The Lord Has Done Great Things for Us...And He Isn't Finished Yet

The Lord has done great things for us, and he isn't finished yet.

He isn't finished yet. If you would, just for a few moments,

take your Bible and turn to Psalm 126, if you would with me.

Psalm 126. And this is, of course, Homecoming Sunday at Eastwood,

and I hadn't said this yet, but 1955, 71 years, Eastwood has been ministering

in this community. Praise the Lord for that.

I'll tell you what. So as you take your Bible and turn with me to Psalm 126,

this is one of the songs of a sense.

And it's sung as God's people made their way up to Jerusalem to worship.

They sang as people who had been carried away, made to wait,

and then shown the mercy of God.

And so listen to the word of the Lord as we look there. It says,

when the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with singing.

Then they said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them.

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad.

Bring back our captivity, O Lord, and the streams in the south.

Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing,

shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Hallelujah. Amen. Thank God for his word. You know, homecoming is a day of remembering.

We remember voices that we can almost hear when a familiar hymn is sung,

or we remember Sunday school rooms or baptismal waters or funeral meals,

mission offerings, and prayers that was offered,

when nobody but God knew the burden behind them.

Some names that are still spoken often.

And others that are known maybe only by a few today.

But heaven, I want y'all to know this today, heaven has not forgotten any of

that faith that has been offered to Christ, amen?

Homecoming, however, is not an invitation to live backwards.

The Lord did not preserve his church so that we could spend one Sunday just admiring yesterday,

but he gives us memory, Eastwood, so that yesterday's grace will strengthen

today's faith and send us into tomorrow's mission.

And that's the movement here we see in Psalm 126.

It actually looks back and says, the Lord has done great things.

It looks around and it says, we are glad.

And it looks up and it prays, restore us again.

Then it looks ahead and it says, those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.

And that Psalm, think about it for a moment, has a memory, a song, a prayer, and a promise.

And that's what a healthy church must have too. So on this homecoming Sunday

today, Eastwood Baptist Church, let us first remember God's faithfulness.

Giving praise for his faithfulness. Verse 1 actually says, when the Lord brought

back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream.

You know, that phrase can speak of God bringing his people back from captivity

or more broadly, restoring their fortunes.

Either way, the point is plain here that they couldn't rescue themselves.

Jerusalem did not rise because the exiles finally became strong enough.

Zion was restored because the Lord acted.

The Lord acted. God's people had known the bitter fruit of their sin.

They had watched walls fall and homes empty.

They had sat in a foreign land and wondered whether the songs of Zion would

ever be sung in Zion again.

Then God moved.

God moved. Doors no human hand could open began to open. A road home appeared,

church, where none had been.

The answer so far beyond what they had dared to even think or speak about that

they actually said here in the passage, we were like those who dream.

Have you ever received news so good that your heart couldn't catch up with your ears?

You heard the words, but you had to ask. would you say that again?

That's like the feeling of this verse. They were awake, church,

but mercy felt like a dream.

Then verse 2 says, our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue was singing.

Notice whose mouth it was.

The people, y'all, who had wept were now laughing.

Do you see that? They were now laughing. The people who had groaned were now singing.

God didn't erase their history. He redeemed it.

Their sorrow made the song deeper because they knew who had brought them out.

Even the surrounding nations there had to say, the Lord has done great things for them. Do you see it?

The people of God were not congratulating themselves.

The watching world did not say, hey, what remarkable organization or what impressive people.

They actually said what there in the text. The Lord has done this.

God's work among his people becomes a testimony beyond his people.

And then in verse 3, look at it, Psalm 126, verse 3, the congregation takes

Psalms 126:3

the testimony into its own mouth.

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad.

That's more than nostalgia, y'all. Nostalgia actually says those were good days.

Faith says the Lord was good in those days.

The Lord was good in those days. Nostalgia actually makes the past sometimes about us.

Worship makes the past about God and what he has done.

And that distinction, I believe church matters on Homecoming Sunday.

We give thanks for faithful men and women, think about it, who prayed,

who taught, who gave, who served, who visited, who repaired,

who stayed steady when it cost them something.

Some taught children after working all week long. Some sat with the grieving.

They carried meals. They served in the nursery. They went on mission.

They knelt beside a child asking how to be saved.

Much of the strongest work in a church never appears in a photograph.

But God saw it all. He saw it all. So today, we honor those faithful members

best, I believe, when we recognize what they themselves would want us to recognize.

