When You Care Enough To Send The Very Best Series

If you need to get straight with God – repent. Start with “God, you’re right and I’m wrong.” Ask God to let you see sin the same way Jesus sees it. Just be warned – that could lead to you being up at 3:30am with a broken heart. Don’t wait – that’s the warning to us!

Third, God gave them a MESSAGE OF SECURITY, v. 10-11

10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,

and he rules with a mighty arm.

See, his reward is with him,

and his recompense accompanies him.’

11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:

He gathers the lambs in his arms

and carries them close to his heart;

he gently leads those that have young.”

Security is one of our 3 basic needs – 1 Significance, 2 Acceptance, 3 Security. Security is hard in a world that is changing faster than we ever expected. We are reminded, too often, that life is short:

6b “All people are like grass,

and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.

7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,

because the breath of the Lord blows on them.

Surely the people are grass.

That word of uncertainty is followed by a word of security -

8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of our God endures forever.”

We can count on God’s Word it is God Himself. God’s Word to Israel promised that a Savior would come. In a few weeks, we will celebrate the fulfillment of that promise as we remember a little baby who spent His first night on earth in the feed trough of a Bethlehem barn. The coming of Jesus Christ did not change the moral standards of God. Those standards are the same from generation to generation Z. We can have no lasting security in this day without trust and acceptance of God’s Word.

In 2022, there was a survey of 1,000 pastors. “The report found that one-third or more of senior pastors believe:

• Determining moral truth is up to each individual; there are no moral absolutes that apply to everyone, all the time.

• The Holy Spirit is not a living entity, but is a symbol of God’s power, presence, or purity.

• Having faith matters more than which faith you have.

• A person who is generally good, or does enough good things for others, can earn a place in Heaven.

Additionally, one-third or more of senior pastors reject the belief that people are born into sin and can only be saved from its consequences by Jesus Christ; they, personally, will experience eternal salvation only because they have personally confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.”

https://www.arizonachristian.edu/2022/08/30/basic-biblical-beliefs-lacking-among-most-pastors-in-all-u-s-denominations/

Where is the hope for the Church when so many of the shepherds hold views that offer no hope?

Fourth, God gave them a MESSAGE OF HOPE, v. 9

“9 You who bring good news to Zion,

go up on a high mountain.

You who bring good news to Jerusalem,

lift up your voice with a shout,

lift it up, do not be afraid;

say to the towns of Judah,

“Here is your God!”

Today, so many are hopeless. We have several generations of lost folks – isolated, lonely, apathetic. But there is good news – WE HAVE THE MESSAGE THEY NEED! It’s not the message of our Christmas cards. They see that same old message and they believe that we don’t care about them. Are we going to stay the same old church/congregation that we have always been? We can change and we can start to offer folks a message of hope. We can start today!