The God of Again | Paul White

good evening praise the Lord everyone Lord amen we're excited to be in the house of the Lord today it's a privilege and honor to be in the presence of the Lord and we give honor to pastor and sister Carpenter I know Pastor is not here he's out preaching amen at a camp and uh I'm sorry for our any visitors that he's not here but uh we'll try to do what we can tonight but I give honor to brother and sister Carpenter sister Carpenter who is here and the Pastoral family amen to the saints of God isn't it good to be in the house on Wednesday night amen Praises of the Lord amen if you would tonight uh turn with me for just a moment this evening to the Book of Jeremiah again I give honor to the saints of God and to my wife who is here who has to put up with me all the time amen she's often said she's going to have a great crown in heaven and uh so I'm glad I could be a part of thaten amen amen it's just a good day for the goodness of the Lord to visit with us tonight and I just want to just just do a little study for just a few moments if you would looking at Jeremiah the 18th chapter I'll read the first three verses Jeremiah 18 veres 1-3 the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying arise and go down to The Potter's House and there I will cause thee to hear my words then I went down to The Potter's House and behold he wrought a work on the wheels for just a few moments tonight I would like to just bring this thought to you the god of again the god of again Lord Jesus we thank you for your spirit thank you God for your presence today thank you for your mercies and Grace oh God thank you for this house today and your people that are in this place I pray God you would touch our hearts our minds touch our Spirits oh God help us to hear help us to feel after you God we need your presence we need your grace we need your anointing today oh God by your power and by your grace oh God anything can be done and we trust you we praise you for would you give the Lord one more hand clap as you're seated this evening amen amen thank you the Lord bless you as you are seated this evening jump on take a spin be prepared to become more than you ever dreamed possible so is the offer heard as one sits looking at The Potter's Wheel so on we go ready to be what we have seen earlier lumps become impressive shapes great utility brilliant colors are beholden in previous takers as we catch a glimpse of them on our merry-go round at Adventure eagerly awaiting the first noticeable shape or recognizable similarity as we've seen in others we feel the gentle pressure of The Potter's hands High Hopes encouraging words and Promises of future Perfection ready us to be molded and shaped into the cre creation we long to be we look eagerly to the painting and glazing to cap off the crowning achievement that is our life and what we have become from a lump to a masterpiece will soon be the moniker placed around our neck and our base sign by the Potter himself then we notice something is wrong tonight for just a few moments we're going to walk down the aisles and just visit I believe everyone who's experienced what this Potter and this wheel occasioned in this story for in Jeremiah chapter 18 the Potter goes excuse me the prophet goes goes to The Potter's House and sees a work wrought on The Potter's Wheel he watches the clay and sees the lump full of promise with all his potential and all of its possibilities he finds that soon the clay becomes flawed we visit the verses that we read in Jeremiah 18 the word comes to Jeremiah and says go down to The Potter's House Jeremiah I have something I want to share with you and as he sits and he watches at The Potter's House and beholds the rots worked on the wheels verse four says and the vessel that he made of clay was marred in The Potter's hand tonight all of us I believe can identify with that lump of clay somewhere in our life some somewhere in our existence there have been High Hopes there have been dreams there have been words that have told us what we could be what we Dar dream to be but it seems like in all of our lives somewhere we have found a marring and a changing of our hopes and dreams to the point where we may find it unrecognizable we have seen at times and maybe have been privy in our own lives to minister families or churches that seem in the midst of growth or blessings become disfigured and lose their way perhaps many of us have felt like we are undergoing a completely new shaping in our lives or Ministry and cannot foretell the results it is easy to cast blame if noticeable sin is present one can easily say well I Told You So or they may say well that flaw was there all the time and it was only a matter of time before it revealed itself maybe that is so maybe that is true but yet what about the clay itself because there was a flaw or because there was a misdeed is that clay doomed for Destruction I say nay so there may be flaw individually with us and collectively as a group there may be times when we are feeling the pressures of God's hand or even the pressures of this life upon us and we feel though I want to be like what I've seen on the walls around me though I want to be like I have beheld others in their beauty and in their finality yet I seem to fall short sometimes the unknowns