Fill Us

Fill Us

[The below text has been machine translated and may contain errors. Please listen to audio for original and integral translation]

I’m gonna kind of talk about the Old Testament I thought the Old Testament but what kind of in sharing with me also includes the New Testament because God never separates himself God is who he is and the God of the Old Testament really is the god of the New Testament and although when you’re reading that you might think he’s not because he seems like he’s so different but the truth is God is God and he doesn’t change ever since before we were created and through all of eternity God will be God and He will be who he is and we will see aspects of his character that we might think he is this or we might think he is that and to give you an example if you never met me before and I am talking to somebody with a stern voice because they were told they are not to do that and they did not listen and now because of that there was a consequence that is going to come and they are going to reap what they sow and they need to understand that this is why you are to do it this way now if you’ve never met me before you might think wow she is kind of a mean person wow she doesn’t have any sympathy wow she must think she’s so wonderful that who gives her the right to do that because you don’t know me you don’t know the circumstance all you hear is a blip of my life and now you’ve drawn a conclusion you may never meet me before and you might come across me sometime and I am laughing I am just laughing hysterically and worshiping the Lord and just enjoying his presence and enjoying my friends and having a good old time and just talking about the kindness of God and look what God has done and giving and just filled with joy and you might think wow she is a really fun person to be with I kind of like to join that gang they’re all having a good old time I wonder who she is I wonder how I connect with her because I like that and then you might find somebody who had met me for the first time and heard me saying this is not right and you may not do it again and they may say you might say to them hey I just saw this person she’s so much fun I can’t wait to get to know her and they’ll say you don’t want to get to know her I know I just saw something and that’s what she’s like and they’re like no no no this is what she’s like no no no this is what I know yeah but this is what I know now God has many aspects just like we do and it doesn’t mean that I’m not both God is a holy God that never will change God will not tolerate sin that will never change god is slow to anger and great in loving-kindness that will never change God loves the world so much that He gave His only Son to suffer and die so that the world can come to know the heart of the father for them that will never change God has a plan from the beginning it has never changed he knew there was a plan B before he ever set plan a into motion because guide already knows everything he sees the end from the beginning he doesn’t start here and look out he goes I know that so let’s start here God made a way for us that’s our God so if you hear things in the Old Testament or you read them try not to stumble over what you read because God is a just God he is a holy God and he requires his people to obey Him in fact the word says in Samuel he said I desire obedience over sacrifice but God I did it all for you I’d ask you to do that I asked you to do this you ever done that as a parent hey I want you to go take out the trash you come back hours later crash isn’t dumped what are you doing the dishes but as she dumped the trash I know but I decided I want to do the dishes you know I don’t like to do dishes mom this is a sacrifice and you say but I don’t desire sacrifice I desire obedience that’s our God okay so don’t let you understand I’ll give you an example when Abraham was shown the promised land you know Abraham saw the promised land Abraham’s way back in Genesis we in the beginning part of Genesis so Abraham is walking with God why this guy said hey come on I want you to leave your family and I want you to come with me goes okay didn’t ask whether you were going he said okay why because Abraham knew his god Abraham knew God was a good God and if God says let’s go he says okay let’s go I wonder what his wife thought well one way back is it gonna be hot there is it couldn’t be cold there do I need my good shoes are we going out I don’t know how to pack honey this is this pack it all up we’re going and in the journey God showed him at the promised land and he said to him some day this will belong to all of your children but you can’t have it right now because the sin of the people heaven hasn’t come to a place yet where it will get the wrath it deserves God knew those people were sinful they were worshipping idols they were sacrificing their children to idols I mean seriously you take your little baby and you burn it on an altar for Idol it was a wicked wicked people a wicked but God waited 400 years 400 years talk about he slow to anger and great in loving-kindness he didn’t say what you’re doing is wrong and I have a right to get rid of this right now he waited he gave them time and opportunity to get it right that is the same God we serve today so I really am going to watch the time cuz I can just talk about this all day long alright in Hebrews 11:6 we are told without faith it is impossible to please God without faith it is impossible to please God because when you come to God you must believe that he is and that he rewards those who diligently seek Him not crazy he rewards us if we