Waiting and hoping on God | Colin D

This message was preached by Colin D at Word of Grace Church on June 30th, 2019. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here

Isaiah 40:5-31

Think about your greatest accomplishment. Maybe you’ve excelled at school or at work. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, a machine to show moving pictures, a transmitter, etc. If anyone had a right to boast, it was him. But he humbly said he couldn’t make the simplest form of life. Only God can do that. 

As we focus on the greatness and goodness of God, it strengthens us to go through anything. In Jer 9:23, Jeremiah says our boasting should be in the fact that we know God. Charles Spurgeon said, “The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father.” A W Tozer said, “What comes to our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” It is so important that we have the right view of God.

So how does this passage in Isaiah tell us about who God is?

1.      God is eternal- His word is eternal. He is without beginning and has no end. The hills which are full of trees wither completely due to change in seasons. Millions of men have come and gone, but God and His word have stayed forever.

People have tried all means to end the word of God. The Roman emperor wanted every copy of the Bible to be burnt, but 25 years later the next emperor, Constantine asked 50 copies of the Bible to be written out. Our God is on His throne. In 1778 Voltaire made a prediction that 100 years from then, the Bible will be a forgotten book and Christianity will cease to exist. But the Geneva Bible Society now uses his home to print and distribute Bibles all over the world. God’s word does not depend on you and I. He will watch over His word and His church.

2.      God is great: V. 12-15; 23-26

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,

    or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,

    or weighed the mountains on the scales

    and the hills in a balance?

13 Who can fathom the Spirit[d] of the Lord,

    or instruct the Lord as his counselor?

14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,

    and who taught him the right way?

Who was it that taught him knowledge,

    or showed him the path of understanding?

15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;

    they are regarded as dust on the scales;

    he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.”

“He brings princes to naught

    and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

24 No sooner are they planted,

    no sooner are they sown,

    no sooner do they take root in the ground,

than he blows on them and they wither,

    and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

25 “To whom will you compare me?

    Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:

    Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one

    and calls forth each of them by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength,

    not one of them is missing.”

We look at the creation – He created everything out of nothing. On 20 Aug 1977, the Voyager 2 was sent to view the outer planetary system. On 28 Aug 1989 (more than a decade later), it only reached planet Neptune, and eventually left the solar system. But God made millions of galaxies like our galaxy! Our Universe is so vast and we are so tiny in comparison. When presidents and primemnisters are in office, they seem big, but He brings them to nothing. That power is nothing before the power of God.

Pharoah for instance- they build massive pyramids much before their time. But they messed with the wrong people and God did a miracle and Egypt is no longer the glorious city it was. Our hope in a God who has all power.

In Daniel 5, we see how Belshazzar did not honour God and used consecrated goblets for his party. The hand of God wrote a warning on the wall and that very night he was killed.

3.      God is gracious: v. 27-31 “Why do you complain, Jacob?
    Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
    my cause is disregarded by my God”?
²⁸ Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.”

We need to be a people who wait and put our hope in the Lord.

a.      What is our hope in?

History is moving forward and will culminate when Jesus comes back. In history, the Glory of God was manifest at different times. But on the second coming, everyone will see His glory. Our hope is that Jesus will come. So let’s put our trust in His. 1 Thess 4: 16-17

b.     How do we wait on God?

Spending tie in god’s presence and in His purpose is how we wait on God. As you spend time in His presence- reading the word, meditating, you build yourself up. We must get involved in His purposes while we are waiting for His promise to be fulfilled.

Our God is on the throne! He is eternal, he is great and he is gracious! Let’s encourage one another with these words.

Let’s pray

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

The Promises of Psalm 23 | Colin D

This message was preached  by Colin D'cruz at Word of Grace Church on July 1st, 2018. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here.

We live in challenging times- nationally, internationally and even personally. There are ups and downs. There are people amongst us who are very sick, there are strains in marriage relationships, not able to find a job, breakdown of relationships, etc. there are all kinds of things that cause stress and anxiety. Through the service we have seen the goodness of God. That is wonderful! But in the midst of that, there are these challenges that come up. We need to anchor ourselves in Jesus so we can ride these storms.

Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This is the best known passage in scripture. It is often read at funerals. But it is meant for everyday life. The imagery is of the shepherd who is God and we are the sheep.

1.      Provision: we may face situations in our life where we face lack. God promises to supply our needs but not out greed. Psalm 84: 11 says that no good thing will he withhold. God will meet our needs. This is not just theory. As we take hold of it, we will see the reality.

Kisan’s story: He joined Word of Grace last year, and was very happy to be here. His house was 8”x 10”. He and his wife Nutan lived there and even had guests over. Jesus gave him a new flat which is a 2 Bedroom apartment for a small rent. God provided lavishly for him.

