Sermon

A Reason to Live - Pastor Gus Urban

Logan City Christian Church

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  1. Welcome to Logan City Christian Church podcast where we bring God's Word to you weekly.

  2. We pray that what you hear will bring clarity to your situation and open doors in your life.

  3. Enjoy the message.

  4. Praise God.

  5. Pastors Robin Chantel are away, they're travelling at the moment, having a break.

  6. So keep them in your prayers, they're doing well, just need a time of refreshing and so

  7. yeah God is good.

  8. Keep us in your prayers, keep this church in your prayers.

  9. We're always planning to move forward as you might have heard on the church announcements.

  10. For our podcast, our church podcast, we've got that going.

  11. Every sermon that is preached here on Sunday is uploaded every Tuesday.

  12. Every Thursday we have our Thursday classics where we've gained access to sermons of

  13. old of Pastor Reg Klimanok, who listened on Thursday, who was blessed by Thursday, who

  14. was really, really good.

  15. So join a platform that you can listen to podcasts if you need help, go see someone

  16. in this church.

  17. I don't know who, Rohan's here, he's at the back there.

  18. Go see Rohan, he'll sort you out with a platform that you can listen to podcasts.

  19. So every Tuesday is church sermons, every Thursday is sermons of old, every Friday is

  20. real talk Friday where we're going to be interviewing pastors, missionaries and everyone like that

  21. and we're going to be discussing about experiences they've had and it's going to be good.

  22. Hallelujah.

  23. So that's a new door that's opened in this church, we're very blessed.

  24. So keep praying for us as God continues to keep the ball rolling, so to speak.

  25. Youth every Friday here, prayer meeting every Thursday night, 7pm.

  26. And I encourage you to come to prayer meeting every Thursday 7pm here and every Sunday morning

  27. 7am here as well.

  28. So we know that in times past where people have come together to seek God and pray, God

  29. has always been faithful and moved.

  30. And so we're believing for that and we're seeing our fair share of resistance but we're

  31. also seeing breakthrough as well in a lot of areas.

  32. So if God has put it on your heart to pray, come join us every Thursday 7pm and every

  33. Sunday morning 7am, both are here and it'd be great to have you here.

  34. Lord we just thank you for this time as we enter into your Word.

  35. Holy Spirit as we prepare our hearts right now, Lord we thank you for the seed that is

  36. going to be sown into our lives.

  37. God we know that your Word never returns void and God we thank you that we shall receive

  38. an abundance from your Word this morning.

  39. God we thank you that your Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

  40. God we honour you in Jesus name we all say.

  41. Hallelujah.

  42. I want to continue on from what Pastor Olly's been speaking about the last few times he's

  43. been up here talking about trials and we've been looking at James chapter 1 and when James

    James 1 chapter mention

  44. wrote this letter saying for us to count it all joy when we fall into various trials,

  45. knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience as the New King James Version says.

  46. But that word really when we break it down and get to the foundation of that word it's

  47. an endurance.

  48. That no matter what you and I face in life that these tests and trials that we go through

  49. it's a struggle.

  50. It's really hard.

  51. And the last thing that you and I feel like doing is rejoicing or to count it all joy

  52. or to praise God as was mentioned earlier this morning.

  53. But then Paul makes this incredible statement where he learns to rejoice in afflictions

  54. knowing that when he goes through these tough times that he receives an abundance of God's

  55. grace in his life that when he is at his weakest moment Paul says I become strong.

  56. And so through these times that we face that we tend to come to the end of ourselves and

  57. cry out to God saying God I don't know what to do where to turn who to speak to what to

  58. say or where to go but Lord I'm coming to you.

  59. And when we are in that vulnerable state that's a place where one God wants us to be always

  60. coming to him for every need.

  61. But secondly when we get to that place we operate in a strength that is far beyond our

  62. own a wisdom from heaven that we operate from.

  63. See James says later on if any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God who gives to all

  64. what freely.

  65. In other words we actually have access to all the wisdom that God has.

  66. Every bit of wisdom that we read that Solomon operated with as a king that he was such a

  67. wise king that people would come from far, far around the world to come and just to speak

  68. to him spend a moment with him.