seek Him diligently not like morning God here’s your day before me you can have it thanks see ya know to diligently seek Him he will reward you so he doesn’t say just believe Who I am he says you the reason it’s impossible to please him is because you must believe who he is that is offensive to God when you do not believe who he is you ever thought about that have you ever had somebody say to you wow I just talked to bla bla bla and they said that what you did was so rude and you say what did I do well they saw you in the store and they said hi and you just kept on walking you just snubbed them and they were offended because you were rude and what do you say I didn’t even see them now would you take offense to that they should know me better than that I wouldn’t snub them I like them we’re friends why would why would they think that about me it’s kind of offensive isn’t it well John you know Johnny says that he saw you in that bar the other day and I know you’re not supposed to be there did Johnny also tell you I was dropping off so John it friend of Mines mail because I had to leave and I’ve been gathering it for them all week with err on vacation I walked in hand the mail and left no well that really kind of offends me because not only was I not doing anything wrong but now he’s talking about me and making me sound bad you know there’s so many things that we do as a people but what we don’t realize is we do the same thing to God we do the same thing to God so in the Book of Isaiah believe it’s chapter 8 he says to his people through the Prophet you tell them this don’t fear what other people fear and don’t do what other people do and don’t go around making other people fear what you fear lest you offend me you fear me I’m the one you don’t want to offend don’t look at the people look at me God gets offended at us when we forget that he is good when we forget that he is gracious when we forget that his whole purpose is for unity God gets offended but God but God now I know everybody here said that at least once but God because we’re children and that’s what children do because we forget I’ve said to my kids do you really think I’m not gonna feed you supper how many times has that happened in your life none then why are you complaining and acting like well I’m so hungry aren’t you gonna feed me why would you even say that to me think about what you’re saying so I want to tell you that it is really really really important to know your God because without faith you cannot please him because when you come to him you must believe that he is so what is he have you ever asked yourself what is God what’s he like you must believe that he is he is what what is God is he good is he faithful is he merciful is he our provider is he our sustainer is he a one who made the way when there was no way otherwise we would go into hell but no but God has God ever failed anybody through all of history love at David his last days that I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread God God or David knew his God he knew his God he knew his God so he could do what he could do and when he cuz he knew his God he always pleased God because God knew he believed in who he was and that’s why he could do what he did in Daniel 2011 22 I believe it is 11 wait and we find it yeah 11 32 it says but those that know their God will be strong and do great things those who know their God will be strong and do great things when we know our God not only are we pleasing him because we know who he is thus we trust him we have faith in Him we believe in him our hope is in him then we’re not going to be disappointed because we know our God is faith and even the junk I got a walkthrough I know he’s gonna turn it around for my benefit in his glory because he said so and if he did if he lied even once I would know it because I’ve lived a long time and I’ve had plenty of opportunity for some really nasty things happen in my life that I could honestly say is an opportunity for God to not turn it around for my goodness glory right but he always has he has never failed me my God has never failed me and I have given him plenty of opportunity because I am a stupid sheep in the fold of Jesus who wants to wander off all the time and do my own thing and God in His mercy will bring me back right so I want to talk a little bit about Jehoshaphat and Jehoshaphat I like John said that if you ever read the Old Testament you’re gonna find out you go into first Samuel and David shows up towards the end while he’s in there but then he gets promoted in this and then you’ve got 2nd Samuel where he’s reigning and then you get the kings 1st and 2nd and you get the Chronicles 1st and 2nd and a lot of it repeats itself but sometimes you get out of 1st or 2nd Kings what you don’t get in the Chronicles kind of like in the Gospels you might read something to Luke but maybe it won’t be in Matthew because you’ve got there was just I don’t know why it’s just the witness I guess because it was written by different people when they wrote what God told him to write and when God repeats himself you want to pay attention and if God doesn’t repeat yourself himself you still better pay attention because what God says something it never returns void according to Isaiah 55 the word the Lord never returns void it always accomplishes what it was sent forth to do always so Jehoshaphat is the king of Judah now we have David and he’s reigning over the whole lot ok so it kind of like be if you guys were Israel and I was David I’m your king and you’re all my subjects and I got the whole kingdom well then David died and his son Samuel took