We Could Use a Little Good News 12/20/2020 11:30 AM

Amen. And what a privilege to be in the presence of God. Now, the Bible doesn't say if you're having a good day, praise ye the Lord. Everything that has breath, praise the Lord. Amen. So, if you're breathing right now, that might be a good cue for you to not exempt yourself from worship and praise to the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. What a privilege to know him in the power of the Holy Ghost. Everybody in the house, everyone watching online, we're so glad you are here today. And it's great to have Terry on home from Bible College and Ka participating in our worship team. Proud of them and students from our church who pursue careers and ministries for the glory of God. Before we get into the Bible, I want to say two brief things to you. Merry Christmas. That's three. That'll be the third thing this week. But Christmas for Christ. I know you've already heard about that today and in the last few weeks, but I want to personally appeal to you, if possible, you have the resources, give a generous gift to Christmas for Christ. You have all the way to January 10. We have a little over $23,000 either given or committed right now. And I believe the Lord wants us to give our very best gift to him. So, I just want to ask you to do that. Secondly, I want to encourage you to vote in this runoff election that you would weed through the attack ads and vote our values. Vote for biblical principles. Vote for religious freedom. Vote for the right to life. Vote the principles that the Bible teaches us and make sure your voice is heard by a vote. Amen. Now, if you turn in your Bibles to the book of Luke, Luke chapter 2. It's good to see you today. you know, with all the craziness of COVID, we evaluate our teams and uh protocols and want to make sure that when you come to church that you have a safe experience and you may be impervious to COVID because you've had it or you think you're Superman or woman. But please remember to follow these protocols for the sake of those who are vulnerable not just to contracting COVID, but being hospitalized or even dying from COVID. So, I have a cousin in the hospital right now who's struggling and two minister friends, their family passed away this week uh from COVID. So, one pastor and one pastor's wife. So, serious stuff, right? And we pray for them and believe that God will help them. Luke 2:8, and there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them. And they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news, good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." The angel said, "I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people in that day and in this day." We could use a little good news. You believe that? Say, "Amen." God bless you. Please be seated. Five short days from Christmas, a time of great celebration. of God coming to earth, Emmanuel, God with us. We just finished singing about the cross. Hallelujah for the cross. But had there been no birth, there could have been no death. God has existed from everlasting to everlasting. Always has been, always will be. But the son of God had his beginning in Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus Christ, when God became flesh and dwelt among us. and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth. Christmas is the celebration of the coming of God to earth, the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. And at this season with all the celebrations and customs of the holiday that you may have in your family, I want to encourage you to make sure you celebrate joy to the world. The Lord has come. that you worship with the shepherds, that you rejoice like the angels, that you give gifts fit for a king like the wise men. And maybe there will be times that you sit and ponder these things in your heart like Mary did or Joseph who thought on these things. But make sure you imbue the Christian, the Christmas spirit, that you get it in your heart. I love to preach the Christmas story over and over because if we do not tell this story, who will? I don't want our children being raised on fables, right? And on traditions that are not biblically bound and rooted. That brings me to the bad news. 2020's been a rough year. I have friends, it seems like every year they say, "Well, I'm so glad that last year's gone." Well, every year is bittersweet. There's good and bad to every year, and that's the way it is in life. But 2020 goes down in my life as the roughest ride I think I remember ever having. Not personally, but as a country. I mean, we've had all these wildfires in the West and the hurricanes in the south. Many of those people are still not recovered from the disasters that struck them. These natural disasters that stole homes and livelihoods and separated families and claimed so many lives. People affected by that. But I saw an article in my newsfeed yesterday about how they're coping in Louisiana to the aftermath of the hurricanes there in our country. All the social unrest, the protests across our country that wre havoc on businesses and lives and the political turmoil that we've experienced leading up to and following this contentious and contested election. We feel the effects of that. The Bible said that we're not impervious to what's going on in our world. Paul said that we ourselves grown. We feel the tension of the times. We feel this new age that is coming. And I don't mean new age like a religion, but but the age to come when Jesus Christ will come back for his church and usher in uh after the the seven years of tribulation, that great millennial kingdom. And there will be peace on earth then for a thousand years. all of this in our country and then and then co COVID 19 when we welcomed in 2020 this New Year's Day this past year this year no one of us could predict that CO would be the Grinch that stole Christmas and a lot of other days of this year 17.5 million cases in the United States as of yesterday 314,000 COVID or COVID related deaths in our country. 