New World, Same God - Tim Timberlake

Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast.

Thank you so much for listening today.

We hope it encourages you and inspires you.

Here's today's message.

What an honor and a privilege it is to be able to spend some time in worship and to be able to come around the Lord's table and look at the word of God for us today.

I have a word of the Lord for you, for us, that I believe is going to push us, I believe it's going to propel us, I believe it's going to pull us out of one season and allow us to enter into another season.

And so I want you to grab a hold of this word today, and I want us to go in our Bibles to Isaiah chapter 46.

Isaiah 46 · chapter mention

Isaiah chapter 46.

Isaiah 46 · chapter mention

And as we look at this scripture, it says, Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been born by me from before your birth, carried from the womb.

Even to your old age, I am he.

And to gray hairs I will carry you, for I have made and I will bear.

I will carry and I will save, thus saith the Lord.

I want to talk to you for a moment from the topic New World, same God.

New world, same God.

I believe we're entering into a time where we are discovering a new way of living, discovering a new way of carrying out our day-to-day activities.

And as we discover this newness, I want you to understand this.

The world may look completely different.

The world may look completely new, but we serve the same God.

And he is mighty to save.

And the word of God says, just as he has been faithful in your past, he will be faithful in your present, and he will be faithful in your future.

And I want you to know this morning, or when you're watching this video, that no matter what it may look like, God is faithful.

And so let's pray.

Let's get right into the word of God.

Let's believe, let's set our anticipation, our expectancy where God desires for us to be.

Deavenly Father, we thank you right now for your word.

We thank you, God, that you're with us.

And so we ask the Spirit of the Living God to move in our homes, move in our vehicles, move in our hands where we're watching on our cell phones.

Move in our lives, God, and allow our lives to never be the same because we have had this opportunity and this moment to spend with you.

And so, God, we thank you right now that you are doing a new thing.

We thank you right now, God, that you are so good.

And God, beside you, there is no one else.

And so we depend and trust in you.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

New World, same God.

The New World is a name that was used for the Western Hemisphere.

It's now commonly known as the Americas, but in the 16th century, the name started to circulate by the European middle-aged people that thought that the world only consisted of Europe, Africa, and Asia.

It wasn't until they ventured out and they began to sail across the sea that they discovered that there was the Americas.

And they began to call this particular region the New World.

And they began to call the region that they were familiar with the old world.

The reality about this new world that they had so-called named was this new world had already existed before they discovered it.

And you are in a season right now that looks new.

And he says that he remains faithful even when we are faithless.

And so although this season may be new, although this season may be uncharted, although this season may be one that we have not ever experienced before, if you're writing notes, I want you to write this down.

This season is not your decision, but the season is your discovery.

And this season is one that you have to discover.

This season is one that you have to find what it is that God desires for you to extract and pull out of the season, because this season is not meant for you to stay stuck.

This season is meant for you to move through it and grow through.

So as we read in Isaiah, that God is the same.

He's the same when we're in our youth, and he's the same when we have gray hairs, he's the same in our yesterday, he's the same in our tomorrow.

He is the Alpha and He is the Omega.

He is the beginning and he is the end.

And God is faithful.

And although the world may be new, and although we may be in an uncharted season, God remains the same.

In Hebrews chapter 13, verse 5.

Hebrews 13:5

The scripture says, keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.

Because God has said, Never will I leave you and never will I forsake you.

So we can say with confidence, the Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid.

What can people do to me?

And I want you to know today the Lord is your helper.

No matter what you may be faced with, no matter what you may be going through, no matter what your adversary may have against you, the Lord is your helper, and there is nothing that anyone can do that can defeat you when you got God that's backing you.

When you know who's backing you, it determines what and who you can face.

And so if you're taking notes, I just want you to scribble this down.

God will be with me every step of the way.

No matter what season of life I'm in, no matter what I discover, no matter the territory that I move into and go into for the first time, God will be with me every single step of the way.

God creates the seasons, but your discoveries schedule them.