in life are are more difficult to handle than the certain things that bring us to our present condition when we see where we are in relation to where we think we should be sometimes acrimony replaces accomplishment it may well frustrate our faith we can have hurt feelings sickness disillusionment betrayal or loss these all can impinge on our faith and from whether Within or without marring can and does happen when I speak of maring that definition means simply to be ruined or to be misshapened all of us in our lives understand life is not perfect we want the best for ourselves and our families we desire the best for our children and in our lifetime but there are situations that sometimes we can control and sometimes we cannot control that misshapen our lives and cause us to become weary and sad and misshapen on the wheel of the Potter so let me ask you in this moment together in this simple study have you ever looked at your life as as brother wle talked about tonight as a puzzle or a piece and look at the end results thinking I am but just a few steps away from what I will be I'm just a few days from where my goal is to find yourself falling backwards and slipping back and finding the goals that was once close at hand Falling Out Of Reach In other words we've all been lumps of Clay on the potter's wheel and we've all felt a time of marring and disfigurement in our life even Jesus himself and Isaiah prophesied about him and the writer said as many as were astonied at thee for his Visage was so marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men I've come simply to tell you tonight that no matter what process you are going in no matter where you are in the shaping of your life and in the molding of your family or your career or your finances there is a God who understands how how you feel and what you're going through and though you may get marred on this wheel and though you may get shapen and though you may get hurt you may get light on you may be disillusioned you may get fired from a job you may get a sickness decree upon you that you don't want and you may find your Life falling all apart I've come to tell you no matter where you are on the wheel there is a God who understands how it feels to be wounded how it feels to be marred how it feels to be lied about how it feels to be lied upon how it feels to be rejected scorned and dismayed you serve a God that understands what it feels like to be on the wheel of misshapened happenings so all of us at times in our life will discover the feeling of the hands of the Potter upon the wheel sometimes that Pottery gets shapen by the Potter in ways it does not desire there are times when the Potter will Design to make desire to make a shape contrary to the will of the lump of clay sometimes the word of God rubs us the wrong way sometimes the ways of God seem alien to our carnal mind and understanding sometimes the hand of God himself weighs heavy Upon Our Hearts and our lives and we wonder why does God press upon me this way why does God push me in this direction or why does God handle me in such a way God is trying to work in all of our lives in such a way that life will not misshapen us to the point of unusability God is working in our lives against the hands of the enemy that would rise up to damage us so we all understand how we are marred whether from within or without there are indeed character flaws that can Mar us there are indeed flaws in our lives and sins that we may commit that will misshapen us and cause us great distress there are also things that we cannot control from without that come against us maybe from a child you were wounded maybe as an adult you've been wounded and from the outside or whether from the inside marring does happen but the great thing about it the writer said this in verse four and the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the Potter so he made it again another vessel as seemed good to the Potter the scripture takes note that it was marred in the hands of the Potter this man knows clay he understands clay and there is a treasury of finished vessels of about his workplace so how could it be that even in the hands of the Potter this tragic event Could Happen simply to tell you this the disappointment that we have in life and the bruised faith that comes with it cannot overshadow the power of God's hands on our lives disfigurement and reshaping both occurred on the Wheel did you hear that disfigurement and reshaping both occurred on the wheel at times it's hard to discern when the marring ends and the reshaping begins sometimes it's not easy to understand when things stop falling apart and stop falling into place the clay that was marred in in The Potter's hand was also reshaped there and as long as we are endeavoring to stay in The Potter's hand there is hope as long as we stay in The Potter's hand there is hope that's why I bring to us this title the god of again we all understand the marring in this story we all can understand how it affects our own lives individually and collectively we all know the pain and the hurt of misshaping things from whether within or without but there is one part of this verse that that just profoundly stuck in my mind after the Maring began and the Potter put his hands back on the play The Clay the Bible says he made it