The Hand Of God - Part 1 Series

11.13.05 PM Smyrna Assembly of God Pastor Shell Osbon

“The Hand Of God - Part 1”

Ecclesiastes 9:1

Eccl 9:1 Solomon says, “For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all, that the righteous & the wise & their works are in the hand of God...”

Intro

In this verse that I’ve chosen, Solomon (the wisest man that had ever lived) makes a profound statement. He says that he has taken time to think about this before he took time to write it down.

Solomon came to the conclusion that the hand of God was an important factor in the lives of some folks. He goes on to say that “the righteous, the wise & their works are in the hand of God.”

The Bible makes many references to the Hand of God”& what the hand of God is able to do. Let’s consider a few of those.

1. The Uniting Hand Of God

In 2 Chronicles 30, Hezekiah sends a letter to all of Israel & to Judah inviting them to come to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem to observe the Passover. It had been years since the Passover had been kept & Hezekiah was desiring to get the nation back on track.

Runners were used to carry the invitation throughout the land inviting every tribe to come to this tremendous reinstatement of the Passover. Some folks laughed the runners out of their city & some agreed to come.

2 Chron 30:12,13 says, “The hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king & the leaders at the word of the Lord. Now many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month.”

The uniting hand of God brings people together for worship, service & fellowship who have previously been divided!

Ps 133:1 says, “How good & pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

The uniting hand of God creates a goodness & pleasantness among the people of God!

Acts 2:1 says, “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”

The uniting hand of God will produce an outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon all those who gather in His Name!

2. The Providing Hand Of God

In Neh 1 we read how Nehemiah is serving as a cupbearer to the King of Persia (modern day Iran). The Israelites are in exile there & a fellow-Israelite tells Nehemiah that the city of Jerusalem has been destroyed & it’s protective gates have been burned with fire.

Nehemiah asks for permission to go back home. The King agrees his request & asks if there is anything else that he needs.

Nehemiah says that he will need a letter from the King to give to other Kings asking for permission to pass through their land. And, he says that he will need some timbers to use for rebuilding the walls.

Neh 2:8 says, “And the King granted them (timbers) to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.”

The providing hand of God gives you what you need even when there’s devastation all around you!

Ps 23:1 says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

The providing hand of God guarantees that you will not have anything lacking!

Phil 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

The providing hand of God is connected to the riches that are be found in Jesus Christ!

3. The Empowering Hand Of God

Nehemiah gets permission to go back to Jerusalem & gets the timber that he needs to rebuild the walls. But, Nehemiah still needs other people to help with this project.

Nehemiah begins to tell other folks about what God has called him to do. He realizes that he can’t do this all by himself.

Neh 2:17,18 says, “Then I said to them, ‘You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste & its gates are burned with fire. Come & let us build the wall of Jerusalem that we may no longer be a reproach.’ And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me & also the kings words that he had spoken to me. So they said, ‘Let us rise & build.’ Then they set their hands to this good work.”

The empowering hand of God will cause other people to join with you in order to accomplish what He wants done!

4. The Protecting Hand Of God

In Is 51, God is reminding Israel of His incredible love for them & that He has called them unto Himself. He tells them that they don’t have to be afraid of man & that He will give them victory over their enemies.