Max Lucado - Unshakable Hope - You Will Know God!

good morning everybody good morning what a good-looking group a good-looking group I told you that each week in the unshakable hope series we were going to begin with a declaration of faith the words are about to appear on the screen and we have little monitors floating around and if you don't say the words we're gonna zap you so please sit up fill your lungs were there and your heart with hope I want you to say this so the devil himself won't hear how seriously you take it you ready here we go we are building our lives on the promises of God because his word is unbreakable our hope is unshakable we do not stand on the problems of life or the pain in life we stand amen suppose God invited you to ask him for anything what would you request suppose God said ask it you shall receive it he invited you to make any petition what would your petition be better health new job short sermon now that's tacky you shouldn't say that the Bible shares the story of a man who has given that very opportunity and in his response to that opportunity says a lot to us about discovering a life of unshakable hope why don't we pray and then we'll take a look gracious God our King our Savior please have mercy upon our speaker for his sins are many help us to see Christ just Christ through Christ we pray and all the church said so Moses can ask God for anything then the Lord said to Moses excuse me I will do what you ask because I know you very well and I am pleased with you now Abraham wasn't given such an offer neither was Isaiah or David or Nehemiah Noah was given a rainbow from heaven but he wasn't given the credit card from heaven and yet Moses was again read that invitation the Lord said to Moses I will do whatever you ask because I know you very well and I am pleased with you in the shadow of Mount Sinai the Prince turned Shepherd turned Liberator can ask God for anything what do you suppose he thought about requesting so many requests to make at least a million requests because he had at least a million stubborn stiff-necked unappreciative Hebrews that he was leading to the promised land maybe he thought God could you turn all these people into sheep only a few months ago he was in the same desert near the same mountain keeping an eye on the flock what a difference sheep don't make demands in a desert to make a mess out of blessing they certainly don't ask to be sent back into Egypt what about all the enemies that Moses was about to face he knew what was coming up there were the Hittites and the jebusites and the termites and the cellulitis the land was infested maybe God could banish all of them or maybe he could just beam the children of Israel into Canaan whatever you ask God said Moses knows God can do it the entire ancient East knows what God can do and they're still talking about the staff that became a snake that still talking about how the Red Sea became a red carpet and not only does Moses know what God can do he knows what these people he's leading her to do while they worshiped a calf a golden calf instead of the Living God for crying out loud and God was really really ready to be done with the whole mess of him except for the twofold prayer for mercy from Moses and God so touched by the heart of Moses answered the prayer preserved the people and then he swung open the pantry door he said Moses whatever you ask that I will do so Moses makes his choice his request show me your glory show me your radiance show me your strength so may your beauty show me you show me your heart stomping ground shaking extra spectacular nests forgetting money I'll pass on the power and skip the Fountain of Youth I want more of God Moses wanted a glimpse of God's glory he wanted a glimpse of God's greatness because he had great challenges a million challenges a nation of nation after nation of adversaries one challenge after another now you have great challenges maybe you don't have a million Hebrews you're trying to lead but maybe you have a million questions you're trying to ask maybe you don't have enemies around every corner but then again maybe you do and so if you could ask God for anything could it be that the real answer to handling your problems it's not looking inside of you but looking up to him you see you have great challenges so you need an understanding of your great and mighty God you and I need what Moses wanted and that is a glimpse of God's glory we need to see God and gratefully God wants to be scene in fact right at the forefront of the promises that he makes to us is this one no longer will they teach their neighbor or say to one another no the Lord because they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest God envisions a day indeed he guarantees the moment in which every person will know the Lord and there will be no need for preachers or encouragers her teachers saying now know the Lord because we're gonna know him we're gonna be lost in its radiance we're gonna be basking in his beauty and in that moment every challenge every struggle every problem that you and I've ever faced are gonna melt like ice on a July sidewalk we will know the Lord but even now God is pulling back the curtain and those who desire to see him now are invited to gain a glimpse of God and we begin to understand who he is because God wants to reveal himself why would this be why would God want us to see him because he knows something happens to the person who sees God we're never the same and the more we see God the more we change this happened to Moses do you remember the rest of the story God answered the prayer of Moses he said however no one can see my face and live and so he placed Moses in the cleft of a rock what a tender moment and he said I will cover you with my hand and I will pass by and at the right moment I will remove my hand and you will see as I disappear for no one can see my face and live and so Moses was placed in the cleft of the rock beneath the protective umbrella of God's hand we can just imagine the aged shepherd with his long hair blowing back as the presence of God flies by and the hand of God is removed and Moses sees as God disappears and what saw what Moses saw so changed him that the scripture says when Moses came down from the mountain the sons of Israel could not look at his face for his face reflected the glory of God you see when we see the face of God it changes the face of the worshiper and when the people saw the face of Moses they didn't see a face of anger or a face of frustration they saw a face that reflected the very image of God to see the face of God is to change the face of the one who seeks God would you like to have your face changed would you like to have the worries and all the wrinkles gone the sourness the bitterness the secret is not looking within you but the