  69. That very same wisdom we have access to when we come to him.

  70. James says when we ask that God gives to us freely and that's when we tend to understand

  71. of just how good really how good sorry God is in our lives.

  72. That when we can come to the end of ourself in a place in life where we feel like that

  73. there's just it's just an end there's just destruction.

  74. I don't know where to go to from here.

  75. We find that grace and we understand that God is not done with me yet.

  76. See many of us that the time when we got born again we found the saving grace of God because

  77. we had given up on all of our worldly adventures.

  78. Correct?

  79. We've done everything we've been everywhere we've tried everything.

  80. And yet everything failed us and we come to that point where we don't know where to turn

  81. and then someone shares the light of the gospel and we reach out and cry out to God and he

  82. saves us because we came to the end of ourself.

  83. And James is saying here is saying church you're going to be in times even though you

  84. are saved and you are a child of God and you do have the Holy Spirit.

  85. You're going to face times where and I'm going to face times where we just don't know where

  86. to turn.

  87. There are hard things that we face in life where it seems like Satan is coming all around

  88. us and we see nothing but destruction and when we cry out to God once again we see his

  89. saving grace.

  90. Hallelujah.

  91. And so coming off the back of hearing a few sermons about trials and tribulations and

  92. how faithful God is and the title of my message what a long intro that was is I have a reason

  93. to live.

  94. And I really want to start with some of the promises that God has for us.

  95. Amen.

  96. It's always good to read about some of the promises that God has.

  97. See we read in 1 John 1 9 John says that if we confess our sins to God that he is faithful

  98. to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

  99. Isn't that good that we serve a God that who even though he saved us from our mess and

  100. cleaned us up we've failed him many many times.

  101. I know I have since I've been born again.

  102. I've failed God many many times and yet it's just incredible that the love of God that

  103. is standard towards me that I've received that I've found in my walk with God knowing

  104. that no matter how many times I've failed him or no matter what my weaknesses are that

  105. if I can continually keep coming back to God saying Lord I might be struggling in an area

  106. of my life or I might keep tripping over the same hurdle in my life.

  107. God I thank you that you haven't given up on me and because you haven't given up on

  108. me I'm going to your word and now I'm confessing my sin to you knowing that you are faithful

  109. and just to forgive me of this sin that I've just committed and that not only are you going

  110. to forgive me you're going to clean me up you're going to get rid of it and you're going

  111. to pick me up dust me off so I can continue following the will that you have for my life.

  112. And so through a wilderness experience we actually tend to make more mistakes than any

  113. other period in our life.

  114. Well I don't know about you but that's what I've found personally that when times are

  115. tough I actually find out what's in here.

  116. Amen.

  117. Amen give me an amen if you if we're all on the same page because there are times where

  118. you know things are good life is good and we're cruising and it's just like yeah Lord

  119. I'm kicking goals for you this is awesome Christianity is a breeze and then all of a

  120. sudden it starts getting hard and then I start asking questions.

  121. I go Lord what's really going on why do I have to face this why are these people saying

  122. this what's going on here and then my attitudes get revealed and my thoughts get revealed

  123. and all these things that were actually in there that I never saw when times were good

  124. start coming to the surface.

  125. Amen.

  126. Because last week Pastor Riley spoke about gold refine I mean we can dig gold out of

  127. the ground and it still is gold but that gold needs to be refined and when gold gets refined

  128. it doesn't just come out of the ground and get polished up and all shiny and put on a

  129. shelf that gold gets brought in and it gets heated up to the point where it melts and

  130. when it starts melting that they're taking away all the impurities of that gold and church

  131. we are the same.

  132. Is that yes when we get saved we are a new creation in Christ Jesus the old is gone and

  133. the new is come amen and so we are that new creation yet we are not fully sanctified yet

  134. that there is a call of God on our lives that we actually don't have the character to fulfill.

  135. Hallelujah.

  136. I mean the saving grace of God is amazing yet as we continue on our journey there are

  137. things in our life that need to be dealt with and that is the will of God for our lives

  138. ultimately number one that when you and I are living life that we deal with the things

  139. that we know shouldn't be in here that we can be honest with ourselves and come to that

  140. throne room of grace and say Lord I need your help.

