You
Glory to his name
There to my heart was the blood applied
Glory to his name
Let's pray
Heavenly Father, Lord I thank you that we can be here in your house
Lord we thank you for that grace
that you so freely gave to us
Lord through believing in your son
Lord I pray that you would receive
our praise this evening in Jesus' name
Amen
You may be seated
Please turn your hymnals to 109
109
Saviour, like a shepherd, lead us
Much we need thy tender care
In thy pleasant pastures
Feed us
For our youth's
Thy fault we care
Blessed Jesus
Thou has brought us
Thine we are
Blessed Jesus
Thou has brought us
Thine we are
We are
Thine to
Thou befriend us
Be the
Guardian of our way
Keep
Thy flock from sin
Defend us
Seek us
When we go astray
Blessed Jesus
Hear oh hear us
When we pray
Blessed Jesus
Hear oh hear us
When we pray
Thou has brought us
Thine we are
Blessed Jesus
Thou has brought us
Thou has promised
To receive us
For
And sinful
Though we be
Thou has
Mercy to relieve
Our hearts
Grace to
Fence and powder free
Blessed Jesus
Early
Let us
Turn to Thee
Blessed Jesus
Early
Let us
Turn to Thee
Early
Let us
Seek Thy
Favour
Early
Let us
Do Thy will
Blessed
Then only
Savior
With Thy love
Our bosoms fill
Blessed Jesus
Thou has
Loved us
Love us still
Blessed Jesus
Thou has
Loved us
Love us still
Amen
Please turn to 224
224
There shall be showers of blessing
Amen
There shall be showers of blessing
This is the
This is the promise
of love
There shall be seasons
refreshing
Sent from the Savior
above
Showers
of blessing
Showers of blessing
we need
Mercy drops round us
are falling
What for the showers
we plead
There shall be showers
of blessing
Precious
avoiding again
Over the hills
and her valleys
Sound of abundance
of rain
Showers
of blessing
Showers of blessing
we need
Mercy drops round us
are falling
What for the showers
we plead
There shall be showers
of blessing
Send them upon us
O Lord
Rent to us now a
refreshing
Come and now honor
Thy word
Showers
of blessing
Showers of blessing
we need
Mercy drops round us
are falling
What for the showers
we plead
There shall be showers
of blessing
O that today they might
fall
Now as to God we're
confessing
Now as on Jesus
we call
Showers
of blessing
we need
Mercy drops round us
are falling
What for the showers
we plead
Good singing church
please turn a few pages over
to 228
228
I love to tell the story
Don't we love to tell the story to people
how we got saved
precious gospel
I love to tell the story
of us
saying things above
of Jesus
and his glory
of Jesus
and his love
I love to tell
the story
because
I know Jesus
and his love
I love to tell
the story
because I know
it is true
it satisfies
my longing
as nothing
else can do
I love
to tell the story
it will be
my theme in glory
to tell
the old old
story of
Jesus and
his love
I love
to tell the story
more
wonderful it seems
than
all the golden
fancies
of all our golden
dreams
I love to tell
the story
it did so much
for me
and that is
just a reason
I tell
it now to thee
I love
to tell the story
it will be
my theme in glory
to tell
the old old
story
of Jesus and
his love
I love
to tell the story
it is
pleasant to repeat
what
seems each time
I tell it
more wonderfully
sweet
I love to
tell the story
for some
have never heard
the message
of salvation
from God
on holy
word
I love to tell
the story
it will be
my theme in glory
to tell
the old old story
of Jesus
and his love
I love
to tell
the story
for those who know
it best
seems hungering
and thirsting
to hear it
like the rest
and when
it sings of glory
I sing
the new new song
it will be
the old old
story that
I have loved
so long
I love to tell
the story
it will be my
theme in glory
to tell
the old old story
of Jesus
and his
love
Amen
Please turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter
35
We'll have Matthew to the rating, thank you
Isaiah 35
The wilderness
and the solitary place shall be glad
for them and the desert
shall rejoice and blossom as the rose
It shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice even with joy
and singing
The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it
The excellency of
Carmel and Sharon
They shall see the glory of the Lord
and the excellency of our God
Strengthen ye
the weak hands
and confirm the feeble knees
Say to them that are of a fearful heart
Be strong
Fear not
Behold, your God will come with vengeance
Even God with a recompense
He will come and save you
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened
and the ears of the deaf
shall be unstopped
Then shall the lame man
leap as a heart
and the tongue of the dumb
sing for in the wilderness
shall waters break out
and streams in the desert
and the parched ground shall become
a pool and the thirsty
land springs of water
in the habitation of
dragons where each lay
shall be grass with reeds and rushes
and a highway shall be
there and away and it shall
be called the way of holiness
The unclean shall not pass
over it, but it shall be
for those
wayfaring men
though fools shall not
err therein
No lion shall be there, nor
any ravenous beast shall go up
thereon. It shall not be found
there, but the redeemed shall
walk there. And the
ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with
songs and everlasting joy upon
their heads. They shall obtain
joy and gladness and sorrow
and sine shall flee
away. Let's pray.
Holy Father, thank you so much for this
chance to come here in your house and to praise
and worship you and to hear from
your holy word, Lord.
I ask that you bless pastors and
preachers to us today and give us
the hearts to understand your word and that the
Holy Ghost enlighten our minds.
And most of all, thank you for
the death, burial and resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ to whom
we can have everlasting life.
Pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen.
Alright, not sure if brother Tim and sister Shailene
are coming in tonight, but wonderful
news that their baby has been
born. Praise God for that.
Wonderful news every time there's a new life
that's coming to the world. What a blessing
of the Lord. So congratulations to them
on behalf of the church. We have
been going through Isaiah, haven't we, chapter by chapter.