his place now Samuel was given more wisdom than anybody in his time or sense has ever had but he didn’t use it wisely he still let his flesh rise up and he made choices that God told him not to make and because of that not in his life for the sake of his servant David but his sons had a battle and the kingdom was torn so now you all are Israel and you all are Israel but you all have become Judah Judah was a smaller part of the whole gang there were 12 tribes in Israel you got Judah and all the rest of Israel now if you read in the oh and the Kings and the Chronicles you’ll find out that Israel mostly had wicked Kings that did what they wanted to and it was awful because he served idols that were awful awful awful did awful awful things and then you have Judah who had a lot of kings who serve the Lord there were a few that didn’t and there were a few that did but basically you’ve got two kingdoms now to tell you an example of how wicked this kingdom was you have King Ahab who was married to Queen Isabel Isabel Jezebel sorry and Jezebel was a very wicked woman and she was married to a whiny baby who did not want to listen to his he didn’t he just wanted his way and if he couldn’t have it he would wind and then his wife would say for pete’s sake hear the king get up and do something about it and she had him she he would just do what she said he did it was it was a nasty thing and that’s the whole time if you go back there that’s when Elijah was bringing down fire from heaven and that’s when there was a big famine in the land and all this stuff’s going on right okay so down the road Jehoshaphat is also a king but he’s king over here so you have the king of Judah Jehoshaphat he loved the Lord and he served the Lord with all of his might now Jehoshaphat was told there’s a bunch of kings that came around and they wanted to destroy to take over you know Kings are always trying to take other kingdoms that’s just what they do which is why God’s kingdom stands and remains even though the enemy has his own kingdom and he can’t succeed he can always try but he cannot succeed because God always wins do you ever think about how cool that is you’re on the winning side I mean you’re having a lousy day just remember you are on the winning side I mean it doesn’t get much better than that okay so Josaphat because he knew his God instead of getting his feathers ruffled in his cell follow-up he did what any godly man would do in the season and he called for the Prophet he said what am I gonna do this is what I’m looking at don’t look real good now in this particular case he called for Elijah and all I just said let’s go worship John Elijah was into worship oh my goodness maybe that’s how he heard God Sharon shared this morning that the presence of God comes when we worship and praise Him so the prophet called for the minstrels and the singers and they played and they worship and then Elijah Hurghada and he said this is what God says gather the people together I want the singers and I want the worshippers but before you do that I want a fast so Jehoshaphat fasted and he sought God see to get to know God there are many ways and fasting is definitely one of them and let me tell you I had a friend who was fasting because she wanted somebody who she thought would be her perfect mate and she decided she wanted him so she fasted for 40 days I mean this woman was on the diligent fast she did not cheat she fasted and the 40 days were up guess what she found out that wasn’t the guy for her do you know what she did she got mad at God you know why because she wasn’t fasting for God’s heart to be instilled in her she was fasting so that God would say okay okay I give up you can have him and what she didn’t know was it was God’s great kindness because I turned out to be a real dodo I mean he married somebody else it was not good it was sad it was really sad and God’s great kindness was his big no if you think you hear God and you find out later you didn’t get it maybe just in here right gods know is always to our kindness it’s always his kindness I love the story of Moses when he said God I want to see your face and God says you can’t see my face but I’ll put you in the cleft of this rock so when I pass by I will cover I will cover myself and you will see my pack and when Moses saw the back of God passing by him the word says he saw God’s goodness do you think about that I feel like God has turned his back on me Wow he’s revealing his goodness that’s what that meant God’s back is good God is so good that he will that I see only what is good for us and give us only what is good and you can trust him if you know him that’s why it’s easy to have faith when you know your God because you know he is good and even his back is good his front is good his sides are good he never leaves you he never forsakes you he knows you better than you know yourself he’s counted the numbers on your head now why in the world what our God needs to know that because he loves every part of us he was in our Mama’s belly beam when we were being formed yeah I like that eyebrow that shape he takes great delight in his creation and in his people so you need to know your God so Jehoshaphat asked what they should do after fasting they called they worship and then you know what happened God told them I want you get all the worshipers and singers and I want you to just go out and then you know everybody else can follow them so you have the band going god is good it’s faithfulness and doors for ever and ever and His mercy and his love is for ever and ever they weren’t singing oh god please come and kick our enemies but cuz we