1.6 million deaths worldwide in our global community. They are our brothers and sisters in the the the body, the human family. And then over 10,000 deaths in the state of Georgia alone. I don't know about you, but I'm weary of this unending drama. And I'm leerary about the future. What is it going to be as a pastor when we're planning 2021? as a district superintendent of the Georgia district, we're thinking about sectional conferences and district conference and marriage retreat and things that we all normally plan for the coming year. And because of COVID, everything is tentative. Church today was tentative. Church next week is is on, but you never know what the future holds. In the past, we've been able to to look a little farther out, but right now, we're kind of robbed of that long look, just trying to deal with the present and the immediate future. I was reading about our year and and I ran across something that's I guess trivia, but 2020 is like 1616, 1717, 1818, and 1919, and here we are in 2020. And I don't know about you, but I don't think any of you were alive in 1919. There's probably possibly somebody. I don't know. They're really, really old. But it never occurred to me that none of us will be alive in 2121 when the years roll around and the first two digits are the same as the second two. But I'm pretty happy to say goodbye to the uniqueness of 2020 because I'm glad it will be gone. and I pray for a new day. That's not the reason this year was so special. A lot of churches saw 2020 coming and they thought, "We're going to have a 2020 vision for our church. Perfect vision, a clear vision." And what have we had for the past 12 months, but a lot of cloudiness, right? Especially the last seven months. Hasn't been that clear. Try to look into the future and you can't see that far. You're kind of flying in a fog. And that's the way this year has been. And in the natural, you know, while I can honestly say, and I don't like to dramatize, and you won't hear me say that's the best or that's the worst. I don't like speaking in superlatives. I'm not too much of a realist, I guess. So, I don't want to say that 2020 was the worst or will be the worst. But let's just say we're glad it's going to be gone in a couple weeks, right? And in the natural, we tend to think what we're going through personally or culturally as a society is the worst it's ever been. But bad news is always out sold good news. There's no quenching the thirst of the human desire to know some bad thing, some new thing. This year, there's been a bumper crop of bad news. But I want to give you a perspective to look back into the world into which Jesus Christ came to let you know that the hope of that message is the hope of our day and that nothing could rob us of the joy of the coming of Jesus Christ to this earth and the coming of Jesus Christ into our heart. JW Shepard, a commentator on the life of Christ in his background to his book, writes about the unbelievable moral degeneration of the times in which Jesus Christ came. There were 2,000 lords of Rome who owned 1.3 million slaves and they treated them with great cruelty. In the Roman Empire, six million slaves. Rich people lived it up in splendor. people in poverty, the common people of the land. Chastity, marriage, moral purity was common. Marriage, chastity was uncommon. There was corruption in religion. Corrupt priests ruled upon the masses and took advantage of the people of the land. There were a lot of seductive cults. Even Paul was accused of being one of those men that led away some people in a seductive cult. The Romans had no power to cope with the degeneracy of their times. The Greeks had philosophy, but it had failed. The emperors were monsters of crime. Can you imagine Christians like you and I being sacrificed in the coliseum, in the arenas for as a spectator sport to enjoy the death of Christian people. There was luxury for the rich. Everybody poor prayed upon. As I mentioned, horrible character and device was a horrible time to be alive. The Roman philosopher Cynica testified that children were considered with great disfavor and infant exposure was prevalent. The Roman historian Tacitus said that the spirit of their times was to corrupt and to be corrupted. When Paul writes about the spirit of that age and the degeneracy of pagan cultures in Romans chapter 1, he said because they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over. God gave them up. They were immoral. They were perverted. They degenerated. They worshiped idols. That was the world into which Jesus Christ came slouching towards Solomon. It was a very dark time. I don't think it was worse in Noah's day when God saw the corruption on the earth and he chose to destroy with a great flood. Maybe their day or I our day deserve the same. But instead of judgment, God visited them with mercy. God had a plan instead of judging the sinner that he would judge the sin in the cross