secret is looking toward God the most important thing about you is the way you answer this question who is God who is God the most important thing about you is the way you answer that question get that one wrong and all of life will feel out of place but get that one right and even though life has its challenges God will get you through it for this reason God invites us to spend our lives looking for him and when we go and begin our search for him we begin to make some wonderful discoveries for example if you like to fill in the blanks we discover first of all that God is the God is God exists for proof venture away from the city lights on a clear night and look up into the sky that fuzzy band of white light is our galaxy the Milky Way one hundred thousand million stars our galaxy is but one of billions of others who can conceive of such a universe let alone the infinite number let we can't but we can try suppose you were to drive to the Sun at least attempt to drive to the Sun let's say a car dealer offered you a sweet deal on a space vehicle no doubt it was solar powered with a moon roof you're kind of hard to please this morning it averages 150 miles an hour so you hop in drive non-stop 24 hours a day for 365 days anyone want to guess how long it will take you to reach the Sun anyone try 70 years 70 years before you reach the Sun so let's say you tour the Sun maybe even catch a few rays so you decide you're gonna fuel up and fly off to the next nearest star the Alpha Centauri anyone want to guess how long that's gonna take you you better clear your calendar and pack your lunch you're gonna need 15 million years you don't like to drive well that's okay why don't you board a jet and zip through our solar system at a blistering 600 miles per hour in 16.5 days you'll reach the moon in 17 years you'll pass the Sun and in six hundred and ninety years you'll reach Pluto yeah seven centuries are gonna pass and you haven't even left our solar system much less to our galaxy the Bible says that the universe is God's preeminent missionary the heavens declare the glory of God you know a house implies a builder a painting implies a painter don't stars suggest a star maker and doesn't a creation imply the existence of a creator the heavens declare his righteousness how dare we look into the heavens and just assume all this just happened that it's a coincidence you wouldn't let me get bought with that suppose you invite me over for dinner which you haven't done but suppose you do and you prepare your favorite meal and I enjoy every bite and at the end of the meal I push back and I take the napkin and wipe my mouth and I say oh what a wonderful coincidence this meal was what a wonderful coincidence how wonderful it is that all of the necessary ingredients somehow tumbled out of the pantry onto the island where they were prepared mixed at just the right level appropriate ingredients coming together and then they elevated themselves and floated into the open oven and they're somehow closed the door and turned on the temperature to just the right level and there they cooked until they were prepared in the perfect fashion and at the appropriate time there was a big bang and the door flew open and the food floated out and it landed on the table and we enjoyed it oh what a wonderful coincidence this meal has been what would you say to me you would say you ain't coming back to my house buddy you might even use the word that the Psalms used two times to describe the person who says in his heart there is no God anybody know what that word is it's not a real compliment is it the scripture says in Psalm 14 and then later in Psalm 53 the fool says in his heart there is no God our society is prone to apology I'm sorry recognize the atheist to encourage agnosticism it's a demonstration of sophistication the Bible doesn't however the Bible has harsh words for somebody who could look into the sky and say oh that's just a wonderful coincidence some time ago I caught an interview on one of the news channels an interview of a famous actor been around for decades I said his name you'd know it when he first came on to the scene back in the 70s he was known for his vibrancy and his youth good looks and muscles and wavy hair and then he became known for his atheism he he decided there is no God and he made a big deal out of it every opportunity he had he kind of became a leader in the voice says there is no God and he's kept it up all these many years and now he's well up in years I don't know how old he is but I know the hair is about gone and the muscles are beginning to sag and his face his son watched and in this particular interview he had his arm in a sling he said because his bones have grown brittle and he broke one of them even so he had the audacity to tell the interviewer and to look into the camera and say oh there is no God I am God what a puny God oh god they can grow weary a god they can grow old a God that will die and what a waste what a waste what a tragedy to have wasted all these years instead of searching for God searching only for self but those who seek God they find not only that God is then they begin to discover that God is great to whom can you compare God the Prophet invites to whom indeed human hands can't serve his needs for he has no needs you and I have needs don't we we can't go but a few moments without a breath we can't go for a few minutes without a meal the basic needs prompt us to get out of bed in the morning not God he is uncreated he is self-governing he is self-sustaining he depends upon no one and nobody if somehow the human race were to disappear God would continue he's never taken a nap he's never asked a question that he could not answer he needs no food he needs no oxygen he needs no counsel he needs no physician the father has life in himself Jesus said what wetness is to water what air is to wind life is to God he's not alive he is life God is without our help and he always will be before the mountains were brought forth or ever you had formed the earth in the world even from everlasting to everlasting you are God from everlasting to everlasting you are God most times when we see a tombstone we see two dates and a little dash in between God's tombstone if there were ever to be one would have ever lasting everlasting and a dash in between no start no completion no end god never began and he never will cease jab says the number of his years is unsearchable unsearchable even so let's try let's try to search out the number of God's years suppose every speck of sand on the earth represented a billion years of God's existence okay anybody know how many specks of sand there are on the earth I don't either but let's say that we can collect them all with this giant vacuum cleaner we suck up every speck of sand from the Sahara to South Beach