Stand Firm - Peter Tan-Chi - Joy in the Crisis

thanks for tuning in to the CCF channel we pray that the message you're about to watch will be used by God to know him more deeply we also pray you will consider being connected to a local church community to help you grow in faith finally to help make sure you get the most out of this message we will provide you with a few discussion questions at the end please do not miss them greetings in the wonderful name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ how are you all doing in this lockdown I'm sure God has been speaking to many of you let me just share something that I hope will bless you first the attitude my advice is let us take every opportunity to learn and to grow when there is a problem when there is a crisis let it not go to waste let us see what we can learn let's take the case of this pandemic I realize historically speaking this is nothing new God is in control God knows and to logically speaking God has allowed this to happen years ago around 249 262 ad Europe the Cyprien plague 5000 people would die every day in Rome and this is what God used to wake up the population to the reality of who the true Christians were who they are what they did in 541 542 ad you have the Justinian plagued almost half of the world's population died you will notice every plague brings about spiritual renewal God uses what's happening to bring more people to his kingdom the 13th century plague the bubonic plague 25 million one-third of Europe's population died you will notice it is during this pandemic that God amazingly worked through his people as one historian explained that's how Christianity grew years ago when Rome was having this pandemic this epidemic people were dying a lot of unbelievers pagans were running away from the city but the Christians were different they stayed they help the sick they took care of the sick and that's how people began to see a distinction between followers of Jesus and those who aren't Christians and I pray that during this pandemic you and I will respond differently so that when others look at our peace our joy our desire to help others they can see the difference and by seeing a difference they'll be drawn closer to the Lord how you respond is very important let's make a difference in the Spanish flu epidemic almost 500 million 1/4 of the world populations were affected the truth is this nothing new Under the Sun God is always involved and today we have the corona virus I call this wake-up call God is trying to wake up the world to wake up believers to remind them that He is God and not us no amount of money no amount of power can solve this crisis apart from divine intervention it is showing us how short life is the reality of we don't really control our future the reality of mutation of what we can do my prayer is that God will speak to all of us so you and I will know how to respond and may I suggest some of the lessons I'm learning personally for example during this time many of us are learning to be drawn closer to the Lord you have the gift of time so use this time to examine your life examine your purpose what God wants you to do last Sunday we talked about being ready being ready for the inevitable the reality that sooner or later we shall see the Lord in the meantime God wants you to be clear so that you will know what are the important things further secondary God wants us to be clear of our priorities and I submit to you many of you have also shared with us the importance of your family the importance of relationships and above all the importance of knowing the Lord today I want to share with you this attitude that God wants us to develop it's called standing firm learn to stand firm in Philippians chapter 4 as we continue our series you'll notice what it says Philippians chapter 4 from verse 1 to 7 I want to share with you the shame of what Paul would like us to know therefore my beloved brethren whom I long to see my joy and Crown in this way stand firm in the Lord my beloved this is a command Paul is saying I want you to stand firm in the Lord what does it mean to stand firm before I explain that to you know the the context therefore every time you see the word therefore you try to find out what are the verses before therefore well last Sunday we talked about the coming of Jesus Paul is saying our citizenship is in heaven which we eagerly wait for the Savior the Lord in other words we are to wait expectantly we are to wait eagerly for the inevitable jesus is coming soon and because he's coming soon he now tells us therefore my beloved brethren stand firm notice my beloved brethren whom I long to see my joy and Crown Paul considered the Philippians his brothers in Christ as his joy in his crown what is he's talking about he is talking about some day when they all stand before God the Philippians will appear before God blameless because they are standing firm they are his joy they are his crown in other words Paul is saying you're the fruit of my labor I don't want to waste my life I don't want you to waste your life stand firm so the word stand firm means the following for example how is that word use 1st Corinthians 16:13 be on the alert stand firm what does it mean be on the alert stand firm in the faith so to understand stand firm you need contrast but first that word stand firm comes from this Greek word is takeoff it means to persevere don't give up it means to persist