Be Encouraged Part 3
Scripture: Acts 27:21-25; Ezekiel 14:22-23
Introduction:
As I shared with you last week, on the night that He was betrayed Jesus spent time with His disciples encouraging them in order to prepare them for what they would soon experience because of His death and resurrection (some of which they did not understand until much later.) I gave you two reasons why we should be encouraged. The first reason I shared with you is the fact that God will protect us throughout our lives. The second reason was He will strengthen and comfort us when needed. These are two foundational reasons why we should be encouraged and some of the other reasons I will share are rooted within these two. This morning I want to share two things with you. First I want you to know that God will bless others because of you, not just through what you do for Him, but because you belong to Him. After that I want to explain why I sent each of you the video of the little girl dancing and singing the song “My God Is An Awesome God.” I hope that you will be both encouraged and blessed by what you hear today. Let’s begin with Acts 27:21-25.
I. God Will Bless Others Because Of Us
“When they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, ‘Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss. Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.”
Paul had been ordered to Rome to stand before Caesar. The journey would be done by ship and it would be a long journey. Paul was going to Rome as a prisoner (but the main reason was because God ordained it as He would be a witness for God in Rome.) There are a couple of things I want to bring out from this story. When you read the verses preceding the ones I read, you will find that prior to the ship setting sail, Paul tried to get them to stay where they were. He sensed that something was going to go wrong as the weather was not favorable. He was ignored and by majority vote it was decided that they would set sail in order to reach a better location where they could spend the winter. As they set sail, a strong wind came and began to rock the ship. After many days in the storm some of the men were losing hope. An angel appeared to Paul and told Paul that the ship would be destroyed but no man would lose his life. Paul relayed this message to those on board. Now notice what Paul says when he relayed the message. In verse twenty-three he tells those on ship that no life would be lost because the God whom he belonged to had sent an angel to deliver that news to him. Did you pick up on that? Normally people would say the “God that I serve…” but this is not what Paul chose to say. He wanted the men to know that he belonged to God – the one and only God. The men on this ship did not serve God so this was an opportunity for Paul to introduce them to Him. Now consider what the angel told Paul in verse twenty-four. The angel told Paul that God had granted to him all of those that were sailing with him. In other words, God was going to save every man on that ship because of Paul. This is important because if you read the rest of the story you will discover that as the ship was wrecked the guards had thoughts of killing all of the prisoners. Paul was a prisoner; and a captive and yet God had delivered all of the men on the ship because of him. Do you see this? If Paul had not been on that ship when it set sail, lives would have been lost in that storm.
In this story we see an example of God intervening on Paul’s behalf because He wanted Paul in Rome. However, God extended His grace and mercy to everyone on the ship because of Paul. What Paul shared with the men about no lives being lost because of his God was the first “testimony” of the living God that some of these men had heard. They had no relationship with God and yet God saved them because of Paul presence on that ship. God could have just as easily saved Paul and let all of the others die but He did not do this. Verse twenty-four tells us that God wanted Paul to stand before Caesar. We do not know if Paul knew this prior to the angel telling him or not, but I know it must have given him a great sense of comfort knowing that he was truly in God’s hands and that he would arrive safely in Rome because God wanted him there. Paul getting to Rome from our vantage point was not a good thing because he was going as a prisoner, but that was a part of God’s plan. What is interesting is that Paul continued to serve Christ even while shipwrecked. When you read the rest of the story you will find that Paul healed the sick while on that island shipwrecked and gave more evidence that he truly belonged to the one and only living God.
It plays out the same way for us today. Think about it. Twenty years ago the only people in this room that I knew was my family. I was not living in Kansas and had no desire to. Twenty years ago many of you did not know each other and today we are all a part of one family – New Light! We could not orchestrate something like this, but God had planned it out. You are being blessed because of me and I am being blessed because of you. But it goes much deeper than that. Your job is blessed because you’re there – especially if you’re doing your job as unto the Lord. Your friends are blessed because you’re in their life – especially if you’re sharing Godly wisdom with them when you have the occasion. Your neighborhood is blessed because you live there – you can never have too many Godly neighbors. I am not telling you this so that you can get a swelled head I am telling you this because it is true. Think of it like this, when your child’s friend come to the house – do you treat your child’s friend badly? No, you treat them especially well because they are visiting your child. Well, God does the same, only better.
