Transcription
Amen. Amen. Amen. Good morning, everybody. Look to your left and look to your right and tell somebody you're welcome to church. Or somebody's good to see you this morning. You might not get a chance to next time. Just tell them you're looking beautiful. You're looking handsome. You're looking blessed. Bling bling. Glory be unto your name, Father. Lord, we say thank you.
In that same breath, can you just um tell God sweet words, sweeter than what you've told the person next to you? Lord, you are excellent. You are magnificent. You are glorious. The 24 elders say, "Worthy is the lamb. Worthy is the lamb. It receives all glory, all honor. For him all things were created. By him all things were created." Bible says, "In him we live. In him we move. In him we have our being. All that we are and all that we have consist of him and we are complete in him."
So everything that we have, we lay at his feet. Everything that we are made up of, every achievement that we have, we lay at his feet. We are nothing. We are nothing. And He is everything. Oh Lord, we worship you, Father. We worship you. So believe it, Lord. We worship you. We worship you. We give you the praise. All glory be unto you. Be lifted, Lord.
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One more time. We give you the praise, Lord. Father, we give you praise.
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Oh, come on everybody sing. Who will be lifted? Oh, be lifted above. Above all other gods. We lay, we lay our grounds and worship and worship you. Oh, let be lifted above above all other gods. Lord, we lay, we lay our, we lay our crowns and worship you. Oh, be lifted above above all other gods. We are ground in worship you. Oh, be lifted above the other God. We lay our grounds and we worship. We worship you. Oh, be lifted. Above above the other. We let, we lay our, we worship.
One more time. Oh, believe, be humble above all God. And we lay our crown. We lay our crowns. Everybody in the house say, "Oh, glorious God." Oh, glorious God. And we praise, praise you. We lay our crown. We lay our crown. And we worship. And worship. Say, "Oh, glorious, glorious God. We praise. We praise. We praise your name. Lay all glorious. We praise. We lay our crowns before you. Lay everything that we are and have. We lay glorious God, glorious God. We praise. We praise your name. We let lay."
We're going again. Say, "Oh, glorious God." Oh, glorious God. We praise. We praise you. And we lay our ground, Lord. One more time. One more time. Glorious God. Glorious. Oh, and we take it up right now. Oh, and we worship you, Lord. Oh. Oh. Be lifted above the Lord of God. We lay, and we lay our crown in worship. Oh, [Music] be lifted above above God. Oh God. And we worship. Oh glorious. Glorious God. We praise. We praise God. We lay our crown. We lay our crown. We lay our crown. Oh glorious. Oh glorious God, we praise you and we lay our crown. We lay everything we have. We lay at your feet. Oh glorious God. We praise, we praise you and we worship you, Lord. Oh, [Music] everything we have, we have everything we possess. Oh, glorious God. Glorious God, we praise your name. We lay our ground.
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Everybody say glorious. Glorious. We praise your name. We lift your name high and we lay our crown in. Oh, glorious God. Oh, glorious God. Oh, your name and we and we worship. Oh glorious God. Oh glorious and we praise, we praise you. And we lift your name and worship and we sing all glorious, glorious God. We praise you and we lift your name high. Every thought in heaven and earth shall declare your glory. Every name shall bow at your throne in worship. You be exalted, oh God.
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And your kingdom shall not pass away. Everybody say every door [Music] every shallow in worship, in worship. You you'll be a strong and your kingdom shall not pass away. Oh every [Music] shout shall declare your glory. Every knee, every day, every knee, every day you will be, you will be exalted, oh God. And your kingdom, your kingdom shall not pass away. Everyone in heaven they shall declare that you are great in your glory. You are wonderful. You are magnificent in worship and you be exalted. Oh God. And your kingdom and your kingdom shall not pass away. Every tongue, every tongue, every tongue, every tongue in heaven and earth shall declare your glory shall be and you will be exalted. And you'll be exalted, oh God. You be exalted, oh God. You be exalted, oh God. You be exalted, oh God. You be exalted, oh God. You be exalted, oh God. And you be exalted, oh God. You'll be exalted over Jesus. You'll be exalted over. You'll be exalted over and your kingdom and the kingdom shall not pass away. Oh ancient days. Oh ancient days. Everybody just sing with me. Oh ancient days. Everybody. Oh.
One more time. Sing. Oh, shout of me. Oh yeah. King of glory, be exalted in our praise today. Hallelujah. Be exalted in our praise today. Be exalted in our praise today. Be exalted in our praise today. We bow our hearts before you, Lord, and we say that you are God. We acknowledge your majesty, your supremacy, your authority, and your sovereignty.
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Oh, [Music] yes. The world will bow down and say you are God. Every man will bow down and say you are king.
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So let's start right now. Why would we wait? King of glory, fill this place. I just want to be with you. Just want to be with you. King of glory, fill this place. We just wanna be with you. We just wanna be with you. All right. Yes. No. Bow down and say you are God. Every man. Every man. Every man. Bow down and say you are king. So let's start right now. So, right now, why would we wait? Why would we? We can praise you now. We can praise. We can praise you now in victory. Oh, king of kingdom glory. Kingdom glory. I just want to. I just want to be with you. We just want to. Just want to be with you. It's a kingdom.
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We want you to feel. Just want to be with you. Just want to be with you. I just want to be with you.
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So we'll sing hallelujah until you come again. We will dance in your presence until you come again. We will sing hallelujah until you come again. Jesus, we will sing your praise until you come again. We will sing hallelujah. We will sing hallelujah. We will you come again. We will dance in your presence. We will dance in your praise. Till you come again. Till you come. We will sing hallelujah. Sing hallelujah. Will you come dance in your praise? Dance in your praise. Oh, you come. One more time. We will sing hallelujah. We will sing hallelujah until you come. We will dance in your praise. Sing your praise. Oh come. We will sing hallelujah. We will sing hallelujah till you come. Oh, we will dance in your praise. We will dance in your presence. Dance in your presence. Dance in your presence. Dancing. Kingdom. King of glory. Build this room. We just want. We just wanna be with you. We just want to be. Just want to be with you. Kingdom glory.
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We just wanna be. Just wanna be with you. We just wanna be. Just wanna be with you. King of glory filled this place. I just want to be with you.
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Just want to be with you. Come and talk to your Father, Lord. Come to talk to your Father. Come to the place where you say, "Lord, I just want to be. I just want to stay here. I just want to stay here."
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Just want to stay in your presence, Lord. Here's my worship, Father.
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And you, Lord, you are worthy. And no one can worship you for me.
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For all the things you've done for me and no one can worship you for me. Here's my worship. All of my worship.
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Receive my worship. All of my worship. Here's my worship. All of my worship. Father, receive my worship. All of my worship. Everybody, you, Lord, you Lord, you are worthy. And no one can worship you for me. For all the things you've done for me. All the things you've done for me. Yeah. No one and no one can worship you for me. Yours is my. Is my worship. All of my. All of my worship. Father in Christ my worship. All of my. All of my worship. Oh, here's my worship. All of my. All of my worship. Father, receive my. Receive my worship. All of my. All of my worship.
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And I will not be silent. And I will always worship you. As long as I am breathing, I will always worship you. I will not be silent.
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I'll always. I will always. I'll worship God and as strong as I am, I I will worship you and I will not be silent. Oh, I will.
