Be Encouraged Jesus is Coming for You

By Tony V. Hammack

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Introduction:

The point of my message today won’t be to convince you of a particular end times doctrine such as the pre, mid or post tribulational rapture doctrine but I will focus on the scriptural truths found in 1 Thes. 4:13-18 that bring encouragement.

End times dogma can be dangerous. Dogma is defined as : a doctrine or body of doctrines concerning faith or morals formally stated and authoritatively proclaimed by a church.

The dogmatic authorities missed the first advent of Jesus Christ. Matthew 2

A word on the concept of uniformitarianism as it relates to eschatology.
Uniformitarianism is: a geological doctrine that processes acting in the same manner as at present and over long spans of time are sufficient to account for all current geological features and all past geological changes
This type of thinking applies to a lot of people as they try to understand the past (The Bible), however it’s an error. It also applies to people’s thinking as it relates to the future.

Luke 17:26-30
26"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. 28"It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30"It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.


The point of this passage (2 Thessalonians 4:13-18) is to give encouragement and hope. Hope to the living about those who have fallen asleep in Christ and hope for the living regarding the return of Christ.

The Message:

Our Outline

1. Physical Death is Not the End
2. God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him
3. The Dead in Christ will Rise First
4. The Lord Will Return Gloriously
5. The Living will meet the Lord in the Air

I. Physical Death is Not the End
v. 13 13Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.

For the Christian, sleep is an appropriate metaphor for death because death’s finality and the fear associated with death are removed by the assurance of the resurrection.


Inscriptions on tombs and references in literature show that first-century pagans viewed death with horror, as the end of everything. The Christian attitude was in strong contrast.

Hebrews 2:14,15
14Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Philippians 1:21-23
21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;

Sleep as a Metaphor for Death
Matthew 9:23,24
When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.”


1 Corinthians 15:20
20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Firstfruit – Aparche
Firstfruit means the chief or principal part, the earliest ripe portion of the crop or of the tree

II. God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
14We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

Revelation 19:11-16
11I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter."[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:        KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

III. The Dead in Christ will Rise First
1 Thessalonians 4:15
15According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

IV. The Lord Will Return Gloriously
1 Thessalonians 4:16
16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Acts 1:11
11"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.

Matthew 16:27
27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Matthew 24:27,30,31
27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 30"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Revelation 1:7
7Look, he is coming with the clouds,       and every eye will see him,    even those who pierced him;       and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

Revelation 11:15
15The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:    "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,       and he will reign for ever and ever."

V. The Living will Meet the Lord in the Air
v. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Jesus wants us to be with us
John 14:3
3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Colossians 3:4
4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

1 Corinthians 15:52
52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (Rev 11:15)

In Review

1. Physical Death is Not the End
2. God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him
3. The Dead in Christ will Rise First
4. The Lord Will Return Gloriously
5. The Living will meet the Lord in the Air

Conclusion:
For the Unbeliever
The White Throne Judgment
Revelations 20:12-15
12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

For the Believer
Matthew 24:45-47
45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

The believer in Jesus Christ should minister properly and faithfully.
It will be good if God catches you doing something good when he returns. Faithfully ministering to his people.
He will give you more responsibility and authority, specifically during the time when Christ returns to set up his Kingdom on the Earth.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here to watch some informative videos.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.
If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124


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You Can do the Will of God

By Tony V. Hammack

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here.

When we do the will of God we allow Jesus to be “The Lord” of our

• Time
• Thinking
• Attitude
• Goals
• Behavior

Information, with the know how to act, is wisdom.
Information, with power to act, is revelation.

When God gives information very often it is accompanied with the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit equipping the saint to act on the information.

Empowerment is different than self discipline however the results are similar. Holy Spirit empowerment is supernatural where self discipline is the result of a trained life. There is a form of discipline that comes from God. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

2 Chronicles 32:7,8
7 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. 8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

Doing a word search on strong and courageous yielded 11 verses in the Old Testament. 8 of the 11 have to do with the Israelites receiving encouragement from the Lord to take the promised land.