again another vessel that word again stuck out to me because that word again gives me hope in the midst of my problems that word again gives me understanding that I am not alone no matter how misshapen my life gets no matter how tumultuous life becomes though I'm spinning around in circles I don't know up from down I realize that in in The Potter's hands there is one word that is powerful and that is again for that word again in Hebrew is Shu s h o o b that word again means return or turn back come back to bring back or to restore the Potter said I know you've been wounded on this Wheel of Life I know you've gotten some misshaping formed in your body in your mind and your spirit it may be because you did it yourself it may be because of other things have happened but the Potter says I've got one one word for you and that is again that is though you have fallen I'm going to let you get back up again though you have been misshapen I'm going to put my hands on you again and I'm going to take what has been misshapen and misformed and I will again begin to work on your life I'm glad that there is a God of again I'm glad there is a God that says you can return you can turn back you can come back from the abyss that you have fallen into you can come back from the disorganization of your life and there is an again in The Potter's hands there is an again in The Potter's hands so I'm going to throw some little little verses at you real quick in a simple Bible study of the word again in it just kind of relay to you how the Potter works and his desire do you know that God wants us to be saved even more than we want to be saved God desires us to be healed delivered and saved even more than we want to be how do I know because the Bible declares that for us Jeremiah 24:7 the Lord speaking and I will give them a heart to know me that I am the Lord and thy and they shall be my people and I will be their God for they shall return they shall again they shall return unto me with their whole heart Ezekiel 18 and 23 have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die sayeth the Lord and not that he should return from his ways and live God is talking to a people who have turned their backs on him he's got them on the whe if you will and he looking at a people who has been gainsaying and rebellious and he says I don't have any pleasure in the death of the wicked I want all to return I want to revamp every life that has fallen apart Isaiah 55 and7 the writer says the Lord speaking let the wicked forsake his ways and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon all these words are the same word as again when it came to the will of the Potter the Potter saying no matter how you've Fallen return Malachi 3:7 the Lord says return unto me and I will return unto you sayith the Lord of hosts so we have this story line here the Potter is working on a lump and that lump had a vision of what it was going to be what it could be and something happened to that lump of clay from within or without that caused a big marring a misshaping but the Bible said that the word again was interjected and he made it again another vessel as seemed pleasing to the 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their Wicked Ways then will I hear from Heaven forgive their sins and will heal their land Psalms 80 and3 turn us again oh God and cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved we serve serve a god of again he wants us to return he wants us to turn to him he wants to restore that which has been broken so tonight we all come together we are all pieces of clay some of us are shaping in different vessels different Ministries different lives let us not get discouraged when looking at somebody else who's further Advanced on the wheel than we are let us not get discouraged when our life is in turmoil and upside down to look at someone else who seems to have it all together and say why doesn't God care for me why won't God help me why doesn't God love me because God is no respector of persons anyone that will turn to him he will turn to them anyone that will return to him he will bring them back on that will to be reconstructed in a new way and a new life Psalms 23 and 3 David writes this restore my soul he restoreth my soul tonight there have been many people who have been misshapened on the Potter's will there have been many people who have suffered loss and degreg and Shame On The Potter's Wheel but their life did not end there because they did one thing and that was they stayed on the wheel long enough for their misshapen life to be fixed now I'm going to bring to you few examples tonight just to kind of talk a little bit about that you remember the story of David when the Kings went out to battle David stands upon the rooftop and he's is out there lounging about if you will and he looks down he sees beautiful bath Sheba gorgeous to look out beautiful woman but she was married to another that didn't stop David he was king after all and pretty much do whatever he wanted to do and we know the story he lusts after her he gets her he lies with her she becomes pregnant and it all starts falling apart rather quickly you know the story David realizes through a messenger that his act of adultery will be revealed because bash Sheba is pregnant and her husband's off to war