April 23, 2023 - Sunday Service

Ascension Presbyterian Church Longwood

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April 24, 2023

00:04: Good morning, my brothers and sisters in Christ and welcome to the corporate worship of our
00:09: God, please stand and Hear God call you to worship him through his word praise the
00:18: Lord Praise God in his sanctuary praise him in his mighty firmament
00:24: Praise him for his mighty acts praise him according to his excellent greatness
00:30: Praise him with the sound of the trumpet praise him with the lute and harp
00:36: Praise him with the timbrel and dance Praise him with stringed instruments and flutes
00:42: Praise him with loud cymbals Praise him with clashing cymbals let everything that has breath praise the
00:52: Lord Praise the Lord let us worship our great God Let us pray
00:59: Our Father in heaven
01:04: We have come to worship and bow down and kneel before you the Lord our maker
01:09: For you are our God and we are the people of your pasture the sheep of your hand
01:16: We come to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
01:24: He is our advocate with the Father. He is the only mediator between God and man
01:30: He always lives to make intercession for us Through him we come boldly to your throne of grace in his name.
01:38: We earnestly seek you Oh Lord our souls thirst for you our flesh yearns for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water bow your heavens and come down and Habit the praises of your people
01:53: Remember your promise Oh Spirit of Christ to be present in the midst of your worshiping people
02:00: When two or more have gathered in your name Condescend to us grant us the joy of your fellowship
02:09: Speak to us through your word And be blessed by our praise and adoration
02:15: We ask this in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord Amen Please kneel as you are able for the corporate confession of sin
02:34: Let us join to get together and confessing our sins Lord Jesus Everything Please stand for the assurance of pardon in him we have redemption
03:31: Through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace
03:37: Which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence
03:43: My brothers and sisters though our sins were like scarlet. They will be made white as wool through the merits of our son
03:53: Merits of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God who in his sacrifice took away our sins rejoice
04:00: Your sins are forgiven Amen Please take up the
04:06: Trinity hymnal and turn to him number 55 to God be the glory him number 55
10:21: Hebrews chapter 4 chapter 4
10:31: Therefore since a promise remains of entering his rest Let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it
10:41: For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them But the word which they heard did not profit them not being mixed with faith in those who heard it
10:53: For we who have believed do enter that rest as he has said
10:59: So I swore in my wrath. They shall not enter my rest Although the works were finished from the foundation of the world
11:09: For he has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way and God rested on the seventh day from all his works and Again in this place
11:21: They shall not enter my rest Since therefore it remains
11:26: That some must enter it and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience
11:34: Again, he designates a certain day saying in David Today after such a long time as it has been said today if you will hear his voice
11:46: Do not harden your hearts For if Joshua had given them rest then he would not afterward have spoken of another day
11:56: There remains therefore a rest for the people of God For he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from his
12:08: Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience
12:16: For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two -edged sword piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow and Is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart and there is no creature hidden from his sight
12:35: But all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account
12:42: Seen then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens Jesus the
12:48: Son of God Let us hold fast our confession For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses
12:56: But was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that when we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need
13:10: This is the Word of the Lord Let us join our voices together confessing our common faith in the singing of the
13:26: Apostles Creed Wondrous love is this him to sixty multitudes
18:25: Jesus went up on a mountain and when he was seated his disciples came to him
18:31: Then he opened his mouth and taught them saying Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
19:12: Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth
20:58: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled
21:13: I Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy
22:53: Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Lord Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God But within us desire to have unity in the body that we would pursue peace with one another with our neighbors
24:20: As much as it depends on us that we would live quiet and peaceful life by the merits
24:26: Not of us, but by the merits of Christ so that when we see conflict and strife we would be the first to try to handle it at the lowest level and And have lowly parts in this way not holding grudges against one another but seeking forgiveness and peace by the merits of Christ Blessed are those who are persecuted
24:57: For righteousness sake For theirs is the kingdom of heaven Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake
26:03: Being in agreement all these things we join our voices together and say amen, please stand and take out the insert
26:11: To our psalm of the month psalm 22 to all my brothers i'll declare psalm 22
26:19: In the time of the latter rain
32:03: The lord will make flashing clouds. He will give them showers of rain grass in the field for everyone
32:15: For the idols speak delusion The diviners envision lies and tell false dreams they comfort in vain
32:27: Therefore the people wind their way like sheep they are in trouble because there is no shepherd
32:37: My anger is kindled against the shepherds And I will punish the goat herds
32:45: For the lord of hosts will visit his flock the house of judah And will make them as his royal horse in the battle