keep on it means to be steadfast so the idea is don't give up don't surrender just keep trusting keep waiting on the Lord why because of the reality of spiritual warfare the Bible tells us we are to be strong notice in the Lord and in the strength of his mouth our strength must come from the Lord it must come from his power why put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil notice God wants us to stand firm the word stand firm has a different root word but the same idea it talks about be ready don't be deceived by the schemes of the devil let me give example recently I heard from one of our group members how this man a faithful man of God who loved the Lord suddenly without any warning from the family he died he left his wife and four children it is a tragedy he did not realize the feel God covet 19 and the family didn't even have a chance to say goodbye it is during this kind of incidents the Satan would like to tell you why are you still trusting God why are you still following Jesus you see problems will come and Jesus wants us why it is important to stand firm Jesus tells us therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock the rain fell the floods came and winds blew and slammed against that house yet it did not fall for it had been founded in notice Jesus is talking about if you hear God's Word and you act upon them you're compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock the rain came the floods came the winds blew however it did not fall and then the contrast what is the contrast everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man here you have a foolish man who built his house on the sand the rain fell the floods came the winds blew slam against US house its fell and great was its form what is the Heart of Jesus this is same there are two kinds of people in this world the wise person and the foolish person the wise person will build his house on the rock on solid foundation and what is that foundation he tells us god's word his word you not only here you are a foolish man builds his life on sand his house on the sand meaning you hear god's word but you don't act upon it everyone who hears and does not up on them it's like a foolish man what is Jesus saying life is about choices you can build your life on solid foundation the Word of God the truth the teachings of Jesus on Jesus himself or you can build your life on human opinion on what you like to do on what do you think is right and you disregard the word of Jesus the Word of God many people do not take the Bible seriously but Jesus tells us someday the storms of life will come and when the storms of life will come it will reveal the impact of our previous choices remember life is about choices you can choose to build your house on solid run God's Word or choose your life your family on sandy ground human opinion at the end of the day there will be consequences so God wants us to be able to stand firm you cannot stand firm if your foundation is the sand and that's what Jesus wants us to understand he wants us to be able to stand firm to be able to stand firm build your life on his word his truth and that's why I always tell people choices have consequences the consequences may not be immediate you see God promised to help you go through the storms of life but we are not promised storm free life but we are promised stone proof life today we are encountering the storm of Corbett 19 there will be many will be affected financially your career your health your loved ones when these storms will come will you be able to stand firm God wants you to stand firm and call your life on this word his teachings this is so crucial stand firm can you turn to your neighbor and speak to one another and say stand firm that is our message as you face the Corbett 19 learn to stand firm why because the reality of falling away from the faith the reality of getting discouraged is really there do not belittle problems it is there however God promised he will help you stand firm no wonder this is so important that Jesus wants us false prophets will arise and will mislead many because lawlessness is increased most people's love will grow cold but the one who endures to the end he will be saved the Bible tells us a true Christian will endure to the end he will be able to stand firm because he's being strengthened by the Lord his foundation is the truth God's Word and God is saying stand firm it matters to your present life and your eternity this topic of stand firm is so crucial because the truth is sometimes with problems we faced unexpected challenges the death of a loved ones sickness the loss of a job and I've noticed if we don't disciple people properly we don't explain the gospel properly they will have this problem now you see them now you don't the truth is many so-called Christians do not stand firm now you see them now you don't I'm sure your friends that used to worship you slow turn Bible studies and then now there's no follow Jesus what happened standing firm you need to understand the message today because we do impact your future and Jesus wants you to stand firm so how do you stand firm may I suggest in Philippians chapter 4 three important principles number one regard for others number two rejoice always number three rest in the Lord what do I mean to stand firm you need to regard others this is very counterintuitive the Apostle Paul was in prison he should be sorry for himself