so he brings her husband home gets him drunk says go down and lay with your wife he he won't do it because he's too honorable he says I can't go enjoy the pleasures of home while my while my battle friends soldiers are are fighting and and so he he won't go do it he becomes more righteous than David and so finally David writes a letter to have bash sheba's husband been killed on the battlefield so David is privy to adultery lust uh murder lies hypocrisy and one day the prophet comes to him and he tells him a story he says David I have I have a story for you David he said there was a rich man who had a visitor come by and a friend and the rich man had plenty of sheep and cattle and things and and instead of killing his sheep sheep to offer it for his stranger his friend he went to his neighbor who had one sheep he took that one sheep and he he killed it and he dressed it he fed his friend and he took that poor man's one lonely sheep instead of his own what do you think about that and David was mad David said that guy ought to Die the death that guy is just no good he's worthy of death I can't believe he'd take one one lonly man one Poor Man's sheep and I can't believe he would do all of that and that guy needs to die and Nathan Prophet said you're the man you took a woman who was not your own you slept with her she's pregnant you killed her husband you've been hiding it and that baby's going to die You're The Man David you're the one who stole that one man's lowly sheep and you've pronounced judgment upon yourself and David who was is King suddenly realizes what he's been doing and having his life turn upside down begins to pray and in Psalms 51 you can read the prayer of David when he says have mercy upon me oh God according to thy loving kindness according to the multitude of thy Tender Mercies blot out my transgressions wash me thly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin for I acknowledge my transgression and my sin is there before thee against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest be clear when thou judgest create in me a clean heart oh God and renew in me a right Spirit restore unto me the joy of thy salvation in the midst of that prayer Psalms 51 David used the same word that the Potter used in Jeremiah when he said restore to me thy salvation he was saying God I've gotten way off track where I should be God I've gotten way off the wheel and my life is falling apart will you again me will you restore me back to yourself back to your hand and the Bible said when David got done praying Nathan said your sins have been forgiven because we serve a god of again we serve a God that will not allow us to get ourselves so messed up that he will take his hands off of us without fighting for us first so David in all of his Despair and all of his misshapen life and mistakes he made he cried out and said Sho me oh God restore me and God was willing and able and glad to forgive him again that word again Mark chapter 8 tells us a story of a man who was blind they bring him to Jesus Mark 8 chap 8 verse 23-25 they bring a blind man to Jesus and Jesus spits on his eyes and asked the man can you see the man says well I see trees as men walking kind of interesting and so the Bible says verse 25 after that g speaking of Jesus after that he put his hands again upon his eyes and made him look up and he is restored and saw every man clearly Jesus looked at a man and said you know what I'm going to work with you Jesus touches the man man and says can you see the man says I can see a little bit and the Bible says that Jesus puts his hand on him again Sho the New Testament version and touches him again and the man looks up and his vision is restored the Bible says he that hath begun a good work in you is able to complete it until the day of Christ so all of these simple examples is talking about a god who's not willing to quit nearly as easy as we are I have quit on myself so many times I have quit on God's mercy so many times I have said to God well I don't feel worthy I have said to God I've made mistakes I have said to God I don't love myself why should you be any different we talk about that in our free class sometimes free class the addiction class people come in there and they can't hardly love themselves because of what they've done where they've been the things they've gone through and if I can't love myself why would God love me if I can't forgive myself why would God forgive me if I can't think of myself as being any good why should God feel any different about me than I feel about myself but I'm thankful to God that he does not look at us like we look at ourselves I'm glad that God didn't say well if you'll give up I'll give up I'm glad that God doesn't say well if you don't love yourself I won't love you I'm glad God doesn't say well if you made mistakes I'm going to wipe my hands of you why because he's a god of again he's a God that says hey if I can begin something in you I can complete something in you that's why our prayer needs to be God begins something in me why because he said he that hath begun a good work in you is able to complete it I don't have to see the final picture I don't have to be heralded up as a great vessel God just start something in me put a little bit of Grace in me put a little bit of Mercy in me put