And we're there in Isaiah 35.
I thought I would take the title from the
sermon here in verse number 4,
which says, say to them that are
of a fearful heart, be
strong, fear not. Title for the
night is, be strong,
fear not. Be strong,
fear not. Now,
Isaiah 35 is a continuation
of what we were covering
in Isaiah 34.
I don't know if you were here last week,
last Thursday,
but Isaiah 34 was not the easiest
chapter to preach from. It was
very destructive. Speaking
about the time when the Lord
Jesus Christ would come and
just decimate the armies of the
Antichrist. This great rebellion
that's going to turn out in the end times
and it's just very gory,
very bloody, and
very violent, if you want to put it that way.
And yet very righteous because
it is the righteous anger of the Lord
bringing His chastisement,
His judgment, His vengeance
on such a wicked people.
And I just want to bring you back to Isaiah 34.
Look at verse number 9 just as a reminder.
At the end of all
of that destruction during the
wrath of God when He's pouring out
the seven vials and the seven trumpets.
It says here in verse number 9
And you may recall that this area
was the land of Edomiah or southern Jordan
as we know it today. And that
during the millennial reign of Christ, so strange
but to think about this area
just burning, just burning continually
and just being
a place of, like it says
that brimstone turned into pitch
and being this reminder for the
thousand year reign of Christ from
generation to generation. That those
that reject Christ have a future
of torment forever
and ever in a place of fire.
And so we have
such a destructive chapter.
I mean, you know, it's the righteous
anger of the Lord, don't get me wrong.
But we have this sort of, this almost
very heavy chapter
and then we get to Isaiah 35
and then it brings us to
the positive, if you want to write,
the brighter side of the millennial
reign of Christ. And so we start
there in verse number 1, Isaiah 35
verse number 1. It says
the wilderness and the solitary
place shall be glad for
them and the desert shall
rejoice and blossom
as the rose.
I've heard a lot of prophecy preachers
teach about this, that, and I do
believe this talk about the regions
around Jerusalem and Israel
and the surrounding areas and a lot of
it is quite dry and desert
like and arid.
And the Lord's telling us that when Christ
comes back to reign, you know, not only
is he going to destroy the wicked
but that he's going to rejuvenate the land.
And the land will blossom
once again, the land will blossom there
as the rose. So places that were
once very dry deserts,
places that today that you think
you can't plant and you can't
grow, you can't harvest, are places
that Christ is going to, just with
his healing touch, fix the land
and it's going to be blossoming like
a rose. Now,
very quickly, we're up to Isaiah 35.
Brother Tim's not here
so I need someone else. What is
the 35th book of the Bible? Does anyone
know?
Habakkuk. Alright, so
can you please turn with me to Habakkuk.
Keep your finger there in Isaiah 35.
Keep your finger there in Isaiah 35
and let's go to Habakkuk.
Habakkuk chapter 3 please. Habakkuk
chapter 3. And
Habakkuk was a prophet
that was a contemporary of
the prophet Jeremiah. And Jeremiah
you may know, preached against the
southern kingdom of Judah and he preached
through multiple kings for
his ministry was very long,
multiple decades and he
preaches up to and even
a little bit beyond the captivity
of the Babylonians. When the Babylonians took
the Jews into captivity,
they destroyed the city of Jerusalem,
destroyed the house of the Lord, the
temple of the Lord. And Habakkuk
is also one of those preachers, together
with Jeremiah, preaching
on the same judgment of God to come.
And so what we're about to read
here in Habakkuk 3 is
Habakkuk just showing the nation
how when the Babylonians come
they're going to be so destructive
on the land. Okay?
Now again, when we talk about, a way
to think about the parallels, right?
Because in the time of Habakkuk or Jeremiah
the Babylonians were the obvious
Babylonian empire. And yet
the Bible in the end time speaks of a
mystery Babylon to come. The great
harlot. And that Babylon
is going to be the world power
of the day. And that world
power will be utilized by
the Antichrist to persecute
the people of God. You know
during the great tribulation and beyond
there's going to be a great
massacre, there's going to be a great
persecution upon
God's people. And so we do have a
Babylon of the end times.
You know, and we have a Babylon
of the day of
Jeremiah and when it talks about Babylon
here in verse number 16
Habakkuk 3.16
Habakkuk says,
When I heard my belly trembled
my lips quivered
at the voice
rottenness entered into my bones
and I trembled in myself
that I might rest
in the day of trouble
when he curved up unto the people
he would invade them with his troops.
Habakkuk is once again
showing the heart of a prophet.
Even though the prophet has to preach
heavy, judgmental
things, the destruction
of land. He says, man when I
heard these things, when I preach these things
it's like it upset my stomach
right? It's like, oh man
it's such a heavy sermon to preach.
His lips quivered. It's like
it's just hard for me to even get this out of my
mouth. It's hard for me to preach
such destruction on
the land that God has given us.
And then he continues in verse number 17
this is why he says, although
the fig tree shall
not blossom.
And I want to show you the difference
there, that when Christ comes
everything's going to blossom, even the
deserts. And as the Babylonians
were to come in as the
judgment of God upon the Southern
Kingdom of Judah, he says, look it's not
going to blossom. It continues there
Neither shall fruit be in the
vines. The labor of
the olive shall fall, even the olive trees.
And the field shall yield
no meat. Nothing's going to
grow. Nothing's going to blossom. It says
the flock shall be cut off
from the fold. And there
shall be no herd
in the stools. Even
the animals are not going to be able to reproduce.
The farming's not going to be done.
And then, cause he's just saying as the Babylonians
come through, they're going to
destroy the land. They're going to destroy the vineyards.
