***It was very early this morning the Lord spoke to me in a dream to share with you several key words that begin with the letter P. I want you to write down these words and we are going see what God is speaking to us this morning:
- Promise
- Ponder
- Protection
- Provision
- People
- Pursue
We are going to use all of these words this morning and learn from God’s word.
Genesis 22:1-2
1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt (Test) Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
*** “It was in 1887 that the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody was conducting a series of meetings in Brockton, Massachusetts, and I had the pleasure of singing for him there. One night a young man rose in a testimony meeting and said, ‘I am not quite sure—but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey.’ I just jotted that sentence down, and sent it with a little story to the Rev. J. H. Sammis, a Presbyterian minister. He wrote the hymn, and the tune was born.”
Sammis is said to have composed the lines of the refrain upon receiving the letter:
“Trust and obey—for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
Abraham followed the instructions of God and Trusted and Obeyed. He went as far as building the altar, tying up his son and laying him on the wood. He then raised his knife and would have plunged it into his son but the Lord stopped the test and made provision and promise
Genesis 22:10-12
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
Genesis 22:13-18
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
15 And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
***The 1st point of the Message today: The Promise comes with provision when we trust and obey.
I want you to think about your life for a few minutes. I am sure many of you can recall a time when you trusted and obeyed God and he gave you a promise and provided provision as you went forward in faith. Trusting and obeying.
The Lord gave use the vision here at Joy Fellowship to build the heart and the Gym for tools of ministry to reach families and young people for Christ. When we started the projects we had about $70,000 in the building fund. Just enough to buy the wood and roof materials to start construction on the Heart. We took the step of faith and God sent the Carpenters for Christ to help get us started. It was a struggle to complete the Heart. I was here every Saturday with others as we worked as God provided and completed the Heart. Then the Lord said move forward with the Gym. In the middle of Covid we ordered the metal building before we had permits for the project. God lead us step by step and dollar by dollar. God blessed and you gave and without having to borrow any money God provided for the completion of the Gym.
Abraham was already bless by God but God had more to bless him with. God said Abraham do you trust me? Offer your only son to me. The promise and provision came with Abraham’s obedience. God saw in his heart and his actions he was going all the way and God stopped him and said do not hurt your son. I have provided a ram. Then God said in a promise through your seed all the nations of the earth will be bless. What God was saying in the promise was because you were willing to offer your only son, I will offer my only Son, Jesus Christ and he will bring salvation and blessing to everyone.
***The 1st point of the Message today: The Promise comes with provision when we trust and obey.
We are talking this morning about:
- Promise
- Ponder
- Protection
- Provision
- People
- Pursue
Luke 2:16-20
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
****The 2nd point of the Message: We must ponder God’s precious promise, and he will provide and protect it.
My friends the promises of God for your life are so precious you have to ponder them in your heart.
Matthew 7:6
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Proverbs 4:20-23
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Judges 16:16-18
16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
***The 1st point of the Message today: The Promise comes with provision when we trust and obey.
****The 2nd point of the Message: We must ponder God’s precious promise, and he will provide and protect it.
We are talking this morning about:
- Promise
- Ponder
- Protection
- Provision
- People
- Pursue
Matthew 2
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
**What were the wisemen doing? They were pursing the promise.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
Point #3: We must go and not be slow to protect the promise with God’s provision.
***Many people loose the promise because when God provides the provision to step out in faith they are slow to God. My friends God is a “on time” God. I love the words of that old hymn; He does not lead me year by year nor even day by day, but step by step my path unfolds the Lord directs my ways………
The angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in the dream and said go and protect the promise, Look at what verse 14 says….He got up and left at night.
- Herod's Wrath & Soldiers: Herod's decree was brutal, and his soldiers would have actively searched for the family.
- Night Travel Risks: Traveling at night, though secret, was perilous due to uneven terrain, lack of visibility, and greater risk from bandits.
- Thieves & Wild Animals: Roads were unsafe, with thieves and wild animals posing threats, especially in the wilderness areas.
- Harsh Elements: The journey began in winter, meaning potential rain and cold, adding to their hardship.
- Exile & Uncertainty: They became refugees in a foreign land, dependent on divine instruction for when and where to return, making the situation spiritually and practically taxing
***We do not know how close Herod’s men were to catching them and killing Jesus but we know that Joseph’s quick obedience was crucial to protecting the promise, Jesus.
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying,
18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
God told me this morning in the dream: Point #4 You have to protect the promise and not the people.
***Too many times people do not protect the promise of God in their life because they care too much about what other people will say and how they will react. My friends, I am going to use a lot of P words right now but listen to me:
You got to ponder, pursue and protect the promise with the provision of God and do not be distracted by the people who try to poke and poop on your promise.
We are talking this morning about:
- Promise
- Ponder
- Protection
- Provision
- People
- Pursue
Point #4 You have to protect the promise and not the people.
***In Closing we are going to prepare for Communion.**
Look at what happened after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead:
John 11:45-53
45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.
47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
Back to Matthew 2:19
19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
***The 1st point of the Message today: The Promise comes with provision when we trust and obey.
****The 2nd point of the Message: We must ponder God’s precious promise, and he will provide and protect it.
Point #3: We must go and not be slow to protect the promise with God’s provision.
Point #4 You have to protect the promise and not the people.
1 Corinthians 11:23-32
23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