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I am.
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I am greater. Oh, I would always and I will not be silent. I will. I will be silent and I will always as long as your presence is in me. As long as you're ready. I am free. I will [Music] save my worship. All of my worship. Receive mine. Receive my worship. All of my. All of my worship. Father, receive mine. Is my worship. All of my. All of my worship. Father, receive my. Receive my worship. All of my. All of my worship. Receive my worship. All of my worship. Here's my worship. All of my worship. Here's my worship. All of my worship. Father, receive my worship. All of my worship.
Who am I that I'm called your home? Who am I that your love restores me? Who am I that you look below?
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Who am I that your heart longs for? Oh, the [Music] sing your majesty.
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Yet you chose some like me.
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My soul cries out, how great thou art. I am crowned in your glory and I see your glory. I see the king. I see your glory.
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And I see the king.
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I see your glory and I see the king. Hallelujah.
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Jesus, you are king. Hallelujah. And you live in me. Hallelujah.
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You are everything.
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How many of you know that God is everything to you? If you're sure that God is everything to you, come on and join us in Oh, who am I, Lord? Who am I? That I'm called your home. I'm called your home, Lord. Who am I? Who am I? That your love restores me. Every time I stray away and who am I? You look below you and say my son. Who am I, Lord? Who am I? Your heart always longs for me. Here am I, Lord.
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Haven't seen your mice. Get you choice. You chose someone like me. My soul, my soul, how great thou art. How great. I am proud. I found with your. Everybody say, I see.
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I see it. I see the king. I see your. I see your glory. I see the king. I see the king. I see your glory. Your glory. I see. I see the king. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Jesus, you are hallelujah. And you live in me. You live in me. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You are everything. You are everything. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Jesus.
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As we get ready for this time of prayer, I just want us to just sing the song that we were singing previously. And it simply says that I will not be silent. I think that's such a powerful declaration. Um, as we were worshiping, I was just thinking about how the ability to profess that even in the middle of a storm. When things are going wrong, I will not be silent. When things are going right, I will not be silent. When there's uncertainty, I will not be silent. Um, and I want us this morning as a church to declare that [Music] worship you as long as I am breathing. I will [Music] worship him and I will not be silent. I will always worship you as long as there is breath in our lungs. As long as I am [Music] I will [Music] worship. Can we just declare that one last time? We say I will die. [Applause] [Music] I will always worship you. God is all I am. I I will always worship you.
Um, I was talking to a sister this morning and we just had a quick moment to pray and we were talking about how um, if we're honest, whether for ourselves or for others, the season has been burdensome.
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Um, we were on the prayer call, the woman's prayer call on Saturday. Um, and I read from um Psalms 42 where the psalmist talks about being cast down. Why is his soul cast down? And he was encouraging himself to hope again. And I remember this week just being overcome by the emotion of the season. And I want us to lift up our voice this morning. The word tells us that we should come and give to the Lord our burdens. That his burden is easy and his yoke, his yoke is easy and his burden is light. He said that all who are weary and heavy laden that he will give them rest. And so this morning I just want to encourage us. Would you just begin to lift up your voice? Maybe you are at the mountaintop right now and you're not the one that's sitting in the valley who needs a little bit of encouragement. Would you pray on behalf of those who might be? And maybe you do find yourself in a valley in this season? I want you to cry out to God, the one who says that his burden is light. Ask him, Lord, teach me to lay my burdens before you. Would you take this burden? Would you take this burden? Would you take this burden? Scripture tells us um in Hebrews it talks about how um Christ endured all that he went through so that we would not grow weary. Would you cry out to the Lord and ask, "Father, strengthen us. Strengthen us. Give us strength for those who are weary, for those who are tired, for those who feel as if the weight of the world is on their shoulders." Would you cry out to the Lord this morning? Father, we ask that you would give us strength. That you would gird us up, oh God. Father, we pray that as the weight of life comes, as it has come, Lord, that we would learn to lay it at your feet, God. We pray for our brothers and sisters in this house, Lord, we ask that you would lighten the load, God. Whatever seems too heavy, whatever seems too much, we serve a God. We serve a God who is who has promised in his word to take it all. And so, Father, we come before you this morning. We cry out to you, oh God, and we ask, would you lighten the burden, oh God? We lay these burdens before your feet, God. Any uncertainty that we may have walked into this room with, we lay it at your feet. I also want us to just pray that as we are rounding up the year, many of us have begun to reflect on the last 10 months of the year. And there's some of us, there are things that we wanted to do that we haven't done. There are things that have caused disappointments in our hearts. I just want us to go before the Lord and ask that he would do a new work in our hearts. Anything that's come to weigh us down, would he lift it in Jesus' name? I also want us to take a moment this morning to just pray for God's protection. The fact that you are standing in this room is his grace. It is his mercy.
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Uh, my husband was telling me that on his way here that there was a a a bad accident on on I 10. None of us were found as participants in that accident this morning. And it's not because we are better. It is simply his grace. I want us to pray this morning that as we continue through the remainder of this year that God would protect us, that he would keep us. The word says that he is the one who establishes our steps. Ask that he would go before you. If you're not supposed to be there, ask that the Holy Spirit would prompt you and you wouldn't even get in your car to go. Ask that he would continue to protect us. He has brought us from January to this point. And I believe that he will continue to guide us. Ask that the Lord would protect us this. In that same vein, I also want us to pray against untimely death. Ask that the Lord would continue to spare the lives of his people. That wherever death is roaming, that none of us, none of our family members, none of the people we know would be found. Ask that the Lord would continue to protect us.
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One of the prayers that we prayed on our prayer call yesterday was out of the book of Ephesians. It's this prayer that we would be enlightened, that the knowledge of our understanding would be enlightened, that we would know the hope of the calling. I want us to pray this morning that our eyes would be opened. I want us to pray that we would know him, that we would truly know him. There's so many things that come to take our attention, that come to take our gaze, that come to take that are fighting for our affections each and every day. I want us to cry out to the Lord. We want to know you more. We want to fix our eyes on you. We want to fix our gaze on you. We don't want to just come to come into your presence just because it's what we do. There's no point in us gathering here in this place if coming to this place doesn't change and transform us. And the way that we are tr changed and transformed as scripture says is by beholding him.
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Would you just say simply this morning, God, I want to behold you. If you know of the ways that your attention has been diverted or shifted, would have mercy on you. God, I've cared about the things you've given me more than I've cared about you. I've been hustling after the job far much more than I am your presence. Have mercy on me, God. Help me to fix my eyes. Help me to fix my gaze on you. God, realign my focus. You are the most important thing. Everything after is a bonus. It's an addition. God, we fix our eyes on you this morning. God, we ask that you would realign our focus, realign our affections, Father. We just honor you in this place, God. We acknowledge that you are good, that you are kind, that you are God, that you are merciful, that you are compassionate, that you are powerful, and more than anything, Lord, that you are present right here and right now. We ask that the remainder of this service, Lord, that you would have your way. You would exceed our expectations and that you would be glorified. In Jesus name we pray. [Applause] to ask you.
Morning, church. Oh, wow. That was a little cold. Let's uh do something different. Look at your neighbor and just smile. Yeah, that's your neighbor. Smile. Smile. Tell them. Smile. Smile at your neighbor. You're not happy to see her. All right. Tell your neighbor I'm happy to see you this morning. No, you should mean it. If you haven't said anything nice to your friend beside you. Say something nice to them. It's an amazing day to be alive. I'm so happy to see you. Exactly. Amazing.