And it's when we are obedient to the words of God that our realities and our hopes and our expectations align themselves with what God has predestined for us to walk into in the season that we are in.

And so I want to leave you with five truths to know and to grab a hold to as we are entering into this new season and into this new world, but acknowledging and recognizing that no matter what is going on in our world, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

And the first one is this these are the guarantees given from God for your future.

God promises to guide you when you are confused.

He promises to guide you when you are confused.

The scripture says in Proverbs chapter 3, verse 5, it says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Proverbs 3:5

Never rely on what you think you know.

Remember the Lord in everything you do, and He will show you the right way.

Whenever you are confused.

I can remember playing a game with my family, and in this game, we would take a bat and we'll put our foreheads on it, and we would be blindfolded, and my father would spin us around, and he would spin us around, and he would spin us around, and we would get dizzy and we would get confused, and we would have to search out where it was that we were supposed to go.

But no matter how confused we were, no matter how dizzy we were, if we follow the voice of our father, it gave us direction to the destiny that we were supposed to encounter.

And I came to tell you today that if you follow the voice of your father, no matter how confusing life may be, no matter how dizzy life has got you, you will wind up where it is that God has predestined for you to go.

And God's promise is this that He will guide you when you are confused.

The second thing that you need to know in this new world and in this new season, serving the same God, is God's promises to help you when you are tempted.

And I don't know about you, but one of the greatest temptations that I'm faced with in this season is the temptation to settle for less than what God has for me.

And if you're like me, you have to wake up every single day and have your mind made up that you won't settle for less, that you'll go after everything that God desires for you to go after.

You'll be diligent, you'll be faithful, you'll be like a pit bull and be tenacious and hold on to God's unchanging plan for your life.

This is not the season for you to lay down what it is that God has called you to carry.

This is the season for you to run after it and to go after it with tenacity because God has something greater in store for you than what you can presently see.

Don't fall prey to the temptation to settle.

God has so much more for you than what you currently know.

The scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 13.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience.

And God is faithful.

He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it.

When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.

Every single temptation, God provides a way of escape.

Whenever you enter into a building or business, on most of the doors, there's an escape route.

On most of the exits, there's a layout of the building to tell you where you need to go in case of emergency.

And every single instance in your life, every single time you are tempted, God has a way of escape that he's already mapped out for you.

God has a way of escape that he's already planned out for you.

God has a way of escape that he's already given you the blueprint to navigate in and out of.

All you have to do is keep your focus fixed on what it is that God has already done.

And when you keep your focus fixed on what God has already done, you may be tempted, you may be tried, but you know how to come out of it without falling to the temptation.

God always provides a way of escape.

Scripture also teaches us in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, verse 3 the Lord is faithful and he will give you strength and will protect you from the evil one.

2 Thessalonians 3:3

God is a protector, God is a keeper, God is a sustainer.

And when you lift up your heads and you recognize that God has been faithful in your life and over your life for your whole life, then you understand no matter what you may be tested and tried in, no matter what is coming against you, no matter what you're faced with, God in you is going to push you through this situation.

The word of God says in the Old Testament, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

It doesn't say you will stay in the valley, it doesn't say that you're fixed in the valley, it says that you will walk through the valley and you're walking through this season.

You're not meant to stay here.

God is transitioning you from point A to point B, but He makes a promise that when you come out of this season, you'll be better because of it.

God has given you a promise, and it's to help you when you are tempted.

The third promise that God gives us is one that we should hold tight onto in this season.

And that promise is this God promises to support me when I'm in trouble.

God promises to support me when I am in trouble.

Isaiah chapter 43, verse 2 says, When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you.

Isaiah 43:2

When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.

When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up, for I am the Lord your God.

No matter what you may be faced with, no matter what the situation may be, no matter what the enemy may be screaming at you, what you need to know is the deep water that you may be swimming in, you won't drown in.

The fire that you feel up against you will not burn you.

That situation that you thought was going to bury you will not bury you.