It has been said that The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. There are many types and shadows in the Old Testament that see their fulfillment in the New Testament. I believe that the Christian is to take the promised land in their life, fighting giants internal and external.

1 John 5:14,15
14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
Giants in the Land for the New Testament Believer in Jesus Christ

1. Fear
2. Pride/Arrogance/Self Reliance
3. False Priorities / Buying the lie
4. Lack of Endurance

1.  Fear

Fear and intimidation along with a poor Christ image keeps many Christian people out of the promised land of God’s will for their lives.

   A.  Fear of God
   B.  Fear of the Devil
   C.  Fear of Man

A.  Fear of God

Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

B.  Fear of the Devil

1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Colossians 2:15
15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

C.  Fear of Man

Psalm 56:11 in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Hebrews 13:6 So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

(Review from last week)
Trusting in the Lord begins with rightly discerning the word of the Lord for your situation. There is not a one size fits all response for every circumstance of life. There is never a time in the scriptures where trusting in the Lord means doing nothing. There is always some kind of action the Lord will have you to take.

2.  Pride / arrogance / self reliance

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

All the promises of God are apprehended by faith!  Faith in God is the opposite of self-reliance.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mt. 21:22)

Proverbs 8:13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.

3.  False Priorities / Buying the Lie

The Birth Right or a Pot of Beans
Genesis 25:29-34
29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom. [g] ) 31 Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright." 32 "Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?" 33 But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.  So Esau despised his birthright.

Worries and deceitfulness of Wealth
Matthew 13:22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

Prioritize Jesus First
Mark 10:28-30
28Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!" 29"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.

Matthew 6:33,34
33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Faith is trust and reliance on Jesus

Matthew 9:29 (Ampl.) Then He touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith and trust and reliance [on the power invested in Me] be it done to you;


Romans 3:22 Namely, the righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah). [And it is meant] for all who believe. For there is no distinction,

4.  Endurance

Romans 15:5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,

Galatians 6:9
9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Matthew 10:22
22All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V. If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

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Batesville, AR 72501

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Trusting in the Lord

By Tony V. Hammack These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here.

There’s a very spiritual man who has been notified that his house is going to be flooded and he needs to get out of the house. He says “no I don’t have to, I’m trusting in the Lord, God is going to take care of me.” Then the flood starts to rise and a sheriff comes along and tells him to get out. The man says no, God is going to save me. So, the floods continue to rise, and he climbs on top of the house. A boat comes along and he’s told to climb into the boat. He says, “no, no , God is going to save me.” Finally, a helicopter comes along and they lower the net to rescue him. The man says, “no, no, God is going to save me!” Well, the man drowns and goes to heaven. When he gets to heaven he says to God, "why didn’t you save me?" God says, "I sent the sheriff, I sent a boat, I sent a helicopter, what more did you want me to do?"

Proverbs 3:5,6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Trusting in the Lord begins with rightly discerning the word of the Lord for your situation. There is not a one size fits all response for every circumstance of life. There is never a time in the scriptures where trusting in the Lord means doing nothing. There is always some kind of action the Lord will have you to take.

James 2:20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

What is God saying? Rightly discern the word of the Lord then obey.

1. Sometimes he says stand
2. Sometimes he says fight
3. Sometimes he says prepare
4. Sometimes he says flee

1. Sometimes He says Stand
Trust in the Lord
The Red Sea
   A. Exodus 14:13 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.

The command to stand included:
Trusting in God’s way
For Moses, he had to obey, raise his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea to divide the water. (Ex. 14:14)
Waiting all night with the Egyptian army massed against them. (Ex. 14:20)
Walking through the sea with walls of water on both sides. (Ex. 14:22)

The Battle for Jericho
Deuteronomy 1:30
30 The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes,

What does it look like when the Lord fights for you?
You hear the word of the Lord and obey it
Get the fighting men 7 rams horns and the ark of the covenant to march around the city once a day for 7 days blowing the trumpets
On the 7th day march around the city 7 times and on the 7th time give a long trumpet blast and synchronize that with a war cry from the people

The walls supernaturally fall
Joshua 6:21, 24
They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys. Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD's house.