Well, good morning, church. I I'm going to give you guys a little bit more information on a few things that we didn't highlight here. Um, the church is growing and we need new uh workers to join different departments. If you're interested in joining any department, just talk to the admin team. I think Sister Dami is one of them. Uh, or honestly, just talk to any leader and we'll point you in the right direction. Uh, the next thing I would like to highlight is if you want to join huddle team. So who knows what huddle is? Okay. Actually, Daniel, come. Do you want to tell us what huddle is? Do you want to tell us what huddle is? Okay. Well, huddle is a fun and creative time of fellowship that happens every morning at 9:30 a.m. before church service. If you want to be part of people who organize this trivia or you're good at just, you know, creating a nice lively environment, talk to Angie right there and she'll uh get you taken care of. We're going to have a deep cleaning. Nobody's excited to clean the church. Anybody? Yeah. It's going to be uh on the 19th. I think that's next Sunday. Uh, right. Yeah. Right after church. Um, so everyone is encouraged to be around. It's always good to just do it as a collective body. And then um Fellowship Friday Hospitality Department would like to say a public thank you to Sister Dami for hosting Fellowship Friday last Sunday. Um, and then finally, I think we have a a flyer that the media is going to put up. Um, we have a concert coming up on on the 7th of November and Tim Godfrey was so kind to give us a 50% discount if you want to come out and just have fun in the presence of the Lord. Um, myself, uh, Tommy and, uh, Amara, we're going to be joining him. It's going to be an exciting time. Super, super excited to worship God with you guys. So, this is the time to get the tickets. It's going to it's going to end, I think on Sunday. So, if you're a procrastinator, this is not one of those times. The tickets are about, I think 20% off. 50% off is about 15 or $20 or something. This is never going to happen again. I spoke very highly of the church and my friends and I said they're going to buy tickets if we had a 50% off. So, tried to do that. Uh, finally, we would like to just recognize anyone who is joining us for the first time. If this is the first time you're coming here on a Sunday, please wave your hands. We're a very big church, so we know who is new. Amazing. Okay, so we're going to just say hello. Um, my sister's going to pass a microphone. I just want to know your name, how you found out about the church, and um, anything else you'd like to share about yourself?
Yeah, good morning. Good morning. Uh, yeah, my name is Chris. Actually, I'm a I'm a minister. Oh, good to have you, sir. I reside in Dallas, but I just came down here uh, you know, for the weekend. Oh, wow. So, uh, you know, just in the area like maybe 10 minutes away from here and then just, you know, googling what is closer and then this uh, you know, pops up. Amazing. So, I'm an African. I see most of you are Africans, right? Yeah. So I'm from uh uh Equatorial Guinea in uh in Africa. I don't know how many of you know about Equatorial Guinea. We are, you know, closer to Cameroon and so it's a privilege and a blessing to be here this morning. We thank God. We're happy to have you as well. Thank you so much for coming. Uh, anybody else?
Um, hi, my name is Lola and I came with my sister. Well, it's good to have you, Lala. Anybody else? I want to make sure we're Is this your first time? Is it? Yeah. I um, hi everyone. I'm Dawis and I I recently moved to Houston about three months ago for work and um, just decided to attend a new church today and it's fun. Okay. Okay. So, I had a church I was attending for like two months, but my spirit was just striking within me if I want to be there or not. And instead of just going there every Sunday, like, you know what? I need to change a church. I wanted to try today. So, yeah, that's why I'm here. Amazing. We're so happy to have you. Um, well, yes, I'm sure the hospitality department is going to have a conversation with you guys after service, so just hang around. One of them are going to grab you to the office and just tell you a little bit more about ourself. Um, I always say if you're going to try to see if you like the church, check out the Sunday and the Wednesday service and then um see how you feel after that. Well, let's just get up and say hi to our new friends and uh say hi to yourselves as well as we welcome Sister Damian on stage.
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Praise the Lord. Praise. Praise. Praise the Lord. The Lord is good. And all the time. Um, I am very um, I thank you for the privilege, you know, to stand before everybody this morning to bring the word. So, I I have a lot to share and I had that you just join it with me. Um, but before we go, let's just sing um a song. Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. Day after day, your mercy, your mercies I see. All I am that thy hands have provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto you. Great, great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. Morning by morning, new mercies I see. All I have needed [Music] are provided. Great is our faithfulness. Lord unto me. Let's just say say a word of prayer. Father in the mighty name of Jesus, eternal rock of ages that we bless your name. We thank you God for the privilege to gather once again in your presence today. Thank you God for the previous week. Heavenly Father, even as we go into your word today, I submit myself unto you. I pray that everything that I shall speak shall be to your glory in the mighty name of Jesus. I pray that every ordinances you shall guide in the mighty name of Jesus. I pray that you will reveal yourself to us today. That you reveal your faithfulness unto us and that our faith will be renewed in the mighty name of Jesus. I pray oh God that by through today's uh ministration that life will be transformed and be impacted for your will will in the mighty name of Jesus. In Jesus mighty name we've prayed. Amen.
Awesome. So um, we are going to continue in the series um my faith is faithfulness um and the anchor was second um Timothy 2 chapter 2 verse 13. But the topic for today's um sermon is God is good all the time, a renewed faith. When Pastor Isaac, you know, reached out to me and said, you know, I was going to lead to the sermon. Um, it sent a topic and then I was like, "Okay, where are we going here?" Then it sent the verse. When I read the verse, I shed a tear or maybe two because for somebody who has enjoyed God um God's faithfulness through our life, this year more than ever, I had to cling on to him. There were times where my faith was just like I knew God was good, but I had to just hold on to him for him to do his will. I remember when um I was at convention in July. Um, I don't know if you all have been to convention, the Yaya convention. And if you haven't, this is my call to you all. Um, this happens every summer. Um, and we um moved to different states. Um, this next year it's going to be in Philadelphia. So just putting that out there. But then while I was there um my dad had to go through surgery, but I was serving so I couldn't be here for him. I went um, thank God for technology um, you know, I while I was serving, I had to lead two teams. I led I lead protocol and this year I had to assist with hospitality and while I was leading, I was getting updates with willing, you know, when it was will to the um to the o when they were completing, when it was coming out, you know, I was kept updated but then I being um, the one in charge of the care, I was also the one receiving lab results and all of a sudden it started crashing, you know, a surgery that was supposed to happen and be discharged the next Okay, his labs were going out of whack and I have two teams that depended on me. I am tired and I just found myself I went into a room. I just laid down. I said, "God, let your will be done. I have faith in you. Let your will be done." So um, so when so this is really personal for me. Like I've had to just rely on God this year more than ever that the times where my faith was not sufficient or maybe I felt like they weren't sufficient. God in his mercy was there and it showed out for me. So like I said, today's topic is God is good all the time, a renewed faith. And this theme is around the premise of because God is unchanging, unchangeably good, the storm that tests us does not defeat our fate, rather they def, they refine it so that we live as spirit from sons and daughters who trust and obey and endure. Um, thank God for, you know, spirit of alignment, you know, and the leadership of this church. Um, over the past few weeks, you know, in the month of in October, in the month of September, we had a series of um, you know, identity in Christ, you know, what we are in Christ. So before we talk about our faith today, we must also remember who we are and whose we are. How can we, how can you trust somebody that you don't know? If you don't know your identity in Christ and somebody is telling him to trust him, most likely you you won't believe him. I have three kids here. Like they just do anything I say to do because I'm their mother and they trust me. So um, our brothers, you know, Brother Koulle, Brother Wall, um, Brother Pastor Isaac and the Brother Shu, they did a great job diving into the Bible and telling us about our reminding us about our identity in Christ. And by the way, if you missed any of the series, I'm just going to implore you to go back because I believe that is the foundation for every Christian. Like you need to know who you are in Christ so that you can grow in him. Um, for the sake, so what I'm going to do today is build upon where we're going like God's faithfulness, but I'm going to take us back to a little bit where we were where they were um last month. So who can remind me what God's intention was for us originally back to Genesis 1? What was God's plan? Original design. You guys are not listening. I think we need to do a refresher. They weren't listening. Awesome.
