Sunday Morning Service, 5/2/10
Songs
- [ Because Of Your Love]
- [ Sing Sing Sing]
- [ Love The Lord]
- [ What A Friend We Have In Jesus]
- [ I Bless Your Name]
- [ You Are Worthy Of My Praise]
- [ Go Fight The Battle]
Testimonies
Rod Williams
For all of you who are worried about what kind of job I have, I already have a full-time job serving God.
I thank all of you for the sacrifices you’ve made. I’m thankful, humbled and honored to be a part of what God has for us.
Tami Rudolph
I’m just thankful for all the understanding. It’s not about what you say; it’s what you do in your life for Christ. I love you guys.
Dan Lantis
I’d like to thank you all for allowing me to worship Jesus with you. We all had a decision of where to go this morning, or to stay in bed. I’m thankful you all chose to be here with me.
A few years ago, I was laying in a ditch wondering what’s up. I looked up to heaven and said, “If you’re up there, I’m ready to give it up. I’m ready to give my life up.” There was no qualifications; the spirit of God didn’t come down with a sheet of paper and start going through a checklist to see if I was qualified. But right at that moment, the star in the big dipper tail twinkled. I’m thankful that same twinkle of peace is in me, right down to my toes, right now. Through all the trials and tribulations that human beings bring up, God is still right here in my heart. I’m so thankful that God has touched me with all of your lives.
Message
As I was preparing this message, it really struck me, the decission that people make in life every day. If you’ve never done anything drastic, you’ve never had to trust or step out in anything, you’re very hesitant the first time. The very first time you drove a car, you adjusted everything, started the car, put in gear, and slowly started off. Now we do it all automatically.
It takes some confidence to be able to walk in faith. That almost sounds like a contradiction.
- Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
When you do something once, it gives you the confidence you need to go on.
- And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
- And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
- Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
In this passage, we read “we know; we understand; we have confidence”. What I got in this passage is the fact that knowledge brings forth action. Knowledge un-acted-upon doesn’t get you anything. If you know to do something and you do it not, no one will ever know what you know. What have we got to show for our knowledge, for our belief? Many times we stand at crossroads, at decision-points in our life.
- The woman caught in adultery
She could continue in what she knew, or she could follow Christ
- Peter
He could re-surrender his will to God and allow God
- Barnabas
He could keep silence and not cry out, or he could go against everyone and cry out to Jesus for help
- Abraham
He could stay with his family or he could trust God
In some people’s eyes, talking to God is prayer, but God talking to us is a diseas. “You say that God talked to you, huh? Uh-huh.” But God talked to Abraham, and Abraham knew that God wasn’t asking something of him that was too great. When Isaac asked, “Where is the lam
- King David
He was out in battle and the enemy came and captured his wife and children and all his possessions, and those of everyone in his army. The people sat around and complained, saying it was all David’s fault. He could sit around feeling sorry for himself, or he could encourage himself take back what the enemy had stolen.
- Satan
He was an angel of God who decided to battle against God; he wanted to replace God.
- Lot
His herdsmen were arguing with Abraham’s herdsmen. Abraham told him to take any direction he liked, and Lot looked at the cities and went there.
- Saul
He was chosen by the people and anointed by God. He had a choice of doing what God told him to do, or to modify it a little. Isn’t that the same choice that Eve had in the garden? God told Saul to kill everything that breathed. So here’s Saul back from battle and the prophet asked him, “Did you do what God told you to do?” He said, “Yeah, I did it all.” “Then what’s this bleating in my ears?” Saul said, “Oh, we saved the best for a sacrifice.” God doesn’t want that kind of sacrifice. Saul had decided, “Instead of killing my sheep and my cattle; here’s some that I have to kill anyway. Why not sacrifice those?” Because of that decision, Saul lost his kingship, and it was also taken from his son.
- The rich young ruler
He had a choice when Jesus told him to sell everything and give it to the poor.
Sometimes Satan is just offering you sin, and you’ve got to make a choice whether to sin or not. You can make excuses all day long. I love it when people say, “What’s wrong with going into the bars and just having a beer?” What happens when someone looks to you for a testimony and says “He’s doing the same things I’m doing.” The Bible says not to be a drunkard. Some things may not seem wrong to you. But you’ve got to decide whether to be holy. That takes faith. It takes faith to say, “I’ve never done this like this before; what kind of future will it bring me?” We have a crossroads of choice to make. One road goes to Christ and you don’t want to take the other. The enemy of the best decision is a good decision, and I submit to you that the enemy of a righteous solution is a good decision.