a little bit of love in me and if I can get you to just start something in me I know you can complete it can we give the Lord a hand clap together if you would Hallelujah he's worthy God doesn't look at us as we look at ourselves we look at ourselves as a piece of clay who's been misshapen and misformed and God the reason why is not anybody else's excuse or fault I am the reason I stepped off that when I shouldn't have I had an attitude when I shouldn't have had an attitude I got bitter or I got jealous or I got angry or I had a sin in my life that took a little bit of your misshaping in my life but I want you to know God if you will Shu me if you will return to me I'll be willing to get back on that wheel I'll be willing to let my pride go I'll be willing to let the past go and I'll climb back on that wheel and get back in your hands it's very important we stay in The Potter's hands because that's why Jesus on the cross his Visage was marred more than any other man when he was on the cross he said into thy hands I commend my spirit and if Jesus was saying I'm want to put my spirit into the hands of God we ought to be no less than able and willing to do the exact same thing I want to put my spirit in the hands of the Potter because we're all going to make mistakes we're all going to stumble and fall and there will be those who look around us and say well I told you well I knew it was going to happen while they've back stood before and this is what the devil and condemnation will do to you the devil will say well you did it again uh you knew better you blew it and uh so why try again and you know what happens our Guilty Conscience Says well all that's true and that's the thing about condemnation because in condemnation there is always a little bit of truth that's why it works that's why guilt and shame and condemnation works because there's always a nugget of truth in it yeah you're right devil I shouldn't have wouldn't have wish I hadn't I did this I did that and uh so you're right but the devil has just enough Little Nugget of Truth in that condemnation that if we're not careful we'll grab a hold of it and we'll join in with that say you're right I'm not worthy but again we know the story God does not deal with condemnation he deals with conviction conviction means yeah you know I made a mistake I've fallen I've done what I shouldn't have done and God says I know it now let's get up conviction is what gets you up Jesus looked at Peter and in John 21 and vers 15 and around those verses you can read it yourself John 21 Peter previous to this has denied Jesus three times Jesus has denied Jesus cursed and swore he did not know who Jesus was this is the guy who' preach on the day of Pentecost this is the guy who would have the keys to the kingdom and he's saying Oho I don't know who Jesus is you know I I don't want to go down the path that you're getting ready to take him uh to trial and to crucifixion and so Peter has denied Jesus three times and so after the resurrection Jesus comes back and he's talking to them upon the seashore and he talks to Peter and and he says this he says to Peter lovest thou me more than these and Peter sheepishly says Lord I love you although I don't feel worthy to say it though though I I feel guilty because I I I I denied even knowing he were three times and you told me I was going to do it and after I did it the crowed and you looked across the way and you stared right in my eyes and I was humiliated I was embarrassed I was sad I was forlorn and I was so disappointed in myself now could you imagine Jesus telling you you're going to deny me three times you say I'll never do it ain't going to happen you do it and at the end of the third time when the crows Jesus turns and looks at you face to face you talk about feeling bad you talk about humility ating talk about feeling horrible that's where Peter was but after the resurrection Jesus if you excuse me John 21 excuse me Jesus is talking to Peter and he looks at Jesus and Jesus looks at him and he says to Peter lovest thou me and Peter says I love you Lord and then Jesus says this verse 16 he saith to him again the second time son of Jonas lovest thou me again the second time Jesus was basically saying to Peter Peter I know you blew it Peter I know you've made great mistakes Peter I know you were humiliated you felt so bad but I just want to ask you a question are you willing to try again are you willing to go again are you willing to get back on the potter's wheel again and the Bible said that Jesus said to him again the second time son of Jonas lovest thou me it is apparent that Simon whose name would be changed to Peter by Jesus Simon's father was named Jonah or Jonas he was called Simon bar Jonah barj Jonah means son of Jonah so I find it very interesting that when Jesus speaks to Simon the word Jonas is used in this key text because I believe Jesus was looking Beyond just Simon's natural father I believe Jesus was reminding him of another man named Jonah who had made a grave mistake in Jonah chapter 3 Jonah hears a word from the Lord in the Old Testament and God says go to Nineveh and preach to Nineveh repentance and Jonah says no way ain't going to happen those people are mean they deserve to die they don't love you God I want nothing to do with them and so Jonah gets