So, um, God's intention for mankind was for us to be just like him. In fact, he created us in his likeness. Let's open our Bible to Genesis 1:26-27. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the heavens, over the livestock, over all the earth, over everything, every creepy thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in his own image, in the image of God. He created him male and female. He created him. So, this was God's original plan for us. Um, you know, God wanted communion. God wanted people that he could fellowship with. And not only did he created those people, he created us to look just like him um in his likeness. However, devil using the serpent in his cunning way um deceive deceived Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden and that led to a fall. And what when that when the fall happened, the separation between us and God. Um, so let's that was all in Genesis 3. I'm not going to go over there, but we remember the story where, you know, the serpent came and gave um and spoke to um Eve and that led to the fall of men. But you know what God is is God is just very kind and very faithful. Um, so he realized, I mean, God knows that the plan was for us to be with him, but now with the fall of man, there's a separation, right? So in his loving kindness, in his infinite mercy, he created a way, a path to redemption through his son Jesus Christ. Um, let's open our Bible to John 3:16. I believe everybody that grew up in church should know this by heart. But let's open our Bible to John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. So um, through Jesus Christ, God created a pathway for redemption and that when we believe in him, we can now be adopted back to become sons of God and sealed by the Holy Spirit. What then happened after that is we now have access to God. Um, let's go back to John. Let's go to John 1 verse 12. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. So basically, what that means is when we through the um by the death and the rising of Christ, God created a pathway to redemption and when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have the opportunity to become children of God. Sorry, my screen timed out. Awesome.
So um, let's also open our Bible to Galatians 4:6-7. And because you are sons, God has sent the spirit of his son into our hearts crying, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave but a son. And if is and if a son, then I go. So basically, to the redemption, to the rising um, the death and rising of God of Jesus, we uh, you know, we were readopted to to um become sons of God and then after that, let's go to Ephesians 1:11-14. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. So that we who were first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. And in him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel, let's see the gospel of your salvation and believed in him, were sealed by the promise of the Holy Spirit. So um, then the promises of God, the inheritance of God, you know, after we've um been abducted, then we receive the Holy Spirit and it begins to work in us and continue and begins to guide us towards becoming more like Christlike. You know, like I said, you know, the the main, the original God's plan is to be just like him. So now that we have be um readdopted back to become sons, then um we have the Holy Spirit in us and the Holy Spirit would now begin to work in us and help us to even be more like Christ. And so now when you are considered a son of God. Now when we say son, that means daughter, you know, male and female. When you are a son of God, you unlock a different access to God. Now, we know that God shows grace, like common grace to all. Let's open our Bible to Matthew 5:45. 5425. Let's start from 44. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. So God is so merciful. He shows his grace to everybody across board, regardless of whether you are saved or not. He is very gracious. However, when you now have a connection to him, you unlock a different level of intimacy um that you have more access. You can talk to him. He's your father. You know, there's a different, there's a there's a different kind of relationship and there's a different kind of promises that you enjoy. Um, I remember um, I think it was Brother Wy when he was preaching a few weeks ago, he had asked if we could die for anyone and the answers were very shaky. But then the closer it be it came, then people were more willing to die. So if it was a friend, the answers were shaky. Husband shaky, but kids. So the closer the relationship be and the closer the relationship, then the more likelihood that you can show that you know there's a there's a um correlation there. So the more likelihood for someone to want to um give their life for for them. So what I'm just trying to say here is when you have a relationship with God, you have unlocked a different access to him. You can talk to him. You can communicate to him and you have the do you have access to the inheritance that he has promised us and um a good way to also paint this is um a few, I think a few years ago we went to the UK and um as part of the trip, we decided to visit the palace. So my kids were younger then and we said we're going to the palace. I didn't know that in their mind they thought that we were going in to meet with the king and everything. So we got there, there was a lot of people in front of the palace, you know, people were taking pictures, we took a lot of pictures and everything. When we're done taking pictures and we're leaving, they were like, why were we why are we leaving? I thought we were going inside and we had to explain to them that no, you see those guards in there? If we try to touch the gate, they will come after us. So just to paint the illustration like yes, everybody has access to the to the palace, but when you are a child like a king, a prince, even the grandkids, you know, and that that belong to the palace, they wouldn't have to seek any um protocol to go in, they would just go in. So just wanted to, you know, I'm just trying to paint a picture here that when you have when you are a son of God, you have um a different access, an intimacy with God. So um, now that we've gone over, so we've laid a foundation, you know, about, you know, what it what it means to be to have an identity in Christ. So now that you are a son of God, what what should you do as a son of God? What are the things you should do? How should you live your life? Anybody knows? There's no right or wrong answers here. Let's just see. Yes. Be in obedience to him. Anyone else? Very well. Yes. So, um, you know, those are great answers. You know, in Ephesians 5:1-2, it says, "Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself us up for us as a fragrant offering sacrifice to God." So I think um, you know, if you go back to Genesis, God had created us in his likeness. He wanted us to be like him. So now that you've been readopted, one of the responsibility as a son of God is to begin to walk and walk with him. You begin to redefine who you are so that you are align your purpose and will for him. Let also go to Galatians um 5:22-23. Okay. And you said that um, so it says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control against such things there is no law." So basically, now that you are sons of God, you need to begin to emulate your Father and with the Holy Spirit in you, you should begin to give out the fruit of the Spirit. Like people should notice that something is different in you. Like you should not be the same person. If you have been readopted and your friend cannot tell that something has changed, that something is wrong because you begin to live differently. The Spirit is working in you. The Spirit is helping you show love. You know, you are more dependable, more reliable. You are more kind because you know and that is just going to get better as the Spirit continues to work in you. Okay. So now that we have, you know, laid the foundation for the identity in Christ and what we should do. One of the key things um as a child of God is also to have faith. Um, faith is the foundation of sonship, which is a Christian belief that believers are adopted as children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Last week Pastor Isaac laid a solid foundation on what faith is, as well as God's faithfulness. I'm going to throw out another question. What is faith? If I say, what does it mean to have faith in something, in God? Don't Google. What did you say? Sorry. Awesome. Um, so faith. Thank you so much. And then what does it mean when we say when we hear God's faithfulness? What does that mean to you? Anyone? You guys are quiet. You've not been reading your Bibles. Are paying attention? All right. So, um, so a quick summary here. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for. The conviction of things not seen. So, basically, um, faith is a deep trust and belief in God. Even when his presence cannot be physically seen. Um, you know, when you accept God as your Lord and Savior, like God is not right there, but you believe in him, you have faith in him, and then the more that you continue to work and walk with him, then your faith continues to grow and you become you begin to to be more depended and rely on him and trust in him. So when we say God's faithfulness, that means God, he is unchanging. He is dependable. He is a covenant-keeping God and he's faithful to all generations. Um, one of my favorite songs says, "He's too faithful to leave you. He's too committed to fail you." Um, so like God is just is constant. Like he's whatever like his goodness towards you is not dependent on who you are or what you've done. Let's open our Bible to Deuteronomy 7:9. It says, "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations." Now, I feel like, you know, that is great. Would that also go back to what I said earlier? Like, what are your what are your responsibility as a son of God? Yes, you've been saved. Um, yes, you've unlocked an intimacy, a relationship with God, but it doesn't stay there. You have to continue to evolve and continue to strive to be more like um Christlike. And then um, and one of the, I mean, you cannot say God is your Father and have no trust in him. Is that even possible? Or have no faith in him. Faith having like trusting God is how you show that you believe in him. You are dependent. You are in total submission and surrender unto him. So it's not possible for you to say that you are a child of God and then you don't believe in him. You don't believe in his word. Then who do you have a relationship with? That doesn't make sense. Um, we so the Bible says um for Christians, biblical faith is a personal trust in Jesus Christ for salvation and this is expressed through obedience, service, and a dependence on God rather than ourselves. So, you know, a lot of time as human, when things happen, we do whatever we need to do and then when things are not working, is when we remember to go to God. But when you believe in God, that you make God your priority, you are totally dependent on him. Even so, true, the good, the bad, the
Not so good, the not so bad. Like in every aspect of your life, the things that you do in church, in public, in private, in your marketplace, you, you, you have to be dependent on God. So having faith is an expectation of a son of God.