are really really scared and we don’t know we’re doing that I feel like an idiot I hope nobody’s watching no they just worshipped him because they knew he was good and they knew the outcome would be good so they’re worshiping how good he is that father did and when they got to the top of the the nul where they could see where the enemy was encamped guess what the enemy was doing they were killing each other and they stood on that loon all check it out – killin each other Wow can you believe that there’s nobody left wow that’s cool God said he put confusion in the enemy’s camp can you picture that how would you feel your whole nation is at stake your whole nation is at stake because they’re gonna come and wipe you out and all you did was trust God and obey Him that’s all you did and he destroyed your enemies so that you could actually stand and watch the salvation God to me that’s pretty doggone awesome when you know who your God is you will not be shaken by what you see now how you feel about those situations and what you have heard other people say I don’t think your husband is very nice that I think I saw him the other day with some other woman I think you should know that you know what I would say I know my husband perfect nope but he’s a faithful man and he’s a man of his word and I have never ever been disappointed in him and I don’t believe you and I would be serious my husband is a faithful man he said years and years and years with me he’s not gonna go with someone else he’s had plenty of opportunity when you’re that good look gun you know can I say I have a faithful man so I don’t care about the evil report I hear I don’t care if I feel like he hasn’t been attentive lately and it doesn’t bother me if he has to go away for a week and work yes I know my husband and that’s the type of relationship God wants us to have with him he wants us to know him so well that when you hear things when you feel things when you when you think you see something and you’re not sure you always go back to but I know my god and God and I’ve wrestled with God I don’t know about you guys but I’ve gotten on that wrestling mat and I’ve learned through the years it’s so much better for me if I just go okay you win instead of fighting if I just say okay God you know what you’re doing but sometimes you know you said but God can’t you see how good this plan is but God don’t you understand how important look at how many people would know this I mean I was sick for a long time God you know what if you just heal me then all these people that know that I’m sick would know that you really still heal and it would be a great testimony for everybody and my children wouldn’t struggle because every time they pray for mommy she doesn’t get better and the word that says that you’re healing God today people wouldn’t be able to refute it I mean I had it all figured out I mean God act on if you do it now in front of all these people Wow all those people but go out and tell all those people who tell all those people and people would see in fear put their trust in God I know how to quote the word but guy said it’s not time yet that was a hard word I got on that mat and I’d start wrestling but where’s him word we’re in the word does it say and then he goes well how about this one where it says in the appointed time no I don’t like that one can you tell me when the appointed time is because it would help me he never did tell me that and that was okay because he still healed me and that’s what I wanted I wanted to be healed and my family did find out and all the people praying for me did find out and people understood that God still heals today but I got on the mat and said but God you said you said and I had to get me out of me so I can allow God to do what he wanted to do and God never once rebuked me for that because it wasn’t a matter of not knowing him and it wasn’t a matter of not trusting him it was a matter of me just thinking that maybe I had a plan that he should listen to and then I realized it was dumb because his plans are always better than mine so another time there’s going to be another battle and King Jehoshaphat was approached by King Ahab so now you got wicked wicked wicked come on over to godly godly godly Hey I think that we need to go after this other King and we need to go united because there’s unity and power in a unity and besides that your numbers will add to my numbers and we’ll have a better chance and you know what your hasa Pat said he said well or the prophets saying because I’m not moving until I hear from God Jehoshaphat understood that obeying God is really really really important so if you look at 2nd Kings 3:16 and I’m actually gonna read from the Bible you can look up all these things though because it’s in there when the King went to Jehoshaphat when King Ahab went to King jehosophat he said jehosophat said to him is there no prophet of the Lord here by whom we may inquire the Lord and the Israel servants answered well there’s Elijah I mean he washed the hands of Elijah so he must have something he hung with the dude and now Elijah is gone so I think Elijah is the guy to go to I mean we’d give it a shot so second Kings 3:11 onward I’m going to paraphrase it says that Elijah said to the king to King Ahab I want nothing to do with you why are you even bothering to come to me I know who you are and I know what you do but for the sake of Jehoshaphat I tell you what you get to know somebody who knows God you are gonna be in a good place and that’s why God has his people hobnobbing with his people because when you find somebody who hears from God then you know you