2. Sometimes he says fight
Trust in the Lord
The Amalekites Defeated
Fight -
Moses instructed Joshua to attack the Amalekites. (Ex. 17:9)
While Moses held his hands up the Israelites were winning. When Moses let his hands down the Amalekites were winning.  This adds a spiritual component to the battle.
God wants to completely blot out the memory of Amalek (Ex. 17:14)


The Sun Stands Still
Joshua 10:1-15
Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem realizes that Israel has a treaty with Gibeon. This scares the king because Gibeon has great fighters and is a large key city in the region.
So Adoni-Zedek forms a coalition of armies to attack Gibeon.
The Gibeonites who used a ruse to get Israel to ally with them cry out for Israeli help against the 6-7 army coalition.
Joshua marches all night with his army unleashing a surprise attack on the invaders.
The Lord throws the enemy armies into confusion v. 10
Israel pursues the enemy army cutting them down when the Lord begins to throw large hailstones from the sky at them killing more with the hailstones than what died by the sword. v. 11
So Joshua could continue the battle in daylight Joshua prayed for an extension of daylight. God answered his prayer and he received about an extra day to continue the battle.

3. Sometimes he says prepare
Trust in the Lord
Noah and the Ark
Rightly discerning the word of the Lord and obeying.
Genesis 6:13
God tells Noah he’s going to end all life on Earth due to the violence!
He then tells Noah in great detail how to construct an ark.
Gen. 6:22  Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
Gen 7:1 God tells Noah and his family along with the animals to get into the ark.
Noah obeys and saves terrestrial life on the Earth.

Joseph and the Famine
Rightly discerning the word of the Lord and obeying.
Genesis 41:1-40
Pharaoh has a dream about 7 large healthy heads of grain and 7 shriveled up heads of grain. Then he has a dream about 7 fat and sleek cows and 7 gaunt cows that ate the fat cows.
No one can interpret the dream but the chief cupbearer remembered Joseph had interpreted his dream in prison.  Joseph gets summoned to Pharaoah’s courts after a change of clothes and a shave.
Joseph correctly interprets the dream as a matter firmly established by God because of the two dreams having the same meaning. v. 32
7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine that will be so severe the 7 years of plenty will be forgotten.
Pharaoh promotes Joseph and allows Joseph to act on the information and interpretation of the dream, representing Pharaoh’s wishes.
Actionable Intelligence
Not only does Egypt survive the famine but they sold the grain they had stored to foreigners for profit. (Gen. 41:57)

4. Sometimes He says Flee
Trust in the Lord
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
Genesis 19
v. 15 The angels urge lot to leave the city, he hesitates and they grab him. He does leave however and is spared.
He flees to Zoar and lives. His wife turns into a pillar of salt and his daughters have been corrupted by Sodom.

Signs of the End of the Age
Matthew 24:15,16
"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
An ability to understand the times predicates fleeing.

Flee from Babylon
In Revelation 18 we see the destruction of the City of Babylon and God saying, in v. 4 "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;

If you’re not sure what the Lord is saying sometimes it’s appropriate do to the last thing He told you to do.

Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.


I Corinthians 14:32
32The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.

What is God saying? Rightly discern the word of the Lord then obey.

1. Sometimes he says stand
2. Sometimes he says fight
3. Sometimes he says prepare
4. Sometimes he says flee

What is God saying to you regarding the current circumstance you're in?  There isn't a cookie cutter Christian response to everything.  Never in scripture do you see an individual or a people trust in the Lord by sitting back and doing nothing (accept saying they are "trusting in the Lord") .  There is always a direction from God that needs to be taken and heeded to avoid calamity. 

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.
Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.
If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124


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Your Duck is Dead

By Tony V. Hammack

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest.

After a moment or two, the vet shook his head and sadly said, "I'm sorry, your duck, Cuddles, has passed away."

The distressed woman wailed, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure. Your duck is dead," replied the
vet..