Let's open our Bible to Hebrews 11:6. It says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." So, just what I was saying earlier, that you cannot say you believe in God and not have it. Actually, that is one of the ways we can please him, like just being in, being in total submission to him. Just trust in him. You know, one of this favorite songs says, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey." That you just have to trust God and know that He is sufficient for you.
Let's open our Bible to Romans 1:17. So, it reads, "For in the righteousness of God is revealed, for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'" So, just another reminder here that the moment you are a son of God, you need to begin to walk in faith. And that faith, it just, it does not have to be super big. Just have faith. And then, as you have and develop a closer relationship with Him, then the, the faith will just grow over time. But the first step is, you just need to have faith.
Um, let's, let's open our Bible to Matthew 17:20. So, how much faith do you feel like you need to have in order for God to be faithful unto you? How much faith? This isn't easy. You should, you guys should know this. Must have said, "Awesome." Um, I haven't seen one before. Like, now I'm very curious. Uh, I want to actually go and find one and see what the size, like what it looks like. But the Bible says, um, the Bible says in Matthew, um, 17:20, that actually, let's start from 14. "And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and kneeling before him said, 'Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures, and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire and often into the water, and I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.'" These are people that have been dying and living with God, and they could not heal. Listen to what Jesus said. And Jesus answered, "Oh faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here. Bring him here to me." And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately. "Why could we not cast it out?" He said, "Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."
You know, when you know when you have God, and you have faith in Him, then as you have power, God has given you the power over principalities. And in order for you to exercise the power and the authority that God has given unto you, you need to activate your faith. Your faith cannot be dead. Like, you need to not stop your walk with God and just, "Okay, now I'm saved, that's it." You need to believe in Him. You need to trust in Him. So, like, if you can, you imagine like the disciples that were dining with Him, that are spending time with Him, and they could not do this, and God had to rebuke them. So, I wanted to remind us today that you do not need to have a mountain-sized faith in order for you to do the works of your Father. In order to, you know, wherever you go, you need to display the power that God has deposited in you. And how can you do it? Is by exercising your faith. Um, you know, when you know, if somebody comes and says they are sick, and you're like, "Oh, I don't know if I should pray." And like, you're scared to even display the work that God has ordered you to do. And so, you need to make sure that you are refining yourself daily so that your faith in Christ can continue to grow, and you can demonstrate that and show the good works of your Father.
So now, another question to you all is, is God's faithfulness contingent on us or the things that we do, our actions? God is faithful. Can you just imagine a world where God does what He does because of what we do? How this world would be like. You know, yesterday, um, you know, before I came here, I was like, "I need to do this." So, in December, during Christmas, apparently or allegedly, I promised my kids to give them a gift card for Roblox. Allegedly, I promised them in December. And then, for some reason, I kept forgetting to give it to them. And then sometimes, when they remind me to get the gift card, maybe they've done something wrong, and I'll say, "No, because of their action." So maybe they've been bad. And I said, "No." And this has gone. I mean, it's almost another December here. And I was saying to myself, if they were in this room today and I'm preaching about this, they will call me out. Um, you know, like, as humans, the way we react sometimes can be dependent on situation, our relationship, what is going on at that particular time. Now, just imagine a world where if God was like that, I don't know. I can't. I just can't even picture that because, thank God, God, God is not a man. I'll leave it at that.
Um, let's open our Bible really quickly to David, no, to 2 Samuel 24. I just, um, you know, when I was preparing for this, I came across this scripture, and this was where God was about to lay judgment on David, and God gave him three options. Do you know which one he chose? Then David said to God, "I am in great distress. Let us." Actually, let's go back a little bit. So, let's start from, um, 12. It says, "Go and say to David, 'Thus says the Lord, three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.'" So, God came to David and told him and said to him, "Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days of pestilence in your land? Now consider and decide what answer I shall return unto who sent me." Do you guys want to take a guess and to what, you know, David, what option David chose? So, these are like, this is God trying to pass a judgment on him, and God gave him three options that he could pick. Um, do you know what he chose? Let me. So, then David said to God, "I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great, but let me not fall into the hand of man." Gosh, because, you know, so out of the three options, one was for his enemies, like to be going after him and pursuing him. But David chose to have God deal with him personally because he knows that even in that judgment, God is still merciful. God is still, is still very gracious. Like, God is still very kind. Can you just imagine a state where God gave your enemy power over you? That person that's been looking for you, like, "If I get this person," and now, out of nowhere, God gives them the power to overtake you and do whatever they want to do with you, they would just be so, um, they would deal with you mercilessly.
So, um, the reason why I brought up that verse is just to remind us that God is just great, and He's merciful, and that, you know, He's just so kind to us. So, going back to where we, I had asked, is God's faithfulness contingent on us? The short answer here is no. Let's open our Bible to Romans 9:14-24. It says, "What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means. For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.'" So then, it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy. So, this, um, so this just shows that God's mercy flows from a sovereign thing, not our striving. So, God's mercy is not solely dependent on the things that we do. God is just sovereign. He decides who He is going to show mercy on. He's the potter, and we are the clay. We just have to follow suit and follow His guidance. God's faithfulness rests on His character, not our perfection.