They're going to destroy the fig trees
and the olive trees. They're
going to come through this massive army.
And even destroying the farmlands
and the animals and all this stuff.
And even though his belly's
heavy and his lips quiver
and he's having a hard time even within his
bones, it's so hard to preach
such a hard sermon. He says in
verse 18, Yet will
I rejoice in the Lord.
I will joy in the
God of my salvation.
I love Habakkuk's
approach there. He goes, man
such a hard sermon to preach. Such hard words.
Such a hard vision that
God has given me. But brethren
you know when you're going through hard times and you
feel the same way. You've got the butterflies
in your stomach and you feel sick because
life is not going the way you think
it should go. What we should understand
and just like Habakkuk says,
we ought to rejoice in the Lord
in the joy. I will joy in the God
of my salvation. You know how joy
ought to come from the Lord. How joy ought to come
in remembering that our Lord God loves
us and that He's given us eternal life. He's given us
His salvation. Even
while we're seeing the world being
judged by God in destruction and warfare
and famines and all these things
happen to be. But I just want to
compare what Habakkuk says
that these places are not going to blossom
as God's judgment falls.
But, and once
again in the end times, God's judgment is going to fall
upon the earth. Alright.
The seven vials, seven trumpets being the main ones
and as Christ comes and destroys
the Antichrist
and the armies of the Antichrist
we know that once Christ establishes
Himself on the earth, it will blossom
all over again. It's all going to blossom once again.
It's going to be a beautiful place
the earth and especially
the nation of Israel or the city of Jerusalem
as Christ comes to rule in
that land. And so if you come back
with me to Isaiah 35
and verse number 2.
Isaiah 35 and verse number 2 it says
it shall blossom
abundantly. Alright.
And rejoice even with joy
and singing. Remember how Habakkuk
says that even though things
aren't blossoming, that He can rejoice
in the Lord. He says even here
in Isaiah saying
that they'll be rejoicing with joy
and singing. It says the glory
of Lebanon shall be given unto
it. The excellency of Carmel
and Sharon, they shall
see the glory of the Lord and the
excellency of our God.
So the fact that Lebanon is mentioned
you know again it's kind of showing us
just how far that blossoming kind of
extends to that even the nation of
Lebanon is benefiting
from the great abundance
and the
blossoming
of the land and of the
harsh places that things
cannot grow. And so the whole earth is
just seeing the glory of Christ
and the rejuvenation of the earth
when He reigns for a thousand years.
Then we get to verse number three
which I get the sermon title from
Strengthen ye
the weak hands
and confirm the feeble
knees. So your
weak hands is essentially saying that
you know when judgment
falls you know when we see
destruction when we see
judgments when we see you know
armies and we see warfare
these things can cause us to become
weak and worrisome and
and it says confirm the feeble knees
again the idea of your knees kind of shattering
not shattering but like trembling
you know out of fear out of
what the future may hold.
And so Isaiah is telling the people of the land
you know you don't need to be afraid any
longer of course if we go back to the
end times events we
have already at this point received new resurrected
bodies we've been raptured but
don't forget that even after the rapture
while God is pouring out His wrath
people are still getting saved
we still have the two witnesses
that I believe to be Moses
and Elijah
Elijah thank you brother
you know I could be wrong but I believe it's those two
we have 144,000
of the Israelites going out there
as servants of the Lord the Bible
tells us people are still getting saved
even after the rapture
and they're seeing this great persecution
they're seeing the destruction of the earth
you know with God's wrath
seeing the armies of the antichrist
making war against Jesus Christ
and so even those people
I believe that would be the first
or the primary
people that this is referring to
you know Isaiah is telling them look
be strengthened
strengthen your weak hands
confirm your feeble knees
like stand up strong
because Christ is coming
He's coming in His millennial reign
He's going to rule over the earth
to them that are of a fearful heart
be strong
fear not
behold your God will come
with vengeance
even God
with a recompense
He will come and save you
but notice it says here that God will come
with vengeance
vengeance
brethren you know the Bible instructs us
we're going to look at some passages soon
the Bible instructs us that we are not to take vengeance
on people that do us wrong
the Bible tells us that we should not
avenge ourselves we should not take revenge
and it's hard
as a human being
you know and I think we've all been there
where someone's done us wrong
and we just want to get back at them
somehow
even if it's behind the scenes
maybe set up something to cause others
to fall
maybe to go gossip about that person
you know maybe I've got to tell everybody
about how wicked this person was
toward me
just to have their hearts turn against that
individual person
that is not the way of a believer
that is not the way God wants us to walk
the Bible tells us that
God is the one that comes
with vengeance
okay?
you need to let God take revenge
on your behalf
now God is taking vengeance
revenge you know
because you had the persecution
of God's people
he's coming back he's going to wipe out the Antichrist
we've talked about that
he's going to wipe out those that have
raised up against God's people
God's going to punish them
kill them, cast them into the lake of fire
all of that
but you know even today
if we were to take a lesson of this today brethren
you can't be people that take revenge
you can't allow your flesh
to give in to vengeance
keep your finger there and come with me to Romans 12 please
come with me to Romans 12 please
come with me to Romans 12
Romans 12 and verse number 19
Romans 12
verse number 19 while you're turning there
I just want to read that passage again
it says God will come with vengeance
even God with a recompense
he will come
and save you
look this is a promise from the Bible
that God will take
vengeance for you
alright God will take revenge
on your behalf
but you've got to allow him to do it
in Romans 12 19
this is something more related to us
right this is an epistle written to a
New Testament church
in Romans 12 19 Paul writes
to the church saying
dearly beloved
avenge not yourselves
listen
that is a command
don't avenge yourself
don't take revenge when people do you wrong
but rather
give place
unto wrath
what?