  141. Hallelujah.

  142. Glory to God.

  143. And so if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse

  144. us from all unrighteousness.

  145. Church we serve a good God.

  146. We serve a God that won't give up on us that loves us that didn't just give us one chance

  147. it says you better prove yourself to me.

  148. There are so many people here that you may have had a bad father and because of that

  149. experience you sort of feel that God is going to be the same way with you.

  150. The moment you make a mistake it's all over.

  151. I'm here to tell you God is not like that.

  152. Because not only does God love us it says that God is love.

  153. That the very character of God his nature is love.

  154. And out of that love we read in John that God so loved the world the dying world the

  155. sinning world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever calls on the name of the

  156. Lord that we when we call on God when we reach out to God the world shall be saved.

  157. God is a good God he's a good father.

  158. Second Chronicles 7 14 that if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves

  159. and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then I'll hear from heaven I will

  160. forgive their sin and heal their land.

  161. Another promise from God that when our back is turned against God when we have things

  162. in our life that we choose not to forgive see we're living in a time where this world

  163. is trying to get rid of the testimony of God.

  164. We are seeing politicians we are seeing media do everything they can to wipe out the church.

  165. They're trying to wipe out the testimony of God the testimony of the church.

  166. The very miracle that God has placed in our lives they're attacking that.

  167. And so when we are up against it not every person shall stand we see that in Revelation

    Revelation 3 chapter mention

  168. chapter 3 the Laodicean church that just sort of can't submit to truth but just wants to

  169. have a foot in each camp and when we choose as people to have a foot in each camp we've

  170. actually turned our back on God.

  171. See it's impossible to serve two masters Jesus says so that we will either love one or hate

  172. the other.

  173. And so the church of Jesus Christ has to be totally sold out.

  174. We have this world trying to stop us trying to wipe us out but the good news is every

  175. born-again believer has world-changing power.

  176. That was a good time to say amen.

  177. We have world-changing power.

  178. See when we as his people operate in the power and the authority that God has given us as

  179. given to his church there's nothing on earth whether it be physically or spiritually that

  180. can stop us.

  181. We read in Job chapter 1 verse 10 Satan actually says to God have you not made a hedge around

    Job 1:10

  182. him which is around Joe?

  183. Around his household and around all that he has on every side.

  184. Have you not made a hedge?

  185. In other words God when people are moving when we're praying when we're seeking God

  186. when we're committed to his word we have this assurance that God is on our side.

  187. That really no matter what we're facing in life we have this foundation this knowledge

  188. that can get us through God you are on my side even though the world is against me my

  189. family may even be against me but God you are for me.

  190. And God I know that when I read your word your word says that if God is for us who could

  191. be against us?

  192. And so knowing that the promises of God is that if we were to be in a position where

  193. our backs are turned against God where I even know of people right now that think they're

  194. okay with God but aren't it's like the grace of God is there for people to turn and repent.

  195. God has made a way hallelujah.

  196. That church if you are here this morning and you know that your life isn't right before

  197. God I'm not here to condemn you or to tell you to leave I'm saying you are in the right

  198. place this morning because God loves you with an everlasting love he wants you to repent

  199. so he can wrap his arms around you and love you and protect you and bless you and give

  200. you everything you need to live a successful life.

  201. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray hallelujah.

  202. The humility is well it can be hard sometimes.

  203. I think the most silly prayer that we could ever pray is Lord humble me.

  204. Because when he starts to answer that prayer which he will quite quickly we go jeez I wish

  205. I never prayed that.

  206. Amen.

  207. We see when we read the book of Daniel, Daniel is in a place where I mean it's unfortunate

  208. for him because he never asked for the situation that he was born into.

  209. Daniel being a good man, an honest man before God, one that where we see by the law and

  210. everything he's honoring God with his life yet he's stuck in exile.

  211. He's in a foreign country that worships other gods and idols and the demonic is all around

  212. him and yet we see that Daniel's heart was never bitter towards the people that put him

  213. there in the first place.