I have a few verses here that highlight God's faithfulness. The first one here is Numbers 23:19. It says, "God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will not do it? Or has he spoken, and he will not fulfill it?" Um, so if you are in a state of mind and you're questioning whether or not God is faithful, one thing that is never going to change is God's character. Regardless of what you've done or what is going on, one thing that is going to remain is God's faithfulness. Um, this verse directly states that God is not human. Therefore, He does not lie or change His mind. And this is emphasizing on His reality of His promises and His word. So, whatever He has promised to you will come to pass because He doesn't change.
The next verse I want us, um, to read is Isaiah 55:11. It says, "So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I send it." So, basically, when you go through the Bible and you read onto the promises of God, I'm imploring you to hold on to those promises because what every promise of God finds fulfillment in Christ and is affirmed with certain things. God's promise does not change. And also, this highlights that God's word is powerful. You know, God's word is our, is the, the sword that we as believers, that is what we have. Then whenever we find ourselves in situations where we are fearful, um, we are not sure, just to the word of God. Like, one way to do this is start reading your Bible, like, just find, you know, start building on those words, like gradually, gradually, so that whenever you are faced with challenges or situations that you are not quite sure about, you can bring out God's word and use that to in that situation.
Um, the next, um, verse I'm going to read is 2 Corinthians 1:20. And basically, just paraphrasing here, it says here that in Christ, God's promises are "yes" and "amen." So, now, now that we've spoken about, you know, God's faithfulness, you know, faith and all of that, what happens when faith meets storms? Like, so, you know, we have to believe in God, we have to trust in God. What happens in those instances where things are shaken, life isn't going, going as you believe, you, you want it to go, or you just feel like God is not close enough? What happens?
Um, let's open our Bible to John 16:33. Now, one thing that was very evident in the Bible is God does not promise us a life without storms, but what He has promised us is He was going to be with us and guide us and make sure that we overcome. John 16:13, then John 16:33. "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world." Isn't that very reassuring that our Father in heaven has overcome the world? So, we have nothing to worry about. Even when life situations are going on, and we are worried, we are trusting in God that everything will be fine.
Let's open to Isaiah 41:10. "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." And finally, we're not going to open here, but Psalm 23:4. This is a verse that we all know. They say, "Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will never feel alone because the Lord is with us." So, just want to remind somebody here that I don't know what you're going through. I don't know what it is that feels like life is just over, that you can never overcome. Remember that you're a son of God, and the Lord is with you, and He will never forsake you.
So, right now, we're going to, um, journey through the scripture and see some of the people of faith that had to go through trials and tribulations in the Bible. I think we're running short on time. So, I'll make this really quickly. So, the first person here that we're going to talk about is, let's save this for later. So, let, so these people, I called it "crazy faith." You know, sometimes it's easier to say, "Have faith in God" when everything is fine, or when the consequences do not have to deal with life. You know, the repercussion or whatever it is will not take anything away from you. So, it's easier to say, "Oh, I believe in God. God is going to do it. You know, God is going to do it." But then, what happens if that thing is going to touch your life? Is it going to take away what belongs to you? Do you still believe in God?
Let's open our Bible to Daniel 3:8. I'm going to, um, just scroll down to verse 14. No, verse, let's see, 12. So, this is, um, so a decree was made, and people were supposed to bow to the god, like an image that was created. But these people, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they had refused to bow to the image. Then they came to report them to God, not to God, to the king. So, it says from 12, "There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." Of course, the king was upset because he had given a decree that they should bow to his image. So, he came to them and questioned them, like, "Why haven't you bowed down to my image?" What they said is what I call "crazy faith." He said, they said, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king." So, because they went, um, bowed, they refused to bow to the image, they were supposed to be sent into the fire. So, this was their response to the king. But they took it a step further. "But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." So, basically, they are willing to die for God. So, they, you know, they, they were very confident that God will deliver them from the fire. But then they now took that faith a bit further. How many of you can do that? That, you know, that even if God did not come out and rescue them, they believe in the will of God that everything works together for good for all who serve the Lord. So, even if I am going to die through this, I'm very confident because I'm going to meet with my Father in heaven. And I, I call this crazy faith. Like, how, like this is going to literally, they could die, but they, they weren't, they weren't scared. And of course, they were thrown into the fire, and God revealed Himself. Like, not even a strand of hair on their body was burnt. Do you know what happened after that? The king worshipped God. Wherever you are, is your life manifesting God's presence? Is your life drawing people to Christ? Are you the one, the first to shake when things are not going right? Or are you the one that says, "God will do it. I have faith in God"?
The next, um, so, just want to encourage us here is, you know, just to be, you know, to have faith in Christ in the things that He does and trust beyond the outcome. Trust that God has a purpose for everything that is happening.
Um, the next story that I'm going to touch briefly here is the story of Job. Now, if you grew up in church, you knew the story of Job. You know, he was the guy that had everything, and everything was taken away from him. You know, that story never did, you know, I knew that, you know, he lost everything, and after a while, you know, God vindicated him, and God gave him everything back. But that story didn't resonate much to me until one day, you know, a few years ago, I was doing annual Bible study. So, I would just, you know, like, you have a Bible chapter that you read every day, and I just use that as my workout routine. So, when I'm working out, I'm listening to the Bible passage. So, I was reading this. Let's open our Bible to Job 1. Because of time, we will not read everything, but let's start from 13. It says, "Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the oldest brother's house. And there came a messenger to Job and said, 'The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them. And the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword. And I alone have escaped to tell you.' Calamity one. What's up? What's this?" Then, while he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burnt the sheep and the servants and consumed them. And I alone have escaped to tell you." Now, before we even go, just think about this. Think about, let's not picture ourselves because we don't want calamities, right? But think about somebody that a rich man that had everything, and just gradually his life was beginning to fall apart. What would you expect from that kind of person? So, yes, um, while he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped with you." Wow. While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their older brother's house. And behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you." So, mind you, I was listening to this. So, I wasn't even reading. I wasn't seeing what's coming. So, you just, just read it like, "Hey, this guy, now what has he done wrong?" Nothing. If you go back to the beginning, it was so blameless that God was boasting about him. So, he had not done anything wrong. But what he did next was what struck me. He said, verse 20, "Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.'" That is deep. Like, you know, you had everything, like you've tasted what good life is, and all of a sudden, all of that was just gone away, and all it did was, it was content in God's will. It was content because he knew whatever had happened, God is in control. And I, I just want to encourage us here is, you know, um, whatever situation that we might be going through, um, try to like walk with God. How, you know, walk, be content in the will of God because God knows the beginning from the end, and He has a purpose for all of us.
Now, Job, did you know, then we know, like in the multiple chapters that came after, his wife, his friends, they were, you know, encouraging him to curse God so he could die. They were asking if he had sinned, all of those things. But he also came to a time where he questioned God. Now, he didn't curse God, but was beginning to feel like, "Okay, is it me? Did I do anything bad?" So, the reason why I'm calling this out is, it's also okay to communicate with your, like, God, what are you teaching me in this season? Reveal yourself unto me. Let me know what you are taking me through because I don't know. It's not, it's not by my will, it's by Your power, right? So, I called that out because God is not very far from us. Remember I said earlier, the moment you become a son of God, you've unlocked a relationship, you've unlocked a different access to God. There's a different intimacy that you've unlocked. So, whenever, whenever you are going through trials and tribulations or whatever, like, if the future seems blurry or cloudy, and you don't know where things are going, have a conversation with your Father. Talk to Him. In the place of prayer, converse with Him.
