Let the Church say AMEN. Let the Church say AMEN again!
You know, God is so good. He woke us all up this morning and safely allowed us to make it to his Church.
• Even if your back hurts, you got up.
• If your feet hurt, you got up,
• If your week at work was stressful, you got up,
• If you had a late night, you got up, AMEN
I know it’s hard sometimes. It’s hard for me sometimes too, because I’m human just like you. But I know God is Good all the time, and all the time God is Good! If you really want to know how good God is, Give him a try! AMEN
Sometimes we as humans have so many low points and sad times that we just can’t seem to move towards our God. These are the times when we’re really low, and that old Devil creeps in and tells you, go ahead, lay back down. You’re not missing much. You worked hard all week and you deserve some rest.
Well brothers and sisters, don’t listen to that old devil. Get up and hang out with God’s word. Because once you decide to follow God, he’ll walk with you all the way. AMEN
Over the years, I’ve come to realize, that during the most troublesome times in my life, it’s God that got me through. It’s God that lifts me up, and it’s God that carries me.
My message today is Do You Know Him?
You all know I love to sing. And there’s a song that goes a little something like this:
I know a man who came from Galilee; He’s the son of David, the seed of Abraham. Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh; do you know him? you know him?
In the book of Matthew, Chapter 1 depicts the genealogy of Jesus Christ:
• There would be Isaac, born of Abraham
• There would be Jacob, born of Isaac
• And there would be Judas, Born of Jacob.
More generations would past, and:
• There would be, Jesse the seed of Judas
• There would be, David, Born of Jesse
• There would be, Solomon, born of King David
And, as generations continues throughout the land:
• There would be Joseph the seed of Solomon
o There would be fourteen Generations down from Abraham to David,
o There would be another fourteen Generations from David to Babylon, and there to follow,
o There would be another fourteen generations to the Birth of Jesus Christ.
But let me give you a little more of that song:
He’s the father, he’s the son, and he’s the Holy Ghost, all in one. Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Do you know him, Do you know him?
It’s a wonderful song, but what do you know about him?
• He’s the Father
• He’s the Son
• And He’s the Holy Ghost
Brothers and sisters, the doctrine of the trinity is something that’s been talked about for so many years. And, many of us find ourselves in the position where the Trinity seems a little hard to understand. However, it isn’t all that difficult if we understand the basics.
God the Father….. came among us in Jesus,……. and is still working among us today through the Holy Spirit.
It's not hard at all, if only we believe. AMEN
Mathew 1:17 states: So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
Many people who come to church say that they know what the Bible says. They say that they know Jesus. They feel they know God. They know that they have a relationship with Him.” But is it so.
Well, the scriptures state that merely the hem of God’s robe as it filled the temple is an example of how great he is. It’s the living God, and it’s very real. The Living God can still be met; there can still be a relationship with God. This is what Trinity is all about, God the Father came to us in Jesus, in order to make it easier for us to relate to him, and he is still with us today, working among us through the Holy Spirit.
If we were honest, we all could look back over our lives and see that there have been times when the rules and religious aspect of our faith was stronger than the relationship we have with it. In other words, we all have stumbled and lost our focus at times. We’ve worried more about what people say rather than what God would think. We’ve all been caught up with doing things instead of spending time with Him. I’m pretty sure many of us here today have lost our focus at some time or another and thought, “If I just do this, Jesus will love me more”? LORD, LORD
Oh, it’s easy to gauge your faith by how well you follow a set of rules, instead of how well you keep in step with where the Spirit wants to lead you. The natural tendency is to stick with rules, and sooner or later, our “faith” becomes not knowing God, but knowing how to play the game of the good Christian. AMEN
• Even if we truly understand what the trinity means, it doesn’t mean that we know all there is to know about God.
• Even if we can grasp something of the idea of God as trinity, that doesn’t explain everything, for God is still mysterious, and beyond what we can understand completely.
1 John 2:3-6 states: And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
In this scripture, it speaks of knowing God, and walking as Jesus did. It seems to indicate that obedience is a sign of a genuine faith in Him.
But sometimes God’s will is as clear as “yes” or “no”, but often, we’re not sure exactly what God wants us to do. Sometimes the preconceived rules and laws don’t fit in neatly with a walking, and talking relationship.
So what do we do then? How do we walk with God? Since obeying Him is a proof of our faith, what do we do if we aren’t sure of His exact will for us?
Well, the better we know who God is and what he’s like, the better we can walk with Him.
1 John 4:8 says: He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
The scriptures say that He is love. His very nature is love. He will NEVER act toward you in an unloving way. Everything He does to you and for you is out of love. For God is love.
If you’ve felt the love of God within your Life, then say...........Yes oh Yes I know him.
Brothers and sisters, what God wants is simple. He wants the best for us. The more we trust Him, the more we’ll see that His will for our lives is good for us.
• Then we’ll obey Him.