The Lord did it.

He supplied the grace. He answered the prayers. He sustained the witness. He saved the souls.

The glory belongs to him and only him.

You know, Psalm 78 actually commands God's people to tell the coming generation

the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, his might, and the wondrous works he's performed.

We're not merely to hand the next generation a building key or an old photograph, are we?

We're to hand them a testimony.

That's what God has done. This is what God is like. This is why you can trust him.

You know, families sometimes mark a child's height, and maybe you did this on

a door frame. You ever experienced that, right?

A date's written sometimes beside each line.

Nobody looks at the mark from five years ago and says that was the perfect height.

Just stay there forever, do they?

No, that mark is precious. Why? because it proves the child has been growing.

Church memories ought to work like that, Eastwood. They mark the faithfulness

to God and of him all along the way. They also keep us growing. We keep growing.

You know, when Moses died, the Lord didn't tell Joshua to forget him, did he?

You know, the opening of Joshua 1 actually honors Moses as the servant of the

Lord. But God also said, in effect, Moses, my servant is dead.

Now arise and go over this Jordan.

Y'all, there was grief to feel, a servant to honor, a word to obey, and a future to enter.

And the God who had been faithful to Moses promised Joshua, as I was with Moses, so will I be with you.

Some of us may arrive at homecoming with memories that make us smile.

Some arrive with an ache in their heart.

There may be an empty space at your table, an empty place on your pew.

Remember Lamentations chapter 3, Jeremiah stood among the devastation and he

Lamentations 3 · chapter mention

said, this I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.

Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed because his compassions fail not,

they are new every morning well i mean just makes you want to praise him doesn't

it i mean biblical remembrance does not deny the ruins,

it it deliberately recalls the mercy of god in the middle of them,

and every remembrance of god's faithfulness church must lead us finally to who

to jesus christ you know israel's return from exiled was a great deliverance,

but it pointed beyond itself.

Our deepest captivity, I believe today, y'all, is not political.

It's not financial or circumstantial.

It's the captivity of sin.

We can't open that prison from the inside, can we?

But you know what? The Son of God came for us at the cross.

He bore our guilt, endured our judgment, and entered the darkness that we deserved. And guess what?

Well, on the third day, he rolled the stone away. He arose. Amen.

He arose. The disciples were like those who dream.

Mourning turned to joy, didn't it? Death was defeated. Christ had done what no sinner could do.

If God did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all,

then the history of this church is not built on human determination, is it?

It's built on crucified and risen grace, church.

The great testimony of Eastwood is not merely that the doors have remained open.

Is that through those doors, the name of Jesus has been proclaimed.

The word of God has been taught and sinners have been invited to come home to God.

Come on home. That's the homecoming we all need. Amen.

To come home to him. And I want you to know there is no sinner he will cast out who comes to him.

Wow. We remember God's faithfulness.

But then the psalm teaches us here to celebrate God's present work as well. Look at verse 3.

It does not only say, it says, the Lord did great things for our ancestors, does it?

It says, the Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad.

Their praise, y'all, was personal and present. They were living,

in other words, inside the mercy they celebrated.

You know, it's possible to become so enchanted with what God did in another

season, I believe, that we fail to see sometimes what He's doing now.

We can talk about people who used to come, the songs we used to sing,

the ministries we used to have, and the victories we once saw,

while overlooking the evidence of grace that's sitting right in the room with us.

Look around this morning with spiritual eyes. Every believer here is.

Is a work of divine mercy in progress. Amen?

Every time scripture corrects, comforts, and strengthens a heart,

Christ is tending his church.

When a child begins to understand the gospel, a student chooses obedience over

approval, a young couple builds their lives around the word of God,

an older servant serves through the pain,

or a lost person is saved and baptized, the Lord's doing great things among us.

You know, the church in Acts chapter 2 didn't merely remember, though.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

They didn't just remember Pentecost as an event. They lived as a people shaped by the Spirit's work.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship,

breaking of bread, prayer.

They cared for one another. They worshiped with gladness.

They bore witness. And the Lord, guess what? Added to their number those who were being saved.

That gives us a biblical way, I believe, to measure the present.

Are we devoted to the word and prayer? Are we loving one another in costly, practical ways?

Are we sharing the gospel?

A church may be busy, but still miss those questions, as you know it.

Activity can actually fill a calendar without filling a heart.