of Jesus Christ with the shedding of his own blood and into the moral immoral world that existed in the days of Jesus Christ. God almighty came into the world to be the light of the world through the telescope of prophecy. Isaiah looked to the day of Jesus and he said, "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death. Upon them hath light shined." Matthew looked back to Isaiah's prophecy 700 years prior and quoted him, "The people that sat in darkness saw great light, and to them which sat in the region the shadow of death, light is sprung up." And then Matthew said from that time Jesus be to preach and say repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. When John wrote about his day, he said in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was the life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shined in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. I'm glad that in that day of moral darkness, of religious failure, a political oppression, that God came to this earth, he was born in a barn in Bethlehem, and that he brought light, the light of salvation into the world. And Jesus Christ came into a world that was dark in every dimension politically, socially, culturally, religiously, even morally. It was a debaced culture. Was a world that was filled with sin and darkness of every kind. with this suffocating darkness choking out the light of hope. The cry of the heart of the people of that day was we could use a little good news. But where would that news come from? It wouldn't come from Rome. The seed of political power had no answers to write the wrongs of that day. No politician could fix the problems that they dealt dealt with then. It couldn't come from Jerusalem, the seed of religious power, because that ritualistic religion could not save a soul. The priesthood prayed upon people. There was so much corruption in religion that day. When they made a convert, Jesus said, "You make that convert two full more the child of hell than you are." Heaven was the only place where an answer could come. But heaven came down to earth and the light of God shine into the darkness of that world. It wasn't just the star, the light that the wise men saw in the east, but it was a light of God that shined in Bethlehem and begin to shine salvation into the world. In the little town of Bethlehem, in the solitude and obscurity of a barn, God became flesh and dwelt among us. And he entered our world in obscurity. You could say he came in the back door. He became the lowest common denominator of any person who felt that they were impoverished in any way, whether it was economically or morally. Jesus Christ came as this little baby born in a manger, wrapped in strips of cloth called swaddling clothes, laid in a manger. We romanticize a feed box where animals would come and eat their grain and slobber into that feed box. It was not a sanitized OBGYn warn for a ba mother to bring her baby into the world. And apparently there was no one there but Mary and Joseph. No midwife is mentioned as was common there. It's just Mary bringing her baby, the savior into the world. And no one would know. But God had a plan to get this good news out. Luke chapter 2:8, we read it. And they were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Lower class men just doing their job out in the night, watching their sheep. Alfred Eders says they were perhaps sheep destined for temple sacrifice, for them to be watching them in a cold night like that. that whether that conjecture is accurate or not, here they were trying to protect their sheep from predators and being vigilant at night. And and all of a sudden in the darkness of that night, there's an angel, the glory of the Lord shining around these common men, and they were so afraid. Now, I was thinking about an angel appearing in the middle of the night in a field. And I was going to explain to you why the shepherds were afraid. But I thought if you were at work and suddenly an angel appeared in your office or in your truck or wherever you work or at your house and there stood an angel, I think I could probably be safe to say as spiritual as you are, you would be so afraid. Isn't it true that our natural tendency is to feel our failures and how bad we are and how short we've fallen and and if God appears with us as an angel, he's probably got a big sword in his hand and he's going to take us out. They were sore afraid after all. Who are we common shepherds, you know, and out in the field and an angel? Why do we deserve an angelic visitation? But they had one. And the angel said unto them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." That is a mouthful of truth. Fear not. Don't be afraid of the supernatural world in which God operates. As I studied this message at this particular place, not the heart of my message, but I felt like a divine pause. I have the time written in my notes when I felt this. And I I feel like what the angels said to those shepherds is probably as fitting today as it was then. The angels said to the shepherds, "Fear not." Now, there are a lot of people in our culture right now who are paralyzed by fear. Now, I know we've got the extremists. We've got the cowards on one end and we got the cowboys on the other. Speaking of COVID and how people have treated this virus, I'm not talking about being foolish and calling it fearless. There's a healthy fear that respects real threats and it motivates us to prevention and preparation. If you