2.      Peace: God’s peace over our lives. We lived through the invasion of Kuwait and overnight everything changed. But through it all God gave us such a peace. Many people were devastated, but we made it across. That is the goodness of God. We’ve got to draw on God in our difficult times. The situation might not change immediately but he will give us peace. We get bad news all the time and it troubles us. The antidote to that is to get into the presence of God and let His peace engulf you. 

3.      Guidance: we want to know what God wants us to do. We make 100s of decisions everyday and some may be big and some maybe small. He is interested in every decision. As we feed and soak ourselves in the word of God, he will enable us to have this navigation system within us so we may know what is right and what is wrong. There is also guidance between the good and the best. How can we get this guidance of God?

a.      Spending time with God in the quiet place. If we listen to His voice in the quiet place, we will be able to recognise Him in the midst of the chaos outside. It is important when it comes to jobs and marriages, etc. 

b.      Hear his leading even in small things.

4.      Protection and comfort: God’s promise is to be with us. What is the difference between us and the world? We carry the presence of God. The last several weeks I’ve been listening to messages on the presence of God. in life we are constantly disturbed and interrupted. But when are we making time to be in God’s presence? The Bible says ‘wait on the Lord’. What does wait mean? It means to wait. No one likes waiting. Cultivating God’s presence requires us to wait. His rod and His staff are one for protection and one for comfort. When sheep fall on their back they can’t get themselves back up. Have you been in such a situation? IN that situation he comes and delivers us.

5.      Promise of Protection and inheritance- in the presence of our enemies he pours out His goodness on us. The promise is for this earth as well as heaven. Our ultimate comfort is being with Jesus forever. Sometimes we can be so pessimistic, but God’s promise is for us to succeed.

So when you face challenges, go to Psalm 23. It declares God’s qualities and attitude towards you. So memorize it, declare it and believe it.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

THE GLORIOUS CHURCH 2017 - Waiting on God | Steve O

The is the final part in a 9 part series that was preached at the 

Glorious Church, RegionsBeyond Conference 2017 held in Mumbai.

To listen to the audio ( which is in English and Hindi) Please click here

1 kings 17

We can learn lessons and be strengthened by the life of Elijah. I feel like I need to stir the younger people.

As we saw Elijah’s life, many said I want to be like him. Elijah who came from nowhere, stood before the King with all authority of representing God. He declared that there will be no rain in Israel. Then, God sends him from the lime light to an isolated place. So much that for 3 years they couldn’t find him. It is th Steve Oere that he grows.

We live in a world where we want things immediately. Waiting is not in our culture anymore. But Elijah finds himself after the big profile, just waiting before God.

Q. Do you want to sit before God and wait?

I know that on the second morning I’ll be saying, what’s next? Elijah stood before God and so he waited. He was patient. Years later in 1 Kings 17:8 the word of the Lord came to him- Arise and go to Zariapath.

At times, lonliness must have consumed his life. When these words come, they’re refreshing. As we go back to our churches, we are going back with his word. Now is the time to be patient and give ourselves to the purposes of God. He commanded a widow. Widows love to feed people. But he is still having to walk by faith.

The journey to Zariapath would have been a long journey. In verse 10 he asked the widow gathering sticks for some water and some food. Here the word is coming to life. She is a very poor widow with only a handful of flour and very little oil.

As we go to our churches we will face situations like this. But I know you’ll go back full of faith. You will face situation like and know the hope that comes with hearing God.  

When I was in Lesotho, building up the church there, we were looking for a church building. There was an auction and I felt God saying go and bid. I bid for a building with no money to pay for it. I came back home having to pay the money in a couple of days. As I reached home, God spoke to someone else to give the exact amount of money to me.

To grow in faith, follow God to the platform- to the desert- to the widow. Don’t think that because someone gets up to preach they don’t have to learn this. Elijah has to learn faithfulness with the widow so that he could call forth the rain later. Do not fear. Go and do as you have said.

This conference has been marked by 3 things:

1.      Identity- who we are. I’m leaving as a different person. That means you’ve heard the word of God. Sit before God, take note of what he had said. Say, Lord, don’t let me go back to where I was.

2.      Mandate- why are we gathered

3.      Continuing to work on our relationships with one another.

God wants to give us a double portion, to multiply it. It is a promise over us. We are entering a season of multiplication. It’s going to happen through faith and obedience. We haven’t got enough flour. Our oil is little. But the promise was massive. We are going to go through a season of multiplication of gifting, grace and all that makes us who we are. There is a double portion.