32:55: From him comes the cornerstone From him the tent peg
33:01: From him the battle bow from him every ruler together They shall be like mighty men
33:09: Who tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle? They shall fight because the lord is with them
33:17: And the riders on horses shall be put to shame I will strengthen the house of judah
33:24: And I will save the house of joseph I will bring them back because I have mercy on them
33:31: They shall be as though I had not cast them aside for I am the lord their god
33:37: And I will hear them Those of ephraim shall be like a mighty man and their heart shall rejoice as if with wine
33:47: Yes, their children shall see it and be glad their heart shall rejoice in the lord
33:54: I will whistle for them and gather them For I will redeem them and they shall increase as they once increased
34:03: I will sow them among the peoples and they shall remember me in far countries
34:08: They shall live together with their children and they shall return I will also bring them back from the land of egypt and gather them from assyria
34:18: I will bring them into the land of gilead and lebanon until no more room is found for them
34:24: He shall pass through the sea with affliction And strike the waves of the sea
34:30: All the depths of the river shall dry up and the pride of assyria shall be brought down And the scepter of egypt shall depart
34:39: So I will strengthen them in the lord and they shall walk up and down in his name says the lord
34:48: May the lord be pleased with our study of his most excellent word Please pray with me
34:57: Oh lord, we ask that you would grant the effectual working of your spirit to illumine our understanding that we might
35:07: See wondrous thing in your prophetic word I ask that your church would be attentive that they would respond to you with adoration and praise
35:18: And that you would fill up both their hands and their mouths to the full That they might find all of their joy and satisfaction in you
35:26: It's in jesus name that we pray amen Please be seated
35:38: We start again in the sermon that commenced at the beginning of zechariah 9 and stretches
35:46: Through chapter 11 today, we will not get through every verse of chapter 10 and we will
35:54: Next week go back into chapter 9 a little bit to better understand chapter 11 picking up a little bit more from the theme of chapter 10
36:06: The title of the message today is god turns back to his people
36:12: God turns back to his people You remember from last week that the lord their god will save them in that day the lord would remember his covenant which was sealed in blood and that he bid his
36:30: People that they might return to him who is the stronghold that they would dwell in his presence
36:36: As the people of god that he would grant them victory and he promised victory over those powerful foes and that he would save them as his flock
36:48: And that he would prosper his people in the work of their hands that context of last week's message remains in chapter 10 and it starts
36:59: Our section the chapter divisions are not often the most helpful because we often think of them as being a break
37:05: From that which went before it but it's not true. This all Goes together in one long lengthy sermon
37:13: So we are preaching a sermon in the midst of a lengthy sermon many sermons within a sermon zechariah 10
37:23: The lord has promised He has promised provision
37:32: He's going to do that through the latter rain that there might be a fruitful harvest the lord has promised his protection
37:43: By pouring out his wrath and defeating his enemies and the enemies of his people
37:50: And the lord promises a profound restoration With the full ingathering of his people those of you are taking notes
38:00: The first note for you is provision the word provision The second is protection
38:10: The lord has promised provision protection And a profound restoration a perfect salvation of his people
38:25: Let's look at our text There is one imperative in our section today and it's found
38:33: In verse 1 our text is our message today is going to be a little bit front loaded the first part of chapter 10 it says
38:43: Ask the lord for rain in the latter time in the time of the latter rain
38:50: Ask the lord for rain in verse 17 he said
38:56: How great is its goodness How great is its beauty grain shall make the young men thrive and new wine the young women
39:05: The lord promised to prosper his people in the work of their hands
39:12: All of this is null and void if there is no rain The lord must send the rain in order there for to be there to be grain and grapes that would become
39:25: Wine, this is very obvious to us That the lord sends the rain
39:32: But if you think about it, when was the last time you prayed for rain? for the deliverance and survival of your family very often
39:46: I don't know any of you who are working farmers who provide food and cattle and sheep and pigs and all those things to The marketplace you employ yourself in another way
40:00: When trouble comes to us in our time, we look for a new distribution channel
40:07: When the oranges freeze in florida, we go to brazil and we get some brazilian oranges
40:14: It's a new way to get these things to market And these things are blessings that god has given us new ways to acquire goods and services but in former times
40:26: The people were absolutely dependent upon the rain falling out of the sky
40:33: And there were two rainy seasons in israel And that was basically corresponding to our fall and our spring
40:44: In the deep winter there was very little rain and from June and july and august into september
40:53: There was no rain The churchman jerome living in this region for a time for several years said
41:01: I never ever saw it rain once In june or july in this area
41:09: So these people depended on the rain now in context
41:15: Why is this promise? And this call to prayer For rain so important i'm going to ask you to turn back one book
41:25: To the contemporary of zechariah to the book of haggai in chapter one haggai chapter one same context haggai and zechariah contemporaries no doubt
41:48: Cobelligerence as prophets of god in israel. I'm going to begin reading in verse seven Thus says the lord of hosts
41:58: Consider your ways Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple
42:05: That I might take pleasure in it and be glorified says the lord You looked for much but indeed it came to little
42:16: And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why says the lord of hosts?