lock your doors at night, I was raised in a city where you always locked your doors. Well, I always lock my doors. It's just the way I grew up. But there is a fear that overcomes us, that paralyzes people, that immobilizes us, that is not a healthy fear. So, I want to ask you, are you afraid of COVID or other sicknesses? Are you afraid of the future? Are you afraid of dying? The book of Hebrews tells us that all through the Old Testament through the fear of death that the Old Testament people were subject to bondage. Jesus told us that we should not fear anyone who can only destroy our body. Whether it is a man or a sickness, we should not fear anything that can only take us out physically. That our fear should be of Almighty God who can destroy both body and soul in hell. We need to have a healthy fear of that which is real. But we need to fear God more and not be controlled by the fear of anything else. The writer John 1 John 4:18 said that there is no fear in love but perfect love cast out fear. John wrote that fear has torment, but he that fearth is not not he that fearth is not made perfect in love. In other words, it is impossible for fear and love to dwell in your heart together. And perfect love will overcome the fear that you're facing. I'm preaching today not just to give you an intellectual understanding, but that God would give you a visitation of faith and love that would drive out fear that might be controlling you or paralyzing you or make you afraid of the future. Fears can be rational or irrational. A fear that is a phobia founded on anything other than facts is not good. But in the Bible, the Lord must have known that we would need to hear fear not 63 times it is written in the King James Bible. And many of those are written to God's people to tell them do not be afraid. Four times in the Christmas narratives, the Bible says, "Fear not." Fear not Joseph to take Mary as your wife. Fear not Zachcharias, father of John the Baptist. Fear not Mary, that which is conceived. You found favor with God. And fear not shepherds, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. So my message within a message is do not be afraid. Fear not. Today you need to let the love of God drive out fear from your heart. [Applause] I've learned that there is loneliness and there's a spirit of loneliness. There's depression that can be emotional, chemical, or physiological. But there can also be a spirit of loneliness. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God hath not given us as the spirit of fear, the spirit of fear." And I believe that with cancer, with viruses, with all kinds of situation, that a spirit of fear can attach itself to what would be a rational fear. And we can just live in paranoia and an unhealthy fear. But I'm coming to you today to tell you that fear not. That God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. I preach right now and I pray right now in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that the Holy Ghost would drive fear out of your mind and out of your heart and that God would give you power that God would give you love that God would give you a sound mind. And right now I want to stop and pray that God would drive out fear and give us power, love, and a sound mind. Would you pray right now? We're going to pause in this sermon for this. Lord, I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ right now and on the authority of your word, I take authority over the spirit of fear. I pray that we would recognize it, that we would address it, that we would rebuke it in the name of Jesus Christ. For your word to us today is to fear not. For you come with good tidings of great joy that will be for all people in the name of Jesus. Lord, I rebuke the spirit of fear. I rebuke the spirit of fear. Lord, would you take a moment to thank the Lord and let let this be a work of the Holy Ghost right now? [Applause] Praise God. I feel the Holy Ghost right now. And I want to encourage you. You may not feel fear right now. You may be not even thinking that right now, but I've learned that there are times when the Holy Ghost has a bullseye on somebody that the the Lord is reaching for to help and encourage. And while we want to be reasonable and wise in all the things that we do protocol, I'm talking about COVID or whatever would come in the future. Do not in the name of Jesus Christ, do not be dominated by the spirit of fear or you are paralyzed and cannot function. Paul said whether in death or life, I'm ready to die. I'm ready to live. To live is Christ. To die is gain. We should not fear death. We should not fear anyone that can destroy our body. Right? Whether it is a disease or a person, whether it's persecution or something that happens in this life, we are people that have our citizenship in heaven. We have eternal life planted in us by the Holy Ghost. Amen. We are bound for to be eternally in the presence of Jesus Christ. Fear not. Luke 2:10. And the angel said unto them, we're going to wear this verse out a little bit here today. Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. The word gospel means good news. That's what the gospel is. It is a message of good news. The bad news is is that you were a sinner, separated from God, and on your way to hell forever and ever and ever. The good news is that Jesus Christ came. He died on the cross for your sins. He was buried in the tomb. He rose from the dead on the third day. He ascended into heaven and he sent back the Holy Ghost. That is the good news. The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we receive that good news into our lives when we turn from sin and repentance. When we're baptized in water in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, we are born again of water and of spirit. We begin a new life. Amen. We have that good news in us. Not just something we hear or know, but something that we experience. to the shepherds. The good news was that there's a savior born in Bethlehem. Good news of great joy which shall be to all people. This true joy is generated by good news and the hope of eternal life. In 2017 on Christmas Eve, I preached on great joy. just a short message then but I want to borrow just three points from there to tell you that the great joy that Jesus gives is based on salvation and not circumstances. And the great joy that Jesus gives is permanent. It is not passing. And the great joy that Jesus gives, it is great. It is not a little bit of joy but is great joy that shall be to all people. Not just a drop of joy or an ounce of joy, but a great dimension of joy that will change your life forever. Good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. Verse 10, last phrase, all people. There are some really good people sitting here today and watching online. And there's probably a few not so good of people sitting here or watching online today. Probably they're all watching online, right? But this good news of great joy is to all people. People that grew up in a religious environment and people who never darken the door of a church in their entire lives. I'm witnessing to a man right now who has a Bible, went to Sunday school as a kid, but hasn't been to church in many, many years. He's under so much conviction of the Holy Ghost. I've had lengthy conversations with this individual who's become a friend. But I wanted him to know that this good news is for everyone. The best citizen in the house and the worst sinner in the city. This good news of great joy can change any life forever. Amen. And the angel said to them, verse 11, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior which is Christ the Lord. A savior is born. Do you understand that you you need a savior? That you cannot save yourself. A savior is someone who rescues others from evil or harm or bad when you cannot save yourself. If your home caught on fire and you were trapped inside and a firefighter came and got you out, you could say that that person was in some sense my savior. If you were in an accident, an auto accident, and you were trapped inside your car and could not get out, but help came and with the jaws of life, they pulled open your door, pulled you out, put you on a helicopter, lifellighted you to the best hospital in the state, and took care of you there. You could say that those people saved my life. They saved me from dying. They saved you from something when you could not save yourself. Right? That makes him somewhat of a savior. The shepherds might have had in their mind that this savior was going to be a conquering king riding on a white horse, delivering them from the political oppression of Rome. But he was not any of that. He was a savior that would save them from their sins. Sin that they could not get out of. They could not deliver themselves. But Jesus could deliver them. He was a savior. There is born this day in the city of David a savior who is Christ the Lord. In the Old Testament, Moses saved his people from Egyptian bondage. And Joshua saved them out of Canaan wandering and into wilderness wandering into the land of Canaan. And the judges delivered God's people from their oppressors. and the kings of Israel and Judah delivered or saved their people from their enemies. But Jesus Christ, Paul said, he came into the world to save sinners. The most powerful binding force is not political. It is spiritual. And Jesus came to save us from our sins. Luke 10:11. 2:10-11. And the angel said unto them, "Fear not." I'm repeating this on purpose. For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior which is Christ the Lord. And as soon as that single angel had made that announcement, they said, the angel said, "This will be a sign to you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with that single angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men." We could use a little good news. The shepherds were to experience this firsthand. The Bible says that when the angels were gone that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now even to Bethlehem and see." Everybody please say, "See." We're going to see this thing which has come to pass which the Lord has made known unto us. And then the next verse, verse 16 says, "And they waited several days and they finally got around to going to Bethlehem." The Bible said, "And they came with haste, and they found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger." When they realized that there was a savior, they ran to him to find him. And when you know that there is a savior, you need to run to him to find him. And then the Bible says after they found him, after they saw it, then they showed it. They told it to everyone. They made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning the child. And many people that heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the angels. This good news needs to be told to every person in our world. And there's a lot of fear, anxiety, there's a lot of hatred. There's a lot of sin in