  214. A man that's stuck in a foreign country had lost his family, his friends, his home's gone.

  215. Everything he grew up and knew about was now completely over.

  216. And Daniel's in a point where I guess you could say this trial or this situation he

  217. was in he could be like oh well what the heck you know I might as well just do what everyone

  218. else is doing now.

  219. I'm living in a world where anything goes, this country of Babylon it's just well I can

  220. just the things that I've never tried to eat I can eat now and maybe I can start drinking

  221. a lot of wine now because you know back when I was living righteously for God I couldn't

  222. but you know where is God now in this because everything I had is gone.

  223. I sort of feel sorry for Daniel but at the same time when we read through his life God

  224. had blessed him in every single area and it always comes back to that one part where it

  225. says but Daniel made a decision in his heart that he would not defile himself.

  226. In other words no matter what others wouldn't see he was determined in his heart to honour

  227. God with his life no matter what he faced.

  228. And we see the hand of God on Daniel and it's such an incredible story an absolute testimony

  229. to what a person can do when they're totally sold out for Christ.

  230. But what I want to get into here is the prayer of humility that Daniel prays when we read

  231. in chapter 9 he says this.

  232. We have sinned and done wrong.

  233. We have been wicked and rebelled.

  234. We have turned away from your commands and laws.

  235. We have not listened to your servants the prophets who spoke in your name to our kings

  236. our princes and our ancestors and to all the people of the land.

  237. Daniel understands the reason why Judah is there.

  238. Judah is in exile and yet he has the humility today we have sinned.

  239. A man that included himself he never said Lord they sinned.

  240. Lord it's all their fault.

  241. God strike them.

  242. Have you ever been in a position where something's just really unfair?

  243. You've never done anything to deserve what you got and it's just unfair.

  244. And we want to get you know righteous and holy and Lord just the same way that Elijah

  245. called fire from heaven Lord I exercise that authority on these people in Jesus name.

  246. You know that's what we want to pray right?

  247. Or when Elijah gets teased and and he curses those young people and and a line or sorry

  248. a few bears come out and maul those kids.

  249. In our flesh and in times we want to just Lord strike them Lord deal with them Lord

  250. sort them out.

  251. God says that vengeance is mine and Daniel gives us such an amazing example we have sinned

  252. and done wrong.

  253. In other words God I'm no better than anyone else even though there might be people persecuting

  254. me and and and what's being said about me might be unjust.

  255. Lord I've done a lot of things wrong in my life too.

  256. Lord I pray blessing on them.

  257. Lord that your hand would be upon them.

  258. God that their ears would be open that they could turn and repent and live a life full

  259. of your blessing.

  260. Jesus says to bless those and not curse.

  261. And we see Daniel doing this it's a hard thing to do.

  262. It takes the Spirit of God to pray that prayer.

  263. It's beyond our strength as human beings.

  264. Hallelujah.

  265. So God is always on our side.

  266. He always wants to be there for us.

  267. He always is there for us.

  268. The second one is is the Holy Spirit the second promise.

  269. We see that the Holy Spirit was given to the church.

  270. Jesus says in John 16 that he where he promises the Holy Spirit he says I must go.

  271. So that he may come.

  272. Even though you don't want me to go it is actually for your benefit that I leave so

  273. that I may send him.

  274. And in verse 13 he talks about the Holy Spirit being the spirit of truth that guides us through

  275. all things in life.

  276. Now the Holy Spirit is a very important through our trials because he regenerates.

  277. He dwells within us he baptizes he guides empowers sanctifies.

  278. He bears witness he helps us.

  279. He's the giver of joy and he gives us discernment.

  280. Amen.

  281. Can I just bring out one thing the giver of joy.

  282. There was a man that got saved that I know he was dying.

  283. He had I believe about maybe one to two months left of his life.

  284. He was considered dead.

  285. And yet the day he got saved he said he had such an unspeakable peace in his life.

  286. And he said he told me this he said even though the situation didn't change he said my body

  287. was still riddled with cancer.

  288. In the natural I was a dead man walking.

  289. But he said there was an unspeakable peace that I had in my life.

  290. And so when we see that the Holy Spirit is a giver of joy we have to understand is joy

  291. is not based on circumstances.