42:22: Because of my house that is in ruins while every one of you runs to his own house
42:29: Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew And the earth withholds its fruit
42:38: For I called for a drought on the land in the mountains on the grain and the new wine and the oil
42:44: And whatever the ground brings forth of men and livestock and all the labor of your hands
42:54: The people have been called back to build the temple in jerusalem They are god's people.
43:02: He has assured them time and time again. We've learned in zechariah that he would be with them But because of the obstinacy of their own hearts, he has pronounced a drought on them
43:13: They're his people dwelling in his land and he has said I am going to withhold the rain of heaven from you
43:23: So we get to zechariah chapter nine in this great promise Of grain
43:31: Making the young men thrive and new wine the young women they are going to come out and emerge from the drought prospering why
43:41: Because the lord himself is going to send the rain
43:48: Ask the lord for rain in the time of the latter rain In fact, if there is no rain that comes in the latter rain season
43:56: There will be no harvest the people will struggle to survive
44:04: You may remember we're not going to turn there in first kings chapter 16 that elijah rebuked king ahab
44:13: For turning to the canaanite god baal Those people believed thought had control of the storm clouds
44:24: Even now in our time we have billionaires and scientists attempting to change the weather in our world
44:37: The people king ahab looked to baal for storm clouds and in fact, he surrounded himself with false teachers and prophets to Validate his apostasy and this is outlined in three chapters beginning in verse 16 including 18 and 22 in first kings
44:59: I'd like you to turn with me a couple books back to jeremiah. Jeremiah is also contemporary to this scene.
45:05: He was a prophet prophesying prior to the exile that they've just Emerged from turn to jeremiah in chapter 14, please
45:19: Jeremiah 14 I'm going to begin reading in verse 13
45:36: The false prophets have said there's going to be prosperity There's going to be no drought there's going to be no famine the false teachers have prophesied
45:47: Everything is going to go very well for us Verse 13
45:53: Then I said ah lord god Be appalled the prophets say to them you shall not see the sword nor shall you have famine but I will
46:03: Give you assured peace in this place And the lord said to me the prophets prophesy lies in my name
46:14: I have not sent them Commanded them nor spoken to them.
46:20: They prophesy to you a false vision Divination a worthless thing and the deceit of their heart therefore thus says the lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name whom
46:36: I did not send And who say sword and famine shall not be in this land
46:42: By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed And The people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of jerusalem because of the famine and the sword
46:57: They will have no one to bury them Them nor their wives their sons nor their daughters
47:04: For I will pour their wickedness on them Therefore you shall say this word to them
47:13: Let my eyes flow with tears night and day and let them not cease For the virgin daughter of my people has been broken with a mighty stroke and with a severe blow
47:26: If I go out to the field then behold who's slain with the sword if I Entered the city then behold those sick from famine.
47:34: Yes, both prophet and priests go about in a land. They do not know Have you utterly rejected judah?