have a secure place and this King alot are Elijah the Prophet was not even going to bother asking God anything because he knew who ahab was but for the sake of Jehoshaphat just like God said to Abraham when Abraham said can I ask you again God like what if there was some you know 30 people in Sodom and Gomorrha will you destroy it then for the sake of when he got down to ten except for the sake of my ten God sees his people in the midst of the wickedness do not ever think that God gets lost in the wickedness that you see around you he knows you individually he knows you intimately and he wants you to know him intimately because that’s the ones who are strong and do great things for God because they know their God and they obey Him when he speaks so Jehoshaphat when he lied she said he would do it for him you know the lies she did he said bring me a minstrel and while the minstrel played God gave Elijah a plan these prophets of God they didn’t just go okay God I need just talked to me and you know maybe you can do it while I’m in the shower I hear you well there I don’t know I hear God well in the shower but they knew that God’s presence meant his word it meant that they could hear him they would they would be able to talk to him do you know that David King David when he went to battle over here the town that his family lived in and all his mighty more mighty men that were with him their families were in a place called Ziklag and the enemy came and burned down zyk Lake and took all of the things that belonged to them and it took all of their wives and all of their children and all of their servants and all of everything they had and they took them away into captivity and what David came back from fighting for the Lord you’re like this guy was out fighting for you and look what happened while I was gone and the men were so mad they weren’t a stone David as if it was his fault but you know if it wasn’t for David saying let’s go over here and fight then maybe we would have been here and you know how you do that blame thing because when you’re really upset you got to blame somebody and heaven forbid you blame yourself so you know David did David put worship on he said give me the ether now the eath it was a representation of worship and it’s with the priests war and it represented all how the stones twelve stones on it that represented the twelve tribes of Israel and that’s what they wore when they went before the Lord and worship David worshiped his family’s gone his home is burnt to the ground he has nothing but a bunch of men that want to stone him and David knew he had to from God why because he knew his God and he knew his God was good and he knew his God had a plan and so David put on worship God gave him a plan and they got all of their family back and not one was harmed got all of his belongings back he didn’t lose anything that’s what God does when we know him and know the best ways of knowing him is to getting before him in worship not because you’re trying to twist God’s arm but because he is worthy and when we say God I know that this is happening at night 9 answers are really messed up and I know my child is making stupid stupid choices is breaking my heart and I know that my job is on the line that I don’t know how I’m gonna make it and god I know that I am tired I’m just tired I choose to worship you not because I’m in this place because you are worthy of my praise all the time and in my worship of him he comes because he dwells in praise and worship and as he comes he comforts me and he gives me strategies so I can pray differently he gives me hope he reminds me of his word and he reminds me of the past things he’s been faithful in when I worship the Lord I am different and when I am different how I view my circumstances around me looks different and now instead of being devastated and overwhelmed I’m encouraged and I’m looking to see what God is gonna do and I start saying I can’t wait to see what God’s gonna do here cuz it’s gonna be good I can’t wait to see what God’s gonna do with over here cuz it’s gonna be good and I can say that confidently he is good and when I see it from his perspective it changes me and then I can see what he sees and I’m no longer down here looking at something and seeing my little world I’m up here with him and I’m seeing the bigger picture since what God sees so what encourage you all everybody has trials in their life everybody has circumstances they don’t like everybody at one time or another feels weak weary worn and ready to give up everybody in their life feels lonely at times everybody in their life because there is nothing that happens to anybody that everybody doesn’t have an experience of because it’s normal life but when you know your God you will be strong and you will do great things regardless so when I encourage you get to know your God I know we all know a lot about God and the more you went to Sunday School and the more you’ve read the word and the more you’ve heard other people teaching the more you know about God but do you know your God or do you just know about your God because if you only know about your God he’s saying today I want to I want you to start seeking me so you know me just like I know my husband I don’t know my husband because I didn’t talk to him and I don’t know my husband I don’t know my husband because he didn’t talk to me we’ve lived life together I talk he talks he talks I talk we go through things together while we’re in it we’re talking back and forth back and forth that’s what the walk with the Lord is like he wants you to talk to you he wants you to listen to him I