our world. And just as the shepherds would commission themselves to be the first witnesses of the birth of Jesus Christ, we need to go tell it on the mountain, over the hill, and everywhere. The Christmas song says that Jesus Christ is born. our family, our co-workers, our neighbors. We need to tell them that there is a savior that can change their life forever. He will take away their sins. He will give them power over sins, peace, joy, and eternal life. We could use a little good news. Would you bow your head right now, please? Lord, I pray first of all right now for every person that is watching online or is in this house that is carrying a burden of sin in their hearts and lives. They are sinners, Lord, right now. And if they would die tonight or if you would come back from their church for your church, they would spend eternity in a lake of fire, separated from you by their sins. I pray for the person, Lord, who pretends to be a believer, but they're really not. I pray for the person that is struggling with sin in their life that they want to do right, Lord, but they're struggling with sin today. Lord, we need a savior. And I pray that you would forgive us of our sins. That you would let us make peace with God today. I pray that in the name of Jesus Christ, Lord, I pray it right now. I pray for the person Lord who's been struggling emotionally Lord with the entire situation of our world fears about the future doubts. Oh Lord, I pray in Jesus name right now. Good news, Lord. You did not come, Lord, to this world to condemn the world, but that the world through you might be saved. And I pray for a person right now, Lord, who's carrying a sense of condemnation, regrets for mistakes and sins that they've committed in Jesus name right now. Lord, I I pray for that person, Lord, this under a real load of condemnation, Lord, that they would repent and release their sins to you so that they can be forgiven. At Christmas time, Lord, there are a lot of complexities. There's a lot of depression in our world and a lot of stress Lord on our people. I pray right now Lord that you would help us push back. Push back, Lord. Pause the complexity of our world. Let us revisit in our minds that stark birthplace of our savior. A dirty barn, a simple feed box, a tiny baby. Who would imagine? Lord, let us pause right now. Lord, I pray to embrace the beauty of Christmas. that you loved us so much that you came into the dirtiest place imaginable, the most humble of beginnings to relate to every one of us. Pray Jesus right now. Would you pray with me? I'm not performing right now. I'm praying. Feeling after the Lord right now, feeling where someone is right now, struggling in their life. Let the peace of God that passes understanding keep our heart and mind. Lord, let perfect love cast out fear right now. Jesus, I pray right now, Lord, would you please stand? In a moment, we're going to sing in the front of our church. Our altar area will be open. If you need to make peace with God and be saved, you can come. If you need to be restored in your relationship with Jesus Christ, you can come. If you need a miracle in your life, you can come. Thank you, Lord. But I want to tell you to quit beating yourself up over and over. If you have repented, your sins are under the blood. I know it takes time to rebuild a life, but Jesus Christ forgives instantly. He told us to forgive instantly. He forgives instantly when we repent. Hallelujah. And as we face the unknown of the end of this year and the year to come, I'm praying that God would give us faith and not fear to face the future. Amen. That God would give us power, love, and a sound mind. And whatever is tormenting you, that fear has torment. But we're believing today that Jesus Christ would deliver us from sin, would deliver us from fear. Amen. Would you begin to worship the Lord right now? We're going to sing about this. We're going to enter into the presence of the Lord right now. So, you can come and pray. You can stand where you are and pray, but would you engage with the Lord right now for the next little while? We're not going to be in a hurry today. We're going to pursue the presence of the Lord. Hallelujah. I have this confidence because I've seen the faithfulness of God, the still inside the promise of the shore. I trust the power of your word to seek first beyond the bar beyond the ocean waves. When I go through the waters, I won't be overcome. When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned. My God will make a way, so I am not afraid. You keep the promises you make. There's not one that is delayed. So I will not lose heart here. I will lift my arms and start to sing into the night. Oh my praise will call the sun to rise. Declare the battle won. Declare that it is done. When I walk through the waters, I won't be overcome. When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. And I am in the fire. I will not feel the flame. I'll stand before the giant declaring victory. My God will make the way. So I am not afraid before me behind me. Always beside me. No shadow, no valley where you won't be the lion of gra before behind me always beside me. No shadow, no valley where you won't find me. Oh, I am God of gra be [Music] shall you hide me. No, I am not afraid before me, behind me. You are always beside me. [Music] Where you are. No, I am not. [Applause] [Music] I am not afraid. [Applause] When I walk through the I will be over. And I go through the river. I will not be drowned. My