Divine Guidance | James Kline

and we can gather together in the house of the Lord and just sense that Holy Spirit's presence.

I imagine all of us have been in places where that has not been the case, but it's something that I treasure and that I don't ever wanna take for granted, but just been a moving experience for me to, from the song service, the devotional on encouragement, our Sunday school time, the presentation by Andy and the team.

You know we're involved in a work that's a whole lot greater than any one of us individually and I kind of I feel led to talk.

The title of my message is it is finished, but it just.

You know, I'm kind of dating myself, I'm kind of the old Foggy here, but the other I guess it was.

Last week it was time for a haircut and since my main requirement for having my haircut is that something that it really doesn't look like something died on top of my head, so I go to Walmart and I walk inside in the greeter his name was Jonathan and he had pink hair and he was dressed like a woman.

Now, if you're thinking that this is going to be a let's dump on Jonathan Sermon, it isn't, but I just sometimes feel out of place.

We go away from our homes and we see things on a very regular basis that we would not have dreamed would have been possible even 10 years ago.

If someone would have told me that there's as many people that really have no idea whether they're male or female, I would have said that there's no way.

So people are confused.

But I want to lay this out right from the beginning that this is a message of hope and a victory.

It's also going to be one of the most personal messages that I've ever preached and it's certainly not about me, but I'm going to talk about some of the places I've been.

That peace and that cleansing is within the reach of our faith this very moment, and he'll meet us where we need him, when we need him and how we need him.

I'd like for you to turn to 1st Corinthians in chapter 2.

I'm actually going to read a verse or two in chapter 1.

, beginning to read in verse 29.

That no flesh should glory in his presence, but on him.

You are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

That, as it is written, he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.

And I, brethren, when I came to you did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God, for I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

I was with you in weakness, in fear and in much trembling, and my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and power that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

That's where our faith needs to rest in and in our work, in our kingdom work and I'm not talking just to ordained ministers.

Every last one of you, male, female, that has come to the age of accountability is called to the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, wherever you are.

And you're going to be asked questions, and some of the questions that you might be asked I will get to.

But the other thing I want to impress upon you is that the Holy Spirit's work is illumination.

He is the great comforter and sometimes we get confused and we think that this illumination is some revelation that comes to us outside of the Word of God.

Just imagine the Holy Spirit's work as more of a searchlight scanning through the night sky, bringing to light what already exists.

In other words, the work of the Holy Spirit is the work of His Word, and the Holy Spirit is never going to come to you with a revelation that goes contrary to the printed word of God.

We hear these people.

They have this divine revelation.

Oh, god told them this and it's just the most amazing thing.

It almost always was exactly what they wanted to hear.

I'm here to tell you that the Holy Spirit has spoken to me, and it rarely is what I want to hear, but it is always what I needed to hear, what I had to hear.

Let's listen when that Holy Spirit illuminates these areas in our life that need help.

But some of the questions that you might be asked is you're involved in this kingdom work, and then I want to finish up in John, chapter 19.

John 19 · chapter mention

But one of the things that you might be asked in different ways, in different forms, is how do I know God loves me?

What's our answer?

We see these people.

They're longing, they need love.

I would refer you to Romans 5.8,.

But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, he died for us.

And you'll notice, all of these things point toward that hill on Galgotha, where Jesus gave his life for us.

The answer is the cross.

For so many of the questions that are facing us in society and in our life, another one might be well, how do I know that God will provide for me?

In Romans 8 and verse 32, he who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall he not, with Him, also freely give us all things?

God isn't really perhaps that interested in giving us everything we want, but God is absolutely in the business of giving us what we need.

And another question that comes up a lot is simply well, why aren't things working out for me?

And this is in Matthew 20-20, and at first it doesn't really seem to compute.

But this is when the wife of Zebedee came to Jesus and she said hey, I'd like to ask you a favor, would you do this for me?

And he said well, what do you want?

And she said that my sons would sit up by you in glory, one on the right hand, one on the left.

And what was Jesus' answer?

He said well, that's not in my place to give, that's the Father's prerogative.

But are you going to be able to bear the cup, to drink the cup that I'm going to drink and are you going to be able to bear the cross that I'm going to have to bear it?

I'm paraphrasing, but he's like can you live the life?

Can you walk the walk and talk the talk, the various chains of pocket that these people find themselves in, that they're addressing that up and presenting it as being free.

Any freedom that the world offers comes with its own set of gains.

The only freedom that we'll ever have worth attaining is the freedom to live right and to lay our heads down on our pillows at night, knowing that our sins are together, that my friend just released.

That is liberty.

This is kind of the concept here.

How do I overcome depression?

Luke 10 verse 23,.

Luke 10:23

He said Then.

He said to them all if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and pay up his cross daily and follow me.

You know there was a period of time when our daughter Laurie was dealing with the practical.