You are getting stronger, you're getting strengthened, you're getting better in this season.

And if you can hang on to God's unchanging plan, he says he'll bring you out.

Not only will he bring you out, but he says he will be with you and show you how to navigate each and every season that you may go through.

God says, when you go through deep waters in great trouble, I will be with you.

And when you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.

When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up no matter what season of life you may be in, whether you are knee deep in this pandemic season, whether you are feeling the pressure of the racial tension, no matter if you are in the economic crisis, I don't know what your pressure is right now, but I believe no matter what you may be faced with, the God of all sufficiency is right there with you.

And he said, If I be for you, who can be against you?

So we need to know.

God promises to support us when we are in trouble.

In Philippians chapter 4, verse 13.

Philippians 4:13

The word of God says, I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me.

I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me.

I have strength for all things.

I want you to repeat that over your life right now, no matter what you may be faced with, no matter where you may be watching me from in the world, I want you to say this over your life.

I have strength to face all things.

I have the power to face all things.

I can get through and get over all things because greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.

The scripture says, Christ who empowers me.

I am ready for anything, and equal to anything through him who infuses inner strength into me.

The promise is to defend us.

Romans chapter twelve, verse nineteen.

It says, Never avenge yourselves.

Leave that to God.

For he has said that he will repay those who deserve it.

And sometimes we can get stuck in seasons like this, and we bring ourselves to the idea and the thought that we have to defend ourselves.

But the God of all sufficiency, the God of more than enough, wants you to know that He is fighting the battle for you.

The scripture says again, never avenge yourselves, leave that to God.

For He said that He will repay those who deserve it.

You may have a list of people who you want to repay.

You may have a group of people that you you think need to get a piece of your mind, and God is saying, Listen, don't do that.

I got your back.

I got you covered.

I'm standing with you.

I'm standing for you.

I'm standing in the gap on your behalf.

And if you can believe in me, if you can trust in me, I'll take care of you.

The fifth and final thing that I want to leave you with is a promise that God gives us in this new world.

But remaining faithful is the same God.

Is this right here?

God promises to keep us until his return.

God promises to keep us until his return.

2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 13.

2 Timothy 2:13

The NIV translation says, I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.

No one can snatch them out of my hand.

It says, if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown or let down himself.

God is faithful even when we are faithless, no matter what the situation may be screaming to you, no matter what you may be going through, you need to understand when you get to the end of your rope, God says, I have more than enough, and I won't leave you.

I have not brought you to this century to walk away from you right now.

I have not brought you to this season to turn my back on you.

I have not brought you to this point in time to release you into the while.

I have my hand on you, and there's nothing that you have done, there's nothing that you can do that will allow me to walk away from you.

I love you and I'm for you.

And God wants you to know this promise.

His promise is to keep you until he returns.

Philippians chapter 1, verse 6 says, Be confident in this, that he who began a good work will carry it on until its completion, until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6

Be confident in this.

God has begun a good work in you.

And if you have breath in your body right now, he has not finished working that good work out of you, he still has things that he's developing on the inside of you.

And if you can hang on to his unchanging plan, God says, You will see greatness in this season.

I want us to end on the scripture that we started off with, and that is this Isaiah chapter 46, verse 3.

Isaiah 46:3

It says, Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel who have been born by me from before your birth, carried from the womb, even to your old age, I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you, because I've made you, and I will bear, and I will carry and will save.

What you need to know is God will carry you in every season.

I know it seems like you're walking alone, but God has carried you.

I know it seems like at times you're by yourself, but God is carrying you.

I know it seems like you're in a season and you're all by yourself, but God is carrying you.

He's carried you in your past, he's carrying you right now, and he'll carry you in your future.

I want you to know your history is behind you and your future is in front of you.

If you can run towards the voice of your father, he will direct your path.

God has always carried you and he will continue to carry you.

We are in a new world, but we serve the same God.

And if we can hold fast to his unchanging plan, we can grab a hold of the blessing that God desires for us to receive in this season.

