Hallelujah! Go ahead and reach around and grab your Bible and turn with me to
Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 32.
It's been a long week, been a beautiful week, but it's been a long week out on the
mountain at the senior adult youth camp. The only difference in the senior adult
and the kids is we got to haul them around on golf carts. Can you take me to
the bathroom? Sure, get on. Yeah, yeah. Then some of you, they start to come off
the hill. Those of you familiar in the girls cabins are upon the hill, upon the
ridge and they had to walk down to the cafeteria. So you go up to get them in
the morning and say, no I can get down just make sure you're out there and help me
back up. Okay, we'll give you a ride. So, but in that, our very own pastor Terry,
Terry Bowden, took first place in the woodworking. Beautiful candelabras he
turned out on his woodlay. Second place in acrylic oil painting. Amen, with a
beautiful barn and carriage portrait. Amen, talented. Yeah, played the guitar,
song, help them lead singing on the porch, played the trumpet and worship. Man of many
talents and our very own. Amen. That right there is where your group, Pastor Terry,
should have just said, woo yeah, woo Pastor Terry. That's your, that's your Q light
bears right there. But I know how you feel, brother Terry, I know how you feel.
That doesn't mean they doesn't love you. They do. Amen. With that said, I'm tired,
been a long week. So this shouldn't take over, I don't know, 30, 45 minutes maybe
and we'll, we'll get going. Amen. The Lord is good. I just so wasn't worship
refreshing today. Amen. Just let them know how much you appreciate them leading us
and and worshiping in music and surrendering their talent. It just, I
really, I really feel good after worship. I don't always feel good after worship.
I should, but I don't always. Amen. Do you? That's the reason it's called a
sacrifice of praise. I've never seen a sacrifice that was comfortable. Well, I'm
not gonna preach on that. Let's move on. Jeremiah chapter 32. I have, I'm gonna, I'm
gonna read verse 16. You just hold right there, brother Hunter. I'm gonna read
verse 16 and we'll move forward. Now, when I had delivered the evidence of the
purchase unto Barak, the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the Lord saying, ah Lord God,
behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth and by thy great power and
stretched out arm and there is nothing too hard for thee. Thou showest loving
kindness unto thousands and recompense the iniquity of the fathers into the
bosom of their children after them. The great, the mighty God, the Lord of Host
is his name. Great in counsel and mighty in work, for thine eyes are open unto all
the ways of the sons of men. You need to circle that, highlight it, underline it, do
something that your attention is drawn for your eyes are open unto all the ways
of the sons of men to give everyone according to his ways and according to
the fruit of his doings. I preach this on different occasions and some of you that
are, if you've marked it, just go ahead and put today's date back because I'm
gonna preach it again. There are times when I just need to remind myself of how
mighty God is. I just need a refresher, I need a reminding and what that mighty
power looks like to me, toward me and and when I'm when I'm in that state this is
where the Lord takes me and he just reminds me and it's a pleasure for me to
get to remind us together again and again of what a mighty God we serve. Amen.
Lord, I love you. I thank you for your word. I thank you for your presence that's
in this house today. For truly Lord, you are near us because you do dwell and
inhabit within the praises of your people and Lord we have lifted our
voices, we've lifted our hearts to the goodness of your grace toward us and we
praise you for all things. In Christ's lovely name and the church said, amen, just
tell you neighbor, he is mighty isn't he?
Again, I just want to remind you of how great God is. We sing the old chorus
sometimes, how great thou art, amen, the old song. It is a staple and it always
serves as a reminder up to the greatness of God and I think one of the reasons we
need to be reminded of God's greatness is because simply of the world in which
we live and by virtue of that being we're so accustomed to being in
control of everything about our lives until things arise that we can't control
and then we kind of fall apart. We just go to pieces unless we know that the
things that we cannot handle, God can and when you realize that God can then you
don't fall to pieces hardly as much. You may lose a half your mind but you don't
lose all your mind. You know when things arise that's just because of our human
nature and how we respond. God knows us in our frailty, amen, he knows we are not
infinite but he is. Hallelujah, amen, we're just simply flesh but God is
great in his goodness and wonder and all of the uproar of today's world events
and all that is transpiring in your own home. I've heard many prayer requests
this morning. We're going to pray for all those having surgeries this week
before we leave because there's several of you and some that are not
here today that are going in for procedure and I want you to stand in for
them because I know God can be with them and I know God is able to watch over
them and there's a question posed in Genesis that says is there anything too
hard for the Lord? Is there anything too difficult? Is there anything beyond him?