notice instead of thinking about himself he was thinking of others Paul says therefore my beloved brethren whom I long to see my joy my crown stand firm how is Paul standing firm have the ce-1 people to stand firm notice he was thinking of others I urge you dear I urge sin tacky to live in harmony in the Lord he was seeking reconciliation he was trying to help these people hey don't just think of yourself think of reconciling fixed relationship if you don't fix relationship you won't be able to stand firm if you always think of yourself and you deny that there's a problem in relationship how can you stand firm so he's saying indeed true companion I asked you to help these women who have shared my struggle in the course of the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life notice these were believers their names are written in the book of life they were serving the Lord they were not young believers yet there is conflict there is problem so if you want to learn to stand firm think of others regard others seek reconciliation fix relationship don't just think of yourself and I realize the Bible is so true it's counterintuitive because in Philippians chapter 2 verse 4 Paul reminded us do not merely look out for your own personal interest but for the interests of others we need to realize to be able to stand firm it's counterintuitive you think of others the blessing is amazing as you think of others God is saying I will bless you when you have conflict with people option 1 you just think of yourself you don't care the fixed relationship but can I tell you something when you begin to think of others and you know there's a conflict you have to take the initiative to seek reconciliation and these are a problem I call this the virus of self-centeredness not stuffed pity self-righteousness it's all about you judging others self-admiration self promotion stuff well this is a real problem you cannot stand firm until you learn to deal with self-centeredness that's why principle one ting of others regard the others don't all rejecting about yourself don't be judging others beware of self-righteousness beware of self-pity so these are examples that I want you to apply this week think of others team of reconciliation recently I was attending a some group and the father he's a member of our group he applied the message he asked his family to seek reconciliation to resolve conflict remember I always say ask three important questions question number one how can I improve question number two how have I hurt you question number three will you forgive me so he began asking his children his wife how can I improve so we were curious we asked him so what did your children say what did your wife say well praise God for our brother he applied the principle of humility ask and listen and I said what did they tell you they told him what's the tone of your voice be careful with your temper you seem to react fast you get angry and the way you talk to other people be careful don't be condescending you see I praise God because of that he apologized to his children he apologized to his wife he was thinking of them and by thinking of others I asked him how did you feel praise God to be able to stand firm you need to regard others and many times it is to seek reconciliation are there anybody in your family right now that you need to ask forgiveness that you need to fix relationship I am praying that during this lockdown as you stand firm you do what's pleasing to God check relationship the Bible tells us if possible as far as it depends upon you be at peace with all men if you don't fix relationship what's going to happen is this you'll have social distancing and this social distancing will become permanent because you'll avoid talking to these people you are hurt if you don't seek reconciliation you will distance yourself then you develop anger then bitterness and pretty soon you'll apply the command of the Lord which is by this all men will know you are my disciples if you have love for one another so this is so important learn to regard one another love them to stand firm team of others regard others principle number two rejoice always got to learn to rejoice what does it mean notice Philippians 4 verse 4 rejoice in the Lord always again I will say rejoice let your gentle spirit be known to all men the Lord is near notice the command is rejoiced grammatically it means keep on rejoicing but the Bible is so emphatic the Apostle Paul is so emphatic he repeats rejoice in the Lord always dramatically you don't need the word always it's understood keep on rejoicing but then he added keep on rejoicing always and then he added again I will say rejoice in other words to be joyful its event only choice and you choose to be joyful in the Lord not in circumstances circumstances will come and go not easy this week recently one of our member talked to me and he said his son made an accident his son was driving a motorcycle and there was a head-on collision my heart goes out to our brother the son died it is during this time that you need to realize the Christian life is supernatural our brother experienced peace it's okay this is supernatural you know why it's from the Lord the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit notice this is from God joy rejoicing in the Lord is supernatural it comes when you've the Holy Spirit notice Habakkuk chapter 3 though the fig tree should not blossom there are