God is away. So I am not afraid when I am in the fire. I will not feel the pain. I for the time I will declare I make the way I [Music] always beside me no where you won't find me I am not afraid Jesus Jesus before you Lord always beside me shadow valley where you won't find me I am not [Music] before me behind me always where you Oh my [Applause] go Jesus before you behind me. You are always beside me. No shadow no where you won't find me. No I am not [Music] afraid. Oh my gosh. [Applause] [Music] When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame. I'll sit before that giant declaring victory. My God will make the way. So I am not afraid. When I walk through the waters, I won't be over. And I go through a rain. I will not be drown. My God will make the way. So I am not afraid. When I am in the fire, I will not feel the pain. I'll stand before declaring victory. My God will make a way. Though I am not afraid and before me, behind me here, always beside me. No shadow, no valley where you open Jesus. No, I am not afraid. You perform your Lord before me. The song will always be no shadow. Nobody won't find me. Nobody Jesus standing. No shadow, no valley where you won't find me. No, I am not afraid. I am when I am through the I won't become the river. I will not be my God away. So I am not afraid. And I am in the fire. I will not feel the wings. I'll stand before the giant declaring victory. My God will make the way. So I am not afraid. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. No, I am not afraid. No, I am not. [Music] Would you let your voice, would you give glory to the Lord? Would you let the power of the Holy Spirit of God cleanse you, encourage you, strengthen you? Let it cast out fear. I believe there can be miracles of healing right now in this house as we let go of the spirit of this world that has attacked the church in Jesus name. In Jesus name [Music] I say keep that up. Just keep worshiping the Lord and ministering to the Lord and pursue after the spirit of God right now. There are desperate needs in this house. Desperate needs of people watching online. [Music] You feel that with me right now? Do you feel the depth of hurt? Do you feel the depth of despair? Do you feel the depth of a need right now? Someone crying out after the Lord for a miracle in their life. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Hallelujah. Canada. Speech. Speech. Speech. Why would you? Am I not God? Am I not the creator that created you? I have loved you with an undying love. Presentation of my word today is true. My word, my word was written. Your admonition, your instruction, it is true. My word, I am the word. I became fleshed myself to be so immorality for the faith that you had to go the way that has not brought you happiness, that has not brought you peace, that has not brought you those that you search for happiness, joyace. I love you. Would you thank the Lord? He's spoken to us through the word and now through the gifts of tongues and interpretation. Let's thank the Lord for this word that has been very specific. very specific. In my message this second service, I emphasized that the shepherds did not delay. They went immediately. And the Lord just spoke to us and asked the question, "Are you halting?" That's a Bible word. Why are you hesitating? Why are you weighing these two decisions out as if this is even a decision? Why are you halting between two opinions? The prophet asked the people of Israel. So if you're in that place of indecision today, you're you're hesitating. You you need to make a decision. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day for you to just make that decision that you're not confused. You're not halting, that you're stepping out in obedience to the word of God. Thank you, Jesus. There is a holy reach here today. And so, I know you're responding to it. Thank you for being patient to respond. Let's let's lift our voice to the Lord. Maybe you need to pray an intercessory prayer. Maybe you're praying a prayer. You're reconciling to God. You You quit hesitating. You're moving toward God right now. He's a savior that loves you. [Music] You needed some good news and now you got it today that Jesus Christ died for your sins. Jesus is forgiving. Jesus is making you whole. Jesus is driving out fear with faith and love. [Music] Thank you, Jesus. [Music] Don't want to Savior. Isn't he wonderful? Sing hallelujah. [Music] Christ is ris and bow down before him for he is Lord of all. Sing hallelujah. Christ is risen. Oh, what a savior. Oh, what a savior. [Music] Isn't he wonderful? [Music] Sing hallelujah. Christ is risen [Music] and bow down before him for he is Lord of all. Sing hallelujah. Christ is risen. Oh what a savior. Oh what a savior. Isn't he wonderful? Isn't he wonder? Sing hallelujah. Hallelujah. Christ is ris [Music] bow down before him for he is Lord. Sing hallelujah. Christ is risen. Oh, thank you for being in church today and the altar is still open and there's still time for you to pray right where you are. Would you reach out to someone this week and share good news with them? Would you make this a week that you celebrate the coming of Christ to earth? Make sure you put Jesus Christ in the center of your life. If the Lord has spoken to you and you didn't respond the way he was speaking to you to respond, then I urge you today, make sure you make peace with God. You transact the business that God is calling you to today. You're welcome to stay and pray.