9th January 2022 All Age Service - Dave Food - It's not over, it's a new day

Nickoler morning. Everybody correct to see all smiling faces in the room. You

can't see smiling faces online. But why don't you smile at me? Now?

Smiling's good for you. Smiling exercises, laughing exercises, or smile.

Laughing and smiling exercises more muscles than frowning does. So let's smile. Why

don't we just smile? It's good for us. Our theme for the beginning

of twenty twenty two is it's a new day. Well, it's a new

year, that's for sure, and every day is a new day. And

that's absolutely true. And you might have a phrase that says it's never over

till the fat lady sings. Now, I don't know where that phrase came

from. And I don't know there are thin ladies and fat ladies, there

are thin men and fat I really don't know where that comes from. But

that whole point of we talk about something's not over till something happens. And

I want to say today, it's not over yet. Whatever you're pressing through,

whatever you're wrestling with, wherever you're hanging on too, it's not over

yet. It's not over yet. And God is with us. And as

God is with us. He does not leave us nor forsake us. As

he's with us. He blesses us. As he's with us. He wants

the journey with us through those times. He doesn't leave us alone. As

Nicky so clearly said, he lights our path. He has a plan and

a direction for us. So let's start with the story from the Book of

Acts, Acts, chapter twelve, and it says this. Now about that

time, Herod the King stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.

Then he killed James, the brother of John, with a sword,

and because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize

Peter. Also. Now it was during these day the days of unleavened bread.

So when he was arrested him, he put him in prison and delivered

him to four squads of soldiers to keep him in, intending to bring him

before the people after passover. Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant

prayer was offered to God for him by the church, and when Herod was

about to bring him out that night, Peter was sleeping bound with two chains

between two soldiers and the guards before the doors were keeping the prison now behold

an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the

prison, and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying,

arise quickly, and his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel

said to him, gird yourself and tie up your sandals, and so he

did, and he said to him, put your garment on and follow me.

And so he went out and followed him, and did not know what

was to be done, for the angel was real, but he thought he

was seeing a vision. When they passed the first and the second guardposts,

they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to

them of its own accord. And they went out and went down one street,

and immediately the angel departed from him. And when Peter had come to

himself, he said, now I know for certain that the Lord has sent

his angel and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the

expectation of the Jewish people. So when he had considered this, he came

to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark,

where they were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked on the door

of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer when she recognized Peter's

voice. Because of her gladness, she did not open the gate, but

ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to

her, you are beside yourselves. Yet she kept on insisting that it was

so, so they said it is an angel. Now. Peter continued knocking,

and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.

But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them

how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said to

them, go tell these things to James and to the brethren, and he

departed and went to another place. Put in prison. I don't know what.

I don't know what any I don't know whether anybody in the room or

anybody listening online has ever been in prison or been locked in a room.

And you're not allowed out. It's pretty final quarantine, yes, Nikki,

thank you. Yeah. Absolutely allowed out for a walk once a day,

probably, but it's pretty final. It's not something you can say, oh,

this is okay, and you can't. It's not enjoyable, that's for

sure, because in imdiately your freedom has been constrained. And Peter did not

know what was to come. He knew Herod was not happy. And here's

the thing. We heard Juliette's story about a favor through customs, through through

the past. You know, God in the trolley walked all the way through,

similar story to Peter. He didn't just get released from his chains,

then through the guards, and then the gate just opened. I want to

say to all of us, if there's something facing you that's stopping you going

where you believe God wants you to go, and let's pray, let's pray

that gates will open. Let's pray that permission will be given. Let's pray

that the guide will come. I mean, think about it. I guess

if Juliette had wanted to Satin sit in the wheelchair, the lady would have

said, yes, please do so she just got wheeled through. It was

like a king favored position, favored expectation. But here's the thing. Whenever

we face something, we don't know how long it's going to go on.

For as he was imprisoned, he did not know how long he was going

to be there, and so it seems like a never ending possibility. An

uncertainty leads us to a place where we start to build walls and barriers.

