The Loyalty Of God

The Loyalty of God

2 Tim 4:16… But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength,

NLT

Joke… Day care Lessons … In the Busy Bee Day Care the teachers would often sing actions songs with the children. Two of the songs were the Hokey Pokey and the B.I.B.L.E.

One day a four year old named Claire began singing the BIBLE. As she came to the end, she combined the Hokey Pokey.

Here is what she sang. "I stand alone on the word of God, that’s what it’s all about."

There are many different occasions when we will have a need for strength, whether it is physical, mental or emotional. We need strength to:

• Accomplish a specific task.

• Overcome an addiction.

• Cope with the death of a loved one.

• To get up and go to work tomorrow

Joke… Husbands Funeral…

There is a huge rivalry in college basketball between the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky.

The story is told that at one of the games between the two schools, an elderly woman was sitting alone with an empty seat next to her.

Someone approached her and said, "Ma’am, I have rarely seen an empty seat in this Arena, let alone at a game between these two teams. Whose seat is this?"

The woman responded that she and her late husband had been season-ticket holders for 28 years, and the seat had belonged to him.

"Well, couldn’t you find a friend or relative to come to the game with you?" the observer asked.

"Are you kidding?" she replied. "They’re all at my husband’s funeral."

Paul mentions two occasions:

When friends desert you:

Friends play a vital role in making up our lives. They make our lives more enjoyable and exciting. However, man is not always dependable:

Isa 40:29-31… He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. NLT

1. Man may fail us because he lacks the power or strength to help us.

2. Man may fail us because he lacks the will or devotion to help us.

ILL… The wealthy, eccentric Howard Hughes, at the time had a wealth amassed of over four billion dollars said, “I’d give it all for one good friend.”

It is very painful when our friends turn away from us. Look what Paul was facing.

2 Tim 4:9-12…Please come as soon as you can. 10 Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. NLT

2 Tim 4:16…. The first time I was brought before the judge, no one was with me. Everyone had abandoned me. I hope it will not be counted against them. NLT

Joke… Another Dog… As his UCLA football team suffered through a poor season in the early 1970’s, head coach Pepper Rodgers came under intense criticism and pressure from alumni and fans. Things became so bad, he remembers that friends were hard to find. “My dog was my only true friend,” Rodgers said of that year. “I told my wife that every man needs at least two good friends- and she bought me another dog.”

2 Cor 12:9…Each time he said, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. NLT

Joke … “Top 3 Signs You Have No Friends”.

3. You are one of the five best solitaire players in the world.

2. You go to a video store and say out loud to yourself, “Well, what do you want to rent tonight?”

1. No calls from salespeople pushing MCI’s “Friends and Family” plan.

It is extremely disheartening to have your friends desert you and feel like you do not have a friend in the world. You will need God’s strength to continue.

Matt 22:29… Jesus replied, "Your problem is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.

NLT

Quote…Mother Teresa… “the poorest of the poor are those who feel that they are unloved.”

Ill… Jesus himself knows what it’s like firsthand to have his friends desert him. Jesus was arrested, set up by one of his own disciples Judas. As Jesus is being taken away, we read in Matthew 26:56, “Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.”