But when Christ is honored, Scripture is obeyed, believers love one another,

and the gospel is proclaimed we should say the Lord has done great things for

us and we are glad amen we are glad and the reason that we can expect Christ to work in the present,

Hebrews 13 8 some of you probably can quote it right now Jesus Christ is the

same yesterday today and forever,

That doesn't mean that every season looks the same. Methods change,

communities change, needs change.

The church in one generation may face questions that a previous generation never

faced or never imagined.

But the character of Jesus does not change. His truth does not age, Eastwood.

In fact, his blood does not lose its power to cleanse.

The blood of Jesus, amen, can cleanse any sin.

His resurrection doesn't grow less certain, by the way. His gospel does not become less necessary.

His compassion is not exhausted.

So children in the building today, do you think you're merely the church of

some distant tomorrow? Don't think that way.

If you trust Jesus, you belong to his church now.

Learn his word. Ask your questions. Sing his praise. Watch the believers who

have walked with him longer than you have.

Students, don't rent your convictions from your parents or your pastor.

Open the Bible. Know what you believe. Give your whole life to Jesus Christ,

while it's still opening in front of you.

God has used young people before, and he hadn't forgotten how to do that. Amen?

Young families, the most important legacy that you build will not be in a bank statement.

Let your children hear you pray for lost people by name let them actually see you repent,

when you're wrong let Sunday worship be the glad center of the week rather than

a negotiable edge of it you know mature believers,

you know I look at my hair sometimes is it gray or is it arctic blonde I don't

know but it's a different color than it used to be now I don't know that you

color your hair is a sign of maturity necessarily but I can say this today.

We've probably got some mature believers out here. Amen.

Probably got a few of y'all out here, but we need more than memories.

We need your presence. We need your steadiness. We need your prayers.

Don't decide that your useful years are behind you.

You know, a word from a seasoned old saint can keep a young believer from walking

off a cliff. Did you know that?

There is work that only your scars have prepared you to do.

And if you're visiting today at Eastwood, you've not wandered into a private

family gathering where there's no place for you. We're glad you're here.

The grace that we celebrate today is offered in Jesus Christ to every person who will come to him.

Celebrate God's present work, but don't become satisfied with present comfort. Amen.

They said in this passage, bring back our captivity, O Lord,

restore our fortunes again.

They had experienced a real restoration, but it wasn't yet complete,

was it? Some had returned, but much still lay broken.

The first mercy actually became the ground for asking for more mercy.

And that's the next movement for Eastwood, renew God's mission.

Man, y'all know there's a holy dissatisfaction in every healthy church.

We're grateful, but we're not finished. We rejoice over every person reached,

but neighbors still don't know Jesus Christ.

We thank God for every child taught, but another generation's coming.

We praise God for every missionary sent and every mission dollar given,

but many people still have little access to the gospel.

We thank God for those in this room today, but we can't forget those out there.

We have not yet told about Jesus, can we?

Not yet told them Jesus saves. You know, the church, this is so cool because

the church does not invent our mission, do we?

The risen Christ gave it to us in Matthew 28. What did he say?

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of

the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all

things I've commanded you.

Jesus didn't say, maintain a religious gathering, did he?

Until I come. He told us to what? Make disciples. Make disciples.

The mission, y'all, begins across the table, across the street,

across Bay Banette, and across the world.

Evangelism is not a department for unusually outgoing Christians, right?

Missions is not an emphasis competing with local ministry.

Both are the heart of Christ carrying his church toward people who actually need the gospel.

Some must go, all must pray, give, and be willing to serve. Amen?

And we got to invest in the next generation.

Paul actually told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2, he says, the things that you have

heard from me among many witnesses commit these to faithful men who will be

able to teach others also,

there are four generations in that one verse.

Paul, Timothy, faithful people, and others after them.

Gospel faithfulness always thinks beyond the present room. Amen?

Always. In fact, I think about a farmer. Imagine a farmer who had one sack of

grain after a hard season.

Part can become bread for tonight.

Part must be planted for a harvest that he will not eat today.

Seed in the earth can look like grain wasted sometimes.

But if he consumes it all, he feeds the present by starving the future.

You know, churches do the same thing when we, every resource we have is spent

on people already convinced.

We must keep seed, church, for the fields and the generations coming after us.

Pave the way for those future generations.

And if you got a bulletin this morning, you see a little bit about that,

that Eastwood, we want to pave the way to reach future generations.