This is a tough season, but this is a right season.

It's a new world, but it's the same God.

He's the same God today as he was yesterday.

And he's the same God today as he will be in our tomorrow.

I'm so grateful that we serve the true.

And living Savior.

And no matter what's going on in our world, He remains faithful.

And He remains steadfast.

And He remains unchanging.

And He remains unmovable.

And He remains with the victory in His hand.

And as God has all victory, when He's for us, we cannot lose.

It doesn't mean that we won't be tested.

It doesn't mean that we won't be tried.

It means that no matter what we are tested and tried with, the all-sufficient God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, has your back.

I'm so grateful that we had an opportunity to wrap the Word of God around our situation.

And to step into our new season, lifting up the name of Jesus.

The same God has been faithful for many, many years.

And for many, many years to come.

I love you.

And I look forward to being with you again very, very soon.

But until the next time, be blessed in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

What a great message from Pastor Tim.

And I pray that you did as well.

You know, here at Celebration Church, when we have these powerful sacred moments, we would never want you to walk away without giving you an opportunity to say yes to Jesus.

You know, as we talked about a lot about like uh new world but same God.

Maybe many of us that are watching right now, our worlds have been shaken upside down, and you know that you need to grab a hold of Jesus.

You know, the Bible tells us in Romans chapter 10 that if we confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts that Jesus is Lord, that that salvation is available to us.

Romans 10 · chapter mention

So maybe that that's your next step.

If it is, um, allow Megan and I to lead you in a prayer that I truly believe that will um give you the words that can be an expression of what's on your heart.

So repeat this after me.

Father, I thank you so much for the sacrifice of Christ.

I believe that Jesus died on the cross and that he rose from the dead, and it's because of that belief I am saved.

Fill me with your spirit and order my steps in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Now we truly believe that um that prayer is an alignment of your heart, it's a declaration.

So if you made that decision, I would love for you to text.

What's the word, Megan?

Text aside.

That's right.

At 25101.

Yes, and what you'll do is you'll get a response from someone on our team, and they're gonna give you all the resources that you need to begin this step and what it's gonna look like for you to be walking um with alongside Jesus.

What we want to do now is we want to conclude our services with a time of communion, as we do with all of our services.

The reason why we do this is it's a great opportunity for us to be reminded.

You know, Jesus said, do this in remembrance of me.

And what he was saying is that he wants us to be reminded that we're reconciled to him, but we're also reconciled to one another.

So when we have these powerful moments, it's meant to be a reminder and a declaration that we are reconciled to Jesus, but we're also reconciled to one another.

So when Jesus was with his disciples, he had given them some bread.

So, Megan, I want to give you um this bread here.

And he said that this is my body.

It's a reflection, um, it's a reflection of my my body being broken for all of the sins of the world.

That's a powerful thought.

It's a powerful thing for us to consider that that Jesus had given his body to be broken so that we could be made whole.

As a family, let us all take this bread together in remembrance of the broken body of Jesus.

Um, Jesus' blood that was shed for the remission of our sins.

It was shed for us 2,000 years ago.

And this means that no matter what you've done, you are invited to Jesus' table.

And so no matter what and who you are and what you've done, everyone is welcome.

So we thank you, take the juice and drink.

Let's pray.

Father, we thank you so much for the broken body of Christ and the shed blood.

It's because of that, Lord, we have access to the throne of grace, we have access to healing, we can be made whole.

So, Lord, we celebrate, we remember you, and we recognize that we're invited to your table.

And at your table, we are reconciled to you and we are reconciled to one another.

In Jesus' name.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Listen, guys, it was so great to be able to hang with you guys.

We love you so, so much.

It's been a great service.

Listen, if you have been moved in any way, please share it with us.

Um go on to social media, take a picture, tag us in it, share what God has been stirring in your heart, and we would love to come alongside you and celebrate with you.

Yes.

We thank you so much.

We can't wait to see you guys next week, same time, um, and and just have a great week.

Yes.

Thanks again for listening.

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