Time To Get Ready

II. RESPONDING TO THE PROMISE I have to tell you, when I read this I got excited. 2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. In ancient Israel many of the people lived in tents. As the family grew they didn’t put the old one at the market at Century 21 and go buy a new one. They sewed more material onto the sides, pulled up the old tent stakes, stretched out the sides and made the tent bigger. Now Isaiah is saying this by the Holy Spirit. Even though you aren’t seeing any children being birthed right now, stretch out your tent flaps and get ready because it’s coming. 3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. How frustrating has it been for us as a church to watch over the years as people from Palmyra have gone to Hannibal or Quincy to attend a church that has greater entertainment value than what we have here? But that is turning around. Now people have begun to come from those places to see what God is doing here in Palmyra. Go back to verse 2. “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. I believe that, to a person, this church thinks that revival is right here. It is ready to break open. Could it be that the Lord is waiting for us to respond by opening our tent flaps before it comes to pass? Could it be that He is saying, get your Sunday school teachers lined up; get your Royal Ranger and Missionette leaders prepared. Get your youth workers trained. Could it be that He is saying, that parking lot that you are talking about – why are you waiting to see if you get a grant. I am the God who provides. Why are you waiting for the Northern Missouri District to come through for you? Could it be that He is saying, “You expect revival to impact lives? Why aren’t you out knocking on every door in Palmyra to tell people about Jesus and invite them to revival services?” One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I’ll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can’t see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that’s all that matters." That is what the Lord is saying to this church right now. Trust Me. I can see what is coming and my hand is upon you to guide you and protect you.

III. REMEMBERING THE GOD OF THE PROMISE. 4 “Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. What if we spent all the time and effort to set ministries in order and nothing happened? Wouldn’t we look stupid? What will people think? “Yeah, look at them. I knew that church would never go anywhere. They’re just a bunch of Holy Rollers. I can’t believe that anyone would think like that but let me assure you that if you do you need to get a new picture in your mind of who God is. He told Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” (literally – I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE.) IAM is ready and able to respond to every act of faith that stems from trusting His word. Hebrews 10:23, Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. The only way for us to maintain the faith we need to receive the promises of God is to remember the God who promises. 5 For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. Pastor Mike, how could we ever afford to just go ahead and do all the projects that need to be done in the church? We don’t have that kind of money. Well we do, but what if an emergency came up and the money we have set aside for emergencies wasn’t there? What would happen then? I suppose that we would get to see if God is who HE says He is. Philippians 4:19, And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Genesis 22, 9When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. Jehovah-Jireh.