see one reason we take revenge
is because we are full of wrath
we're so upset
we're so angry that someone has done us wrong
I've got to get back at them
well
it says here give place unto wrath
who's
who's wrath
well if we're not to avenge ourselves
we're not giving place to our wrath are we
we're giving place
unto God's wrath
because it continues by saying then
for it is written
vengeance is mine
I will repay
sayeth the Lord
vengeance is mine
that's what God says
okay it's kind of like you know something that belongs to you right
maybe you know
you know you've got a house, you've got property
you know you've got your possessions inside your house
you've got a thief that breaks in
and steals your wallet, steals your computer
whatever it is right?
steals your car
how do you feel about that when someone has stolen from you?
you feel very bitter, very angry
violated how dare someone come in
and take my possessions away from me
well
vengeance is the Lord's
how would God feel if you take revenge for yourself?
God says that belongs to me
that's in my hands
to take vengeance on your behalf
and brethren I don't know about you but this
doctrine gives me
a lot of peace in my heart
and when someone does me wrong
I don't need to think about it
it's not mine to think about
it's not mine to deal with
or leave it with God, vengeance is yours God
you told me God, I'll give place unto wrath
and for me
then I don't have to worry about it
I don't have to think about it
how am I going to make things right?
how am I going to return to them what they've done to me?
how am I going to let people know how wicked they are?
whatever
because when we start thinking about this
when we get emotional
we think our thoughts are righteous
we think it's the best way
we can be clouded by bad judgement
we can be clouded by emotions
or misjudgment
maybe we've misjudged the situation
and we're making the situation much worse
than what it truly is
and so I'd just rather give it to God
God it's yours
if you see fit that vengeance is necessary
if vengeance needs to be taken
Lord, it's yours, I'll leave it with you
and I'll just continue my merry way
doing what I need to do to serve you
I don't know about you brother
I said it gives me great peace
when you learn this in life
and it takes a while because you know
I remember being a kid and you wanted to get back
at people and
I used to love playing basketball
when I was a teenager and in high school
and sometimes it gets a bit rough
and they punch you, they hit you, they elbow you
and what do you want to do in return?
next play you want to get them back
you want to trip them over
and I've done plenty of those things
and you know sometimes when you're young
you get hot headed
and you just, I've just got to show them
how dare they treat me like this
and then as you get older and more mature
in the Lord you realise, hold on Lord, you know best
I mean at the end of the day
if I trip them over and hurt them
God might take vengeance on me
I don't want God taking vengeance on me
I'd just rather leave in your hands
God, you know what's right
you know how to deal with it
now look, I want you to, before we read
verse number 19, I just want to backtrack there
in Romans 12, Romans 12, let's just backtrack
to verse number 17
because this is what it means to leave vengeance for God
okay?
In verse number 17 it says
O man, evil for evil
so if someone's done you evil
what don't you do in return?
Evil, okay, the word evil means harm
in the Bible, if someone's harmed you
you don't harm them in return
alright, it says look at this
provide things honest
in the sight of all men
honest in the sight of all men
what that means is
don't secretly
okay, go and, I don't know
jump on social media
under anonymous accounts
and then tell everybody how wicked someone is
like, you know
so everyone thinks they didn't take revenge
but behind the scenes, whatever it is, right
you know, you're going out gossiping
and sharing secrets and all this nonsense
no, no, no, we need to be honest in the sight of all men
you know, where someone might see you
someone has done you wrong
and you don't do them wrong in return
you don't render them evil
in the sight of all men, they're like
you know what I think?
when they see you, not respond
and you're like, well, you know, they treated me bad
and I'm just going to do
I'm just going to leave it in God's hands and get on with life
they're going to think like a super Christian
like, you know, what a great testimony
you know
what a great reputation
you know, what a godly man
where he's not letting this evil bother him
he's just getting on, he's carrying on in his business
what a mature man of God
that's what, in the sight of all men
that's what they're going to think of you
like, honestly, if men aren't going to turn around and go
what a weakling, why doesn't he get revenge?
like, someone that is godly
will understand whether he's leaving it in the hands of God
to deal with
it continues in verse 18
now, it doesn't mean that you will always leave peaceably with all men
it says, if it be possible
but as much as life in you
God is saying
do as much as you can
to just be at peace
even when someone does you wrong
even when someone says in your face
I hate your guts
you don't
you just
as much as life in you
just go, you know what, I'm going to be kind to this person
I'm going to be at peace with this person
I'm not going to render them evil for evil
I'm going to render them evil for evil
and that's where we get to verse 19
and you say, well, I'll just ignore them
you know, I won't do them any wrong
you know, someone's wronged me
okay, yes
yes, pastor Kevin, I won't render evil for evil
but I just can't talk to them
I'll just ignore them, I'll just pretend they don't exist
no, no, no, that's not
because it gets even harder
okay, let's continue there, verse number 20
can you do that?
after they've done so much harm
towards you
look out for their good, God is saying
how hard is that?
like, I
I'm just telling you
as a pastor, I've had that
alright pastor, I'm not going to cause any troubles
I just can't talk to that person anymore
friendship's over, can't deal with them
I'll just ignore them
no, actually no, that's not the instructions of God
God says look out for their best
take him out for a meal
buy him a drink
look, you can win a friend over very quickly like that
I don't know about you
have you ever had someone that was an enemy
and now it's your friend
you say I've never happened
well, it should happen
if there's Christian maturity in you
as you live life
you're going to come across people that just don't like you
and then, hey, you do them good
you take them out
you buy them a coffee
you try to be at peace with them
and you'll be surprised how many people hate you
that actually end up loving you
and become your friend
and you sort out your differences
friendship's even stronger than it ever could have ever been
if not for some
problem, you know
I used to work for a company here in Smithfield
and we used to ship out like a thousand
parcels a day, I think it was
was it a thousand or ten thousand?