• Then we’ll see His love
• Then we’ll understand his goodness.
• And then, we’ll trust Him all the more.
So even when He’s disciplining and correcting you, it’s because of His love for you. AMEN
Hebrews 12:6 –7 states “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Brothers and Sisters, our love relationship with God determines everything we do. No matter what the circumstances are, His love never changes. Because He always acts in love toward us, I can be confident of this, and you can depend on this: His will is always by your side. God clearly demonstrated once and for all time His deep love for us, with Jesus on the cross. AMEN
You see, God’s commands are for our good, not our frustration. They’re supposed to help us, not to hurt us, and not ruin our enjoyment of life. When God tells us to do something, it’s meant to bring us life. It’s not meant to steal life from us. AMEN
1 John 3:16 says: Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” That means, no matter what this world throws at us, we can be confident of His love for us.
So……..By now, you should want to know Him.
Now, because our knowledge is limited and our vision is sometimes blurred, we sometimes don’t understand His ways. We don’t see what He’s doing. We just don’t get it. So trusting Him when it doesn’t look reasonable is very hard.
But as we walk with Him, we get to look back upon our lives and see His hand moving. As we live and mature, we understand more and more his saving grace. AMEN
I can look back at hard times in my life, and see that they were for my good. I wanted nothing more than to be done with the hard times and burdens in my life. But as I look back, God really knew what He was doing all along.
• He could’ve chosen an easier route for me.
• He could’ve taken out all the bumps in the road.
• But He did it the way it should’ve been done
• And, it brought be to this point in my life. AMEN
Yes oh yes, I am glad I know him….
1 John 3:20 says: For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things
Brothers and sisters, I’m standing here today saying, don’t let your lack of knowledge or vision turn you away from trusting Him. Trust in Him anyway, because you can believe that His directions for your life flow from His wisdom and His love for you. His directions are always right. When He gives you an order, you can believe that God has already considered every single factor.
So, If God tells you to do something:
• He’ll make sure it can be done.
• He’ll enable you to accomplish His will.
• He won’t lead you anywhere that His power can’t keep you.
It doesn’t mean:
• That we will never fail.
• That we will never mess up.
• That our faith won’t waiver.
• No, No, No
It means that if God tells you to do something, He’ll make sure that you’ve got enough strength to do it. The Bible says He can keep you from falling. So when we fall, the problem isn’t God’s; it’s ours. It’s cause we ran out of strength, but most certainly God didn’t run out of strength. In fact, when you find yourself running out of strength, God will be there waiting, waiting to pick you up and carry you through. He’s an all-powerful God, and He knows you. AMEN
Ephesians 3:20 says Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Brothers and sisters, sometimes, God does call us to take a leap, and we’ll have no idea for sure where it’ll take us. But for sure, if God is calling us to jump off the diving board, then He’s going to be there, waiting for us, in the water, with His arms open wide.
Now this doesn’t mean you need to go test God, and Jump off a diving board. This might not be the leap for you. AMEN AMEN
What I am saying is, because of His amazing love for you, it’s best for you to jump into His arms. And because He’s all-knowing, you can believe that His directions for you to jump into His arms are right and good. And because He’s all-powerful, you can believe that He’s strong enough to hold you when you obey Him.
But understand this, in order for your trust in Him to grow, in order for your love for Him to grow, you’ll have to make that first leap, that leap of faith to trust him. That leap can be right here, right today this morning. It’s your choice. …….AMEN
Oh, Oh, Oh, but wait. This is where most people, even Christians, pause.
• We step back,
• We hesitate.
• We’re afraid,
• We’re afraid of what others will say.
• We’re afraid of what others will think.
So we fail to make that leap of faith. We miss an opportunity to know God in a special way. We tell ourselves it’s just too hard. It’s too hard to make a decision that would save our life. And we get content to just learn about Him. And we miss diving straight into the arms of the One who loves us most.
Yes, brothers and Sisters, I’m glad I know him; and I want you to share in this love. AMEN
Now, In the Old Testament, only the prophet seemed to know the will of God. You see, the Holy Spirit wasn’t given to everyone at that time. But we’re living with a blessed opportunity. We all have the Holy Spirit in us and can be led by the Spirit of God. It’s possible for us to know the will of God. That’s what the bible is all about: “How to know the will of God” and “How to be led by the Spirit of God.” It’s a great book sharing His lessons, and his guidance, and his love. It’s has the greatest stories ever told, and the most powerful movies ever imagined.
In fact, if you looked back, or thought about your past life, I can bet there’ve been many different ways your life could’ve gone, or could go. Most of us here today have come to a crossroad, and those of you that are still young, you’ll most certainly come to a crossroad in your lifetime. At that crossroads, you can contemplate “Which way is best?”
• If you take the wrong road, the implications may be devastating.
• If you take the wrong fork in the road, your life could be one of sorrow,
• If you miss that turn, your life could be full of disappointments,
• And if you hesitate to move, it could result in unnecessary pain and suffering.
