Why God Responds

Good, praise the Lord, this morning is going to be taken from Matthew Chapter 5 and you see one of the verses on the handout, I give you, but we're going to read the whole of the Beatitudes. So if you wanted to follow along, you can open your Bible and go to that Passage.

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be? Comforted. Blessed, are the meek for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness? For they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful for they will be? Shown Mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see. God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called, sons of God. Blessed are those who pursue are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And that's a leading to today's message. Remember, we're looking at the work of God taking in Psalm, 18 and that we're going to be looking at why God responds today and how he blesses. And you might notice that these blessings aren't for Earthly things there for things that inspire a desire for heaven and for God's activities in the world, and so we'll be thinking in those regards as we go forward in this. Okay, for prayer requests. We need to be in prayer for Kane and Tanya. They are taking a journey starting tomorrow going back to Cleveland Ohio for some medical issues continuing. And we need to truly be in prayer for their travels because it's a few hops to get back there and do the way the transit system is these last few months. It's it's in the process. So I will pray that God blesses. The journey is much as guides them as their back, going through some of those issues. This is going to be an ongoing thing. So remember to continue to be in prayer for them as they go along. Let's pray.

Father in Heaven, how thankful we are once again to come to you, the Mighty God, who is the guider of our hearts, and our minds. As we pull up on you, we pray that that would be the diet desire of each of our hearts that your spirit would have an open opportunity to move in our hearts and mold us into the image of our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ. Father. We do want to remember to pray for the people of our community, our country our world that do not know you as Lord and Savior for their lost. There's no hope for their lives apart from coming to know, Jesus Christ and understanding that he is the pathway of Truth to eternal life. Otherwise, their Destiny is a horrible end and soap Father, we pray that you would instill in us a desire to reach out and to help people see the truth that they need to hear make us counselors for those in need. We do pray that you would be with the cane and Tanya their travels. We pray for your guidance, all along the way that each of the flights. They take would be on time and that they would make those each of those flights. And they would go there and come home safely. We also pray for their time there that there would be a true connection and an understanding of the process that they will be going through and how to take care of it all. We pray for your guidance or we need you. Lord, we also want a bun spoken request that people have that there are needs and desires of each of our hearts to have your work done and that you would draw us closer to you through these processes that we go through. So father, may your Mighty hand be there to encourage us and help us to trust. You are well, as the very best will for each of those moments of Our Lives. Be with us as we continue to worship you in music. And eventually in your word. May you bless us. Richly a living God in Jesus name. Amen.

So we gather here to Worship in the other sometimes with some mornings or nights. You look out there and you can almost hear the universe singing, praise to God and This morning, seemed like one of those mornings join with us here. All Creatures of our God and King.

Call Leila.

No, rushing winner. So strong clouds that sail in heaven along. Appraisal.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

Where do things their creator? Play easy?

Praise the father, praise the son, Chris.

Is mom is more than he knows.

Is Mars.

Awesome, Awesome.

Is more than enough?

You are more than enough.

Cuz all of you.

Is more than he knows?

Alright. Well, let's start with the word of Prayer. Oh precious father. How good it is to know you and to love you and to be able to come and worship you leech Sunday. You bless us richly through this and we thank you for that. Father. How we pray for your spirit to be truly active and alive. Is we now open your word. May we listen carefully to what you have to say. For each of us, myself included, father. You're the one who guides our thoughts and words as we trust you and I pray that each of us would be your spirit. Also guide me that As I open my mouth, that I would be speaking your words that truly can make a difference in the hearts of each of us blessed Miss. Oh Lord Our God in Jesus name. Amen.