We start to say, well, it's not possible. In our minds,

we start to think, Okay, there's a door there, it's not possible.

And I don't know whether you've heard about this scientific experiment that I've never

done it. I've seen videos of it, but I believe if you put

something like a grasshopper that the experiment was, you put a grasshopper and a

big glass jar, so there's enough in there for the air in there for

the grasshopper to breathe. It will jump and try and get out, and

if you leave it there for long enough, eventually you can take the lid

off the jar and it will not jump out because it gets used to so

it doesn't hit the ceiling. And so the prison, although it was there

initially, once the lid's taken off, the prison is in the mind as

assuming grasshoppers, that minds in the in the in the belief of the grasshopper,

and so it doesn't try and jump, and we do the same as

human beings. I've tried the door once it's locked. I've tried the door

a second time it's locked. I've tried the door five times it's locked.

I wonder how many times Peter tried his chains just I don't know whether he

just sat comfortably now they were probably uncomfortable. I wonder how many times he

he tried them. I wonder how many times he thought, well, the

gate's locked, so what's the point of even trying to get out of my

chains? I wonder how many times we go to a door, we go

to a place, and we say it's locked, so I won't even bother

try it. And here's here's the thing. Once we get that in our

mindset, then we don't even pray that, well, the door's locked,

I won't try it. Well, I won't even try it, so I

won't even pray. And so suddenly there comes a stronghold in our lives,

and I want to bring down. So I want to see strongholds brought down

at the beginning of twenty twenty two. I wonder what mindsets we have,

what walls we have built up around ourselves throughout COVID. It's dangerous out there.

Well, okay, we have to be wise, we have to be

careful. But I just want to encourage us to take steps of faith,

especially when God whispers in our ear when God sends an angel. Can you

imagine God sends an angel, the light shines, the chains fall off,

and the gate opens, and Peter sits there and says, I'm still waiting

for God to leave me out. I'm not sure whether it's safe out there.

I'll stay in prison because I believe some of us are in that place

where we are saying it's more it's safe for help. I know this place.

I don't want to go out there. It's different, it's uncertain,

it's unsure. God has given us wisdom. God has given us practicalities.

God has given us the ability to be wise men and women. And so

let me encourage you. If you think it's over, why not try the

door one more time? If you think it's over, why not pray one

more time. God does not promise he will answer our prayers immediately. Sometimes

he wants us to persist, he says, he listens, but sometimes he

wants to get He wants us to get the right perspective so that he can

answer our prayer. And we align ourselves as we pray. And often one

of the things that goes on. Have you ever have you ever pointed at

someone he said you know maybe you said you hadn't done this. Please be

careful the way we point, because we've got one finger pointing, but we've

got three fingers pointing back at ourselves. Well and the thumb yes as well.

Yeah, absolutely yes. But but the point is we point and we

kind of try and offset on other people. Guard you're not there for me?

Am I trying? Am I praying? Am I doing? Am I

being? It's not over till it's over. And over starts in here,

starts in our heads and in our hearts. It starts in a place where

we believe dreams start inside. If you think about some of the great innovations

that have happened over the think about some of the things that have happened in

the last two years working from home. I am sure there are people listening

today who were told two three, four, five years ago working from home

was impossible. You could not do your job from home. I am sure

there are people who have been told that that was not possible. We're working

from home now, it's possible. It is possible. Now here's the challenge

for the employers. And I'll tell you a story of a friend of mine

who works for it. I won't name the company, but this company did

very very well's been doing very well through COVID. Everybody's been working from home.

They shut the offices down, they've been saving money. In fact,

they've they've off set offset some offices and got them back and handed them back

to the landlords. And so they had a general meeting, a company general

meeting just before Christmas, about November time, and they announced on there they're

going to expect everybody to come back to the offices and people but people have

been saying, I don't have to commute, and it means I can prepare

the luck, I can prepare dinner in a breaks whilst I'm making my coffee.