be no fruit on the vine though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food famine though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls if you were to modernize this reality no more job no more salary no more food in the refrigerator what in the world are you going to do that's the most amazing thing yet I will exalt in the Lord I will rejoice in the God of my salvation in other words your confidence is in God you can rejoice in the reality that God is real and he will take care of your needs no wonder Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 10 tells us do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength God is not saying deny pain God is not say pretend as if you don't have problem God is saying in the midst of problem I want you to know I'm with you I am there I will take care of you and it is when you begin to realize our joy is in the Lord and it's hard to explain this until you personally encounter the grace of the Lord this is from God but it depends on how you position your mind how you think of the Lord I'm gonna ask somebody to share his testimony in Philippians chapter 4 all does the followers of Christ in the Church of Philippi to stand firm in the Lord and by doing so they will have access to peace which surpasses all understanding this is my story of how I was able to battle Kobi 19 my symptoms started in March 14 midnight when I suddenly woke up to go to the bathroom because of a bad stomach I didn't think much of it until later in the day when I started feeling fatigued and lethargic by the early afternoon of the next day I was all alone by myself in the condo nursing my fever while a slight throb started to materialize at the back of my head which later developed into a full-blown headache this headache was unlike any other headache I've ever felt before it felt like someone was hitting the back of my head with a baseball bat and the pain would go down in streets through my neck and my back through my spine from my shoulder blades up to my lower back later that night I also started feeling extreme chills which caused me to start shivering so wildly that it made it difficult to sleep at all eventually I got tested and making the long story short my doctor explained that should make over 19 test results come out positive I was already considered at a moderate risk level even though I'm still young and seem to be in good physical condition because I have pre-existing asthma it actually took 17 hours of waiting in the ER isolation room before I finally got the news that there was a room available in response to one of my follow ups a doctor finally went to me and said sir my available in the room pero major Mattapan gallon Bandhan cuenta de knee disinfect lung because the last patient expired after hearing this I shut the blinds of the isolation room curled up into a ball and started crying I was broken in and hit the lowest point when the symptoms started I was still in denial telling myself that I'm a healthy young man who unluckily just caught a bug the doctor statement pulled me into this reality of the possibility that I could die my perspective was people could die any day even just by crossing the street but being in a situation where a lot of other people have died is something else it was at this point that I cried out to the Lord and clung to him and his promises I started reciting the verses that I knew in my head and desperately prayed that I would feel his presence in his peace Psalms Tony three verses 1 to 4 says the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want he makes me lie down in green pastures he leads me beside quiet waters he restores my soul he guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me Psalms 18 verses 1 to 2 says I love you O Lord my strength the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer my God my rock in whom I take refuge my shield and the Horn of my salvation my stronghold and finally Isaiah 43 verse 2 says when you pass through the waters I will be with you and through the rivers they will not overflow you when you walk through the fire you will not be scorched nor will the flame burn these were the verses that I come because I serve in the music ministry ministry at church playing music while at church the experience is very different normally the focus is preparing the hearts of the people for worship and so you're really looking at not making a mistake or making sure that the transitions between the songs are perfect but in the hospital I had a guitar and I was playing I was playing worship songs but I had an IV and I was weak which made play my guitar difficult by no means was my music perfect but it was different this time it was between me and Jesus I would spend the afternoon playing my guitar and crying as his love grace and peace filled me and took away the anxiety the worry and the loneliness it wasn't all smooth sailing as there was still good days and bad days while I would busy myself during the day and talk to my family and friends over video chart chat at the end of the day when you try to sleep you realize that it's just you in the room alone by the end of March my symptoms were gone my test results were showing that I was almost back to normal and my doctor had actually said that clinically I was showing signs of having recovered it was on April 7 that I got my first negative and was finally teared but doctor to go home and suffice