God has a plan for each one of us even though we might not be privy to all of the things that He is doing. We might know what we’re supposed to be doing currently and we may be totally clueless about what His ultimate plan is. We do not know who will benefit from our lives or how many people will not end up in hell because we actually walked the earth. We cannot take for granted any person that we come into contact with because every life is precious to God. Even the life of the worst criminal is precious to God as God’s desire is that all would find their way to Him. Our lives mean something and we cannot take it for granted. We are here to show people the way to Christ and it gets more difficult each day. We cannot give up or turn back because in some cases the person that is touched can only be touched by you and me. God will bless others through us and bless us through others!
II. A Remnant
I want to share with you now why I sent the video to you on last Friday. I just shared with you how God will bless others because of us and how we will be blessed by others because of their relationship with the Lord. This story that I am about to share with you is one that both blessed and encouraged me.
As some of you know, I spend a lot of time thinking about the future of this world and who will stand for Christ in the years to come. Things are changing so fast and it seems that although we know and understand more as it relates to the things of God we are getting weaker in our attempt to follow Him. I often think about the older people I went to Church with as a child and how they carried themselves. They had a limited knowledge of the bible as compared to people today who have the word always within their grasp. Where I grew up a lot of the older people in my Church could not read well and therefore their understanding of the bible was limited. But even with this limitation they walked in a sure confidence of their relationship with Him. Their faith was rooted in the things that God had brought them through. I often wonder who will represent God in the future if we continue down the road that we are on. What type of relationship will my great-grandchildren have with God based on what the world says is acceptable today? As I think on these questions I think about our kids. I am so proud when they get up before us and do what they do. I am hopeful that what they are getting here will become the foundation for an outstanding relationship with the Lord. I am hopeful that they will be a part of those who will not compromise their faith and beliefs in order to be accepted by the world. This is my hope.
As I was thinking about this, I read the prophecy that came through Ezekiel. I want to read a few verses from Ezekiel chapter fourteen and then I will explain the video that I sent to each of you. Ezekiel 14:22-23 says “Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters; behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings; and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings; and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God.”
This prophecy pertained to Israel and God’s judgment of them. When you read the chapter in its entirety you will find that there was a group of people that came to the prophets for advice but inwardly they had already decided their course of action to enter into idolatry. They ignored the words of God delivered through His prophets. The situation was so serious that God spoke His judgment on Israel. In speaking the judgment, God promised the prophets that there would be a remnant that survives. After the judgment was carried out God would bring forth His remnant – the sons and daughters. When the prophets witnessed this, they would be comforted because the presence of this remnant would be a testimony of the resourcefulness of God and His ability to show mercy even in the midst of judgment. There comfort would not be just because of the remnant, but also because of how they would conduct themselves. This remnant would follow God! While I am not speaking judgment on America because of how we are choosing to live, I do believe that God has a remnant that will not walk in the ways of this world.
So let me tell you a story about the little girl that God used to make this point with me - that He will always have a remnant that will serve Him. I believe that God revealed His relationship with this little girl to me to encourage me to know that His will shall be done in the future. He will always have people who will serve Him faithfully. So let me tell you about the little girl that you saw in the video if you were able to watch it. I had heard several stories about this child from my friend (her mother) which include things she does and the questions she asks, but I had never gotten the opportunity to meet her personally. She is extremely sensitive to the Spirit of God and has a thirst for knowledge that you do not often see in the average five year old.
A few weeks ago I was having dinner with some mutual friends and she and her husband brought their daughter. This would be my first time meeting her and she left an impression. After hearing stories about her for the last two years I looked forward to the day that I would meet her. On this evening when her mother introduced her to me, I held out my hand to greet her and she ignored my hand and gave me a big hug. When we got ready to bless the table, even though I was asked to do it “for obvious reasons” she also wanted to say her blessing. This five year old repeated the Lord’s Prayer in its entirety. When dinner was over and I was preparing to leave she came and gave me another hug. So you may be wondering, why am I telling you about this cute, little five year old. I want you to know what God told me and then I want you to go back and watch that video again. I know the quality was not good as it was recorded with a cell phone, but you will be able to see what needs to be seen.