47:42: Has your soul loathe zion? Why have you stricken us there is no healing for us
47:50: We look for peace, but there was no good And for the time of healing and there was trouble
47:57: We acknowledge oh lord our wickedness and the iniquity of our fathers for we have sinned against you
48:04: Do not abhor us for your namesake Do not disgrace the throne of your glory.
48:10: Remember do not break your covenant with us Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain or Can the heavens give showers?
48:23: Are you not he oh lord our god? Therefore we will wait for you since you have made all these
48:35: Let's turn back to our text in zechariah the people
48:42: As they entered into the time of captivity prior to the exile were idolaters
48:51: They were calling on Bail, they were calling upon false teachers
48:57: And they were seeking their aid and getting rain to fall on the land because of its crucial need for their survival
49:10: Zechariah Implores them not to make that same mistake To pray to the lord for rain rain from the latter season
49:22: In isaiah 44, please don't turn there. It says for I will pour water on him
49:29: Who is thirsty? And floods on the dry ground I will pour my spirit on your descendants and my blessing on your offspring
49:43: So the people have come out of a drought God is pouring out rain from the heavens.
49:51: There's going to be a fruitful harvest But is there more to it than that? apparently so Isaiah's prophecy
50:03: Sounds a good bit like joel's prophecy And joel chapter 2 if you'll remember becomes very prominent
50:17: In the new testament and the answer that question has to be asked why is joel so prominent in the new testament
50:26: And the answer is This language refers to the outpouring of the spirit
50:35: So what we have in zechariah as we've had a number of times Is a telescopic view of events that are contemporary to zechariah and the people
50:49: But also a view to the horizon we get sometimes all the way in zechariah to the last day
50:57: And we get in zechariah Jesus triumphantly entering into jerusalem.
51:03: We get the cross and we get the king priesthood of christ. So Zechariah is having us look through a lens that spans a host of time not only in his own age
51:15: But it's gone telescopically backwards and it will again in our text today and it goes forward and anticipates the time of christ and it goes even further
51:23: And stretches to the last day Joel chapter 2 and this theme of rain
51:32: Again beginning at verse 21. You don't have to turn there. Just listen Fear not oh land be glad and rejoice for the lord has done marvelous things
51:48: Do not be afraid you beasts of the field for the open pastures are springing up and the tree bears its fruit
51:55: The fig tree and the vine yield their strength Do you remember that very powerful section that we considered in zechariah some months ago?
52:05: verse 23 Be glad then you children of zion and rejoice in the lord your god for he has given you the former rain faithfully
52:17: And he will cause the rain to come down for you the the former rain and the latter rain in the first month
52:26: The threshing floors shall be full of wheat And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil
52:34: This language this thematic strand has been popping up a lot and it's in our text in our section
52:43: I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten the crawling locust the consuming locust and the chewing locust
52:51: My great army which I sent among you You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the lord your god who has dealt wondrously with you
53:03: And my people shall never be put to shame Then you shall know that I am in the midst of israel
53:14: I am the lord your god and there is no other my people shall never Be put to shame.
53:21: Are we reading the book of joel? Are we reading? Zechariah, what are we reading?
53:26: It's the same message God keeps covenant. He remembers his covenant.
53:32: He remembers his people. He remembers the blood of his coming his covenant verse 28
53:38: It shall come to pass afterward and here we want to listen The whole church everyone acknowledges peter himself as he's preaching pentecost acknowledges that joel 2 talking about rain
53:56: Ultimately means the raining down of the holy spirit upon the people of god
54:03: I will pour out my spirit on all flesh Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy
54:11: Your old men shall dream dreams Your young men shall see visions
54:19: And also my men servants and on my maid servants. I will pour out my spirit in those days
54:25: And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth blood and fire and pillars of smoke
54:33: The sun shall be turned to darkness in the moon into blood Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the lord
54:44: And shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the lord shall be saved
54:51: For in mount zion in jerusalem there shall be deliverance As the lord's lord has said among the remnant whom the lord calls sometimes
55:07: It's just a rainstorm Sometimes it's the rain the latter rain that produces the harvest
55:18: But in our consideration in our eyes when we consider this rain this latter rain of zechariah
55:24: We need to think not only of the provision that he supplied for them in that day
55:30: But the abundant yay the super abundant supply of his spirit in those days the days in which we live
55:43: God has made the reign of his holy spirit to fall down on us his people
55:49: To empower us to be the weapons of his warfare to wage the good battle in the name of christ
55:58: Less page turning now. Let's go back to our text in zechariah The people have been tempted to not ask
56:17: The imperative here is to ask the lord. So I want to challenge each of you
56:25: Down to the minutest detail of your life Have you brought it boldly before the throne of grace?