remember getting up there more in early early morning and just sitting there okay God changed my heart I know it’s hard as a stone and I want it to be like flesh and I need to hear you because I don’t want to know about you and where I know you well I’m waiting come on god it’s early if I’m falling asleep okay maybe I’ll try riding okay god I need you to talk to me right now I’m just gonna write what you say and you know what I started writing like I had this stuff coming to my head so I’m like okay when you start to seek me like you would chocolate I am not kidding you that was the first word of the Lord to me when you start seeking me like you seek out chocolate on those days you have great craving than none to be found you will find me I can’t tell you how excited I was because as dumb as that sounds I knew that was from God and I know I seek out chocolate when I have a craving and there’s none to be found it’s like God you know me so well sorry you okay I can do this how do I do this so the next day I just got up and I did it again and I started to worship okay God I know you’re good there was a song make this heart of flesh make this heart of stone into a heart of flesh cause my heart to seek you help me to wait I’m singing this song in the early morning broke why at least I don’t wake my children could you know if your kids are up forget quiet time right and I started hearing up more and more and I begin to realize what he meant and then I got more excited because he was talking to me so then I started a date night there every date night was god they’re really cool when my husband came home from work I’d say okay I got to go out so in that a winter or in the smell of summer didn’t matter I just wore what I needed to wear according the weather and I went out to the field and I would just worship Him I would just stand there cuz you can’t sit it’s all grass and mud and dirt and I’m not into that so I would stand and I’d look at the sky and I look around me well God your creations awesome well god you’re so good and I began to sing and sometimes I’d make up songs you know like God your sky is beautiful and I’m amazed that you love me and I would just create this thing you know that I don’t want anybody here but the cow and God would come and it was so good I would do it the next week it was awesome I am Telling You when you seek God he will be found when you take the time to seek Him and then you will know him and when you know him you won’t be shaken though the mountains while though the earth shake in the mountains crumble into the sea I will not be afraid why because I know my god this is what God is calling all of us to a deeper relationship with him an intimacy that we can honestly say he had the other day the Lord and I were talking and you know I saying God I don’t understand why in the world does blah-blah-blah-blah-blah and he said this to me and then the other day I was talking to Lord and I said blah blah and then I was talking to my friend and they told me about the scripture God showed them that was the answer to what I was asking God and then one day I was talking to God and I said blah blah blah blah and on Sunday the pastor preached on it this is what our God does don’t limit him he wants to talk to you that that alright I am going to close and before I do I just want to close in prayer and I want to give an opportunity for anybody who wants to come up for prayer to be encouraged to hear from the Lord and please stay if you can for the farewell shower for our dear sister here that we can give her a wonderful send-off so father thank you so much for today thank you that you come when we asked you to come and that when we seek after you you will be found thank you for all your promises thank you for all the victories we can read about in your word thank you that we have had opportunity after opportunity to see the faithfulness that you are because you are faithful all the time so I ask God that you would put in all of us a greater hunger a greater thirst for who you are to know you I just want to know you we we at times feel like that dear that is looking for water in the desert but always will find it when we are finding you father thank you for loving us for forgiving us when we forget you for receiving us back quickly and for always give us opportunity to run straight into your throne room for help in our time of need I ask your blessing on the rest of this day and everyone that is here I ask God that you would help us to become closer together in unity as a body and that together we would seek your face because there is such power when your people come together in unity and it’s such a blessing to you I ask the blessing on Miriam as she goes off to this new adventure in her life I ask for safe travels I asked for a peaceful readjustment and the blessing on her marriage that you be the head of that home and that you move as they could greed together in unity of your goodness your kindness your faithfulness that you be their stronghold and their trouble in a safe place thank you for being their provider for being their sustainer and for all the things you have for them to accomplish as it live out their days together thank you for those people here bless Pastor Steven Becky as they will be journeying home today give them safe travels home and let them we miss them this morning we cannot say enough how good you are but once again we will say you are good and all that you do is just and right and so we can open our mouths knowing that you will fill it with good things in Jesus name Amen

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