  292. Joy comes from heaven.

  293. And so you and I whatever we face no matter how down we feel we know that we can reach

  294. out and receive a joy from heaven which overshadows and overrides all of our frailties all of

  295. our evil thoughts all of our emotions and that we can operate in a joy.

  296. Hallelujah.

  297. See if we can turn to Acts chapter 2 we'll quickly turn there.

    Acts 2 chapter mention

  298. Acts chapter 2 verses 1 and 2 we know 1 to 4 sorry.

    Acts 2:1

  299. Acts chapter 2 verses 1 to 4 very common very powerful we've heard it a million times and

    Acts 2:1–4

  300. this morning it's 1 million and 1 hallelujah.

  301. Acts chapter 2 verse 1 when the day of Pentecost had fully come they were all with one accord

    Acts 2:1

  302. in one place and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and

  303. it filled the whole house where they were sitting then there appeared to them divided

  304. tongues as of fire and one sat upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy

  305. Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

  306. And we think man these people must have been incredible believers that they could receive

  307. such a gift operate in such a movement be there for such a time where revival breaks

  308. out the Holy Spirit moves on all flesh just was prophesied in Joel.

  309. But these were people just like you and I here today we know that there was a man named

  310. Peter who said Lord I will follow you wherever you go even unto death and then later on denies

  311. him I do not know this man.

  312. He's one that was called by God he had Christ you are the son of the living God and Jesus

  313. says well done flesh and blood hasn't revealed this to you but my Father who is in heaven

  314. and so here's Peter a man that is ticking boxes and all of a sudden is found fishing

  315. he left the call of God and is found in a boat because of a failure and so we have to

  316. understand that when we read Acts chapter 2 this isn't full of people that are just

    Acts 2 chapter mention

  317. amazing and never make mistakes or never say anything wrong these are people that are flaws

  318. and failures just like you and I but God had a plan regardless of what they thought of

  319. themselves or what they thought of each other God had a plan in church it's the same today

  320. God has a plan regardless of your trial whatever you're facing it doesn't matter because God's

  321. still got a plan I mean I'm sure there are people here that we've received prophecy right

  322. for thus says the Lord God is going to do this this this in your life and he's calling

  323. you to do this and God through a person reveals the direction that we are to take right through

  324. prophecy and so we when we receive that prophecy it's in an environment where the Holy Spirit's

  325. moving and we're so excited and we receive it with joy and we can see ourselves preaching

  326. or singing or witnessing on the streets and we can see all these marvelous things but

  327. we never seem to think about the trials that we're going to face and so when we face these

  328. trials we go oh well maybe it must have been a mistake no the plan of God never changes

  329. it never ever changes and this is the same here where where Peter and the other disciples

  330. and there was Mary and others that were in this upper room that they received the call

  331. of God on their life they yes they fulfilled a bit of it when Jesus was on earth but they

  332. received the fullness right there they continue on and they preach Peter preaches and

  333. it says about 3,000 people get saved and we read in Acts chapter 3 where they're going

    Acts 3 chapter mention

  334. to the synagogue and that lame man is healed and there's such a joy in the city God is

  335. moving in Jerusalem everyone just witnessed a miracle that cannot be denied because this

  336. man was lame from birth and yet instead of like everyone just going well this must be

  337. truth we see that Peter and John are arrested isn't it funny how when we start to operate

  338. and start to move in the call of God when we start to take his words seriously when

  339. we when we start to come to that place of truly surrender Satan's just around the door

  340. waiting to stop us and that's always the case there's nothing new under the sun and we see

  341. here that the very same thing where Peter and John are arrested and they're threatened

  342. and they're told not to preach in the name of Jesus and it says that they continued to

  343. threaten them after but their prayer is something that I really want us to take hold of this

  344. morning and Acts 4 and we're going to read from verse 23 says this and being let go they

  345. went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had

  346. said to them so when they heard sorry when they heard that they raised their voice to

  347. God with one accord what church what did they do they raised their voice to God who'd they

  348. go to they didn't whinge and complain amongst themselves they didn't just go well that was

