Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 12/31/14

Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 12/31/14

God has not failed.  He is not failing.  He will not fail.

1Ki 8:54  And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.

1Ki 8:55  And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying,

1Ki 8:56  Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

This is an interesting scripture.  He blessed the congregation by giving this blessing to the Lord.  It is a real blessing when our brothers and sisters get up and bless the Lord. 

The Lord has given rest to His people.  We live in a world of violence, heartache, and of being targeted.  We have seen Brother Bill targeted; we have seen Sister Sheri in Canada targeted.  We have seen children targeted. 

You as brothers and sisters in Christ will be targeted.  It is just how life is.  It is an opportunity for God to show Himself strong.

God has given rest to His people:  We remember how the children of Israel were under the Egyptian bondage and the cruel treatment they received.  There was the terribleness of the children being destroyed and the hardship for the workers.  They just laid more and more on them. 

God has given them rest.  We know rest, but we also know that there is more to be accomplished as far as the work of God, our personal burden for souls, and our personal growth.  We can bring things into our life that cause turmoil and challenges, and God will help us through that. 

Life can be hard.  If we will deal with it God’s way, the biggest thing is getting our self out of the way and letting God work.  “God I am your vessel, if you will use me, then I am ready to be used, targeted, lose sleep, etc.”

One day God designed that Moses would come and lead them out of Egyptian bondage.  God took them from Egypt and the journey of getting to the Red Sea and crossing it; God was there.

Every one of us here is on a journey to even greater rest.  I’m not talking just about heaven.  There is that burden of “There is something out there that GOD has for me to do.”  We know that doing it will bring a lot of things and among them is greater soul rest.

God patiently assisted them through the wilderness.  This is typifying getting out of sin and out of Egypt and the journey toward Jordan and sanctification.  Before the Children of Israel got to Jordan, the man that God had so mightily used was taken from them.

I am not in my twenties any more, but it was a wonderful thing when God came to call Moses home.  God gave Moses some last messages and then he went on the mountain and viewed over into Canaan Land.  And then God took him.

God had prepared a man.  God knows how to prepare every one of us.

Jos 1:1  Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

Jos 1:2  Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

Many great men have passed off of the scene of action.  One thing I know about God is that God knows how to take His own and God knows how to prepare someone else to step in and lead His people forward.

Jos 1:3  Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

Jos 1:4  From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

Jos 1:5  There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

I personally believe that God has a challenge for everyone in this audience in 2015.  I believe you will be called out to do something.  God is always challenging His people to go forward. 

This is the promise:  “I will not fail thee.”  You can trust Jesus.  He will not fail. 

You study the church in Acts.  There were times when they wanted to do things and the Holy Spirit shut the door.  Stay focused.  When God shuts a door, keep moving and it will not be long until there will be another door open.

We would not have the book of Philippians if God had not shut a door for Paul and Timothy.  We as Americans don’t deal very well with failure.  We go out and knock on a few doors and are turned away and we feel ready to give up.  Keep praying, keep knocking. 

Our God knows what He is doing.  He will not fail you.  You precious parents, teachers, grandparents, children; you can trust Jesus.  He will not fail.

He did not fail Moses.  Pharaoh would have had him killed at birth.  God had a plan.  After however many months his mother made and ark and put him in the water and Pharaoh’s daughter came along and he was rescued.

You may feel lonely and that you are by yourself, but you are not alone.  God will be there.  He will not forsake you.

Jos 1:6  Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

Jos 1:7  Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

There are times when we all need to find this scripture and underline it.  Disappointments, sleepless nights, heartaches… there are those in this audience that could write books.  It is sad, but no matter however disappointed you may be, be strong and very courageous.

We have to get a hold of God; twiddling our thumbs will solve nothing.

Jos 1:8  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Jos 1:9  Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

God had promised Canaan and rest.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

God has not failed.  God is not failing.  There is a rest.  The greatest challenge there is, is to put everything on the altar of God, and the next greatest challenge is to leave it there. 

It is labor to enter into that rest.  This is bible sanctification, but there is labor to keep everything on the altar.  There are those that say, “I took care of that 40 years ago.”  That is good; did you take care of it today?

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

God will not fail.  Jesus’ last words recorded by Matthew:

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

He will not fail you.  I am not going to tell you what tomorrow is going to hold or what may be on your answering machine when you get home.  But He left this promise:  “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”