And when we think about that question we have our answer here as
Jeremiah would say there is nothing too hard for you, amen, and as a reminder
today no matter what you're going through circumstance, situation, trouble,
problem, it doesn't matter, illness, sickness, I want you to know today that
there is nothing too hard for the Lord. In your strength, in your might, in your
capabilities, yes things get beyond us. They get beyond our control. They get
beyond our being able to remedy them but I want to remind you today don't panic
God is still large and God is still in charge. He's still on the throne of heaven.
The earth is still his footstool, hallelujah, and the will of his being is
still expressed on the face of this earth so when we think about it what a
mighty God we serve. Now when you think about mighty God it is the Hebrew word
El Gabor, amen, which means power and strength and it belongs to him and we see
that description as Isaiah would tell us in 9 and 6 for there's going to be a
child born unto you and his name shall be called wonderful and counselor and he
makes that declaration of mighty God that's who he is and that's what he's
been expressed to humanity for. He is wonderful, full of wonderful, of all and
all that he does and the love that he has toward us and he is our counselor
which we'll talk about just a little bit later but also know that he is our El
Gabor, he is our mighty God, he is our strength, he is our hope and he is our
purpose and he is your resolve because when you are unable he is able,
hallelujah, when we are inadequate he's far above adequate to take care of every
situation, trial and as we look as Jeremiah the prophet is penning here he
begins to speak as the Lord would move upon him and he would pray he's lifting
his heart to the Lord he's been instructed to buy a piece of property and
go through the format of prophecy knowing that the Lord is not finished
with them yet to let the people know that God is not done with Jerusalem let
them know God is not finished with Israel he's still gonna have his hand
upon him and there's a day coming when you'll have harvest in this land again
you will be brought back God's not gonna forsake you you're gonna go even though
you strive against the enemy that's coming against you you're still gonna
be carried away but he's gonna bring you back somebody needs to know that today
you may feel like you've been carried away but hold on proof is in the pudding
and God is gonna bring you back he's gonna bring the reality of hope into
your life he's gonna bring a reality of all things possible into your life and
he begins to pray oh Lord God that's like a saying wow God you're awesome
he's just beginning to pray God how mighty you are how great you are I stand
at all of your greatness and and he begins to do a little descriptive work
behold thou hast made the heavens and the earth now when we think about how
mighty God is first thing you need to realize is that God is mighty in
creation man can do a lot of things we can create a lot of things but what we
cannot do is create our world in which we are living and God is the only one
and when I begin to think I was writing the more here the other day
happened brother Ken Mothiard and and I began to think about the scripture and
we've we've preached it and we've heard it the phrase but God how that things
are looking bad and crisis is coming up but God intervenes and things turn and
things make a change and and I begin to think about but God hallelujah when they
were at the Red Sea but God parted the sea amen when the floods opened up the
face of the deep opened up in a flood cover the earth every time I see a flood
and I see lives lost my mind goes back when the world the whole earth was
flooded up but God hallelujah put a rainbow in the clouds hallelujah all
that we see is simply a reminder of how all struck we should be at the
mightiness of God and when I begin to think about but God but as I took
another lap around my square section up there on side of the hill hit a few
chug holes in my backs already out and I come down the hill I begin to think
about those but God moments but then my mind went to a phrase that declared only
God hey there's but God instances but there's times in my in your life that
it's only God it's not but it's not that he intervenes it is because that he is
and it's the only reason that we are here is because God only is able to do
all that we require and all that we create I'm here to tell you only God can
create it would be out of chaos that God would speak order only God can do that
in your life he alone is able to take the chaos of life and bring it into
order and as I made another lamp I almost got off and ran I begin to thank
God how many times in my life it was only you it's not but you know that
contravening word at the interjection there that prepositional phrase but
which declares that everything that comes after that little three-letter word
wipes out everything that was before it hallelujah and when you hear how trouble
comes and how the enemy comes in like a flood but God raise up a standard and
the standard erases the enemy presence before but even before the bud is the
only hallelujah in the beginning was God and only God well hallelujah and it
lets me know how mighty he is and who his being is that I who am lonely me can
create it only God is able well glory whoo about had a spell mowing the yard
I'll tell you if you want to have close encounter of the God kind volunteer for
the mowing team see brother Ken get signed up because after you hit about
four of those holes up through there you're already in a prayer mode you're
praying God let me see the next one it jar your kidneys plumb through your teeth