And we're looking at doing a brand new parking lot right over here.

You can see more about that later, but we want to pave the way.

And Psalm 126 here actually gives us two pictures of the restoration for which we pray.

Verse 4 says, as the streams in the south, that Negev was dry, right?

Its channels could look like nothing but scars in the ground.

The rain would fall in the distant hills, and suddenly water would rush through,

the places that had been dust. Y'all probably seen something similar here in Alabama, right?

All dry, dishes running, right? And then the rain comes. The psalmist prays, Lord, move suddenly.

Fill what's empty, bring life to dry ground.

Sometimes God answers with an outpouring that nobody can manufacture.

A hardened heart breaks. A family is restored. Many are saved.

We should ask God, church, to do only what he can do. Amen.

But verses 5 and 6 gives a second picture as we bring this to a close. It's slower, by the way.

He says, those who sow in tears shall reap in joy, who can continually goes

forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,

bringing his sheaves with him.

Sometimes God sends a river.

Sometimes God gives you a seed bag.

We prefer the river, don't we? Because it's sudden, it's visible,

but much of the kingdom, I want y'all to know advances like that beneath the soil, right?

A teacher prepares another lesson. A mother prays again for a wondering son.

A student refuses to hide their faith. A missionary learns a language one phrase at a time.

Man, I can tell you something. We carry God's incorruptible seed, do we not?

But before we speak of what God may do through us, Eastwood,

as we get to the close today, Every person in this room must answer the question,

of what have you done with Jesus?

Maybe you came here because somebody invited you today. Maybe homecoming started

a memory of faith, but I just got to be honest with you. Memory is not salvation, is it?

Having Christian parents is not salvation. Knowing church language is not salvation.

Sitting in a pew is not salvation. You could be near the things of God and still

be far from God. Can you not?

Bible says y'all simply all have sinned. Sin's not merely a collection of mistakes.

It's rebellion against the holy God of the universe.

You know what its wages are? Death.

We can't repair that breach with good deeds or religious effort,

but God who is rich in mercy sent his son.

Jesus lived the life we couldn't live. And on the cross, he took the judgment

that sinners like you and me deserve.

He was buried, and on the third day, hallelujah, he rose bodily and victoriously from the grave.

He is Lord, he's would, and now he commands every person to repent and believe the gospel.

Maybe you feel you've gone too far, waited too long, or made too much ruin of your life.

Psalm 126, I want you to know today, is the song of a God who brings captives home.

Jesus said that the one who comes to him, I mentioned this earlier, he will never cast out.

Other people may cast you out, but God will never cast you out.

Place the full weight of your trust on Jesus Christ. I promise you today, he will forgive you.

He'll make you a brand new creation. He'll bring you home to God.

And that's the ultimate homecoming we all need, amen?

I'm gonna be here today. I'm gonna be hanging out.

Maybe God's moved in your heart. You just come to me and say,

Pastor, I prayed to be saved. I need to know more about Jesus. Amen.

We'll open the Bible and show you that. The altar, I believe,

is not a place for polished people, by the way.

It's a place for honest people to meet the mercy of God.

Wow. Aren't you thankful?

Know, one day if the Lord tarries, another generation is going to gather for

homecoming at Eastwood.

They'll speak the names that many of us know now.

They may sit in a room that we help prepare and sing songs we've never learned.

The question is not whether they will remember every preference we had.

The question is whether they'll be able to say this. They gave us the gospel.

They showed us how to pray. They loved the word. They cared about the lost.

They sent good news beyond themselves.

They sowed with tears, and by the grace of God, we're part of that harvest now.

Today, get this church, we stand between the sheaves and the seed.

In one hand, we hold the harvest of prayers prayed before we ever arrived today.

In the other hand, we hold seed for fields we may never see ripen.

Gratitude looks back at the sheaves. Faith puts the seed in the ground.

So remember his faithfulness today. Celebrate his present work.

Renew his mission. Believe his future.

And let this be the testimony of Eastwood Baptist Church, not only today,

but for generations to come.

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad.

And church, he isn't finished yet.

Amen. Let's stand together as we pray. Father God, we thank you for your word today.

We ask you to bless this food today that we're about to partake of, Lord.

And I pray that you be glorified through it all.

And we thank you for what you've done and what you continue to do in Babonet,

Alabama at Eastwood Baptist Church. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.