Alright, well, we're working our way through some 18 and we're going to take a look today at why God responds. Remember. The first one was the cry out to God. That each of us occasionally have where we cry to him and then his response which is powerful and mighty. It's a real visual experience when you read how God responds to our prayers, even though, we don't visually see it, we can imagine his his movement. And now today, why does he respond that way? And is we take a look at our lives and we think about why does God respond to my cry for him? And each of us can say this in our own lives. And why does he do that? And his desire is that we be obedient to who This is what he does in our lives. So I'm a little bit of an example for your standing. God's work in each of Our Lives. Remember that as we look at God's blessing on its and that's what we're looking at. Remember blessed, are these people? And we look at that earlier. As we look at that. We must remember that sometimes the blessings that we really need and seek will be provided in glory. And not necessarily here on this Earth. Will look at some examples today, but taking a look at Mary's in my life in 1993. We were looking up. Pretty good. Both of us had decent jobs and we had a home and a couple of cars and things were going really well, but we'd always been on the lookout for God's movement in our lives. Because we had imagined, even before we were married that God. Would one day call. What's on the mission field? And so we look around for opportunities and then 93. An opportunity came along that we felt that we needed it. At least look into until we begin that process. And finally believed that God was calling us to go overseas and work in a missionary school that was opening up in Budapest. Hungary after the fall of the curtain things began to open up and Eastern Europe. And many of the missionary Community got together and decided, where we going to the established School in Eastern Europe, that we can send our kids to and it was determined Budapest Hungary. So, we were looking to go there. I was working as a teacher at it at Norwalk, High School in California. And have a very successful career and we decided to go ahead and do this. And I've got some reaction from some of my friends on the faculty. One of them was a coaching partner I had and I've been very successful as a coach why my teams were probably well. I was probably the most successful coach the school at ever had in terms of championships one even over a period of only seven years. And and so he came to me and he said, how can you give all of this up to go somewhere where you don't know what's going to happen? And he said I just don't understand it. And I said I'm we go because that's what God has called us to do. I had my science. The head of the science department came to me as well. And he said, you know, I have a friend that is dead, what you are planning on doing and he came back. A few years later. His life was just destroyed. Why are you doing this? You know, once again, that's where God's called me to go. And so I'm going to be obedient to his call and that's where And so we did and, you know, now we're here, and if these two characters look back at my life, from this point, they would probably say, you know, it wasn't very successful because I didn't finish my career as a teacher. I didn't retire as a teacher and I would have, but this time if I had stayed with it, Mary would have stayed and we would have a pretty good retirement probably if we hadn't been obedient to God, but we chose obedience rather than Desiring what the world offers. You know, you're doing that right now. Did you know that as you sit in these pews, you're being obedient to the Living God? Because that's what he's called us to do is called us to gather together and worship him. And when you come on a Sunday morning to give God, your being obedient to God. And whether you believe it or not, God's blessings are upon your life. Right now. You're being blessed in Eternity for what you're doing. Now, you may not see that blessing carried out in your life, in this world. It doesn't matter because the greatest blessings are those things that we receive from the Living God for all eternity. You know, that's where the blessing comes from. So when we read through this message, that that we're going to read through the day from, from Psalm 18. I will have to look at it, and that's sense. There are often times. God bless us in this life. And each one of you is blessed. We said it in Sunday school. This morning is John fendale went 350, you know, in America everybody is really blessed. But that's not the blessing you really looking for and not the blessing, you want for eternity. The real blessing you want for. Eternity is the blessing of obedience to God and then having him pour out that blessing upon your lives.