56:34: The lord says I am your provider I am going to supply all of your need
56:41: Just ask of me and I will grant it to you Do you want to have a better marriage?
56:47: Do you want to have a better family life? Do you want to have better success in your occupation? Do you want to make a difference for the kingdom of god?
56:55: Do you want to be a more holy man woman or child? Have you asked the lord to grant you that desire?
57:03: Or have you relied on other methods? people of god have
57:09: Turned to praying to trinkets in their house historically and presently
57:17: We have a syncretistic blending of the new age which has come into the church people of god are practicing all kinds of voodoo in their houses
57:29: They're looking for an edge That they're calling out to the universe to get a favorable response to their trouble the lord says forcefully
57:42: Ask him jeremiah's words I'm the one who owns and possesses and created all these things.
57:51: Why would you go to another source? The sun shines the the birds chirp the breeze blows the rain falls
58:00: You survive you live because of the generosity of my own hand.
58:09: I am the provision You and I need to ask the lord
58:17: We need to pray for physical rain I also need to pray for spiritual rain.
58:26: Oh, holy spirit grip us today. Make us people who love your word Make us a people who turn away from all of our sin make us a people to be zealous to do all your bidding in this world
58:40: Grab hold of our hearts. Oh god, please Transform us that we might be sharp instruments in your hand
58:48: Should be praying like that well There's another component to this
58:56: He's going to supply The lord being the source of every blessing he's going to grant the showers of rain
59:04: There's going to be grass in the field for everyone and as you read in those sections and followed along It's not just wheat and wine.
59:13: It's the Prosperity of the earth whatever grows like genesis 129 every herb of the field every animal of the flock
59:21: All of those things prosper From the lord He is the source of every blessing but look at verse 2
59:34: The telescope goes backwards again back to jeremiah's time it seems We just read it for the idols speak delusion the diviners envision lies and tell false dreams
59:58: King ahab turned to baal asking him for rain when it didn't rain the
01:00:04: The prophets of baal came along to king ahab and and patted him on the back and said
01:00:11: Oh, it's going to rain soon. He he's going to hear us soon and it never materializes it never comes to pass people of god in every age have to Drive out idolatry and they have to become great discerners of all of the deceptions
01:00:36: The people wind their way like sheep. They're stumbling around because there is no shepherd one of the things that we often are critiqued about is our
01:00:57: Belief in headship here We believe actually that the elders have authority over the church
01:01:05: We actually believe that husbands have the authority over their wives and children
01:01:13: We also believe with that stewardship and responsibility If a person comes and says
01:01:19: I am the prophet of the lord and speaks delusions And calls us to worship and bow down to idols
01:01:27: They should be summarily removed They should be killed.
01:01:34: They should be stoned In the old testament times if we were living in this time
01:01:39: They call men to believe falsehood Because there is no shepherd
01:01:46: The consequence of wicked rulers of wicked people leading to exile is the exile itself
01:01:55: And god in his mercy here has called israel back to himself and says
01:02:01: I am your shepherd Later, we're going to hear that he whistles for his sheep and they come the sheep hear his voice
01:02:14: People of god were in trouble because they had wicked magistrates. They had wicked religious leaders.