in a boat and he goes down the boat and he goes down and he goes to sleep and you know the story a storm comes they cast lots that falls upon Jonah and Jonah says I know why the storm is here I know I'm the guilty party I'm the reason why the storm is upon us if you'll throw me overboard the storm will end and the Bible said they threw they threw Jonah overboard and the waves calmed and the great fish swallowed him up that's pretty bad that's a pretty bad place to find yourself in the belly of a well 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea seaweed wrapped around your head and you're still alive that'd be really weird and the Bible says Jonah from the belly of Hell cried out to God he went as far down as you could go he disobeyed God he injured those around him he was stuck in the belly of a fish swallowed him whole he's still alive he doesn't die he's crying out to the Lord from the belly of hell and the Bible says and the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time and the well listened when God spoke you know what's interesting is the word of the Lord did not come to Jonah the second time until after the well spit him up on the ground so that means is while Jonah was praying in the belly of the well he heard nothing but that did not mean God wasn't speaking because God was speaking he was speaking to the well and he said oh whale there's a man inside of you that has learned his lesson and for three days he's been praying I want you to go spin him up on the land on the shore of Nineveh and the well did exactly what God had commanded and when the whale spit Jonah on the ground the Bible says the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time just as Jonah was three days in the belly of the whale Disobedience and running from God so it was with Peter who had disobeyed and denied Jesus three times times so Peter son of Jonah what he was saying was Peter just like I was able to deliver Jonah and forgive him in the Old Testament for turning his back on me three days in the belly of a whale you may have denied me three times son of Jonah but I want you to know that my word will come to you a second time and I will give you a chance to repent again so tonight I've come simply and quickly to tell you this no matter how far you've Fallen no matter where you are no matter how misshapen your life has become there is a God of again who will return to you who will restore you who will heal you who will deliver you who will look past your mistakes and failures and faults and when other people throw back in your face there is a God that says if you'll get back on the wheel if you'll take another spin on the wheel I'll put my hands back on you I'll I'll bring some healing back in your life I'll bring some restoration back to a chaotic life I'll heal families I'll heal bodies I'll heal Minds I'll heal Spirits I am a god of again and I'm going to give you a second chance and a second time for my hands to be upon you so tonight you may feel like Jonah in the belly of hell and you may not hear a word from God Almighty and the devil says see you've gone too far you've crossed Mercy's line you're going straight to hell where you belong and condemnation and guilt will ride that train all the way to Eternity but there is a God that is talking to your situation there is a God who's declaring from the Eternal world I am a god of again I am a God that if you'll turn to me no matter where you are no matter how far down you've gone if you'll turn to me I will hear your cry you may feel like Peter and say I have failed the Lord I have let him down gloriously and I have seen his face with sadness in his eyes and I don't feel worthy but there is a savior today that will say Paul Mary Junior Tom Elizabeth son or daughter of Jonah I want you to remind yourself that if I did it for him in the Old Testament I can do it for you today I can still save deliver and heal and I'll finish the examples with this in Ruth chapter 1 the wonderful story of Ruth Naomi and her husband and her two sons mean and shilon her husband IMC are living in the land of Bethlehem Judah which means the house of bread they are living in the church if you will will but the Bible said there was a famine that came to Bethlehem to the point where Naomi and her husband and her two boys left Bethlehem Judah and went to travel in a land called Moab which means land of no father and so while they are leaving and while they are outside the protective confines if you will of the president pres of God the Bible says that while they are in Moab her husband IMC dies her two sons take Daughters of Moab and get married and eventually Milan and shilon die and so Naomi comes to her daughter-in-laws and says you know what I have heard that there is a Revival again back in Bethlehem I have heard that the bread is there again so I'm going to go back home whence I came so I'm going to ask you Ruth and orpa to stay here I'm an old woman I don't have any more Sons to give you and if I could give birth tonight would you wait around for my sons to grow up to marry again likely no so she begs them please stay here and go back to your family orpa does but Ruth says I will cleave to you and I will be with you your people will be my people your God will be my God so Naomi and Ruth go back to Bethlehem