Now, it's very easy to say, "Okay, all of this, it's in the Bible." You know, sometimes people say, "Back in the days, things are different." Because we're running out of time, I want to share a very, a testimony that I had the privilege to be a part of. Now, these a couple, very intelligent couple. Husband is a pharmacist, and the wife is a surgeon, and they were married. And, you know, for most people, you know, the moment you get married, for most people, you want the fruit of the womb, you want to have babies. Year one went, there was no babies. Two, three, four, five, five years, there was no baby. Now, the husband is a pastor too, that believes so much in God. So much in God. So, um, in the fifth, um, I think the fourth year, one of his goals is to go to the camp in Nigeria to have a conversation, like to hang out with Daddy G.O. So, he was in Nigeria, and in the middle of the night, you know, they were trying to reach him. So, he was in Nigeria, his wife was in America. So, they were trying to reach him. They were calling him all around and everywhere. We could say they had to call his friend, you know, the people that he was with to get hold of him. Do you know what the news was? His wife, that was five months pregnant, just went into labor. When you are five months, that's like 25 weeks. I think it's about 27 weeks that a baby is more viable. So, the chance of that baby surviving was very slim. Of course, the baby died in her arms. She's here by herself in America. Husband is in Nigeria serving God. You know, that is something big enough to say, "God, why me? Why me?" But he went to God in faith and prayed to God. God told him that a year from today, you'll carry your baby. So, now, like I told you earlier, the wife is, the husband is a pharmacist, the wife is a surgeon. So, they have medical knowledge. A lot of times when miscarriage happens, the medical professions, healthcare profession, we tend to advise that, you know, "Give your body a break so that you can heal and all of those things." So, do you know what they told them when they got back? They said, "Wait until December before you start trying for babies." Now, think about it. God told him in July that a year from today, you have your baby. So, if they follow the medical professionals' guideline, that timeline, that is very impossible. So, they were like, "God told me, and I heard this very clearly, we're going to start trying." By the grace of God, a year later, they had the first child. By the grace of God, the second year, they had a second child. These people, the, the guy is my brother. He actually pastors a similar church like us in Rhode Island. The second child turns one in two weeks. So, I'll be traveling to Rhode Island to support him. So, what I'm trying to say is, now, if you're thinking God's faithfulness was back in the days, it doesn't happen anymore. I'm here to remind you today that God yesterday is today and forever. He's also still in the ministry of being faithful. You need to lean on Him. God, now, God is very, very, very faithful. All you have to do is lean on Him, trust in Him.
I have a few more examples, but I will, I know we're running out of time, so I, I'm going to move forward a little bit. My computer keeps, um, timing out. So, going back to our anchor word, um, there are times where we, our faith will, will shake. But this is also where God is also faithful. Let's open our Bible to 2 Timothy 2:13. It says, "If we are faithless, he remains faithful." So, in the times where our, we stumble, in the times where we are unsure, in the times where it feels like the world is about to collapse on us, remember that your God is faithful, and His faithfulness is not dependent on your exertion, the things that you do.
So, one might, one might ask, so why do we get tested as Christians? First, we're tested because a tested faith is more precious than gold. And you can find that in 1 Peter 1:7. Also, trials produce steadfastness and maturity because, you know, when you overcome one day, you become stronger, you know. Um, I lift weights, and I remember when I started, very, very minor weights, tiny weights, and my ability had grown over the years. Very recently, my husband was telling me, he was like, "Well, thank God we don't fight because the way your muscles are going, you'll be beating me up very soon in this house." Because, so, what I'm trying to say is, you know, as you go through trials and tribulations, they're also meant to build you, so that you can grow in Christ.
Um, as Christians, also wanted to remind you that all things work together for good for those who love Him. So, you might not know where you're going. Now, it's easy for us to read the story of Job and see where it started and where it ended because, now, if you see where it ended, he said, "We'll be fine." But Job didn't know where it was ending. He doesn't know where the story was going to end. But he trusted in the will of God and he knows that all things work together for God and for the good of those who love Him.
Also, wanted to remind us that trials and tribulations are not always due to sin or the things that you've done or did not do. Um, the story of the blind man, John chapter 9, verses 1-3. "As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus answered, 'It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God may be displayed in him.'" So, I have this funny prayer that I pray. I say, "God, when You're trying to reveal Your work in me, please let it be on the soft life side." Because look at this man. He had done nothing wrong, but he was blind so that the glory of the Father could be revealed in him. I want to let you know that whatever that you're going through, good, bad, maybe it's for the glory of the Lord to be revealed. This is very, this is the more reason why you should align your purpose with God's will. You know, trust in His timing because, guess what, it makes all things beautiful in His own time.
So, um, as we wrap up here, sorry, I'm really sorry. I'm, you know what's funny? This faith, before I go here, when, when they told me I was preaching, I wanted to preach for 30 minutes. I was going to ask them to give me 30 minutes because I didn't think I could stay here and speak for this long, but God is good. So, um, before we wrap up here, we've gone, we've gone over the reasons why we can be tested. So, just want to encourage you when you get to a time that you are tired and you feel weary, you need to remember that God is constant. God is consistent. And we find that in Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:18. God does not change. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. All of this I from the word of God. So, renew. So, so this, now, this brings us to our topic here. You know, God is faithful, a renewed faith. So, if you are, if you are tired or weary, you renew your faith. Renewal is not finding a new God, but letting the same faithful God renew us. So, you need to go back to Him and hold on to His promises.
How do you renew your mind? First, you need to be rooted in His word. I mean, how can you fellowship with somebody that you don't know? And how do you know God? It is through His word. You can find that in Isaiah 15:11 and John 10:35. And also, when the, when the trials and tribulations and temptation comes on, you can fight it if you know the word. Even Jesus was tempted. And when Jesus was tempted, the devil was quoting from the Bible. But how did God counteract that? How did Jesus counteract that? From the word of God. Now, let's compare Eve. That God had told you, like, you saw God now, and God told you, I have, you know, you have that, um, confirmation. But the devil distorted the word of God, and she fell. So, I say that to say, your level, the knowledge of God's word in you is powerful, and you can use it to overcome temptations.
Also, cultivate discernment and peace. You need to test the voices that you're, you're hearing and you need to click, click onto it. Remember when I said, you know, the doctor had told my brother that they needed to wait until next year before they started trying, and he said, "No, I heard God." So, you want to ask for a discerning spirit because as God is speaking, the devil is speaking. So, you want to make sure that before somebody says, "Come, empty your bank account," and you empty all of your bank account, and it wasn't God that was telling you. So, it's very key that you know, you identify how God communicates with you so that you can cultivate a relationship, and you can find this in, um, 1 Corinthians 14:33, John 10:27-28. Basically, God isn't an author of confusion, and also, He hears His sheep, hears His voice. So, um, make sure you practice, you know, having the communication to with God, and also identify how God speaks to you.
Align your purpose with His will. Don't force outcomes. Follow His call. Remember when God told Abraham that he was going to be the father of nations, but then Sarah thought she was helping God and gave Abraham her, um, her servant, who asked her, you know, so, and, you know, even God says, "I will make your seed out of Isaac." So, even though now they have a son, but God said, in Genesis, I believe 22 or somewhere there about, God said, "I will make your seed out of Isaac." So, what I'm trying to say is, sometimes when we are beginning to lack patience, they want to help God, and in the process of helping God, we bring problems into our lives. So, make sure you are aligning your will with His purpose and don't force the outcome. Trust His timing. Like I said previously, it makes all things beautiful in His time.