01:02:19: They didn't have true Shepherds look at verse three. It says My anger is kindled against the shepherds
01:02:29: More than a hundred years ago in america the mainline church unraveled
01:02:37: That the true biblical gospel in the protestant churches was a wash and a mix with social justice even back then
01:02:47: The forceful proclamation of jesus christ in him crucified Millions of people were led asway
01:02:54: Led away and swayed from the truth of good doctrine because of bad teachers bad preachers
01:03:04: We see the condition of them Now they tolerate every form of evil under the guise of christian love
01:03:15: You and I need to be eager to drive out all of the idolatry all of the
01:03:21: Deception we need faithful shepherds, but the lord promises to be their protection
01:03:32: The lord's going to Visit his flock to verse three again
01:03:37: The house of judah they're going to be made as the royal horse in the battle
01:03:44: From him and from judah Comes a king
01:03:50: The lord promises to raise up a cornerstone a tent peg a battle bow
01:03:56: And my mind immediately goes to christ the chief cornerstone the head of the corner
01:04:05: That language of cornerstone speaks of leaders That people follow
01:04:11: The design of the building hung on the The formation the proper placement of the cornerstone that we would have straight lines in which to build the building and And the people had crooked lines
01:04:24: But now we have god himself coming as the shepherd and the promise of christ as the chief cornerstone the
01:04:32: The one who is the head of the corner the one who would hold all things together by the word of his power
01:04:37: All of this is pictured in god's restoration of israel He's going to be their protection the cowards as we learned last week verse five are going to be turned into mighty men who
01:04:56: Tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle They're going to fight
01:05:03: Because the lord is with them and it seems
01:05:09: And it's a very powerful imagery the egyptians and the assyrians. They're riding on calvary
01:05:16: Imagine the member of the Civil war how powerful the calvary was on horses
01:05:23: Of how they could maneuver the people of god are are classified here as infantry calvary beats infantry
01:05:32: But not in the economy of god Their horse riders are going to be put to shame
01:05:41: Calvary They're going to the mighty battle horses of the enemies are going to be brought to nothing
01:05:47: In fact judah is going to be made the royal horse in the battle All this imagery very vivid, of course, very militaristic about the triumph of god over His enemies,
01:06:00: I will strengthen the house of judah I will save the house of joseph northern tribes
01:06:07: I will bring them back Because I have mercy on them
01:06:16: And here's the part. I'd like you to focus look at the last half of verse six They shall be as though I had not cast them aside
01:06:32: For I am the lord their god and I will hear them their experience in exile was that god had cast them aside, but But god has turned back to his people
01:06:49: And he calls his people to turn back to him To call upon him for every need to call upon him for their salvation
01:06:59: For the rain for their crops every detail the entirety of their lives to bring before the lord a recognition of his power and his love and his care and man's absolute dependence upon him
01:07:15: This is a beautiful language they shall be as though I had not cast them aside
01:07:25: I am the lord their god. I am going to hear them Therefore you should pray i've turned back to you my people.
01:07:35: Therefore you my people should turn back to me Those of ephraim shall be like a mighty man
01:07:48: Their heart shall rejoice as if with wine if their children shall
01:07:55: See it and be glad Their heart shall rejoice in the lord.
01:08:00: I will whistle for them And gather them For I will redeem them
01:08:09: And they shall increase as they once increased
01:08:18: Israel is going to achieve her original mission To be the testimony of god's love and salvation to the nations
01:08:34: They're going to be the witness to the nations and they themselves there's a promise and when you think about pauline works romans 9 through 11 of a a revival of faith among the jewish people
01:08:49: The gospel is going to prosper Among god's people and here is the part that is so astounding.
01:08:57: I want you to pay close attention the part that really gripped my My thinking today
01:09:04: Look at verse 9 I will sow them among the peoples
01:09:13: And they shall remember me in far countries They shall live together with their children and they shall return last week
01:09:24: We heard that ephraim Is being brought back the 10 tribes have vanished
01:09:32: The 10 tribes are in the wind How can they come back? God has not forgotten his promise to be their god
01:09:43: And here we have a promise that he will Sow them among the peoples
01:09:50: He's going to plant his people all over the world
01:09:58: And someday there's going to be a harvest they're going to remember him in far countries
01:10:04: They shall live together with their children and they shall return. Is this just eschatology or is there something else?
01:10:14: when the gospel Begin to progress and move we have a whole new testament about this
01:10:22: And all of these gentile cities like ephesus and philippi and corinth
01:10:28: Colossi There were people who knew the old testament there.