I can't remember
so we had all these customers
so many customers
and we discovered
that the customers that are the most
loyal to the business
is not the customer
when everything goes smoothly
so if the customer orders a part
and we promise 24 hours, if they lived in a
metropolitan area of Australia, they'd get it within 24 hours
delivering, you know, if everything
just went smoothly and they got their parts within
24 hours, that wasn't
the most loyal customer
the one that had no problems was never the most
loyal customer, the most loyal
customers are the ones when something
goes wrong, they don't get their parts
in time, okay
and they get upset, they get angry
and say you did not fulfill your promise
I paid this money
and then the company fixes it
gets to them quickly, deals with the problem
listens to the complaints
you know, maybe gives them a discount
for a future purchase or something like that
where the company's trying to make peace
trying to fix the problem
those people become the most
like loyal customers
they're the ones that speak most
positively about the business
they're the ones that go out on the
Google reviews and says boy I
had an issue but they fixed it immediately
they care for their customers
it always was the person
who had a problem and it was fixed
and who are the customers that leave the negative reviews
the ones that have the problems
and the business refuse to fix it
for whatever reason, right, we could never
sort things out with the customer base
they're the ones that would leave the awful
negative reviews on Google
but the ones that always, if things just work
you don't leave the positive reviews
cause you're like well that's how it should be
but when you have problems and it gets fixed
that's going to create a loyal
customer base
you know our brethren, our enemies, we ought to
turn them into friends
don't ignore them
like ignoring an enemy
is rendering evil for evil
you're saying you're not even worth
acknowledging
you're not even worth a human being to me
you're not even worth saying hello to
that's horrible
like that is evil
you're making them feel like
garbage
you say well they deserve to
yeah but vengeance is not yours
leave vengeance to God
look I don't know
if you have any personal enemies in your life
if you have any personal enemies
you have some of that
you know you're bitter against
and they've done you wrong and you want to get back at them
you know what you should do
call them up
hey enemy, or don't call them enemy
hey bro let's go out and
grab a coffee together
hey bro I'll take you out for lunch
I'll pay for it, my shout
and just watch, just watch the Lord
do a work
you say pastor what if it doesn't work
what if they're still wicked
toward me and well let's keep going there
what does it say
in Romans 12 verse number 20
after it said if you first give him drink
for in so
for in so doing thou shall
keep coals of fire on his head
be not overcome
of evil but overcome evil with good
the Bible says the more positive
the more good you do toward them
you're actually
adding more coals of fire upon their head
meaning that if they don't
sort it out with you, if they just continue being
evil, wicked towards you
God's vengeance will be even hotter
upon them, so that's a good way
for you to get your revenge
I want maximum vengeance God
you know I'm going to put more coals of
fire upon their head, alright
how do you do that, treat them well
and you might
be surprised, they might become your best friend
and then God doesn't have to take
vengeance anymore, you sort it out, you make peace
Bible says bless the other
peacemakers
it's a great blessing to be a person
that goes out of their way to make
peace, even when someone tries to cause
a lot of turmoil
and problems in your life
can you come with me to another passage
come with me to
2 Thessalonians chapter 1
you know the title for this one was
be strong, fear not
when someone does you wrong
I want you to be strong
you know fear
will lead you to ignore
your enemy
fear will cause you to not want to interact
or you might get
you know you might have a conflict with someone at church
for example and you're like well I just can't turn up the church
because I might see them at church
that's fear
you know insecurities, fears that you may have
now you know what you need to be strong
you need to be strong
you turn up and even if you don't like them
right now, hello brother
hello sister, god bless you
how's your week
are you thirsty, I'll get you to drink
alright
I get worried every time someone brings me a cup of water
I don't know what are they doing, what are they showing me
am I their enemy, are they adding coals
of hot coals on my head
I don't know
when we do that
when we treat each other well
nobody should know if that person
is a friend or an enemy in your sight
because you're treating them exactly
the same and you're leaving vengeance
you're leaving revenge to god
he'll sort it out
he might turn it into a great friendship for you
that might be a wonderful end to the conflict
but in 2 Thessalonians chapter 1
verse number 4
let's bring it back to
end times events
and again even though this has to do
with the leading up to the millennial reign of Christ
I just want to show you what it says here about the rapture
in 2 Thessalonians
chapter 1 verse number 4 it says
glory in you
in the churches of god
for your patience
and faith in all your
persecutions and
tribulations that ye are
ye and you are
the bible is telling us here that we as gods people
we are going to face persecutions
we're going to face tribulations
the word tribulation means trouble
ok, you will be hated
just for being a believer
you'll be hated for just
decided on a Thursday night I'm going to go
to mid-week service
people are just going to trouble you for it
they're going to mock at you, laugh at you for it
but then look at verse number 5 it says
which is a manifest token of the righteous judgement
of god that ye may be
counted worthy of the kingdom of god
for which ye also suffer
seeing it is a righteous
thing with god to recompense
tribulation to them
that trouble you
when you're being persecuted
this gives me an opportunity to recompense
those that trouble you
it says in verse number 7
and to you who are troubled
rest with us
when the lord jesus shall be revealed
from heaven with his mighty angels
I believe that's the rapture there
inflaming fire, look at this
taking vengeance on them
that know not god
and that obey not the gospel
of our lord jesus christ
vengeance once again
so I believe this is about the rapture
because then we get to chapter 2
being gathered together with the lord
so look I don't know
when the great tribulation is going to take place
I don't know when these end times are going to take place
there's always someone
in the congregation that believes
it's going to be our generation
there's always someone like that
but there's always been someone like that
throughout all of church history
now I don't know
I still feel we could be many generations away
from the end times