Now we have never necessarily got out of it before it was necessary to get counseling or to take her away.

But if this is one of the scripture verses that we would quote.

What we try to do is get your hopes of what you can do to serve God and to serve others.

It is so much more rewarding.

You become involved in other people's lives and you're living a life of service.

It's hard to be depressed.

Another important one is how do I overcome bitterness?

In Exodus, chapter 15, we read about the children of Israel who were thirsty and they had traveled through these desert lines and they were extremely thirsty.

Exodus 15 · chapter mention

And they're in the distance.

They see this pool of water and they're rushing towards this.

I can just imagine the stampede.

And here they are dipping up this water and they're breathing it.

It's a little better than a good drink and you can imagine how crying and how brave and they were like well, that's why the world did you bring this here?

We can't even drink this water.

And what was the answer of God?

It wasn't very complicated.

It didn't take very long.

He said well, there's a tree by this water Cut it down and throw it in the water, and that water became sweet.

So if we're dealing with bitterness, if we're dealing with hatred this morning, there's another treaty that will take care of it, and that treaty is the cross.

No, don't, don't, don't.

Then another question that you will probably be asked is how can I have a blood marathon Out?

And that answer is in the evening of Friday.

Duh, I'm afraid it's going to be a tough reply, even as Christ huddled the dirt and gave himself for it, and I'm so afraid that the poor Americans are on the rocks.

That is both part of the follow-up that you put the other first, the American problem, the poor problem.

How can I be a?

better person.

And this reference is called Job 19, and I'll read it then later, when Jesus saw the disciple God and he said get hold of your mother and be over the woman before you die.

But there again that is a good cross.

That's what we become a better year.

How do we motivate people to discipleship?

Yeah, matthew 1 and Bible verse 32, now they came out.

Now, as they came out, they found a man of some reading signed by name.

They compelled him to bear his cross there again it's all about the cross.

I found an interesting little site, though, here, and this message is going back to what I read off.

Paul was saying that he's not coming to them with this you know high-blown speech or velocity and just very recently, before he came to this point, was when he had spoken to the philosophers on Mars Hill and he talked to them about the unknown God, and it says that he's reasoned with heaven.

In other words, he spoke their language.

But we really don't read that very many people actually came to Jesus during that conversation.

So I think again what he said.

As I am lifted up on the cross, that is to be.

So.

The way to motivate people to better discipleship is just a cross.

And how can I be effective in evangelism Down in 12, verse 32, and if I am lifted up from the earth, I would draw people.

How can I be a effective leader?

And that's in Isaiah 9 and verse 6.

One of my absolute favorite passages in the Bible Run to us God was born and the government will be of the children in his name will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace.

Of the increase of his government in peace, there will be no end.

From that time forward, even forevermore, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will be performed.

So those are the ways that we can answer some of the questions we get asked.

Now I want to get to the more personal part and I want to share some sketches a caricature that I ran into and that I associated with in my hear.

That's one of the most interesting countries in the world, I believe, where almost everyone you talk to is a Christian and yet the actions sometimes fall far short.

But there's an answer for that as well.

But just some people like that and want to move in.

A former Catholic soldier was the son of a pastor and this pastor had passed on his block and chaptered on his block.

He was a Godfrey fan and his son Isaac had been abducted by an Islamic group of terrorists they would refer to that I was free to fire the Muslims in the Civil War.

My period endured two periods of civil war and he became exposed to Islam and became a.

Muslim, and always in the back of his vine.

he felt like the war had taken him away from his parents and from his faith and perhaps the war would impact.

But when we were there and this was in a remote village, what they referred to as the joy we gave a program Isaac happened to be there and he gave his life to the Jesus, and you want to talk about going from darkness into light and seeing that joy that radiated from his face as the tears fell down his feet and the joy of his father.

And how many a reconcile with reconnected?

There is hope for a dark and dying world and another character.

This background is very briefly, but if you go and you do mission work and it doesn't have to be like here.

But this is an area that is so dark and we think that it's maybe different and it just seems to me like I feel our adversary becoming bolder and bolder here.

But we were walking down this trail of motion.

We heard these wild crowns in the screams and the gals and they called us a thousand initiation prayers in their satanic rituals.

They were initiating some innocent young soul into the light of sleep, the zero and darkness.

And you're in this rainforest of your 8,000 miles away from home, and I have never seen a night of black as that dropped in the night and the heat is impressive to have by dear.

Here in this home.

The eight species of poison has stashed and I always just imagine that as it got dark they were looking for a white guy to think they're keeping them to.

And you hear these fans and these cries and you know it is being oppressive and the sense of darkness can be pervasive and overwhelming and that we felt peace, and it's the most amazing thing, our cat took us past this little hut where this niche egg was going on and they saw us coming and one of them went out a wild tree to down rain.