01:10:35: There were jewish people there The lord had sown his scenes all across the roman empire
01:10:44: It comes to pass in acts The promise of latter rain the pentecost sermon and those people were dispersed
01:10:53: So there's people living there for various reasons for because of persecutions assimilation into assyria
01:11:00: But there god has been doing something for thousands of years He has seeded the nations with people who regarded him in his word i've planted israel my people among the nations
01:11:22: And when The gospel comes and gentiles start to come to christ they they find themselves meeting in some jewish woman's house
01:11:34: And they learn all about the old testament scriptures and paul preaches to them how all these things are fulfilled in christ
01:11:47: God's been doing a grand work of redemption and he's used the scattering of a sea of of ephraim
01:11:55: He's used the the plundering of israel He's used all of this for his glory to make the fame of christ known well
01:12:09: There's going to be a profound restoration His seed he has seeded the nations with his people carrying his truth and The latter reigns of joel to find themselves being fulfilled in acts 2
01:12:27: And they go from jerusalem to judea to samaria to the ends of the earth
01:12:36: All of these things have come to pass And they came to pass even in paul's day
01:12:44: There's a couple of words for us to consider
01:12:51: To ponder on before we move on the first is
01:12:59: Is What is your provision Is it the lord or is it your ingenuity?
01:13:08: your skillfulness your ability to manipulate pieces I would urge you to Go into the category of that your entire provision for everything in your life comes from the lord
01:13:26: And I think you should obey the imperative of zechariah tin and I think you should ask him to provide for all of your needs
01:13:37: I also think you need to remember that though we need to be wise and we need to do things in a way.
01:13:44: That's smart That the lord himself is our protection not only for salvation and preserving us to the end, but even our physical safety
01:13:55: I cry out to god to protect my wife and my children. I strategize for all the ways that I can protect them
01:14:02: But in the end the lord is the one who protects them what great hope for the old testament church rebellious obstinate people that They would be profoundly restored and in fact
01:14:23: His people would permeate the world and when the gospel of christ comes when that that rain fell on those soils
01:14:31: Grapefruit harvested our labors to make christ known in our community doesn't always seem to pop up These works are going on for hundreds of years.
01:14:43: We have to be diligent with our hand to the plow to continue to Scatter the seed waiting for the work and provision of the holy spirit to rain down and cause the harvest
01:15:01: In this age of everything changing so fast. I love A god who takes thousands of years to save people
01:15:09: And works in time and space and history through families and churches and Generations to accomplish all his will
01:15:21: Now some words of application we'll close here Today i'm urging you to a different kind of prayer
01:15:35: Not a cursory perfunctory kind of prayer But an expectancy and prayer
01:15:44: You need to pray to the lord. Do you want a husband? Do you want a wife? Pray to the lord
01:15:51: Do you want the lord to bless your upcoming marriage? Fall on your knees and cry out to him and say lord bless this union that we do in your name do you want those children to To fill the knowledge with the earth with their knowledge of christ
01:16:08: You better be praying that god would allow you the wisdom to shepherd and disciple those children that they would be faithful And their children and their children after them would be faithful.
01:16:19: You need to be praying for that now Today pray for the lord to supply all of your physical and material needs
01:16:30: Pray also for his spiritual provision the words of jeremiah ring true again therefore we will wait for you
01:16:41: Since you have made all these Let's acknowledge christ creator ship his reign and rule his preeminence over all things and let's reach out to him and Let's face it.
01:16:57: We have not because we ask not secondly
01:17:06: You and I need to root out and flee every form of idolatry
01:17:11: You say I don't have terrafim in my house like they did in babylon.
01:17:16: I don't have little household idols You should go home and look for the idols and you should smash them
01:17:25: Whatever they are You should smash every personal household the church at large
01:17:32: America should smash whatever idols we have brought to the table. They don't speak
01:17:37: They can't answer they are impotent and they have demons hiding behind them. Why would we participate in any of that?
01:17:47: tear down the high places Remove the terrafim the household idols from your dwelling third
01:17:58: You and I need to actively participate in the mission of god We need to live and worship as christians
01:18:08: The living is very important. I want us to have good gospel presentations But what is different about you because of christ?
01:18:16: I want people to see me and to hear me and say that man belongs to jesus.
01:18:22: It's evident in everything in my life That should be the desire of all of us We should preach christ.
01:18:30: We should live and worship as christians. We should meet the need of the orphan and the widow and finally
01:18:43: We should be filled with rejoicing the lord is bringing his salvation his redemption to pass
01:18:54: As we saw just a small glimpse of this redemption this work Is thousands of years in the making he does not forget his covenant
01:19:05: He remembers the blood of his covenant. How much more does he remember you and I who have been engrafted?