I don't know if I'll even live through that time
I don't know
but the point is if we are that generation
that goes through it
the instruction like I said the title of the sermon was
be strong, fear not
even in the midst of tribulation
even in the midst of great tribulation
we are to allow
jesus to take vengeance for us
when we think about
great tribulation, we think about that end time period
where the antichrist is risen
and is using mystery babylon to persecute
the saints of god
and they're murdering those that do not bow down and worship
the idol of the antichrist
that great desolation of abomination
the abomination of desolation
you know
if you read the books in Kurong
the left behind books
you're going to be thinking that Christians are supposed
to fight back against the antichrist
that's not the case
you know as believers
there's only one responsibility that we have
during great tribulation
and that's to win people to Jesus Christ
that's it, to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ
if we start thinking about revenge
and how do I avenge myself
how do I fight back
you're going to be distracted
from the last opportunity
of great rewards and great treasures
eternal treasures forever
and if the antichrist wipes you out
and beheads you so be it
your resurrection is going to be a glorious one
don't worry your head will be attached
your new resurrected body
cannot come off ever again
and god's going to take vengeance on your behalf
so sometimes
people don't want to think about the end times
because they think of it as a fearful time
but as we saw in the Bible
be strong, fear not
don't worry about those that
persecute you
don't take revenge on your enemies
leave vengeance to our lord god almighty
back to Isaiah 35
and verse number 5
Isaiah 35 and verse number 5
still about the millennium
but these verses remind me of
Christ's first coming
because it says in verse number 5
then the eyes of the blind
shall be opened
and the ears of the death
shall be unstopped
then shall the lame man
leap
as in heart
and the tongue of the dumb
sing
the dumb is someone who's unable to talk
it says for in the
wilderness shall waters
break out and streams in the
desert see the end of verse number 6
again just confirms
this is the millennium because we're talking about
things you know
blossoming in the desert and all this
and so once again it's just talking about in the
wilderness the waters are breaking out
streams in the desert
so there's going to be a rejuvenation in these areas
and so once again we're seeing
that this is the time frame is the millennium
but once again
we see these miracles taking place
now I'm going to just quickly read
to you, you don't need to turn there, I just want to quickly read to you
from Matthew 15 29
this is obviously about
the first coming of Christ
and in Matthew 15 29 it says
and Jesus departed from
thence and came nigh
unto the sea of Galilee
and went up into a mountain and sat down there
and great multitudes
came unto him
having with them those that were
lame, blind
dumb, maimed
and many others
and cast them down at Jesus' feet
and he healed them
insomuch that the
multitude wondered
when they saw the dumb to speak
the maimed to behold
the lame to walk
the blind to see
and they glorified the God of Israel
so as Christ went healing
the first coming
people saw the wonderful miracles of Christ
what are they doing when they see it all
they glorify the God of Israel
they're praising the Lord God
because of these wonderful works
you know
and I mean this makes sense to me
that when Christ comes to establish his kingdom
he's going to perform the same miracles
why not?
Why not? Because don't forget
it's not just us with our new resurrected
bodies that are without sin
that are going to be people walking
there's going to be all those
that saw themselves through
that seven year period
those that refused to take the mark of the beast
those that got saved but are still in their natural bodies
that will enter into the millennium
and so they're entering in
and still we have their corrupt bodies
the blind are still going to be blind
the dumb are still going to be dumb
the deaf are still going to be deaf
but then what we see here
is that Christ will heal them all
like in his first coming
he healed some
right? He healed some
in his second coming, he heals it all
so not only are the deserts
blossoming
not only is there abundance
of fruit trees and harvest
and wonderful growth
on the land
but even the healing of the people
and there are other passages of scripture
that tell us that these people are going to live
for a long time
they're going to have lengthy years
very similar to the time frames that we see
early in the book of Genesis
when people lived for hundreds of years
but still passed away
those people in their natural bodies
and so Christ is just going to come
and he's going to heal all these people
everyone that comes to him in the millennial reign of Christ
any issues, any sicknesses
Christ will be there
to heal these people
and of course, like we saw in the first coming
we're going to be glorifying the God of Israel
upholding the name of Jesus Christ
instead of it just being some localized event
in his first coming
this is going to be the whole earth
what an amazing millennium
what an amazing future to come
look at verse number 7
it says in the parched ground
shall become a pool
and the thirsty land
springs of water
just confirming that there's going to be plenty of water
these desolate places
it says in the habitation of dragons
where each lay
shall be grass with reeds and rushes
again dragons are just reptiles
so they're going to be able to
these creatures are all just going to be able to come
and just be near the waters
this part is the most interesting part for me
verse number 8
it says
an highway shall be there
what's a highway?
for us we would say it's like a principal road
it's a major road that links
maybe significant locations
one to another
without any major interruptions
we would generally call that a highway
well, there will be a highway there
and then it says this
and our way
a single way
and straight away, I'm just thinking about this
hold on, we know that Jesus Christ
he is the way
and so it looks like this highway
or this way represents
symbolically represents that there is one way
to salvation
there is one way who is Jesus Christ
and it says here
and it shall be called
the way of holiness
so in the millennium
we're going to take out our phones
you say, how do I get to Jesus?
or just google in
the way of holiness highway
and then it will pop up
and you'll be like, that's how we go and see Jesus Christ
because don't forget
he's actually ruling on the earth
like Jesus Christ is actually
walking the earth during these thousand years
and it says here
the unclean
shall not pass over it
so there will be some people
that are excluded
from accessing this highway
the unclean
I'll give you a moment to think about who the unclean could be there
it says here
but it shall be for those
so who should it be for?