Judah and this is the part to me that is so profound in her story when she comes back and people begin to realize Naomi's back Naomi's back Naomi's come back home uh uh where's her sons where's her hus where's her husband they begin to realize that that her husband has died and Moab and her sons have died and they say Naomi we're so glad you're here we're so glad you're back Naomi looks at them and says do not call me Naomi but rather call me Mara for I am bitter and this is what she says that's so powerful in Ruth chapter 1 she says I went out full and the Lord hath brought me home again empty that is one of the most powerful lines in the Old Testament what she was saying was she was saying this when I was in the house of the Lord when I was in Bethlehem Judah I was full and did not even know it oh yeah there were tough times there were difficult times but my sons knew the presence of God and and my husband and my family we had peace we had joy we had the goodness of God and and everything was was good but I let some of troubles discourage me and my husband let some some of the famine times when the spirit of God wasn't moving to cause us to wonder is there something better out there you know uh I go to church and I pay my tithe and and and I still didn't get a raise or I got fired or or you know I bought a new car and somebody ran into it you know a week ago and mess it up or my brother or my sister my kins folk are sick or or maybe a family member has died with disease and all of us understand all of that and sometimes even in the house of God troubles happen sometimes even in Bethlehem Judah there are situations that we don't like there are things that happen we can't control and even in the house of God sometimes there seems to be a famine of God's blessings or maybe God's mercy or Grace So it seems we're going through our trials but let me say this there is nothing out there in the world that come anywhere close to the presence and House of God Naomi said when she came back she said I left full I had family I had blessings I had grace and mercy I left full and the Lord hath brought me home again empty the tough part about that is she came empty the beautiful part about that is she came home again you may say if you would stand with me tonight the musicians come you may say I left full Pastor I left got divorced out in the world Pastor I left my family got split up and I don't know where my sons and daughters are Pastor I left and got hooked on drugs Pastor I left the presence of God I I didn't realize how full I was I thought maybe there was better things had a better job offer had a better place to live had a had nicer things out there I didn't have Pastor getting on my case all the time about prayer and fasting and reading the Bible I thought if I just left this place I'd have a better life and a better hope but God or Pastor while I was out there I lost more than I thought I ever could and I have come back empty but the beautiful thing about that is she may have left full and have came back empty but God was able to bring her back again do not let your emptiness determine God's grace and mercy in your life do not say I've wasted more than he will allow do not say I have lost more than he will restore do not say I have squandered more than he will give because there is a God he doesn't care how empty you are he doesn't care what you've lost let me say this it he does care let me say it will not disturb him how empty you are coming back it will not disturb him that you come back and say I don't have this I don't have that God's not looking for what you've got he's looking for what he can do in your life by putting you back on the wheel putting his hands back on your life and bringing you home again no matter how empty you may be no matter how full of troubles you may be he will bring you back home again and this is the beautiful part Naomi's daughter-in-law Ruth you know the story she ends up marrying Boaz who has a son by the name of OED who has a son by the name of Jesse who has a son by the name of King David so though she came back empty God would not allow her to stay empty in his presence for God out of her life brought forth the ancestry of King David who is in the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ you come here feeling empty you come here feeling like life has misshapened you you come here feeling like I have turned my back even on God and I deserve what I'm going through there is a God of again there is a God that that wants to return you restore you complete you and bring you back again and this is the key John 3 and 7 the writer says Marvel not that I say unto you you must be born again and this is the key the reason why the devil fights you so hard the reason why the Devil Comes against you so hard is because the devil never ever had and again he never got a second chance the devil like Jonah was disobedient rebellious the devil like David said I know I shouldn't but I'm going to anyway but the devil never had an again he has no hope he has no opportunity and the reason why the devil hates you so much it's not because of you're Who You Are by name it's because of who you are by position you have an again he knows no matter how far you go away no matter how far you come down if you'll drag yourself up to an