It starts with an active Faith. Okay, and so we're going to read verses 22 24. It says the Lord is dealt with me, according to my righteousness, according to the cleanliness of my hands. He has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord. I'm not guilty of turning from my God. All his laws are before me. I have not turned away from his decrees. I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanliness of my hands in his sight. Okay, this was written by David So if you think back a little bit on David's life. Yes, he had his problems as well as his good stuff. But you know what he did when he had the struggles, when he send and disobeyed God, he fell before the Living God and confess his sins and God forgets, it makes us pure and that's why David could go to the people and say I am blameless before the Living God, not because he was so great. But because God is so great and his Mercy to forgive us when we depart. Recognize that, sometimes that forgiveness. Again, that blessing again, doesn't come right away. And we see that in the life of of Route will take a look at several people right now and look at their lives and how God determined to bless them. And we look at it and we say, well, it doesn't really look like a, a great blessing, but that's the first take a look at roof. Remember Ruth. She was a moabite living in Moab and Along came and it is real life from the tribe of Judah. And she married him and became a part of that family. And then not only did the her husband died, but her husband's brother, and her husband's father passed away. And so, it was ended up with just she and Naomi are mother and I went back to Judah, not a good feeling a good sense, but she dedicated her life not only to to honoring her mother-in-law. And so she was out there doing it. As she was a gathering food in the fields when things were left over and Along Comes Boaz. Boaz is a field owner and he's watch what she's doing. And so he comes along. These are his words. May the Lord repay you for what you've done, may you be richly rewarded by the Lord the god of Israel under whose wings you have come to take refuge, you know, up to this point life hasn't been all that great for her, but he was blasting her because of her efforts to provide for her mother-in-law eventually, as we know the story of Ruth and Boaz they get married. On the line and that seems are well. That's a pretty good blessing. She got married to a fairly wealthy fellow a landowner and that sort of thing, but the real blessing came further along the line. Because as we read from scripture, she is the great-grandmother of King David and eventually leading on to Jesus Christ. What a blessing that is from Godly point of you. Another one that we look at is that King Josiah? You might remember Josiah. He was one of the later kings that came along a great king, really? Because of the tribe of Judah that had been left over from the conquest of the Assyrians and Judah was going downhill rapidly. In fact, I got it condemned them all ready for the sins of other kings and he came along but he had a focus on the Living God and he wanted to serve God with all his heart and that's what scripture says. In second Chronicles 34 33. It says Josiah removed all the detestable Idols from all the Dory belonging to the Israelites and he had all who were present in Israel, serve the Lord, their God. And as long as he live, they did not fail to follow the lord, the god of their ancestors. Okay. So you say well, that's a rich blessing. Well, if you continue to read the story, you'll find out that Josiah went to war. Early on in his life. He was only 39 years old and he died in battle. And you say what kind of blessing is that? Well, God was preserving him from the disaster that was coming up on Judah. For it was only a few years later after his death, that Israel was conquered by the Babylonians conquered, by the Babylonians. And God preserve them from that. And I'm sure he received great blessing for his desire. To honor God with his commitment to serve him. And the people that he was working for its faithfulness that God looks for God is faithful, you and I can just look at our lives and say, yeah. God's been really faithful to us. He's helped us through so many things and brought us to freedom in Christ and all these things. Yeah. He is a faithful God in the question comes are we faithful people are we people willing to be faithful? Paul was one of those faithful characters. Remember, he came to Christ after he had been persecuting the church and as much as he was very focused on persecuting the church and became focused on leading the Church of Christ in for the rest of his life, he gave over to a blessing the church and we read about in the 2nd Chronicle Corinthians, the terrible experiences. He had seven times Shipwrecked in jail, LOL. Are you? And always beating them to an inch of his life and all these things and we say, wow, what a blessing he had hun, but he's truly saw because he serve the Lord and eventually he died. As he had the tradition is his head was chopped off from the order of Caesar and so he lived a tough life, but his great blessing was that he was willing to serve God in 2nd Timothy 4:7. The last book is that he wrote, he said, I have fought the good fight. I finished the race. I have kept the faith that be great to say at the end of your life. Wow. I've fought the good fight. I've kept the faith all the way. You know, I don't have to be discouraged about what I've done because God has led me faithfully and then later on and 2nd Timothy 4:18. He writes the Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his Heavenly Kingdom to him be glory forever and ever. Amen, and it was shortly after that. His life was taken from him, but Is his Hope was in heaven and that's where he had the opportunity to go. So blessing as we seek blessing. The number one thing is to remember that we need to honor God by seeking him first. And when we honor him, that's when the blessings come. Remember that whole Beatitudes going down at work. They are people that have chosen to bless God for their lives. That are honored will continue on. God is our friend. He desires to have fellowship with us. He wants us to live, is he lives? So, here's vs26 to the faithful, you show yourself faithful to the blameless you show yourself blameless to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious, you show yourself shrewd. Speaking of God, God is faithful to those who desire to be faithful taking a look at another character in in scripture. Abraham Abraham had to follow God, and come to the promised land and it was there that God chose to bless him because he was faithful. And then, he was tested throughout his life, including being called to sacrifice his own son. John, prevented him from that, but he was faithful to even in that stiff, take and sew in in James 2:23. It says in the scripture was fulfilled that says Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness and he was called God's friend. God's friend. And that a wonderful thing to be thinking that I am God's friend. And so, are you if you Faithfully walking with him you are God's friend and you are blessed because of that and will be blessed for all eternity. Because you've chosen to look at him. That's how powerfully he moves be faithful. That's what Jesus told. The disciples right at the end. He's getting ready to go to the cross. And he's speaking with siples in the evening and he he wants them to understand. This is important for you. John 15:10, he says, if you keep my commands. You will remain in my love. Just as I have kept my father's commands and remain in his love. Remaining in God's love is just simply being obedient to what he's doing. That's what you're doing right now. You're being obedient to him. You're keeping the command of Bella shipping together with the body of Christ.