a several days after I got discharged someone asked me what allowed me to keep fighting the virus when I was at the hospital my answer was simple I didn't fight the virus Jesus did instead I stood firm in my faith that he would fulfill his promises to me that he would protect me he would be there for me and never leave me at the end of the day I knew that if I died Jesus would be there with open arms ready to accept the peace that I felt which I couldn't explain allowed me to get the rest that I needed to support my immune system which ultimately led the miracle my name is Julian Thomas acha since si 31 years old husband to a beautiful wife fathered a lovely daughter a sinner saved by grace a follower of Christ and a coded name in Survivor the God be all the glory and praise rest in the Lord to stand firm regard for others team of others rejoice always in the Lord and rest in the Lord what does it mean to rest in the Lord notice what Philippians 4 tells us let your gentle spirit be known to all men the Lord is near the word gentle spirit it's a word that a lot of translator struggle because it is such a beautiful word with various shades of meaning for example let in the NASB it is gentle spirit in other translation it is let your forbearing spirit in other translation let your meekness in other translation let your moderation be known so what in the world does it really mean the word gentleness is from the Greek word a PICUs is a water is very rich in meaning it means you are to be gentle you're the forbear you are to be meek gracious moderation tolerant magnanimity in dealing with others you are reasonable you are considerate you can handle this agreement and difficulties without losing your temper so this word gentleness Paul is saying let your gentle spirit be known it's a command to all men in other words Jesus tells us let our love be known to all men how will they know you're a Christian it's love all is saying another thing I want you to be known for is your gentle spirit your meekness be known for that let me ask you a question what are you known for when people think of us and they think of you do they think of you as somebody kind already think of you as somebody always losing his temper so when people look at us Paul is saying let them see all of you let them see your gentleness your quiet spirit Jesus tells us in Matthew 11 come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest notice rest how do you experience rest learn from me I am gentle and humble in heart and you shall find rest in other words the model of gentleness is Jesus second Corinthians chapter 10 verse 1 Paul tells us by the meekness by the gentleness of Jesus I urge you Jesus tells us he says I am gentle humble in heart in other words in order to be able to experience this forbearing spirit the secret is this the Lord is near when you realize the presence of God in your life then it's okay you can be nice to people you don't always have to insist you can surrender your right because you know the Lord is near the word near as the idea of Jesus is coming soon but it is also meaning he's right beside us it is not just time-bound he's coming it is space-bound he is right near he's beside us in other words Paul is saying as you go through life think of this reality God is with you he's beside you therefore learn to relax be rested notice the opposite to understand the word rested nasaan turnus opposite is peaky being petty easily provoked irritable quarrelsome short-tempered difficult to live with you know there are some people who are very picky who are very petty they make a molehill in the mountain everything is worth fighting for these people are not pleasant to live with Paulo saying don't be like that be gentle be meek in other words how are you in your family are you somebody that they that your family members like to be with are you enjoyable to be with I remember my wife and I we were counseling a couple and while we were listening with the wife the wife kept talking kept complaining about her husband and when my wife and I look at each other we noticed something the wife would like the husband to do everything she would like her husband to do it's all about her she's speaking on her husband complaining it's all about what she wants so my wife and I asked her have you ever considered how it feels to be living with somebody like you think about it how does it feel to live with somebody like you and she said you know I never thought about it I believe God wants us to be ready to stand firm because he's coming soon in the meantime how do you stand firm he gives us the following principles be thinking of others regard others the next are he's saying rejoice be joyful in the Lord because without joy I don't think you and I can stand firm you will give up and he tells us rest be rested because the Lord is present what does it mean to be rested it means that to worry what is the next verse be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer with supplication with Thanksgiving notice be anxious for nothing this is a command to stand firm you need to be rested stop worrying relax in the Lord he is present he is near his right beside us is in control so be anxious for nothing now this is a command grammatically it says always be anxious for nothing make it a practice make it a habit most of us have the habit of worrying he's saying ah change your habit stop worrying why God is near why