  349. a nice miracle that was a great time in the upper room we'll just see what God's going

  350. to do from here but you know I'm just going to jump back in my boat again and start fishing

  351. again no it says that they raised their voice to God in their time of trouble they raised

  352. their voice to God when they had experienced the goodness of God and Satan immediately

  353. came in to stop the work of Jesus it says that they raised their voice to God God was

  354. their first point of contact and this is what they said Lord you are God who made heaven

  355. and earth and the sea and all that is in them who by the mouth of your servant David has

  356. said why did the nations rage and the people plot vain things the kings of the earth took

  357. their stand and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ for

  358. truly against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate

  359. with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together to do whatever your

  360. hand and your purpose determined before to be done now Lord look on their threats and

  361. grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word by stretching out

  362. your hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy

  363. servant Jesus let's just read that again now look it says verse 29 now Lord look on their

  364. threats God look what they are trying to do and they didn't say Lord strike them Lord

  365. send fire down from heaven Lord let there be plagues come out and destroy them they prayed

  366. this Lord look at their threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness they

  367. may speak your word in other words Lord there is this situation that is coming against us

  368. but regardless Lord we want to operate in your grace we want to move in your power we

  369. want to have everything or all the fullness of heaven all of your might we want to experience

  370. it in our lives so that when we go out even though people are threatening us and trying

  371. to kill us and want to destroy us Lord we want to see you move and what an incredible

  372. testimony church do we have it this morning where when we go through hard times and Lord

  373. why Lord destroy this person God get rid of this Lord I need your grace God whatever I

  374. am facing Lord this problem you know I don't have what it takes God saying yeah that's

  375. right you don't but in me you do Paul said I pleaded with the Lord three times that this

  376. thing would be taken from me and what did Jesus say my grace is sufficient for you Jesus

  377. says my grace is made perfect my strength is made perfect in weakness in other words

  378. sometimes the plan or the will of God in our lives isn't getting rid of the problem it's

  379. us being able to operate in his strength and not ours first Samuel we see a man of God

  380. that operates in this strength and we see David as a young boy David being a child of

  381. eight eight where Jesse his father had eight sons David being the youngest and we see that

  382. when Samuel come to anoint a new king that David wasn't invited Samuel comes into town

  383. and he says to Jesse get all your sons all your sons and we're going to have a feast

  384. and so how many does he grab all but one and so I could only imagine maybe the lack of

  385. love that David had experienced from his father we know that his brothers didn't like him

  386. and yet he was a man that was after God's own heart see our past never determines our

  387. future in God nor does the presence and maybe the situation that you're battling isn't

  388. present today but it might be something that you might be still hung up about that happened

  389. years ago see our past when it's truly surrendered to God will never hinder us it can't when

  390. when we are truly surrendered to God every everything in our life our time our money

  391. our friendships let's read first Samuel chapter 17 we read from verse 41 to 47 David is now

    1 Samuel 17 chapter mention

  392. in battle against Goliath and from verse 41 so the Philistine came which is Goliath and

  393. began drawing near to David and the man who bore the shield went before him and when the

  394. Philistine looked about and saw David he disdained him for he was only a youth ruddy and good

  395. looking so the Philistine so the Philistine said to David am I a dog that you come to

  396. me with sticks and the Philistine cursed David by his gods and the Philistine said to David

  397. come to me and I will give you your flesh I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air

  398. and the beasts of the field and David said to the Philistine you come with me with a

  399. sword with a spear and with a javelin but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts

  400. the God of the armies of Israel whom you have to fight this day the Lord will deliver you

  401. into my hands and I will strike you and take your head from you and this day I will give

  402. the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts

  403. of the earth that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel then all this assembly

  404. shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear for the battle is the Lord's

  405. and he will give you into our hands we understand that from then on that David actually won

  406. the battle he won it easily but the incredible thing is his king Saul that it says that when

  407. king Saul the man who was meant to fight heard the cry of Goliath it says that him and the

  408. whole army fell in fear that they did not have what it takes yet he was a young boy

  409. anointed of God that had what it took that had what it takes to win to see victory in