Lots of things that we couldn't do and we had to go to the

office. Maybe I could I could hear my child read or or you know,

look after Auntie or whatever it was. There's lots of other things that

we can do as we changed the way we do our day. And the

company announced we're expecting everybody to come back to work. And then at the

end of the meeting there was a whole raft of questions, the Q and

A session went on for thirty minutes and they had to close it down and

the board and they were saying, well, we did better. We all

achieved our targets. You saved money, We made the best profits we've ever

made in nice history as a company. Why are you making it mandatory to

return Under the pressure of this, the board withdrew their expectations for people to

come back to work, come back to the office. And I'm just saying,

look, watching now, what made that possible? Was it? Innovation?

Innovation? New ideas often come when we put under stress. It's not

possible. Oh, let's have a think about this. God can give us

an idea. I don't know whether you've whether you've been under stress or pressure

at any point in time and suddenly an idea has come to you. Have

you ever asked yourself the question, where did that idea come from? I

believe some of them come directly from the Lord. They're directly for you in

that moment, to bless you, to equip you, to enable you know,

and so God to God of innovation. But we only sometimes look for

innovation in the desert places. We only look for innovation in the dry times,

and that's when faith is tested too. Again, a different story,

and I don't know whether this is real or not, but it's a story

that illustrates a point here. Imagine yourself walking through the desert and you're looking

for water. You've got a water bottle and you're kind of sipping and it's

going to run out. And you come to an oasis in the midst of

this where there's plants and palms all growing, but there's no water. But

there's a pump. This leather pump has This pump has an arm that you

pump, and it has a leather gasket. And next to the leather gasket

is this jar of water with a lid on it, and it says,

please soak the leather in the water, all the water in the jar so

that it can work. So you bring because the leather would have dried out

in the sun. You soak the leather. It then creates the supplety for

you to be able to use the pump. But it very clearly says,

please soak the leather with all the water before you pump. And then when

you've finished and taken all the water you need, please fill up the jar

again for the next person. Now here's the thing. You're gasping your you're

desperate for water, and there's this jar of water, and you now just

imagine if you only I will drink half of it, and I'll put half

of it on, and then the leather's not as supple as it needs to

be, and the leather breaks. Then you're completely lost. It's a moment

of faith in a simple story. It's a moment of faith to say,

I got to do what I need to do. I need to go right

to the edge, pour all the water on the gasket so that I can

get more water. I believe in times of dry times. I believe in

times when God takes us to a place of testing, he wants us to

go right to the edge with him and say, Okay, I'm trusting a

new Lord. I'm not trusting in my own capability. I need an angel

r. The gates need to open. I can't open them. In one

Peter three versus, starting at verse eight, because I want to encourage us

with the mindset here, Finally, all of you be of one mind,

having compassion for one another. Lovers, brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous,

not returning evil for evil, or reviling for reviling. But on the

contrary blessing, knowing that you are called to this, that you may inherit

a blessing for he who would love life and see good days. Let him

refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn

away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it.

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears open

to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against those who do

evil. And who is and who is he who will harm you if you

become followers of what is good, and he who is will harm you if

you become followers of what is what is good. But even if you should

suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of

their threats, nor be troubled. Do good. Choose to do good,

Choose to take a step of faith, Choose to step into and believe and

trust God for these times. It's not over till it's over. Do you

know The one way we can know it's over is when God says it is

finished. Jesus said on the cross, it is finished. It was finished,

then it was truly finished. Then, So if you're not sure whether

it's over, because it's not over. Till it's over, then us the

Lord. And if he says this chapter is closed, okay, we'll step

into the new chapter. Because he's got good things for you and for me.

And as he's got good things for you and for me, we can

step into that with confidence, and we can believe, and we can trust.

