, take a step. We need to take a step and go forward and he brings judgment on the wicked and blessings on the righteous. Psalm 11:6, the wicked. He will rain in fiery, coals and burning sulfur. A scorching wind will be there locked in the question is do we trust God enough to help us change the unrighteous to the righteous. By his power. And that's what we're called to do or called to be involved in those activities, but let's finish off this. Response of God to the a person's Cry for Help. Psalm 18 verses 16 to 19. He reached down from on high and took hold of me. He threw me out of the deep Waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy. From my foes, we were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster. But the Lord was my support. He brought me out into space just place he rescued me because he delighted in me. Isn't that incredible? You know, when we trust God, that's when he Delights in us, when we say Lord. I don't know what's going to happen here. But I'm trusting that you will guide in that is the path. I have chosen and even though I'm afraid to go this way because you were with me, I believe, and we go that way. And, you know, he loves that, God loves it. When we desire to go his way, even when it's fearful, and we're afraid.

Psalm 31:20 3 and 4, love the Lord. And his faithful people, the Lord preserves those who are true to him with a proud. He pays back in full be strong and take Heart, All You, Who hope in the Lord? You know, each and everyone of us, our hope is in the Lord. That's what you have in your heart as you've trusted. Jesus Christ, as your lord and savior, your whole is that God. Truly is the power that we see in Scripture that we see proclaimed in the lives of others who have been changed for all eternity. We send our hope is there. Is it enough to trust him? When we pray and cry out to him. Question for us.

God is the one who rescues Us in this life, you know, sometimes we think if we have enough finances, you know, I'm, I'm settled in life. I have enough finances. That'll take me my way or hey, I have insurance. So that covers me when disaster comes or, you know, I have a lot of Care by doctors or, you know, all these things that we can trust in. In this life. You know, do I trust in God to carry me through the circumstances of those lives, you know, he's the one who conquers the real photos in our lives. Some 1848. We're not going to get this far when we go through the chapters self-love jump to their, who saves me, from my enemies. You exalted me above my photos from a violent man. You rescued me. Sometimes that violent man is ourselves because of our fear. So we need to understand. Do you know

Our trust in God brings importance and value. And when we do, you know, I you know, if we're struggling with Walking with God and giving him what he needs, God desires to change our lives. He desires to make a difference in who we are and make us realize that we are a horrible person when we trust in him when he takes a hold of Our Lives, when we try to do it ourselves. Yeah, we might look good in the world. But before the eyes of God, it means nothing. We need to be powerful in the eyes of God. Jeremiah 33. 11 says, the sounds of joy and gladness the voices of Bride, and bridegroom in the voices of those who bring thank-offerings to the house of the Lord saying, give thanks to the Lord Almighty. For the Lord is good. His love endures forever for I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before. It says the Lord God wants to

Restore our strength, our faith, our trust in him, but it's our willingness to give over to him all that. We are to trust him, to lead us in those things to make a difference in our lives. And when we do, when we respond to him and trust him to lead all the way. It's Like in the Psalm 37, that David wrote for the end of his life and he's riding this song and his kind of going back through his life and he's looking back and realizing that God had made a difference in that, he takes joy in him. And in verses, 23, and for the Lord makes firm. The steps of the one who Delights in him. Though, we may stumble. He will not fall for the Lord upholds him with his hand. And, of course, David can look back at his life and say, yeah, I stumbled a few times but God was always there with me. God is the one who leaves my life, as I trust in him and believe that he will give me the strength to do the things I've been called to do. And I think that's one of the struggles that a nation that has been so blessed by God and truly be knighted states has been blessed by God. We've received far more than the other nations of the world. You are secure because you have had good jobs. You have a provided income, you have health benefits, and all of these things and it tends to be that we want to trust in those things rather than the provider. And that was the problem with Israel. When everything became great for them. They tended to turn away from the Lord and not trust, in his power and his strength. And this is a call to all of us to think about where I stand with the Living. God. Am I standing with the light in his presents and rejoicing over his work in my life? And his, a bill? I need your help me be everything. He's called me to be in him to be faithful and true or am. I trusting in those things that he has provided the through the blessings on this land? Because if we look back at history, when God blessed is real.

And they turned away from him. He turned away from them. We need to remember that I need. To continue to build my trust in the Living, God every day, every day.

Let's pray.

Father in heaven.

Have to thank you for your patience with me, and your willingness to help me suffer through these moments of figuring out how to bring a message to people and to Proclaim your name, help me to be faithful to that call. Father. We pray that you would be with each of us here today is we listen to the message the cry for help and then your response and father how each of us ought to desire that response to the things in our lives, but it comes with our willingness to trust you. To be that Mighty Guy guide for our lives to be our strength for father. If we trust in you and we take it upon ourselves to go and do the work. We've missed Point, help us to trust you along the way to lift you up and seek. You may, you help us to do that in this week in Jesus name. Amen.

All these things shall be added unto, you shall be given unto you.

Our gracious father. May we ask may we seek? May we find you or great love for us as you respond to our cries cries to allow you to operate power play in our lives and to feel the mighty Rumble of your presence As you move in and through us. So Lord, as we go forward in Jesus name. Amen.

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