  410. his life see a lot of the times when we're facing a battle not only does it just present

  411. itself in the natural but there is a spiritual thing behind it see when when it says that

  412. Goliath cursed David by his gods that was a common practice in battle see nations when

  413. when nation would rise up against nation they would go and they would sacrifice to their

  414. gods and they would they would cut themselves and they would do all these different things

  415. that they would actually get in touch with the supernatural the demonic before they went

  416. out to fight and so here's Goliath a man that knows the demonic a man that actually understands

  417. what it means to fight in the spiritual before the natural today you and I would call it

  418. witchcraft but he's a young boy that is full of the spirit of God that is faced with the

  419. giant of a man before him and this giant of a man noted not only has physical advantage

  420. but operates in the demonic that is cursing him if only we could see with our natural

  421. eyes our spiritual eyes that battle the demons that would have been around in that camp I

  422. mean we hear of stories of people that are demon possessed and and and that just operate

  423. in such darknesses and that can put curses and spells on people and and I don't know

  424. I'm sure there's a lot of people here that have you've seen that you've seen people

  425. delivered from the demonic you you've experienced witchcraft before we've seen it here's a man

  426. David that is is up against it in a fight and we see what David says that you know I

  427. I you come to me with the sword and spear but I come to you in the name of the Lord

  428. I mean that's easy for me to say behind a pulpit but when your life is on the line you

  429. need the spirit of God and so reading this I understand that not everything I face is

  430. even though it appears in the natural it's happening in this realm maybe we need to ask

  431. what's going on in the supernatural see job lost everything in in in an instant and everything

  432. he lost was in the natural but yet who was behind it Satan was behind it it says that

  433. Satan come in and destroyed everything that job had and so sometimes we can go well this

  434. is so unfair or whatever but a spiritual person can see beyond the natural and not only just

  435. be able to see but have what it takes to be able to fight we see the incredible victory

  436. that David was one and yet that that victory that David won it encouraged the whole camp

  437. and maybe you hear this morning your battle is bigger than you maybe the battle that you're

  438. facing this morning that breakthrough that you receive not only in encourages you and

  439. gets you through but may allow your family to follow in and receive the blessing your

  440. breakthrough might just be able to reach out to a huge number of people and see a lot of

  441. people come to Christ who knows the benefit of your breakthrough of my breakthrough never

  442. ever get discouraged and give in as a person here says never give in never give up in other

  443. words the moment the day we give up Satan wins yet if we can just keep getting up day

  444. by day by the grace of God through the glory of God being able to continually fight Lord

  445. I don't understand that another day might be a day of heaviness but Lord I'm turning

  446. to you for grace Lord it is by your strength that I'm going to operate today not my own

  447. strength not my own wisdom but Lord I am totally surrendered to you the hardest choice that

  448. anyone can make is to overcome what they're facing what what Satan's trying to do to pull

  449. us down it is such a joy and a victory when we can overcome those struggles by the grace

  450. of God see we read the story of Paul and I close on this that when we read of what Paul

  451. went through we go my goodness persecuted by people persecuted by those left by his

  452. friends he'd face shipwreck he I don't think there is a thing that that Paul didn't face

  453. he'd been through everything yet nothing or no one could stop him why because Paul never

  454. operated in his own strength it was by the grace of God church we've been saved not to

  455. add Jesus to our life but to control our life that he can lead us through life that he can

  456. strengthen us in life we are we are very vulnerable to the things of this world that the moment

  457. that we realize that we really have little influence over like we don't know what tomorrow

  458. brings we've all faced situations where we were living life and then all of a sudden

  459. something terrible happened and and we're just shocked and just we're just stumped and

  460. we just can't believe we don't know what what tomorrow holds but yet when a person when

  461. a believer is operating in the grace of God they have the assurance that I will get through

  462. this situation I will church when we are surrendered to God and operating in his grace like his

  463. grace in other words whatever I lack God is going to give me that that's just Christianity

  464. in a nutshell if we haven't figured that out already I pray that we get to know it this

  465. morning that whatever I lack in life God will give it to me whatever my weaknesses my poor

  466. choices the the last of the flesh that I give into my bad attitudes all those things that