Since that dinner, God has told me that this child knows Him and that He would always have a remnant that will follow Him. After He told me that, He replayed in my mind some of the stories that I had been told that sounded “cute” and that I had missed the significant of them. Hear are some examples:
• Her daughter is always asking questions that the average five year old does not think about. She makes connections quick. She senses things that a lot of kids ignore. For example, her mother told me that while she was watching the movie the “Prince of Egypt” she had questions about why the kids had to die. She wanted to know how the blood on the post would save the others. She wanted to know if this could ever happen again. These questions were coming from a five year old who was processing and learning.
• This story is why I sent you the video. Her mother shared with me how this little girl would be on the playground playing and then all of a sudden start singing and dancing (something normal for some kids.) however, there was one instance that God had me focused on where this little girl was playing with some other kids on the playground when she excused herself. She went a short distance away and got behind a tree (for privacy). There she began to sing and dance. Listen closely to what I am telling you. We sing a song that says “When the Spirit of the Lord comes upon my heart I will dance like David danced….” Remember that song? Second Samuel 6:14 records the story of how David danced before the Lord with all of his might and his wife rebuked him for she thought it was inappropriate? David basically told her that he did not care about her opinion and he would dance before His God as he chose. What is interesting is that in that same chapter in verse twenty-three it records that when his wife died she had had no children. It almost reads as if she was barren because of what she had spoken to David about his dancing before the Lord. This little five year old girl dances when the Spirit of the Lord comes upon her. Are you starting to understand?
As I was driving back to my hotel after dinner that night, I was thinking about this little girl. God told me that His hand was on her, which anyone looking could easily see. He did not tell me what His plans were for her, but I was encouraged but I understood the message He was giving me. This five year old child was part of His remnant. He also instructed me to make her a CD with some praise and gospel music on it. When I was going through my collection, I was listening as He directed me to several songs which I was to include. Some of the songs I thought would be above her head and He told me those were for later – not sure how much later. When I sent the two CDs to her, I told her mother to let me know which songs she would be drawn to – I wanted to confirm something about her dancing before the Lord. After receiving the CDs, she immediately began listening to the first one (and so far that is how far she has gotten to date.) This five year old quickly learned the words to “My God Is An Awesome God” the song you saw her dancing to in the video. As the song played, she sung along with it and would enter into a praise dance. The first minute of the video that I sent you were recorded by her mother without the child knowing it. What you see on that video is a five year old praising God through dance without ever having being exposed to it. She was not taught this; it was something God’s Spirit is doing through her. If you watch her movements you will see some moves similar to what you may have seen when watching those trained in praise dance. She starts her day praising God and ends it the same way. I am not trying to convince you that this child is anything special, I am sharing with you what I sensed prior to meeting this child and what God revealed to me after I met her. I do not claim any special knowledge about future or what God will do through her. All I know is that she knows God now and her relationship with Him will continue to grow.
Before I close, I do want to share one more story with you about this child. On Easter Sunday she went to Catholic Mass with her family. As they were leaving, the priest was standing at the back of the Church greeting the worshippers as they were leaving. When this five year old got to the priest, she looked up and asked him if they knew the song “My God Is An Awesome God?” Although the priest smiled at her, she must have sensed that he did not know the song. So, to everyone’s astonishment, she began to sing the whole song to the priest. Everyone in line who was waiting to shake the priest’s hand looked on as this five year old little girl sung about how awesome her God was. She was not ashamed or afraid. This five year old little girl, on Easter Sunday, gave God praise in front of a lot of adults who probably did not realize what they were witnessing.
I told my friend that God had His hand on their child. As I said, I do not know what God’s will is for her, but she has a relationship with Him. Maybe that is all God wants and if so that is great, but what if? We cannot see all that God is doing but I am hopeful. If we can fill the world with kids who are willing to walk with God now, imagine the remnant that God will have we they are adults. I am encouraged this morning with what I witness with our kids and with what I see in others. Do not forget that people will be blessed through you but also open your eyes to witness what God is doing around you. I hope that each of you will go back and watch that video one more time and say a prayer for this child and her family. And while you’re praying, pray for the children of New Light as God has His hands on them too.
May God bless and keep you is my prayer.