for those, Colin, this is who it's for
the wayfaring men
the wayfaring men are people who are travelers
okay
though fools
so again it's referring to the fact that they're not
like us
in new resurrected bodies without sin
the wisdom of God, these are still
foolish people in their thoughts
like young in the faith if you want to call it that way
and then it says
shall not err therein
alright, so who are the unclean?
even though you can be kind of foolish
okay, but if you're
if you're clean, you can have access to this highway
I guess it's kind of like
a toll system or something like that
like, you know, usually you can go on
a motorway
if you've got your toll tag
that toll tag for us is going to be whether you're
clean or unclean
you say, who are the clean? you might be asking that question
well let's continue
it says in verse number 9
no lion shall be there
nor any ravenous
beast shall go up
thereon
so it's just talking about how safe the
travel's going to be, how safe the highway's
going to be
it says it shall not be found there
but the
redeemed shall walk
there
alright, so who are the clean?
the redeemed
who are the redeemed? the saved
so what gives you access to this highway
into Jerusalem
to see Jesus Christ?
you must be saved
but if you're unclean, if you live in the millennium
and you're not yet a believer
you're not going to get access to this highway
I don't know how they're going to know that
but somehow, whoever's
going to get access to this highway
the single way
we don't know exactly how the earth is going to look
when Christ comes back
it changes the topography
there'll be new rivers, there'll be new pools
there'll be blossoming places, all this stuff
but the idea that I get is
probably from all nations
there's probably going to be some major roads
headed toward Jerusalem
and at some point
all these major roads
are going to have to hit that highway
that leads to Jerusalem
to see Jesus Christ
again, I think just highlighting that many nations
to be a believer in Christ
to be part of the redeemed
to be clean, there is one way
one way to Jesus
and I think that's just going to be
you know, I often wonder
are we going to drive cars?
I guess it doesn't really matter for us
with new resurrected bodies
if we're going to be made like unto Christ
we know that Christ, when he resurrected from the dead
he could just go through walls, he could just appear anywhere
he could just go from one place to another
just instantly
so I suppose those with new resurrected bodies are going to be able to do something similar
I'm just assuming
but then you've got the rest of people
there are other people that are just regular
regular natural bodies
they haven't got the resurrection just yet
are they going to be able to drive on this highway?
I often think about this
but at the end of verse number 9
it says, but the redeemed shall walk there
so I guess they're walking
or maybe you can drive and walk at the same time
I don't know
I don't know what technology is going to be like
I don't know if we're going to go back to a very basic system
because don't forget
what leads up to the millennium is
such a destruction on the earth
you know, and
like when we read about
the armies that rise up themselves
against Jesus Christ
we often read about horses
we read about, and people might put the argument
but yeah, you know, in the Bible days
you know, if these prophets could
envision cars and airplanes
they probably wouldn't even know what they are
so they just
write down horses, but
I'm thinking like, and this is just my opinion
this is not the Bible, so don't
take this as a grain of salt
but it might be that as the Lord
brings great wrath upon the earth
and there is so much fighting
and there's so much destruction
that maybe like all our electricity
grids are just going to go down
everything that we
are used to
the modern technologies
that we have today
think about if everyone's got electric cars
and the electrical grid just goes down
does that mean when we start the millennium
all that modern technology is going to be a waste
maybe? I don't know
but one thing we just see here is that
of course this highway is a
highway that can be walked
you say from one nation to another
nation walking? Yeah, but it's the millennium
right?
It's going to be a different system
there's going to be different, you know
like I said, even those with natural
bodies are going to be able to live for hundreds
of years, it's going to be a completely
different earth, so maybe walking
is not going to be such a big deal like we think
today. Look at verse number 10
and
the ransomed of the Lord shall return
again just confirming the redeemed
are the ransomed
and the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion
with songs
and everlasting joy upon
their heads, they shall
obtain joy and gladness
and sorrow and sighing
shall flee away.
Millennium's a place
of great joy, a place of
great gladness and the sorrows
and the sighing of the past is gone
rejoicing
in the Lord. When the Bible there
speaks of the ransomed, you know that
reminds me of Matthew 20-28
Jesus Christ says
even as the Son of Man
came not to be ministered unto
but to minister and to give
his life a ransom
for many. Give his life
a ransom for many. So who are the ransoms?
Those that have received the life of
Jesus Christ, right? Those that have received
his sacrifice
those that have received the gospel message
his death, burial, resurrection
his eternal life, they are the ransomed
and so again
if you go to other
churches and you read other commentaries
and things like that, they're going to tell you
those people walking on the highway, the redeemed
and the ransomed, you know what they're going to tell you?
The dispensational world
those are the Jews
had you known brother?
I guess Jesus only died for the Jews then
I don't know, what do I say to you?