  467. I just can't seem to get rid of can be gone by his grace

  468. Hebrews Hebrews 4 16 says that we are to come boldly to the throne of what grace come boldly

  469. to the throne room of grace that means that we can be just who we are you could be addicted

  470. you could be in a in a mess you could be bankrupt you could have no family left it doesn't matter

  471. your situation the reason why we're to come boldly is because God just wants us to come

  472. as we are with every single bit of baggage and it says come boldly to the throne of grace

  473. in other words we can come before God just as we are and the reason why we're coming

  474. there is that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need so we receive

  475. mercy that the mercy of God towards our life we can receive forgiveness from all of us

  476. all that good stuff we receive it from God freely it's part of his word his word is true

  477. God is a God that never lies so we can come boldly to God in our prayer room in our time

  478. of prayer and say Lord you know the filth in my life or the unforgiveness in my life

  479. the darkness that I've allowed into my life God here is my baggage I come to you I receive

  480. your mercy I receive it I don't deserve it but I receive it and now I'm claiming hold

  481. to your grace your grace to help me to help you in our time of need so God's grace is

  482. just I don't know I'm so thankful that what I can't do God will empower me to do I don't

  483. I feel like I'm sort of stuck on this this morning like I just keep repeating this I

  484. feel like someone needs to get it here this morning what you can't do God wants to work

  485. through you in your life and so God I'm struggling in this area and you said sorry God a million

  486. times and you just seem to just keep repeating this vicious cycle and nothing is changing

  487. in your life it's about time you experience God's grace that the power of God may dwell

  488. among you and on me that we can see his power will move that those shackles be destroyed

  489. that whatever Satan is placed to put and stop you from walking with Christ that by God's

  490. grace we get rid of it we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need

  491. this week when I was in prayer I received the word from the Lord and I know one it's

  492. for one person here this morning specifically I don't know who you are but I received this

  493. word that you're scared to commit you're scared to fully commit to God because you have failed

  494. in the past your history your record is just a record of failure that's all you've experienced

  495. in life is everything that you've tried to do you failed in and nothing's ever worked

  496. and it's just you've gone from one bad thing to a next to the next and I know that you're

  497. here this morning and it could be more than one person but I really felt that you are

  498. scared to fully surrender to God because you feel like you're going to fail him you believe

  499. in God you love God you believe that you believe his word but you are so scared because of

  500. your history to fully surrender to God I just want to say God's plan for you is incredible

  501. the call of God on your life is amazing whoever you are and I just want to say it doesn't

  502. matter how many times you fail God what counts is how many times you get back up because

  503. there will never ever be a perfect Christian that walks the face of this earth God's mercy

  504. and grace is there for your life the moment you fully surrender is the moment where you

  505. receive grace like you've never experienced before could we actually all could all of

  506. us stand this morning please right now I would actually like to pray for that person whoever

  507. that is if you could come up the front right right here just right here whoever you are

  508. I received that word earlier this week that you are afraid to fully surrender to God because

  509. of past failures if that is you can you please come down the front here and I'm gonna pray

  510. for you if you want to receive Jesus this morning if you don't know Jesus as your Lord

  511. and Savior can you please come down this morning and and I'm gonna pray with you you're gonna

  512. receive the saving grace of God I know the Holy Spirit is touching your heart could you

  513. please be so bold to come forward and receive this life-changing experience hallelujah if

  514. there's anyone that you want to receive Christ would you come forward if you don't know Jesus

  515. as your Lord and Savior would you just please please come and receive him surrender your

  516. life to him if you know you're in a position where you're you're not a hundred percent

  517. in right relationship with God that you know you've been lacking in this area would you

  518. please come and rededicate your life to Jesus Christ right now if that's you please come

  519. if you've come with someone they'll come with you grab them by the hand bring them down

  520. so I need prayer but just please the cry from heaven this morning would you please come

  521. just come just come hallelujah thank you for coming hallelujah thank you for joining us

  522. we pray God's richest blessing on your life if you haven't already make sure to join us

  523. on Facebook Instagram and YouTube you can also find us at Logan City Christian Church

  524. dot com see you next week