In other words, there will be decisions made that we want be able to change. Because of this, we need to know the will of God so that we can be guided along every step of the way.
Romans 8:4 states: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
At this point.…Wouldn’t you like to know him? AMEN
Brothers and sisters, God wants to deliver you from evil and He sent His Spirit to lead you through this life, so that you want make terrible or tragic mistakes. His spirit is trying to influence you in the right direction? The Holy Spirit should be the most important influence within you, because it speaks the mind of God.
John 16:13 states: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Now, you better believe the devil wants to know you too. He’s trying to lead you in the wrong direction or at least, to confuse you. The flesh says, “Do what feels nice and easy.” You mustn’t obey the influence of the flesh if you want to be blessed. Be careful, it’s the trick of the devil. He’s got a pocket pull of tricks just waiting to trip us up. Just waiting to tear us down.
Romans 8:6-9 states: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Now, anytime someone claims to have been directed by the “Spirit of God”, doesn’t mean they are. That person could be listening to the many influences of life.
• Are they being influenced by their friends?
• Are they being influenced by their spouse?
• Are they being influenced by circumstances?
• Or, are they being influenced by the Devil himself?
Just because someone tells you they are doing the will of God, doesn’t make it so. The devil is alive and is working every minute of every hour, to trick you. He’s offering the deal of a lifetime, and it’s neatly wrapped up, and dressed up. It’s all shinny and bright. But don’t be fooled. Be careful to know who is actually leading this person?
The only way to know is to study, to read, and to understand the words given to you in the Bible. The book that has “the greatest stories ever told, and the most powerful movies ever imagined”.
Brothers and sisters, there are a lot of things that excite people in life...
• Music,
• Sports,
• Beauty,
• Money,
• Fame,
• Even the Devil himself.
But when it comes to that which God has so extravagantly prepared for all who wish to enjoy, we should be willing to accept it in love. We should want to experience God’s Love.
Ephesians 1:3-6 states: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Brothers and sisters, we can be here today and gone tomorrow. We don’t know the time, day, hour, minute, or second we’ll leave this earth.
Far often, we fail to make the observation that we are children from the genealogy of God. But if we call ourselves Christian, if we bare His Name, Then We Are His! Aren't we?
God has made us somebody! Far too many people in life. Don’t feel like they’re somebody. They feel that they don’t matter or they have no purpose. But yes, God made us all special, we all have a purpose, we only need to trust God and Let Him lead us to our true destiny without having to take one step forward and two steps back.
Psalm 139:13-16 states: For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
He knows who we are, the question is... Do we know Him?
Brothers and sisters, with all that we know, with all that we believe, the identity of Jesus is still an issue that we face today.
• Many people agree that He was a good man and a good teacher.
• Many agree that He was a holy man, unique in so many ways.
• Many agree that His teaching on the Sermon on the Mount was even revolutionary.
• But I say to you, He is the Father, He is the Son, and He is the Holy Ghost, all in one.
Ephesians1: 11-14 states: “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
So I ask you again ……..... Do you know him? AMEN
In closing
Jesus has confidence about His relationship with the Father. He has faith in the relationship, for He knows that the Father is with Him.
John 8: 54-55 says: Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
Abraham knew that “God would provide a lamb.” What Abraham was asked to do, God has now done. He has offered His only Son. Abraham believed in the One God would send.
He trusted God’s promise. He rejoiced in the knowledge that the Messiah would come from his descendants. Abraham rejoiced to see that day.
John 8:56 says: Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”
It’s Jesus that said…
• I am the Bread of Life.
• I am the Light of the World.
• I am the Door.
• I am the Good Shepherd.
• I am the Resurrection and the Life.
• I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
• I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
• Before Abraham was born, I AM.
• He is God in the flesh,
• He is the With-Us God.
If you know Jesus today, acknowledge you have a relationship with Him. If you don’t know Jesus, that is, you haven’t received Him as your Savior and Lord, or you’re just unsure, Get to know him today. The relationship you have with the Lord Jesus will be the best relationship you’ll ever experience.
• He died in our place.
• He became our substitute.
• He died for our sins.
• He became our sacrifice.
Your relationship with Jesus has reserved and assured your place at the table. Every promise in the Bible is yours to lay hold to, there's not one promise God wants to withhold from you.
Maybe you’ve been carrying a burden too long and you've done all you know to do, then stand where you are, give it up to God. He's waiting to fight your battle. Start praising right where you at, “He’s Waiting" to carry your burden so you don't have to, Not just for right now, but forever!
You can make a life change today. Get to know him today and forever, trust in him who leads you, he who protects you, he who will carry you through. He's your friend and mine.
Aren’t you Glad You Know Him, But if you don’t know him, now is your chance to get to know him.... AMEN
Someone once said: The darker the night, the brighter the stars, the deeper the grief, the closer is God!”
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