you can pray in everything by prayer supplication with Thanksgiving do you notice how the Bible uses different words for prayer prayer supplication let your requests different words for prayer be made known to God let that guide your concern tell got your worries and then he says with Thanksgiving this is important most of us don't focus on Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is the expression of faith if you say you trust God how do you show Thanksgiving if you believe that God is near if you say you are rested in the Lord you are not anxious you're not fretting well be thankful be able to say I thank you see the opposite of worrying is thankfulness and then the promise comes and the peace of God notice this is the peace of God the peace that comes from him which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus this is amazing promise the peace of God it is not the absence of danger not the absence of problem it is the peace of God it is not human peace it is not a peace of the United Nation this comes from God to your heart the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension meaning is hard to fathom it's hard to understand but it is true you will experience this peace will guard your hearts the word guard that's a military term garrison God says he will surround you he will guard you so you have peace hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus this is an amazing promise let me share with you my own experience in this but before I share you my experience I want you to know the context of this verse the context of this promise in verse 6 it says be anxious for nothing but many times we forget what is the verse before verse 6 this is the verse be led your gentle spirit be known to all men the Lord is near it is so crucial that we understand the key to be able to have a gentle spirit a spirit of not always fighting the spirit of willing to surrender your rights accepting each other is to realize the Lord is near in other words God is very present God is saying I'll take care of you you don't always have to have your way because I am with you I'll protect you you know God's presence to me is so precious I'm reminded of my children when they were younger they used to be scared of the night hey daddy we were afraid and I will tell my children hold my hand I'm with you and the moment I say I am with you they relaxed they arrested and many times God wants to remind you when you're afraid when you're anxious God is saying I am with you trust me I'll take care of this practice the presence of God in your life remind yourself of this amazing truth that God is near us his with us is in us our security is God's presence what Satan wants is for you to live as though God is far away what Satan wants you to do is to think that God is so far away he does not know what's happening but what's the truth God says I am with you always amazing promise I am with you no wonder you can now connect be anxious for nothing many of us worry it's our habit can you ask each other right now you ask your spouse your friends am i warrior do I worry a lot ask yourself if you are always worried if you're always anxious can I tell you why because you fail to realize the Lord is near God is in control you are not the one controlling this world you don't control your future God is the one that's why he gives you a command be anxious for nothing stop worrying because worrying is saying Lord I don't trust you worrying is saying it's up to me to solve the problems of this world and God is saying stop worrying by the way it's a command the worry is a sin why because you are saying you don't trust God and God tells us I'll take care of you in fact Jesus tells us don't worry about food about clothing about shelter he tells us I'm your heavenly Father I will take care of you what a precious promise the question is are we applying this every time I be problems eye problems and I'm tempted to worry you know I praise God for my wife I praise God for my children they remind me hey Dad let us see what God is going to do many times I problems that is beyond my control I want to help a brother I want to have a sister it's outside my control and I begin to worry and then I am reminded God is saying let me take care of that it's not your problem it is God's problem and I am learning whatever is outside my control I will not carry the burden I will surrender that to the Lord because the Bible is very correct the Lord is with us the Lord is near I will take care of that problem what's my job pray that's what it says in everything in everything by prayer in other words to be rested you become prayerful to be rested your life begins to be centered on the Lord you tell me your problem and above all not just prayer Thanksgiving you become thankful because thankfulness is the expression of faith let me repeat the only way you can express your trust in God is by being thankful so you are thanking God it's like what happened to our family years ago when bad things happen to our family I was not address until I said lord I don't know why you allowed these things to happen Lord I don't understand why you allowed these bad things to happen but one thing I know you are in control you love me therefore I will trust you and I will thank you I don't understand but I thank you and sometimes you can give thanks crying I was in tears when I thank the Lord there are times when I cry but I think