Presented at 13th Street Church of God, LaFollette, TN
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Sermon Notes: https://www.heartofgraceministries.com/blog/after-the-fact/shield-sustainer-savior/
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savior
Our Shield, Sustainer and Savior
The Lord Is Our Shield (v 3)
- Consider the arrows and spears of David’s time
- The fiery darts of Satan we endure
Ephesians 6:16
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
- God’s people have always been targets of enemies
- What people forget is that God is our shield
- He was abraham’s shield, he was david’s shield
Genesis 15:1
15 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
- And he is ours! The shield protects during battleThe Lord is our sustainer (v 4-5)
- David cried to the Lord for help
- Our Lord’s many invitations to pray1. Call unto me (Jeremiah 33:3)
2. Ask and it shall be given (Matthew 7:7)
3. Believe that ye receive (Mark 11:24)
4. Ask what ye will (John 15:7)
- David was in so much peace that he could sleep (verse 5)
- He slept in peace and woke up invigorated, The lord sustained him in danger
The Lord Is Our Strength (v 6)
- “I will not be afraid” (verse 6)
- Consider the circumstances, the forces against him
- One plus God is a majority
- As faith increases, fear decreases
- Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18)
The Lord Is Our Source of Victory (v 7-8)
David sees his enemies overcome by God’s power
- our salvation and freedom from our enemies is from the Lord
- Salvation from our sins has come through Christ’s blood
Romans 5:6-9
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
- we also obtain victory from satan’s attacks
Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
– There really is victory in Jesus!
1 Corinthians 15:57-58
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Be Glad For God With Us
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Matthew 1:20-23
[20] But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
[21] And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
[22] Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
[23] Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
I praise God for the meaning of Christ, which is Emmanuel, which is God with us!
Luke 2:11
[11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
When we are lost we look to Jesus as our savior
Being guilty, we now through Christ sacrifice have our high priest, our all in all
Hebrews 1:3
[3] Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Hebrews 4:15
[15] For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
sometimes when i pray i just thank God that He hears me, God with us
Hebrews 13:6
[6] So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
When we are weak and are facing difficult times we can look to Christ as our help, God with us
John 14:18
[18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
When we are lonely, He is our greatest comforter, God with us
Christ’s mission to all of us
His mission to the devil:
1 John 3:8
[8] He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
His mission to the angels:
Hebrews 1:6
[6] And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
His mission to the prophets:
Matthew 5:17
[17] Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
His mission to God:
Hebrews 10:9
[9] Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
His mission to the Lost:
Luke 19:10
[10] For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
His mission to sinners:
Matthew 9:13
[17] Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
His mission to those that are dead in sin
John 10:10
[10] The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
His mission to believers
John 12:46
[46] I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
God’s Promises For Your Every Need
When it comes to reading there is one thing that works the best for me: it has to be short readings at a time! With that said, I finished this book in roughly 8-10 days. I love the way that the chapters are laid out in it. For example the header says for the first chapter that “Jesus Is Your…” followed by a list of subsections like “Savior” and “Security”.
If I had to pick a section that I loved the most it would definitely be the chapter that talks about “What the bible says about praise”. I am always looking for scriptures and teachings to better help the promotion of praise in the church!
I recommend and hope you can find a copy to enjoy as well!
And always remember when you are done with one, pass it on or recommend! That helps the ones who work so hard to write them!
Check out: God’s Promises For Your Every Need – ISBN 978-1-4041-1377-0
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What A Wonderful Savior
You know, I could use every single byte of space on this web site and would never be able to truly express from my heart the love that flows in my heart for God! We have such a wonderful saviour. I am so thankful for the cause of that cross; the one that gave us life and it more abundantly, joy unspeakable, peace beyond all understanding, life eternal, the list goes on and on! Most of the time you see a lot of emphasis spent here through worship and meditation, right?
Let us break out of the box just for a minute. As we all know that Jesus Christ paid the price for the sins that were before us, there was a (what I will call my R&R) redemption and revival! I was not only redeemed for the past or at-the-time present I could not repair (or even get through) but was also given by the power of the spirit of God the ability to be delivered from all temptations!
So today, I am in praise for our savior not just for what we know about in our present sight and perspectives but the things we never see. I praise God for the quick resolutions before a conflict, peace-making events that divert from harm, the healings unseen before sickness takes its terrible turn, the words that come through spontaneous sources that are the right now word, all of those things! God put so many more ways of showing us His love than we often recognize. I just want to be thankful (and grateful) this day for how my life has turned around from what used to be such a life bound by darkness and misery! Praise the Lord for the ever-continual flowing gift of not only being able to be saved, but safe as well.
Motivation? More Like Procrastination!
Who is ready for a top ten? Well, actually we only need one today.
One of the worst things we can possibly do as children of God is actually know what God has spoken in our hearts and not do it.
I can relate this point to an easy illustration: Just imagine someone that just fell into a pool on accident and did not have the ability to swim. And as you stand there someone yells out to you “you know how to swim, jump in there and save them!”. As soon as you hear this, immediately you think to yourself, “I know that I should, but I have so much going on in my life right now…I’m so busy at work…and I have a lot that I never get done at home…and besides…there is at least 3 other people here that could save this person other than me…so I will just chill out and know that I could but don’t really have to”, all the while the person that was drowning lost their life struggling to swim.