"How can you be so sure?" she protested. "I mean you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."

The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked up at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.

The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out of the room. A few minutes later he returned with a cat. The cat jumped on the table and also delicately sniffed the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck."

The vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.

The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill. "$150!" she cried, "$150 just to tell me my duck is dead!" The vet shrugged, "I'm sorry. If you had just taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it's now $150."

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:15 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124


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Be of Good Cheer

By Tony V. Hammack

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here.

Jesus has Overcome the World


John 16:33 (Amplified) I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

The heart of God is that you would be at perfect peace and have confidence.
A.  Peace
B.  Confidence

A. Peace – peace can be elusive for people even believers in Jesus Christ.
1. God’s perfect peace becomes a practical reality when we have a word from God about a situation and we believe it.

Jesus is telling his disciples in John 16 what is going to happen to him and them. This information can be very helpful to give a person peace as these difficulties start unfolding.

Remember Paul on the ship that was going to Italy? He knew that the ship and cargo were going to get destroyed but there was going to be no loss of life. They’d fought a hurricane force storm called a northeaster for 14 days straight.
The ship and cargo were destroyed but all 200 + passengers survived.(Acts 27:34)

The same thing can happen for you personally. As you are in prayer God can speak to you about what you are to do or what is getting ready to transpire in your future. This information can smooth out rough bumps and cause us to respond properly to circumstances as they happen, even troubling events.

2. Trusting in the Lord and not being double minded (James 1:8) gives a person peace.

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

What is the word of the Lord about your situation? Stick to it!

If we hear the word of God and obey it then this promise is for us. Hearing it only is not enough. We have to hear, believe and thus obey.

3. One of the fruits of walking in the Spirit is Peace (Galatians 5:22)
Fruit takes time to develop and comes as a result of placing the roots of your life into Christ. Drawing life from Him and not the world system. (John 15)

When we’ve lost our peace joy goes with it.
The peace Jesus gives is called perfect peace. What are some imperfect sources of peace?

Communing with the Father will also bring peace.
Philippians 4:6,7 (Amplified)
6Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. 7And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Knowing Jesus is going to meet all of our needs gives us peace.

Philippians 4:19
19And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

B. Jesus gives confidence

1. Understanding your life source and your enemy’s life source will give you confidence if you know the Lord is in what you’re doing.

2 Chronicles 32:8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

1a. This is the current reality for the enemy in our lives.

Colossians 2:15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

2. Add to that experience, past success. More confidence comes

1 Samuel 17:36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.

3. The blood of Jesus gives us confidence to go into the Most Holy Place with God

Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,

Ephesians 3:12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Having confidence to approach God is important because if we’re afraid of God we obviously can’t approach him. Without being in his presence we sever the flow of life from God to us thus starting the ticking clock of our own failure.

The world gives

• Tribulation
• Trials
• Distress
• Frustration

Tribulation - distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution

Trials - a test of faith, patience, or stamina through subjection to suffering or temptation; broadly : a source of vexation or annoyance

Distress - pain or suffering affecting the body, a bodily part, or the mind : trouble, a painful situation : misfortune

Frustration - a deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs

Jesus Gives

• Cheer
• Courage
• Confidence
• Certainty
• An undaunted state of mind

Courage

Courage – Courage comes from knowing God knows and is going to be there with you

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.“ (Deut 31:6)

Certainty – Certainty comes when there’s been an investigation, the evidence lines up with our natural mind, the voice of God speaks to our hearts and we believe it.

Luke 1:3,4
3Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Undaunted - courageously resolute especially in the face of danger or difficulty : not discouraged .
Think about Joshua, David and others who were undaunted.

Conclusion
Jesus has overcome the world meaning he’s deprived it of power to harm you and has conquered it. Nothing can take away that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ.

The peace that God gives here in John 16:33 depends on hearing the voice of the Lord and believing it. Hearing God’s voice is not something reserved for the elect of God. It’s every Christians privilege.

John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here and then watch the videos.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V. If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501

(870) 793-9124


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