him why I anticipate the blessings even though I don't see it yet that's the beauty of Thanksgiving it unleashes God's power I will show you in the Old Testament the story of King Jehoshaphat king Joseph wat was a good king nevertheless even though he was a good king God allowed problems let's read some came and reported to the King Jehoshaphat saying a great multitude is coming against you beyond the sea out of Adam and behold they are in hazard zone Tamar and Getti Joseph ad was afraid and turned his attention to seek the Lord and proclaim a fast throughout all Judea Judah gathered together to seek help from the Lord they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the help of God notice a great multitude is coming against you in other words a great army is coming there was a problem in the Bible tells us Josaphat was afraid you see to be afraid is not a sin however you should use fear as a trigger as a reminder okay I will now turn to the Lord you see when there's a problem and you have negative emotions it's a trigger it is reminding you what are you worried turn the Lord why are you concerned pray so here's an opportunity during this covet 19 be sensitive to your own hearts your feelings if there's negative feeling instead of condemning yourself you say Lord you are reminding me I got the focus on the Lord I need to pray I need to demand myself the Lord is near and here's exactly what happened what he did when he was afraid he turned his attention to seek the Lord notice the sequence when he was afraid he turned his attention so use it as an opportunity to seek the Lord and notice what happened when you seek the Lord the Lord gave him a revelation the Lord told him do not feel or be dismayed because of this great multitude the battle is not yours but gods what a beautiful truth God is saying beside you are you worried are you fearful are you having financial problem God is saying trust me the battle is not yours it's mine trust me I will take care of you notice the next verse tomorrow go down against them tomorrow not this tomorrow what does that mean certain problems cannot be resolved today you have to trust God trash is timing not today tomorrow and then the Bible says you need not fight in this battle station yourselves stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf it stands firm don't back down don't run away stand firm to stand firm is to be steadfast to persevere you trust what God will do you may not know you may not see but God is saying leave it to me it stands firm and the Bible tells us God repeats do not fear or be dismayed tomorrow go out and face them the Lord is with you notice the same truth I am near you I am very present tomorrow I will go before you that my friend is what I mean when you learn to practice the very presence of God to stand firm you need to rest on the Lord you need to rest in his presence the sister and this happened to me years ago when my brother was kidnapped when my brother was kidnapped years ago I received a phone call they could not contact our Father because our father was abroad so the next kin they contacted me they said we have we have your brother we will kill him if you don't pay the ransom now during those days kidnapping is a cottage industry and other people are being kidnapped and I've to be honest with you I got concerned I began to worry and then the Lord gave me amazing through second chronicles chapter 20 I was reading the Bible and the Lord says Peter the battle is not yours trust me I'll take care of this tomorrow you face them you know what I did that night I unplugged the phone at that time no cellphone we were using landline in the kidnappers told my brother what's wrong with your brother he unplugged his phone and my brother who knows the Lord says you know what my brother is preparing a message for Sunday in the meantime if you want to kill me you kill me because I'll be at home with the Lord and they were listening to gospel music I was concerned but every time I'm concerned I am reminded the battle is the Lord I trust God so I asked some of the CC efforts to pray with me by the grace of God I slept I slept well and the next morning I plug on the phone but the Lord gave me ideas ready what to tell the kidnappers so make a long story short by the grace of God in that morning God did something supernatural my brother was set free it's all because God says the battle belongs to me it is battle not mine Who am I how can I go she ate with these kidnappers I realize the Christian life is indeed super natural you just need to learn to trust him well notice what happened when he had consulted with the people he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praise him in holy attire they went out giving things the power of Thanksgiving the Bible said when they began giving thanks notice when they began singing and praising the Lord sent ambushes against the sons of Amon the Lord gave them victory when did God give them victory in the morning when in the morning when they began singing and praising God there is amazing power when you exercise faith faith is the currency of the kingdom of God when you want to avail of God's promises the currency's faith the expression of faith is Thanksgiving the expression of faith is restiveness the expression of faith is praying above all Thanksgiving so you will say Peter I want to learn to stand firm how do you stand firm may I remind you think of