It's so crazy because
remember Peter, remember
when Cornelius was praying to the Lord
and then God gave
Peter this vision of the unclean
and clean animals
God tells Peter, eat of the unclean
and he says, how can I eat of the unclean
you know, I'm a Jew
and then God's trying to show him a vision
you know, that which was unclean, the Gentiles
the unsaved world, have been made clean
those that have received Christ, we're clean
and that's the great message of the New Testament
right? That anybody of all nations
that are saved under
Jesus Christ are clean and not unclean
and yet when we read these passages
about the clean, oh that's just the Jews
they haven't even learnt the lesson
that Peter learnt in the book of Acts
look, the book of Acts
is not contrary to Isaiah
it's complementary
yes, it includes Jews that are walking the highway
the Jews that believed on Christ
but the Jews that believe on Christ
are no longer Jews, they're just believers
they're Christians like the rest of us
my brethren, the title for the sermon was
Be Strong, Fear Not
and so just a last thought
again, I don't know, you know
I feel like our world is just so messed up
I don't know, man
I'm sure you've all heard on the news
about what's happening in the United States
and the presidential race and the attempted assassination
it just, it's like, I don't know, man
what is wrong with this world?
like, you know, it's like
what do you believe?
it just seems like everything is so corrupt
you know, are things
scripted, are things real
it's almost like you don't even know
you know, what the truth out there is
and sometimes when there's so much uncertainty
it can bring fear
you know, it can bring fear in our hearts
and just a last reminder, the title for the sermon was
Be Strong, Fear Not
okay
we're going to try to do the best we can as believers
to just be at peace with people
that's what you need to be left with thinking
if you have an enemy
if you have someone that hates your guts
I strongly encourage you
if you're going to take one thing away from the sermon
ring them up
hey buddy, can we hang out?
can you do it?
I'll leave it with you to decide
I've had to do it in my life
you know, people that I just don't like
you know, hey buddy, can we hang out
grab a coffee together and just have a chat
it's not comfortable
but hey, it's the instruction of the Lord
and we need to leave vengeance with him
it belongs to him
okay
Heavenly Father, Lord, thank you for your word
thank you for the great promise of the millennium to come
and Lord
if there's any fears in our hearts
tonight or fears of the future
fears of great tribulation
Lord, I pray that we would be strengthened by your hand
Lord, may your Holy Spirit just
you know, you've not given us a spirit of fear
but of love
I can't even remember right now
but of a sound mind you tell us Lord
of love and of sound mind
Lord, I just pray that the Holy Spirit will be able to work in our hearts
and alleviate the concerns
and worries that we have
Lord on this earth
Lord, you promise us that you see
the enemies that harm us
Lord, the evil that is done toward us
Lord, please give us peace
Lord, please keep us humble
and dependent upon you Lord
knowing full well that you take revenge
you take vengeance for our sake
and Lord, help us to as much as we possibly can
to be at peace with the people who have done us wrong
Lord, welcome to the time once again of the great millennium
to see Jesus Christ walk on this earth
and thank you Lord that you allow us to rule and reign with you
Lord, it would be a wonderful time
to be able to see you face to face and talk with you
and to worship you
and to sing you praises Lord, like we do tonight
but Lord, to see you face to face
as we sing you praises and we have great joy
what a great time that will be Lord
to be with our brothers and sisters and Lord
Lord, just being thankful for the opportunity you give us to serve alongside you
We love you Lord, thank you so much for tonight
and take us home safely after the service
in Jesus' name we pray, Amen
Amen
Alright, let's turn to hymn number 41 please
hymn number 41
We'll sing
Sweet by and by
hymn number 41
Sweet by and by
hymn number 41
Sweet by and by
There's a land that is
fairer than they
and by faith
we can see it afar
for the Father
waits over the way
to prepare us
a dwelling place there
in the
sweet
by and by
we shall meet
on that beautiful shore
in the
sweet
by and by
we shall meet
on that beautiful shore
we shall
sing on that beautiful
shore
the melodious
songs of the blessed
and our
spirit shall sorrow
no more
not a sigh for the
blessing of rest
in the
sweet
by and by
we shall meet on that
beautiful shore
in the sweet
by and by
we
shall meet on that
beautiful shore
to our bountiful
Father above
we will
offer our tribute
of praise
for the glorious
gift of His love
and the
blessings that hallow
our days
in the sweet
by and by
we shall meet
on that beautiful shore
in the
sweet
by and by
we shall meet
on that beautiful
shore
Amen
Alright, great singing everybody
Thank you for being in the house of the Lord tonight
The only announcement that I have
to bring, I did create
a poll on the church Whatsapp group
asking if
6.30 is a realistic time for us to meet
If we can meet half an hour earlier
I'd like to get your feedback
Alright? Now most people
have said yes, 6.30 is realistic
but you don't have to go the flow
Like if it's a problem to anybody
let me know, alright? I'd rather have the maximum
number here on a mid-week
service night so you know if there's anything
or even if you don't want to share it on the group itself
please contact me if 6.30
is too early
Now I wouldn't mind
It just allows me to get to bed a little bit earlier
but it also allows us if we do
want to have a time of church prayer
as well, it gives us that extra half an
hour in the night to be able to do that
so I don't know, I think it's worth
trying and I suggest
let's see out this month of July
but let's say next month
from August, mid-week services from August
let's just trial it for one month
let's see what happens, let's see how we go
let's meet at 6.30 from August
on Thursday nights
and I'll see if the numbers
dwindle or if people turn up very late
for some reason, if it just doesn't work out
doesn't matter, we can go back to 7 o'clock
but let's trial it, but again
if it's an issue for you
please let me know, because I really want
you to be in the house of the Lord and half an hour is not
really going to change my schedule too much
alright?
alright, that's pretty much it for tonight
let's just end in a word of prayer
I'll ask brother Matthew if you don't mind
closing us in a word of prayer, thank you
I'll need you to bring us to church this evening
and we are, it's one thing for the sermon
we're able to hear from the big Lord
to, not just to give our enemies
but also probably a blessing
unto them with their mayba
and to be put testimony Lord, and who knows
if we have enemies that are on stage
or wherever with their mayba, and He presents
them the perfect opportunity to preach the gospel to them
the Lord we pray you bless the fellowship
that we're about to have and keep us safe on our way home
in Jesus' name we pray Jesus, amen
Amen, thank you all, you're dismissed
Thank you