Part 2 Sermon 1 What God Will Do For Us. Series

Dedication of the Temple.

Part 2 sermon 1

What God will do for us!

London businessman Lindsay Clegg told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash all over the place. As he showed a prospective buyer the property, he took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage. The buyer said, “Forget about the repairs. When I buy this place, I’m going to build something completely different. I don’t want the building; I want the site.”

That’s God’s message to us! Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball. When we become God’s the old life is over. He makes all things new. All He wants is the site and the permission to build. There are still some trying to “reform,” but God offers “redemption.” All we have to do is give Him the “property” and he will do the necessary “building.”

For the past 3 weeks we have talked about what God wants from us. We talked about dedicating our lives and being a living sacrifice wile being humble and praying as well as seeking God’s face. As in (read)

2 Chronicles 7:14-16

14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

16I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

But what I want to talk about today is what God said He would do for us, If we do our part, BIG WORD FOR ONLY 2 LETTERS.

HE said He would hear our prayers. Do you understand what that means. We do what we are supposed to do and He hears us when we call. But there is a flip side to that if we don’t do what He wants there is no guarantee He will hear us when we call, He may not listen to us.

In Psalms you can read over and over how God hears and delivers (answers prayers). Here is a good example.

Psalm 103:1-5

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

God also says in other places if we do what He wants, He will reword us as in. (read)

Leviticus 26:3-5

3“‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. 5Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.

Here is another example. (read)

Deuteronomy 28:1-6

1If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: 3You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. 4The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 5Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. 6You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

We must remember God said IF we do what He wants, not just think about it or just talk about it, we must do it.

James 1:16-25

16Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.