01:19:12: Into christ god has turned back to his people.
01:19:19: It's only fitting That god's people turn back to him and ask for his blessing
01:19:29: I'm gonna ask you now to pray with me. Oh lord.
01:19:42: We are so thankful for The salvation that you have supplied lord some of your dear sheep are in a drought they are in a famine
01:20:01: I pray that you would rain down physical material, but even more so than that lord spiritual provision and rain upon them that your holy spirit would vivify and revive your ailing saints today
01:20:22: And oh lord if there be any who are ailing I pray that they would heed this very simple command to To ask you
01:20:31: That you would bless them And oh lord, I pray that you would protect and purify your church today
01:20:40: That we would not be leading little ones astray I pray that you would provide shepherds after your own heart
01:20:51: That the wicked shepherds would find something else to do Stop harming your flock
01:20:59: And oh lord, we long to see that profound restoration of your people
01:21:05: Which have been seated in all the nations? How many gentile conversions have you?
01:21:13: Performed oh lord, but is actually the end gathering of old israel. We didn't even know we were part of Israel and you've brought us in We thank you for this and lord
01:21:29: Help us to have greater expectancy that you hear our prayers And greater hope when you say no because we ask amiss
01:21:38: Help us to order our prayers are right that they Will get a yes from you because they are prayed in accordance with your will
01:21:48: Oh lord, I ask for your blessing upon your people today in jesus name amen
01:21:59: Let's continue our worship with the presentation of tithes and offerings
01:22:31: Please stand and let's pray together oh lord, we
01:22:43: In giving recognize that you are the one who supplies for us
01:22:51: I pray that you would allow us to give in faith, even though our We may feel as though we're struggling that we'd have greater trust in you to provide for our needs
01:23:03: I also ask oh lord that you would use these offerings For the faithful proclamation of your gospel the making of disciples for the rapid advance of your kingdom
01:23:16: We ask these things in jesus name amen Let us respond to the goodness of god and his great provision by giving him the glory and the singing of the glory of paltry
01:23:34: Amen Thanks to the lord
01:24:29: It is right and a good and joyful thing that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to you
01:24:37: Oh, holy lord father almighty everlasting god because you sent your beloved son to Redeem us from sin and death and to make us heirs in him of everlasting life
01:24:51: That when he shall come again in power and great triumph to judge the world we may without shame or fear
01:24:58: Rejoice to behold his appearing Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we praise and magnify your glorious name evermore praising you and singing
01:27:05: Accomplished redemption. This is all found in the salvation of christ
01:27:16: We ask through the Consumption of bread and wine these creaturely elements
01:27:31: That we would commune with christ And with one another that christ would be one with us
01:27:42: And that we would be one with him And we would be so united to all those who are united to him
01:27:52: And we ask these things in jesus name Amen Our lord jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread
01:28:03: We had blessed Gave it to his disciples saying take eat
01:28:12: This is my body Likewise, he took the cup after supper saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood drink from it all of you
01:28:22: For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup Proclaim the lord's death
01:28:29: Therefore we proclaim the faith Let's approach the table now by praying together in unison
01:28:44: We do not presume to come to this your table. Oh merciful lord trusting in our own righteousness
01:28:53: But in your manifold and great mercies We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table
01:29:02: But you are the same lord who always shows mercy Grant us therefore gracious lord
01:29:13: To drink of his blood That our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body
01:29:20: And our souls wash through his most precious blood and that we may evermore dwell in him and he and us amen
01:29:30: Christ our passover was sacrificed for us Therefore let us keep the feasts the gifts of god for you the people of god
01:29:40: Thanks be to the lord Jesus Our savior jesus christ
01:40:39: And for assuring us in these holy mysteries That we are living members of the body of your son and heirs of your eternal kingdom
01:40:50: And the lord grant us this other benefit That you will never allow us to forget these things
01:40:57: Of having them imprinted on our hearts. May we grow and increase daily the faith which is at work in every good deed
01:41:06: And now father send us out to do the work you have given us to do To love and serve you as faithful witnesses of christ our lord to him to you and to the holy spirit the honor and glory now and forever