And because of that God's blessings are upon you. God's blessings and we are blameless. We are blameless as we choose. You confess our sins when we understand and know that we faltered. And we go before the Living God and say God, I said that bad word and I shouldn't have or you know, I have these evil thoughts and I shouldn't have forgive me. Father, and God forgives he forgets, and it's gone. It's not remembered by God anymore. You and I have the top part. We have that memory of what we've done, but God says no it's gone. You are blameless before the Living God and as we confess our sins, we become blameless. And pure 1st John. I'm sorry. I didn't, he will also keep you firm to the end so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. When he brings you home, you will be blameless and we are pure because of that confession. 1st John 1:9, if we confess our sins. He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. You are pure and holy. Just as those up ornaments in the temple were made pure through the blood that was sprinkled upon them. So you are sprinkled with the blood of Christ, that covers your sins. Faithful in pure finally calls us to be humble. Humble before him, some 1827 229, finishing it off. You say, leave the humble, but you bring logos whose eyes are hearty. You Lord. Keep my lamp burning. My God, turns my darkness into light, with your help. I can Advanced against a true with my God. I can scale a wall. You know a lot of what we need to understand is that we need to realize that we need God all the time. You know, sometimes we want to pull God out when things get tough and and rough for our lives, but God wants us to bring him into each of the experiences that we have. We, he wants us to be a part of all that he's involved in our lives. And not just those times when things are tough, when we cry out, huh? I've got a problem or I made a mistake or, you know, I have this difficulty. That's come my way. He wants us to be involved in each of those moments and we need to Practice that in our lives that our day begins with seeking God and it continues on throughout. Remember, we're supposed to be continuous and prayer, right? Well if we're continuous in prayer, that means we have that relationship going on all the time. And we don't have to think about. Well, is God going to be involved in this moment know? He is because I am connecting with him in those moments.

God wants us to be humble. And that means allowing him to be involved in what we do. One of the problems that he had with the, the people that were leading the church that day, the Sanhedrin with the Sadducees and Pharisees and the scribes who took the law that they were thinking. It was all about what they did and not what God did. And this greatest concern was that they were humble enough to be able to help the teeth people reach God, that they felt that they were reaching God because they had the rich blessings. But what they were doing was they were essentially stealing from the people so that they could be wealthy and God saw that. And it, it pained him deeply. And he went through chapter 23 of Matthew and he goes through those seven Lowe's predicted against the Pharisees in the scribes for the evil that they were perpetrating on the people. And in the middle of that. He says these words and verse 12. It says for those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Well, humbling ourselves simply means that trusting in God rather than in money rather than in our position rather than our accomplishments. Because all of those things mean nothing if we're not connected with God through them all. They only become good to us when God is connected with them. And we need to remember that he is the guide for a lives and that's why when you came to know, Jesus Christ as your lord and savior, he gave you a guide. He gave you the holy spirit in your life, to give you wisdom and understanding and all the things that you do.

