Sermon Central
-
God Is For You Series
Contributed by Michael Deutsch on Jul 23, 2016 (message contributor)
Summary: A 3 week look at psalm 118. An encouraging series showing God is for us!
God Is For You
July 24, 2016
Let’s start out with a bit of Bible trivia. What is the center chapter of the Bible is? According to the way most people count, it's . . . Psalm 118.
The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117. The longest chapter is Psalm 119. There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118 and 594 chapters after Psalm 118.
That means there are 1188 chapters, and some say the middle verse is Psalm 118:8
In a bit I’ll show you Psalm 118:8. It’s a great verse if it is the middle verse.
What isn't trivia, or trivial, is the message of Psalm 118. And for the next 3 weeks we’re going to look at this Psalm.
Every Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was crucified and died on Friday. He was buried in a borrowed tomb, and on the third day God poured life into His lifeless body and Jesus rose from the grave, victorious over death.
During those three days, Friday to Sunday, the world was being changed spiritually. The death of Christ paid the price for our sins. All the wrong things you've ever done, all the wrong things you’ll someday do, things that deserve punishment and retribution, these have all been paid for by the death -- by the blood of Christ. Jesus bought your salvation, your freedom. And then on the morning of the resurrection - - when God raised Jesus to life -- He proved there is nothing in this world that the power of God's love cannot conquer.
I want to tell you just one verse to encourage you, but to really encourage you, I need to give you 8 verses! Listen to what Paul said in Romans 8, and hold onto these words ~
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?
33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:31-39
Can I get an AMEN!! This is great news, because this is what we need. None of us have an easy life; none of us are able to live in victory without God's help. We all struggle with different situations in our lives. None of us have life licked. On occasion, we may think we do, but we don’t. The bills are piling up or the doctor hasn't given a good report or your spouse is unhappy or your kids are struggling . . . whatever it is - - - most people seem to be in some type of mess.
When we feel our lives are in a mess, we sense fear, we panic, anger and hurt. And I also know this — in the middle of a mess, we can experience God's presence and peace.
We’ve heard the phrase “getting centered.” It’s typically used in a new-age, Oprah sort of way, but I’m using it to describe being in the center of God’s presence every day, being in the center of His will, being in the center of His protection. So it only makes sense that the center chapter of the Bible would help us get centered in God.
What I want us to know and trust is - - - God is for you. He is not against you. He’s for you. This simple, yet profound truth has the potential to change your life.
Too often we think God is anything but for us. We think He’s mad, annoyed, disappointed, put out, out to get us -- or, at the very least, oblivious to what’s going on in our lives. BUT - - this is not the message of the Bible.
I want you to know God is for you. He may not be for all your ideas, He may not be for everything you’re doing -- but He’s for you. He loves you and wants what’s best for you.