we suck them all up and then we blow them all out and we create this huge mountain of specks of sand keeping in mind that every speck of sand represents a billion years of God's existence and now just for the fun of it let's multiply it those specks of sand by a billion specks of sand and then let's listen as God says all of those numbers do not even represent a fraction of my existence that's how great and grand God is the Bible says he is the eternal God he invented time and he owns the patent when the first angel lifted the first winged God had already always been what's more God is holy never messed up not once never misspoke the prophet Isaiah described his glimpse of God he said there were two six winged angels and though they were sinless they covered themselves in God's presence two of their wings covered eyes to their wings covered feet and two other wings kept them at airborne and they volleyed a phrase back and forth holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts God is holy every decision precise every action appropriate never out of bounds never out of place never tempted to make a mistake the Bible says that God is impervious to evil we could go on and on about the characteristics of God but maybe that's enough just tally that up for a minute he has no age he has no need he has no sin no wonder he said I am God and there is none like me that's how great God is but is that great news is that great news I mean is it great news to know how great God is I mean after all if he is without sin and without need and with that age look at me I'm sinful I'm needy and I'm getting older every day might he have a place for someone like me like us maybe that's why we cherish this other characteristic of God above all others you know not only is God great and holy but the Bible says that God is love God is love but the very one who holds all the Aces holds your heart the one who formed you pulls for you and so God is untroubled power guided by unstoppable love as the Apostle said if God is for us who can be against us God does for you what Bill Tucker's father did for him maybe you know Bill Tucker he serves as the pastor of Concordia Lutheran here in San Antonio what a delightful guy many years ago I heard Bill share a story a defining moment that occurred in his life he was 16 years of age when his father became ill and his father lost his job and then when his father recovered his health he still struggled to find gainful employment and the family began to struggle financially Bill's father and entrepreneurial sort came up with an idea that he would like to make a bid to reupholster all of the theater seats in the movie theater this all hometown where bill was raised well he made the bid and he was awarded the contract which surprised everybody because mr. Tucker didn't know anything about upholstering seats and and he didn't even have the equipment to do so but he found somebody who would teach him and then he found an industrial-strength sewing machine in another town it took all of the family savings it took every penny they had bill said they could he could remember even digging through the sofa looking for coins they pulled all their money together and they purchased the industrial-strength sewing machine bill remembers the day that they drove to pick up the equipment in the family pickup truck it was a happy hour long trip with Bill and his father discussing the future and what wonderful opportunities that this new career new employment opportunity would bring they had bright horizons ahead of them finally and then something happened I'll let bill tell you what happened as we were driving along we were excited and I like any sixteen-year-old driver was probably not paying attention to my speed yes my father let me drive on the way home just as we returning on the clover leaf to get on the expressway I will never ever forget watching that sewing machine that was already top-heavy begin to tip I slammed on the brakes but it was too late I saw it go over the side I jumped out and ran around the back of the truck as I rounded the corner I saw our hope and our dream lying on its side in pieces and then I saw my dad standing next to me just looking all of his risk all of his endeavor and all of his struggling and all of his dream and all of his hope to take care of his family was lying there shattered on the ground you know what comes next don't you stupid punk kid driving too fast not paying attention ruin the family by taking away our livelihood but that's not what he said he looked right at me and said Oh bill I'm so sorry he walked over put his arms around me and said son it's gonna be okay if you listen carefully you can hear God sang the same to you if you listen carefully you can hear the affirming voice of your father and if you since you may feel his arm around your shoulder sometimes our dreams just well they fall over the side the world seems to fall to pieces and all our dreams seem irreparable but for those who know the heart of God who know that he exists who know that he is mighty who know that he is holy but most of all who know that he is loved because they have seen the face of God their face changes and that scowl turns into a smile or that despair turns into hope don't you think that if God can fill the sky with a billion stars that he can bring light onto your path when your path is dark don't you think that if God has never been asked a question he couldn't answer and never needed to ask a question except the rhetorical question don't you think he can handle yours and don't you think if God can make a universe out of nothing that he can make sense out of your struggles it can make good out of his promises and he can make sure that you get home safely the most important thing about you is what you say when asked the question who is God get that wrong and life's gonna feel out of whack forever but get that one right and you won't be spared all the struggles but you'll discover you'll discover a hope and unshakable hope because you've discovered an unchangeable God that's why God said this this is what the Lord says let not the wise boast of their wisdom are the strong most of their strength or the rich most of their riches but let one who boasts boast about this that they have the understanding to know me that I am the lord who exercises kindness and justice and righteousness on the earth for in these I delight can I urge you to stand firmly on this promise God will allow himself to be known by all who seek him make sure that you are one of them amen most heavenly Father hear us now as we pray you

Channel: Andry Moreno

Views: 100,220

Keywords: max lucado, Max Lucado, Max Lucado preacher, Max's message

Id: Fsb4ZSQyUyM

Length: 30min 52sec (1852 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 25 2019