altar God it's me again God I'm empty I I I've squandered I've wasted I have no reason to hope for Mercy I have no reason to hope for grace and the Lord says if you'll just come to me again I can restore and renew if you close your eyes with me tonight Lord Jesus I know that there's grace and mercy for anyone who's feeling a little out of shape tonight maybe someone's fighting your presence maybe someone has found themselves disobedient to you maybe someone has had struggles in life that has just beat on them they don't know where to go and how to feel help but I know God that in this place tonight there is an again for every individual that hungers for you God I ask right now in the name of Jesus that you'd put your hands on every man and every woman's heart and mind right now anyone that would say God I just need Mercy I just need Grace I pray that they' realize that there is Mercy there is Grace in this house tonight and no matter how misshapen they are no matter how empty they are let us be a testimony as we look around this room of vessels that were misshapened that were misformed but God's grace and mercy has made us into something beautiful we're not perfect there may be scars on our vessels but we are beautiful in God's time we are beautiful in God's grace and in God's mercy I ask God tonight that you would touch somebody's mind in somebody's heart to let them know that there is hope in this place tonight if you would just lift your hand I really wanted to be beautiful God I really wanted to be that beautiful picture or that beautiful piece of pottery but somewhere something has happened somewhere I have lost my way I have lost my traction and I am totally out of shape and out of kilter the Lord says if you'll just let me put my hands upon you if you'll just let me put my hands upon you one more time there isn't a god there isn't again in your life there is a restoration there is a returning there is a hope no matter how far you've gotten no matter how far down you are there is Mercy and Grace I'm going to ask if you don't mind tonight it's a little bit early just if you would mind just coming around the front just for a moment of prayer just to say God I'm not perfect but I thankful that no matter how empty I am there's Grace there's Mercy there's forgiveness I pray Lord in the name of Jesus right now God you may not look like you would it's going to look your ministry your ministry might be different than what you thought it was going to be maybe you've made mistakes and you don't think God can use you he can still use you you may look at your life and say well I blew that Beyond Compare God won't have any kind of ministry in my life I'm telling you there is a Ministry for you it might look different it might be different but there is a Ministry in your life that God can use if you will put yourself in his hands there's grace and mercy for you for you there's new relationships for you you may have lost some old relationships there may be some paths the doors have been closed on you but if you'll put your hand put your life in a Potter's hands there will be some new relationships open up there'll be some new doors open up in your life there'll be some new Pathways you can go down that you never dreamed possible if you'll just let him work on you put his hands upon you Hallelujah in Jesus name hallelujah hallelujah father's arms are open wide forgi was with thee blood of Jesus to the alar the father's arms are open forgi was B with the of the altar the father's arms are open foress was B with the to the the father's arms are open fori was B with the precious blood of Jesus Christ Precious Blood of J are you H broken overwhelmed by Jesus is have you come to the end of do you thirst for a treat from the well Jesus is Calling oh come to the the father arm are foress foress was Bor with the precious blood of Jesus CHR the precious blood of Jesus Christ leave behind your regrets and mistakes come today there's no reason toit Jesus is Calling bring your Sorrows bring your sorrows and from the ash from the ases a new life Jesus is call so come to come to the altar the father's arms are open fori was brought with the prous blood to the the father arms are open for was Bor the Precious Blood of Jus Christ no the saor isn't he wonderful sing Hallelujah Christ is RIS bow down bow down before you are Lord for he is of all sing Hallelujah Christ is come on let's sing it together he is wonderful he Wonder sing Hallelujah sing Hallelujah Christ is we bow down before bow down before is for he is sing Hallelujah Christ is RIS come to thear the father's arms are open wide foress the preious blood of Jesus Christ hallelujah thank you Lord thank you Jesus thank you for grace and mercy thank you for your goodness tonight God hallelujah thank you for loving us today hallelujah thank you for the second chance thank you God for your multiple chances amen amen God is good to us God is faithful amen God loves you and uh we just appreciate the goodness of the Lord amen thank you for being here uh I understand I know prayer is still going on in the mornings uh here at the church if you're able and uh so uh we're glad you're here we appreciate it shake hands be friendly we'll see you Sunday morning Lord willing have a great time with the Lord amen Lord bless you tonight