Why did they run?

I believe that they saw an angel with a flaming sword over life.

But the power of the Holy Spirit is more powerful than any words of darkness.

And it just fell so secure in the safety of a lot of pieces crashed.

And then there's another.

This was a tiny little infant girl that had been adopted and she was being cared for by the missionaries.

And some witch doctor had put a spell on her and she had worms in her feet.

And this is one that I'm still wrestling with today, but they prayed and they prayed and they fasted and they could not take these worms to leave.

I don't have the answer, but I believe that somewhere deep down they're trying to leave.

That was, hinting, the work of the Holy Spirit.

I do believe that they persisted and eventually he was healed, but there are certain types of situations that we might find ourselves up against, where the disciples tried to cast out these demons.

And Jesus said well, no, you can't upside a prayer and pass it, but all that had been done.

And then there was another I don't know for sure, I think the little girl's name was Han and we're walking along and we come across this procession, and there were, of course, coming towards us.

And where the sins of the little girl, maybe eight years old, was buried from the waist up and her torso and her face were painted white, and what that means is that they are being initiated into their voodoo and satanic rituals, and so at a young age, they saw something in her, something outstanding, and she was being groomed for a position After.

This day is one of the most hurt-reaching sites.

I've ever endured and Brother Paul Paul Hershberger, who has since gone to his reward.

The person that was at the head that we had gone over with and he asked and he said, can we pray for her?

And we stood around and we put our hands on her.

And he said God have mercy on her.

So, and then you have to go.

I trust that she said the hands of God.

But when you're at the point of the spirit, things happen.

They move you and shake you down your very core.

Aren't we ready to answer that call?

And just there, people was down for us.

And then, perhaps for a higher note, there was this little girl called Yeltsin, and the first time I came over there she was probably eight or nine years old as well.

It was his November birthday.

I asked, and she just used a button and there was something.

Now this was very common, that anyone that sees the slightest bit of interest in the part of any American will grab a black to you just simply to hope for the gain of money.

But there was truly something special about Yeltsin and I loved the little girl as much as I loved my own daughter and she would come around and she would grab me by the hands.

And she would still be stealing her little hands from my arms and she would say, hi, father.

And then she would grab a loss and we would have anything we could have possible and she was just the sweetest little thing.

And so a couple of years later, when I went back, I actually made a lot of effort and I found her about 13 at that age, just more than me, and this was actually, for a young generation, difficult to imagine, I'm sure, but this was before Facebook Messenger.

She had no telephone.

I didn't have an international phone in play, I had absolutely no way of staying in touch and you know, as we get busy, we get sidetracked.

And then all of a sudden, little yeltsin came back into my mind.

All these many years later.

So I reached out to some of my acquaintances and I'm like what happened to little yeltsin?

Well, they didn't know who I was talking to, but they all know someone.

Someone knows someone else.

You're a young, you know, very young, you know, and I was wondering could I hit that door?

I don't know how, but those are things that touch the heartstrings and that you're not prepared to be deeply moved and shaken, don't go on mission to you.

But those are some of the most special times of my life, those times of tears and sadness, but also of exceptional fulfillment.

But you don't have to go to Liberia to get that.

We can be useful right here.

And as we are engaged in this warfare, there's going to be loss.

We have the time to come.

We all know this crucifixion story.

Therefore, these two就可以 be there as friends.

They build the wedge and put it on his other hand and put it in his mouth.

So in Jesus, at receiving the sour wine, he said it is finished.

How in his head he gave up this drink and that, my friends are the three most beautiful words in the English and any other language it is finished.

So these barrels and all these things that we see right around us and right around us are barrels that are not a row.

It is finished oh thank the Jesus.

It is finished and it is interesting that the language that Jesus used to have.

I'm not a Greek scholar, I'm not going to handle a word, but the word in the original translation speaks of a final payment.

In other words, like when we buy a new car on the installment plan it is after that last payment has been submitted, that we are free of all obligations.

it is paid for.

And that is exactly the language in the term that Jesus used that when he said it is finished, then it was finished and the veil of that curtain tore from top to bottom a four-year payment, as it was intact was ranked like nothing and now a day we have access into the holy of holies, and so many times I take the holy and butter from them.

I will point you to these people all over us keeping our eyes on Jesus.

They all are in the benefit of our faith and these, any man who is the race, the glory of the cross, the very name that now is taken by the hand.

And one final, one final verse that I want to leave you with is the second Timothy verses, verses chapter one, verses six and seven, where he said to Timothy Paul writes to Timothy to destroy the spirit for the gift that is in you by the name of the God of our hands For.

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a power and love and a sound mind.

And we pray for your children, like Ariel and him and you.

You be with blessed and keep them in your care.

Little Be with you.

Little be blessed with your care when you go out.

Help us be the light.

I am your son.

I am your son.