In chapter 25 of Matthew, he goes through the knee that we need to think about in our lives and he gives three scenarios. The first one is the whole idea of do we have our lamp lit and what it is is 10 virgins and five of them, have a lit lamp in, five of them, don't have a lit lamp. They don't have the oil for that lamp. The oil representing the spirit of the Living. God the lamp is your life, is your life lip by the spirit of the Living God and

What that means is that Spirit has to be alive and active that light needs to be flowing and Powerful in your life. And it can only be there when we ask God and seek him to allow that light to shine. Here's the verse Matthew 2510. It's gotten to the end. It says the ones that didn't have oil, ask for oil from those that had it. Remember you? And I can't give the oil to anybody. That's the spirit of God. And that's determined by that person alone. Requesting for Jesus Christ to become part of their lives. So they couldn't have given the oil, the oil from their lamps anyway, and so they said go off and get your own and so they had to go off and find a room. Here it is. But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived, The Virgins who were ready, went in with him to The Wedding Banquet, and the door was shut. The door was shocked. If you don't have the oil, there's no eternity in heaven. But the destruction of hell is the direction you're headed. And so it is for their lives because they were humble enough to take advantage of God's gracious. Gift of Jesus Christ in their lives. And so when it came to the end and they realized all of a sudden, we need something. They really didn't know where to get it. They didn't fall on their knees and just say, Lord, forgive me. But they went off to find a way and that's the way life of mankind is when there's Pride involved as they seek their own way. They seek their own way, but God is the light. John 14, it says in him was life and that life was the light of all mankind. You see through Jesus Christ. We have the light to Eternity. He is the light that shines out and says, if you believe that I am God and I forgive sins, come to me and humbly bow before me and accept me as your lord and savior, and you will have lied for all eternity. But that's a step that everyone has to make a part from that step your lost for all eternity. And that's the Cry of this passage. You know, if you will just come to me humbly and accept me. I that's why I respond to your call.

Finally trust in the Lord, trust in the Lord and it comes to the end of this that we all need that sense that everyday is a day of opportunity for me to trust in God and every time I trust in him, it's a blessing from the Lord, He blesses my life. One of those great scriptures that we go to all the time. Is that Proverbs 3 5 & 6 trust in the Lord, with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, and you all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your You know, God wants to make a difference in our lives, but our part is just simply Lord. I need you. I need you in these moments.

You know, in the things of Our Lives where we just get out and do stuff. We need to commit it unto the Lord. Everything not just those things that are tough, or we think might be difficult or the struggles, but every moment. Let him be involved in your life and every one of those times you say Okay, Lord. I need you in my life in this part of it. Every part of it. You know, it's like a piggy bank. You knowing every time you go to the Lord, you know, you deposit a coin. The idea is to fill up that bank and make it full and overflowing. That's what God wants from. Each of. Our Lives is to be full and overflowing with him and be blessed. You're being blessed today right now. So am I because we're here together and we're fellowshipping in the Lord, but he wants to continue to bless you day by day all through the week and it comes when we heal ourselves into his hands and trust him for each of those moments that he will lead us and give us strength and guidance. In those days. What a wonderful God vs. That just drives on our fellowship with him. Imagine that God wants to be your friend. And I have fellowship with you and every moment of your life, Imagine The God Who called all things into existence, that knows everything. And yet he loves you enough, but he wants to have fellowship with you every part of every day. What a blessing that is and I hope that God blesses you this week. I hope that you realize more and more. He wants to be a part of each of those moments and he will bless you. He will trust him for that.

This prey. Your father in Heaven. We thank you for your response to our humbling ourselves, and being faithful to walk and you are life and to follow your commands and to do what you called us to do with this world. We thank you for the blessings. You've poured out on our lives, in all that we've done in regards to you but father each and every one of us needs to grow closer. We all struggle with that, give us strength and courage to walk. Moment-by-moment with you help us. Not to let slide even a little bit so that you are exalted in all we do. We thank you father in Jesus name. Amen. A standing clothes.

I will enter. Saving in My Heart by Wilco.

Yes, baby. I will rejoice.

He is Manny Torres has made me glad I Will Rejoice O. I will rejoice.

Jesus father, what a joy it is to. Have company with you all along the way where you do bring gladness to our hearts, as we find that our trust in you, brings us closer to understanding and knowing the mighty God, we serve bless us in this week that we would feel that movement of our spirits and drawing closer to you day by day. We ask this in the name of the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, please.

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