And so let me kind of close what I want to share with you

this morning with Psalm thirty four, because I think this is a good choice

that we can make. I will bless the Lord at all times. His

praise shall continually be in my mouth my soul. My soul shall make its

boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear of it, and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name

together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and he delivered

me from some of my fears. No, that's not what the Bible says,

not some of my fears, all of my fears. And all is

a great word. It's a word. When God says he does all,

then we can trust him for that. Think about the promises that we make

to people. Think about the phrases we sometimes say to people, I'll always

be there for you. I'll always love you. I think we have to

attach to that. I'll always love you. With God's help, I'll always

be there for you, God willing. There's always never a dangerous words.

I've said this before and I'll say it again because we need God's help to

do those kind I'm never going to leave you. With God's help. There

are testing times ahead, that's true. We've been through testing times. But

it's not over. Yeah, and there is a new day coming, so

let's give thanks, give thanks in all situations. James talks about the testing,

the testing that comes, but he says, rejoice, rejoice. I

am sure, and I've spoken to people who said, I don't really feel

like rejoy. I don't really feel like worshiping right now. But do you

know what, turn it around? Worship and see how you feel at the

end of the worship. If we build our relationship with God and with one

another about the lowest comedy denominators, we will get stuck. We will end

up in prison. We will stop worshiping, we will stop praying, we

will stop praising. But do you know what, when we choose to praise,

the prison doors of our minds are burst open when we choose to rejoice,

Freedom comes to our spirit. When we choose to embrace, then love

is released. So let me encourage you. It's not over yet. Choose

to try one more time. Choose to believe, Choose to trust, and

let's see. So I'm going to close slightly differently this see. I'm going

to play a short video and then we're going to sing a song a cappella

and because a song by Don Mohen that says God will make a way where

there seems to be no way, in works in ways we cannot see.

He will make away for me. He will be my guide. I will

walk faithfully by faithfully by his side. God will make away. So let's

watch the video first. I might need to do a bit of juggling here,

but let's see if we can do that all right, real quick?

You are four unrelated stories, oh, with a common boment. First,

let's go back to November twenty, nineteen eighty two, for the eighty fifth

time, cal and Stanford involved in a heated contest. After a wild game,

Stanford, led by young John Hill, takes the lead with just four

seconds left. The Stanford fans and band are already celebrating, and why shouldn't

be? The game is over. One final play begins, a Stanford kicks

short the cow. A mad scramble ensues, laterals following near tackles, then

a blind over the shoulder lateral, A mad race to the end zone down

fills the Stanford tromboness. As the touchdown is scored, the unthinkable happens and

cal wins. As it turns out, it wasn't over. How about this

one? Meet the Lillies Russell and Darry's two thousand and one. Their ten

year marriage has been a constant source of frustration. A vicious cycle of selfishness,

fighting in isolation has left them both exhausted, angry and done. Never

mind the valps, never mind the two young boys. This one is beyond

hope. This marriage is over. Following their divorce, Russell becomes the follower

of Christ and Terry begins to notice the transformation taking place in Russell. Hard

heart softened, the relationship begins to heal. Forgiveness is sought and granted.

In two thousand and seven, they remarried. The one that became two is

now one again. Then there's Raylene coopersman Is. January two thousand and eight,

Ray suffers a cerebral hemorrhage. Declaring her brain dead. The doctors remove

her breathing tos. Knowing that it's over. The hospital releases Ray to her

family so she can be taken home to Dyke comfortably. Meanwhile, Ray's family

plans are funeral, but someone forgot to tell Ray that it was over.

At home, Ray suddenly wakes up. She's checked again by our doctors,

who cannot believe that she's still alive, much less alert and healthy. Funeral

plans that thou turn into vacation plans for Ray and her family. Logically devoid,

I hope, legally divorced, literally dead. Everyone thought it was over.

It's not the first time. Flashback almost two thousand years A man claiming

to be the long anticipate of Messiah is unfairly accused. Offered up to the

line crafts by a Roman official, the supposed Savior is flogged, mocked,

tortured, and beaten. He is nailed to a tree and crucified. He

dies and is buried. Hope that he is the Messiah fadeaway. It is

finished. Friends, scattered disciples, high evil, celebrates, and for three

days it is home. But on the third day there's an empty crane.