For some that might be a little much, but I hope it got you to this very sentence. When God speaks to us to help the lost and dying world and we present every excuse in the world, there are people that we are losing each and every day to things that are destroying them. God wants to work miracles in their life; there is no doubt about it. Sometimes, however, there is an appointed time for you to be that lifeguard and to launch out there and be obedient to the voice of God that speaks to you to say “God loves you” or “you’re not alone”. If there was ever a time that people needed the Savior, it is today! Don’t stand back and act like you have little reason to obey the Lord, for the lives of those that need God should be MORE than enough for us to remember to stay constant and always pressing forward to all!
Don’t put off your obedience anymore, step out and be a willing vessel today!
A Time Of Love
There was a time in my life when I was all alone. I was in darkness. I was cast out for dead. No one cared for my soul. I was cold, shivering, dying in my own iniquities. Have you ever had a natural experience like this? Perhaps you got wet in a thunderstorm or in the snow and your clothes become damp and clingy. You are so cold that you are shivering. You only want one thing and that is to be warm and snug. You are like a baby wanting someone to comfort it. Then all of a sudden someone spreads a warm, soft blanket over you. All of a sudden you are warm and dry. You feel comforted and at peace. This is what Christ does for you when he saves your soul. He spreads his skirt of love over you and covers your nakedness. All that misery and wretchedness is gone. It is like going from being naked, cold, wet, and shivering to being covered by the softest, warmest fur blanket that you could wish for. It happens in an instant. The change that salvation brings doesn’t take days or years, it happens the very moment that you accept Jesus as your Savior. “Whoosh”, just like spreading a blanket. Thank you, Jesus, for covering my nakedness, my sin, my iniquity.
Ezekiel 16:4-8
[4] And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
[5] None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.
[6] And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.
[7] I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.
What To Do Now? Let’s Blurb!
It’s good to be writing to you all tonight. I am here to write a little “blurb” about what I have learned the past few days.
I have learned that it is never easy to be able to try and figure things out on your own. Trying to do this only leaves me to my own thoughts and understanding, and as obvious as it seems now, it’s hard to see in the moment. I hope that as I face my future valleys that I can remember the moments on the mountain, and to know that it took something to take me there: my Lord and my Savior!
I have also learned that without faith being in every instance of every trial, that the trial will run its course with no divine intervention. We start with faith the size of a grain of a mustard seed, and yet, that is only the beginning of it. That faith is meant to grow, meant to be cultivated, to be encouraged to something even bigger than our mind can contain. For without it, we can never grow to bear anything that will be of help to ourselves and to others.
Another important piece that I have obtained is the realization that people need each other. It is simply more convenient to think that everyone is okay, so we never bear the burdens of heavy hearts. It is simply easier to think “it’s someone else’s problem”. It’s so sad, but so true. I’m here to tell you that I am changing my frame of mind, and to realize that people need me. People need that anointing that God has placed in my life. For on my own, I am nothing, but God through me, I can do all things.
And finally, I will close with the thanks and gratitude to anyone and everyone out there that is supporting us in this ministry. We have had some things try and come to slow us down, but we are not stopping for anything! We are continuing forward, aspiring for the mark and high calling that we have read about! God bless you all!
Go Against The Tide
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It has been very interesting lately for me to observe conversations of people that I am around to really understand the point of view from someone who walks with unbelief. Most of the time I will pray for all of the people that I am concerned for, the ones that are lost, as we all do. But as I continue to try and draw closer to God every day and learn more about what I need to do to improve, I am stirred by the thoughts that I have been given.
When we go with the tide of the world, we are as the world, and take of its appearance. When we go against the tide of the world, even though the waves crash hard on us, we become separated, and have the ability to finally stand out and be a people that can draw others to God. We often forget that we are with the Master of the sea, the very one who created the waters of the world. Let me try and break this down a little bit more.
You can go and attend all the church services, sing songs, preach messages, teach lessons, blog your ideals, and broadcast your beliefs to the world; but ultimately there is only one true representation of what people will really be drawn by. When it comes right down to it, how you live your life every single day with how you act and what you do is the complete definition of your Christian life.
In other words, there are going to be moments every single day where you will make or break someone’s decision to make Christ their Savior in their life. There are going to also be moments where someone that hasn’t been where they should be with God continues to stay that way simply because of the behavior they observe from you.
They might see you going through all of the motions of being a “Christian”, but where is the virtue that is talked about in the scriptures:
John 4:15-21
[15] Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
[16] And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
[17] Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
[18] There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
[19] We love him, because he first loved us.
[20] If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
[21] And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
The most important thing to remember in your everyday life is to carry that virtue, to remember that while going and doing all of the things that God has called you to do, while also walking an upright life before him and setting a good example in front of others, that every bit of this must be done with LOVE.
People need to see the virtue of love in our lives, that spirit of charity. For when that love is in our hearts, it will be able to handle all of the situations where anger or impatience would normally try to come in and ruin the example that we try to show. When we go against the tide and fight things with love and patience, with the faith that we are going to make it through, they will be drawn to our belief that we serve a God that will bring us through. That is what draws people, not the fact that we attend church every single time, or that we are efficient or great in all the talents that God has given us. Everyone is good at something; it’s how people handle situations that make people be drawn to it.
Go against the tide, be a believer in God, and know that the example you show is being watched every single day, and that we are held accountable! It’s so important to remember this last scripture:
Luke 6:22
[22] Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