And finally, have the stone of remembrance. This is found in Joshua 4:5. After they had crossed, um, River Jordan, and the 12 men picked a stone, and the stone was to remind them of what God did. So, sometimes, despite all God has done for you, and then you get to a point, one thing, just one thing isn't going right, then you forget the things that God had done, had done for you. So, just want to encourage you, like, pick your stones of reminder. We all have stones, the things that God had done for us at some point in our time, in our life. So, if you ever find yourself in a place where you are beginning to wonder, "What is going on?" use those things as a reminder that God is faithful and is still in the ministry of being faithful.
As we wrap up, just want to remind us here that God's goodness is in unchanging nature, not our changing circumstances. When we remember God's goodness, our faith is renewed. Psalm 105: "The Lord is good; His love endures forever." Amen. Let's pray. Um, I want us to spend the first couple of minutes here just thanking God that He is good. Thank God for His goodness, His mercies that you enjoy. Thank God for the privilege to be called His sons and daughters. Just thank God for His, just for His faithfulness. The many battles that He won on your behalf, even when you don't deserve it. So, I don't know how you worship God. If you like to sing, sing. Whatever, however you like to just celebrate God, just spend time and just worship God. Thank you for His greatness. Thank you for all of the things He has done. Thank you for the privilege to have access to Him, to enjoy His grace and favor over your life. Heavenly Father, we just worship You, Daddy. We bless and exalt Your holy name. Thank You, God, for Your mercy that we enjoy. Thank You, God, for Your grace. Thank You, God, for Your peace that we enjoy. You know, one of my favorite songs says, "He's a good, good Father. It's who You are. It's who You are. It's who You are. And I'm loved by You." "It's who I am." "It's who I am." "It's who I am." "Good Father." "It's who You are." "You are." "It's who You are. It's who You are. I'm loved by You. It's who I am. It's who I am. It's who I am." "Because You are perfect in all of Your ways." "You are perfect in all of Your ways." Lord, You are perfect in all of Your ways. "Say perfect in all of Your ways." "Perfect in all of Your ways." "Perfect in all of." "You are perfect in all of Your ways." "Perfect in all." "You are perfect in all of Your ways." "To You are holy in all holy all of Your ways." "Holy all of Your ways." "You are holy in all of Your ways." "To [Music] You are good, for faithful in all of His ways." "You are faithful in all of His ways." Lord, You are "faithful in all of Your ways." "To us." Heavenly Father, I will bless and exalt Your holy name. You know, earlier on, I said when you are a son of God, you unlock a different access to God. Before we wrap up in prayers here, I just want to reach out to anybody here. If you're still struggling to find your faith in God, I can tell you this. The God that we serve is beautiful. The God that we serve is faithful. The God that we serve carries you. And in order for you to enjoy all of this good stuff, you need to be His son. And when we say son, that means male and female. So, if you're still struggling, this is an opportunity to reach out to God. God is a good Father. He takes pleasure in every soul that comes back to Him. A lot of time, we self-condemn ourselves. But, do you know what our Father is? He's sitting out there, stretching out His hands and just waiting for you to come back home. So, if you're struggling, or you don't know God, or if for any reason you have departed from His side, there's an opportunity for you today to come to His presence. He loves you. He wants, He wants a relationship with you. He wants an intimacy with you. All that He's asking is for you to surrender to Him and be submissive to His will and trust and obey Him.
Heavenly Father, we worship You. Daddy, we bless and exalt Your holy name. Thank You, oh God, for time, for the word that came out today. Heavenly Father, I commit Your children onto Your hands. Oh God, You know our hearts. You know where we're lacking. You know where we are looking onto You for one thing or the other. Daddy, I pray that You meet Your children at their point of need in the mighty name of Jesus. Daddy, You know those who are tired and weary and their faith is shaky. I pray that You renew their faith today in the mighty name of Jesus. That whatever that is that has overwhelmed them, that they learn to trust in You and cast their burden onto Your feet because You make the burden light. So, why should we have to carry them? Remind them that they have a good Father in You, and that You are available for them. All they have to do is just come to You. Heavenly Father, we just thank You. We bless and exalt Your holy name. We pray that even as we go out today into the world, that You go with us. We pray that You help us exercise faith in everywhere we go. In the private, in the public, in the marketplace, wherever we go, in the good and the bad, in the not so good, let us remember always that You are good. Thank You.
Can we just stretch our hands and just pray for her? Let's pray that the Lord, uh, replenishes. Pray the Lord blesses her. Uh, pray the Lord strengthens her faith as well. Um, just as she has encouraged us about our faith, the Lord will help her as well. That in every area that she is, um, struggling in her faith, the Lord will strengthen. Father, we thank You for Your daughter. We pray Your blessings upon her. We pray that You strengthen her faith and, um, help her to even become more. We give You all the honor and the glory. In Jesus Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
All right. Uh, nowhere behind schedule. We're going to speed things through, uh, very quickly. I'm going to play the offering video. I'm just going to pray for the offering real quick. Uh, Father, we pray that You, uh, bless those who have given and those who are still desiring to give. We ask that You provide for them. Um, Lord, help us to understand that the biggest sacrifice was Your Son that You gave. So, give us the grace to give our lives every day to You. We thank You, Lord, for all that You are. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
All right. Shall we rise as we close the service? Um, we're going to do things a little different, uh, this afternoon. Uh, just want you to hold the hand of your neighbor and just pray blessings upon them. Pray for the protection of the Lord, uh, upon them this week. Pray that the Lord shines His light upon them. Lift up your voice and pray this afternoon. Father, we pray for the Way Fellowship. We ask that those who are here, those who are not here, we pray for Your protection upon them. We pray for Your grace upon them. We pray that all the desires of their hearts, according to Your riches and glory, that You bless them according to Your will. We pray that You shine Your light upon them. Those who are going through darkness, we pray that You take away the darkness. Lord, we speak into the people of the Way Fellowship. We ask for a transformation by the renewing of their mind through Your word. Lord, in every area that people need You, places where they're, they're feeling sad, they're feeling depressed, feeling anxious, we pray against all of that now in the name of Jesus Christ. We pray for Your presence to take over their minds. We pray for Your presence to take over their spirit, that everything about them becomes transformed into Your image. That the lines are falling in pleasant places for them. We pray for Your protection. We pray against death. We pray against sickness. Lord, we know that You're highly exalted. So, we thank You. We give You all the honor and the glory. Father, we thank You for this week. We thank You for today. We pray that as we go into a new week, we pray for Your blessings. We pray for Your protection. We pray that You, uh, shine Your light upon each person. We pray that in every area that they need You, they shall experience You more than ever before. Lord, we know that You transform. So, Lord, in every area that people are still experiencing darkness, we pray for Your transformation. Father, give people a warm hug this week. And those who need even more, provide for them. We give You all the honor and the glory. We thank You, Lord, for Your highly exalted name of Jesus Christ, we've prayed. Amen.
Have a wonderful week. I'll see you guys soon. All right.