A Genuine Revival

God gave Moses a difficult job. To lead a rebellious, self-centered, stiff-necked people through a desert to the promised land, he needed a close relationship with the Lord. 

After forty days on the mountain, receiving the Ten Commandments from God, Moses returns and finds the people worshipping a golden calf they made and committing terrible sins of immorality. In anger, he throws down the stone tablets containing the Law and brakes it, then he goes back to the mountain and talks with God. 

Exodus 33:18-19 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 

It seems that Moses is praying for a revival.  Revival is close when we want to know God's ways so that we might better serve Him—to long for His presence to guide us day by day; 

When the Lord begins to move in a life, He has a way of rooting out sin, selfishness and hypocrisy. Many are afraid of a real move of God.

For those who are willing to seek it, it will change their lives forever. Are we willing to spend time in prayer, seeking the Lord until He comes in a genuine revival where His glory is revealed and His power is demonstrated? 

— Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed written permission

Prayer

Did you know that prayer is not about getting what we want from God? Prayer is about communicating with God as He works in us to line our will up with His.  

He sees our needs, but He expects us to pray. 

Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint;

Prayer unlocks the storehouse of His blessings and allows Him to move in our hearts and lives in a profound and powerful way. God has much that He wants to give us, but if we don’t ask, we will never have it. 

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

We need to be humble when we pray. 

When we get to the place where we want what God wants - when His will becomes our will - when we are willing to surrender all of our plans, goals, wants and wishes, then we are ready to see God move in answer to our prayers. 

— Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed written permission

The Great I AM

While Moses may feel inadequate, the God who calls and equips him certainly is not.

Exodus 3:11,14.  And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?  . . . And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

In essence, God is saying, "Just do as I say, and I will show you who I AM as you need me to." The amazing story of how God used Moses is in Exodus, Chapters 3-14. 

This is how the Lord works in our lives. He leads us to follow Him by faith. We know very little about Him or His ways, but, as needs arise, God proves Himself adequate and faithful in every challenge. 

Following the Lord by faith can be scary if we compare the size of the task with our abilities. 

Never allow a lack of education or money or skill or any other thing stop you from being everything God wants you to be. 

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

— Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed written permission

Through The Fire

While everyone in Babylon bows before Nebuchadnezzar's idol; Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stand straight as arrows. The example they set for us is priceless. 

Neb tightens the screws on our three Hebrew friends, reminding them that they face a terrible death in the fiery furnace and their God can't save them.  

But Jesus met them in the furnace and told the fire to "Cool it!" He walked around with them unbound and unburned, and King Neb learned who is the one true God. 

Daniel 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Why didn't the Lord spare them from the fire? He got more glory in sparing them through the fire. 

God may let you go into the fire, but you can rest on His promise that Jesus is right there with you, Hebrews 13:5; Matt. 28:20. He will bring you out again, 2 Cor. 4:17.

By the way, that fourth Man is still in the fire. 

— Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed written permission

Hope

Hope will not be found in a bottle, a pill, a needle, religion, philosophy, money or power. 

The world has looked to these for thousands of years and come away disappointed. Hope is found in the message Jesus preached.

It can be found in John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

It can be found in Matthew 11:28 – “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Hope is found in one place and His name is Jesus—in His death and resurrection. 

Jesus can save you soul, wash away your sins, and take you to Heaven when you die. He can give you a new direction in life. He can change you and everything about you. 

If you need hope, you need Jesus. Seek Him. 

— Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed written permission

Bless The Lord, O My Soul

Psalm 103:2,4 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: . . .  Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

When we believe, God takes our sins and puts them away from Him forever through the sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary. Bless the Lord, O my soul. 

His grace is matchless and marvelous and His tender mercies glorious beyond explanation. 

Human touches and words of comfort may be unavailable in the valleys of life, but we’ve never been beyond the tender touch of our Heavenly Father. 

The feel of His hand as He reaches into our hearts is too wonderful to describe. 

When I think of how the Lord repeatedly lifted me from the jagged rocks of affliction and pain and restored spiritual strength and victory, I just have to say, "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name."

— Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed written permission

God Is Faithful

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

I need to be reminded from time to time that God is faithful.

He‘s not like us humans. We make promises we can’t always keep. God isn’t like us at all. What He says He will do, He will do because He can’t lie.

He says, “Let it be, and it is.” He’s the God who never changes, Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8. 

He’s the God Who never fails. He has always been and will ever be, the Great “I AM”.  

He will give you peace in the midst of every circumstance of life. 

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

He is everything he Bible says He is, He is always faithful.  That’s who He is. 

— Ideas for this unprofitable blog are taken from The Sermon Notebook—Biblical resources for preachers and teachers of the word of God. They allow these sermons to be used as the Lord leads but not for profit without their expressed written permission