Evil has lost its victory, debt has lost its sting. Suddenly, miraculously,

the only thing that is now over is helplessness. Four stories, one

message. It's not over. Even when it's over, it's not over till

it's over. I honestly believe for many of us there have been things that

have got crucified in twenty twenty and twenty twenty one. Dreams, possibilities,

maybe promotions. Even somebody said, well, I'm never going to get promoted

now. It's not over till it's over. If God says you're finished with

where you're working and you need to prepare to move on, okay, prepared

to move on. But if where you are now is where you need to

be, and ask God again, why am I here? What is my

purpose? You know? Sometimes your purpose he's not in a place. He's

not just about doing your job. Sometimes it's about being a light in a

dark place. Sometimes our purpose of where we are is to share the love

of God with others and to be a light and a beacon to others.

And so I just want to sing this song and We're going to do it

a cappella because I want us to sing it and I want a recording.

I want to use it as a prayerful moment. And if there's something in

your world where you feel the ways shut, no entry signs everywhere, the

door is locked, but you believe, you trust, there's a word that

has yet to be fulfilled, and you want to try that door one more

time. You want to take a step of faith, you want to start

praying again. I'm going to ask you to stand, whether at home or

even later, I'm going to ask you to stand where you are. I'm

not going to come and pray for you. We're just going to sing this

song together, and I want you to sing it believing. God will make

a way where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we

cannot see. He will make a way for me. He will be my

guide, hold me closely by his side with love and strength. For each

new day he will make away. He will make away. So if you

want to stand with me, there's some things I'm going to be singing this

song over and all I ask is that as we sing this that maybe faith

will arise again for you. You might get a glimpse of something that you

need to try again. You might have to trust God in a new way,

might have to ask others to come and pray with you that the door

will be opened. An angel might come, the paperwork might be released,

that a signature might be granted, the funds might be released. Whatever it

is, let me ask you to stand now, and we're going to sing

this together. God will make away where there seems to be no way.

He works in ways we cannot see. He will make away for me.

He will be my God. Hold me closely by his side with love and

strength. For each new day he will make away. He will make away.

God will make away where there seems to be no way. He works

in ways we cannot see. He will make away for me. He will

be my God. Hope me go lee by is Ah with love and strength.

For each you day he will make away. He will make goway.

Yes, Lord, make away in our lives, make away in our hearts.

But begin with us. Every journey, every relaunch, journey, every

new chapter starts with a step, And that step starts with a belief for

a step. And so Father, I pray for faith, imparted, I

pay pray for gifts of faith to be released to those who are standing right

now. Father, I pray for a fresh perspective. I pray for fresh

renewal. Lord, I pray for the anointing of your spirit to fall upon

us, Lord, that we might know your presence in all its fullness.

The Lord, we might know the power of your love in our lives and

in our hearts, in our hands of God. And cause us to serve

like we've never served before. Cause us to give, Lord of time and

of effort, Lord to others who are in need. Right now, and

Father, as we are, your agents have changed. Lord, doors will

be open, hearts will be released, prisons will be open, bodies will

be healed. Even the dead will be raised. Father, we heard that

story, even in that video. Sent home to die, and then she

wakes up again. I want to I want to say something right now.

Wake up, Wake up that which is that which is a sleep, Wake

up that which is a sleep. Wake up. Open eyes, open hearts,

Breathe again the freshness of life. Breathe the power of God's Spirit.

Breathe in the fullness of God. And where there has been death, let

there be life. Where immobility has has good. Where mobility is gone,

bring mobility again. Where there is constriction, bring release. It's not over

till it's over Lord. So if we need to, if a chapter comes

to an end, Lord, tell us it's over the Lord. If not,

we're going to press into and believe for and pray for breakthrough, new

life, new hope, because it's not over, because it's a new day,

a new day in Jesus. Amen. Amen,