others regard others not about yourself that's how you stand firm to stand firm how do you do it do you remember rejoice rejoice in the Lord how do you stand firm rest how do you rest in the Lord knowing his presence notice in Psalm 16 as we close verse 8 to 11 I have set the Lord continually before me because he's at my right hand I will not be shaken notice the amazing truth promise of the Lord when you set the Lord before you when you focus on the Lord you will not be shaken in other words the storms of life will come when the storms of life come don't focus on circumstances don't focus on people focus on the Lord the Bible says the byproduct of learning to practice the presence of God to practice to realize his always beside you is joy gladness and you will rejoice and then he gives you an amazing promise you will make known to me the path of life in your presence notice in your presence is fullness of joy it is intimacy with God that we experience joy not just joy fullness of joy you know all of us have problems and God allows problems have you encountered this amazing reality you have no more place to turn to you are desperate in moments of desperation God is saying come to me and many times we don't come to him until all we have is Jesus because we are so used to depending on other things many of us put our security in money we put our security in our friends we put our security in circumstances but when all of this is taken away and the only thing you have is the Lord many times for the first time in your life you will experience that Jesus is sufficient that God is more than sufficient and that's what I like you to experience I like you to pray with me wherever you are right now a sincere prayer the say Lord I want to experience this kind of restiveness I want to experience joy in your presence I am full of fear I am full of insecurity I feel like giving up I'm afraid I may not be able to stand firm I think I'm gonna collapse and I think I'm going to fall away what the truth is this only God can make you stand praise God you acknowledge your witness and you say Lord Jesus I will focus upon you you will help me stand and that's his promise remember last week what did we say in Jude 24 it says God is able to keep you from stumbling God is able to make you stand in his presence with glory blameless with great joy God is able to make you stand i cannot stand on my own I need the Lord let's pray if God has been speaking to you I like you to consider surrendering your life to Jesus and those of you who have known Jesus perhaps you are discouraged today you feel like giving up well he taught you to stand firm let's pray to those of you who don't have the security and the assurance of the peace of God but you want this peace you want the salvation of the Lord you are not sure where you will go when you die you're not sure but you'd like to be sure I'd like you to pray this prayer something like this Lord Jesus I don't have security I am full of fear I am full of anxiety today I turn my life to you I will accept you Jesus I accept you as my Lord and my Savior I repent of my self-centeredness I repent of my self-sufficiency I confess my need so Lord Jesus I come to you I ask you to be my lord and my savior I accept your gift of eternal life and your gift of forgiveness thank you come into my life to those of you who know Jesus but somehow you feel like giving up you are no longer standing firm why don't you make a commitment today say something like this Lord Jesus I need you to be able to stand to be able to stand firm help me to think of others during this time help me to fix relationship I cannot afford Lord Jesus to neglect relationships because it will eat me up it'll cost bitterness so Lord helped me to be firm by fixing my relationship helped me to be firm by rejoicing in you not in circumstances and a bubble lord help me to rest upon you to surrender my circumstances to stop worrying Lord I've this tendency to worry all the time help me stop worrying and focus my eyes upon you thank you for your presence in your name we all pray amen I praise God that you have joined us if you like more information we'll be happy to help you in the meantime I'd like you to consider the following questions may I suggest that you discuss this with your friends your family members the following questions fathers leaders learn to listen have you ever felt discouraged and wanted to give up how did you deal with it how did you overcome it why is awareness of God's presence in your life so important why is it so crucial we stand firm by realizing God is present in your life right now what can you do to help your staff and others to stand firm should you have more questions feel free to chat with us to contact us god bless you thanks for watching we would like to invite you to be a christ committed follower by being part of the movement as we honor God and obey His Great Commission to find out if there's a CCF satellite near you log onto wwlp.com all discipleship group where you can deepen your knowledge and love for Jesus and others to sign up log on to www.seagrant.umn.edu thanks and God bless

Channel: Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Views: 98,961

Rating: 4.8534322 out of 5

Keywords: CCF, Christ's, Commission, Fellowship, Sunday, Service, Sermon, Speaker, Message

Id: GJx2y66iV9g

Length: 67min 0sec (4020 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 26 2020