That man in that car was the first man to travel across the United States in an automobile. You look on a map at the course he took and you might wonder why he went that way. Why did take the course he took? Because there were no roads. Many times he took wrong turns. He spent days broken down. But in letters he sent to his wife, he was always optimistic. In 1903, he drove into New York with the mud from every state in the union. A few weeks after he started, another guy left on the same trip, but he was factory-sponsored. A few weeks after that, another guy left, sponsored by another car-factory. Halfway through the trip, one of the factories contacted the original guy and offered to meet him at every stop with mechanics and spare parts. “We want to sponsor you,” they said. But no, he’d come halfway across the country on his own, and he wanted to finish the same way.
As we step out in faith, we meet un-tried territories. There are storms and tribulations that we will face.
- Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
- And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
- And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
- And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
There is a structure we build in our lives. We build this structure by the way we think. If we think God can, we will step out in faith, but if we listen to the doubters, we won’t go anywhere. There is comfort in stepping back. Remember the old comedy routine where the sergeant asks for volunteers to step forward, and everyone takes a step back? But God wants us to step out in faith.
- Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
- He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
- Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
- Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
- Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
Sometimes the only way God can get you to praise him is by making your life miserable. So don’t wait for that to happen; praise him today!
- The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
As an example, I’d like to consider Jonah. You all know the story; God wanted Jonah to prophesy to the Ninevites, but Jonah didn’t go. Instead, he got in a boat to Tarshish. When the storm came and they wanted to know why, Jonah said, “I know why; God is angry because I’m running from him.” So they threw Jonah overboard and the whale swallowed him for what Pastor Paine likes to call his personal prayer time.
- And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
Jesus went apart to pray.
- And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
- But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
For those of you who haven’t seen the sea of Galilee, except if you’re in a rowboat.
- And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
- And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
- But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
If you are facing a storm right now, that storm can hinder what God has to accomplish through you. You’re looking at the obstacles to your path, whether financial, physical, or spiritual. And then God comes walking on the water and says “It is I; be not afraid.” God asks you to take a step out of your boat, your comfortable life that you have, and join him on the water. There were at least twelve guys in that boat, and one of them said “Lord, if it is you, bid me come out on the water.” Peter knew the mechanics of water; he knew he didn’t have big enough feet to displace enough water to float. He knew that if he tried to walk on the water, he would sink. But Jesus said “Come” and he started to walk on water, until he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the storm and the water around him; then he began to sink. For those of you who have walked on water, you can do it again. If you’ve let your garment become stained by the sins of the world, I want you to step out on faith.
Church, you can make it “okay” in your own mind and heart, but God wants you to be holy; he wants you to be a priest, sanctified in him. And that takes walking on water, believe me. We want to be okay with our friends, but we can’t do that. If we want to see those around us saved, we’ve got to make a difference. We’ve got to step out of the boat, even if it means leaving friends behind. Pastor Paine has a book on leadership that says if you’ve got friends who are always broke and going nowhere, you’ve either got to stay with your friends and stay where you are, or make new friends and go where you want to go.
I was there once; I did drugs and had friends who did drugs. But when I got saved, I had to make a change. Within five years, every one of my former friends were either dead or in jail. I don’t know how often I’ve said to God, “Thank you, God, for sending Pastor Davis when you did.” I have learned to trust the spirit of God and step out in faith. After the storm is gone, we see miracles take place.
- Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
- But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.
- And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
- And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
The disciples said, “We’re gonna die!” So Jesus rebuked the wind; he rebuked the sea, and then he rebuked the disciples. If I were afraid of the storm and hadn’t stepped out in faith, you wouldn’t have heard the gospel. I would rather endure the storm because I know that God can keep me through anything that I could face. Do you have that type of faith?
These are the people who saw Jesus get in the boat and ran around to meet him on the other side.
- Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
- Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
There is so much more in your Christian walk than the natural blessings you receive in fellowship. But it takes more than just sitting in pews to these kinds of miracles take place. You’ve got to step out of your comfort zone and start teaching Bible studies at work. You might teach that study to nobody at all for weeks and months before someone comes to hear, but it takes that kind of faith to see people get saved. Because you pray at school, someone else will see and ask “How did you do?” and you’ll be able to share with them. It’s what you do that other people will see and be inspired to get out of the boat that they’re in.
- These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
You might be in the world, church, but you’re not of the world. We might be in the boat, but Jesus is here with us. He has overcome the world, but you might just be in the world. You shall have tribulation.
- Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
We build our spiritual house with our mind and our heart. Don’t let it be troubled; don’t let it be afraid. It can and shall withstand the storms of life if we build it in the faith of Jesus Christ.
- Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Those storms are there for a reason. Let people see you go through them with victory.
- Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
- As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
- Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
- For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
What enables you to be persuaded? It is stepping out in faith that enables you to be persuaded.
- For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
- Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You can read that personally: my faith; my Lord. Through faith, God can do anything. He can enable you to heal the blind and the sick; he can enable you to teach Bible studies. If you step out in faith, God can enable you to do all these things. There are people who need to hear this message, and the only way they’ll hear it is if we step out in faith and get out of the boat and join Jesus Christ.