because you're in a hurry it's not a leisure deal there's four acres out
there that's got to get good you got to get it done before the day gets gone so
you're wide open and you got to set up on the edge of your seat got to have your
back still if you cannot it's not like mowing at home we wait to you in your
holder and you're just easing around oh you're throwing grass and you sweet tea
gets all covered up with it and it gets sticky so you have to stop at the
trailer to get a little sup what's that mean not one thing to anybody that's
never wrote it where's my witness is that yeah hello so I'm preaching to some
this morning so you're in a prayer mode by the time you get finished you're in
tune with God you've been talking to him and before you know it you get over and
past the holes and the gaps and the dips and the dodges and you begin to think
about just how good God is and you begin to think about the blessings of the Lord
and then you that he'll just drop something in you like that right there
only it's only me my lord I'm telling you I was concentrating on but God and
how God has turned around a lot of situations but then when he dropped that
word on me it's only me oh my lord it isn't a buddy's only hallelujah only God
is able and I think about how mighty he is and how he is mighty in creation thou
has made the heavens and the earth you can almost hear you can almost hear
Jeremiah sigh to the wonderment of God's glory and the handiwork of his might he
he's in the midst of a prayer a petition and it's just as he goes to his knees he
takes a good look around then we're talking about a man who's been in the
prison we talk about a man who's been billified and just really beat down
because he's just simply saying thus saith the Lord we're talking about a
man who is the weeping prophet we're talking about a man who was sent down to
the potter's house we're talking about a man who give up and said God I'm not
ever gonna preach another word I'm gonna zip my lip and I'm keeping it shut they
don't want to hear what you've got to say anyway and he puffed up and pouted
and sat down on a stump but he couldn't sit there long because you see the words
not in your mouth the word is in your heart and the longer he sat and the more
it began to burn he leaps to his feet to proclaim thus saith the Lord he's in a
bad time in a rough time of Israel's history he's prophesying captivity he's
prophesying the enemy's victory but know this he didn't just leave them there he
says so as the Lord has spoken there is a day coming when there will be harvest
again oh my god there's a day coming when harvest will come again fruit and
blessing and as he bows to pray he just gets a glimpse of God's glory and he's
reminded man what a mighty God we serve when you bow next time don't just go
down and total humility but as you're getting to your knees just take a good
look around and how good God is oh Lord totally overwhelmed with no other way to
describe it he just simply says ah it's like mowing that yard and it hot you
stop in the shade on the other side and in your tumbler cup you got some good
cold water and you turn that ice water up and you take a big swig you go amen
his spirit so thirsty he gets down to pray and he says oh Lord you are good
amen and the wonder you have with your outstretched arm you have created the
heavens and the earth and we got to know that when we have that equivalency
within us it's wow God you are good I want to tell you something this morning
don't fail to be amazed at God's creative acts we're about to move into
my most favorite season of the year I wish it could be fall all year long I
prefer the pastel colors I prefer the earth tones over the pastels of spring I
should say I just look the the earthy tones of the maroons and the red and the
brugate yellows hey man it's fall begins to take over I love to sit on a deer
stand on a good frosty good heavy frosty morning before all the leaves are on the
ground and when you see it and you're watching and the frost begins to melt
leaves will gently let go and begin to make their way to the ground and they
begin to stack up in the woods and I begin to thank God how wonderful you are
and I sit in amazement at the goodness of God's creation knowing that when I'm
under that same tree in the spring waiting for an old thunder chicken to
fire off and I'll begin to see the buds begin to come back out on the leaves and
the bright brilliant green begin to take over and the purples and the yellows and
the brilliance of the reds of flowers begin to bloom I again say oh God how
awesome you are look today know that there is a seasonal process to your life
you may feel like you're in the fall or the winter but can I tell somebody today
that God's creative work it's not done with you and your life he's bringing it
full circle
Job said he hangeth the world on nothing gave it a spin and told it to keep on
spinning and it's gonna keep on spinning he's never gonna tell it to stop spinning
the scripture says that seed time and harvest will go on forever you don't
have to wind it up like an eight-day clock he didn't have to tension on the
spring he put it in motion and it will remain in motion let me tell you
something he's put you in motion as well and know this he that began a good work
in you is also able to complete it what are you saying I'm saying don't quit now
just stand in the hall of a mighty God who watches over your everyday life the
psalmist said in 147 for he created the stars and he calls them by name well I
did just a little quick worldwide web search to see how many stars there were
you can ask that thing anything it'll give you an answer which turn on I don't
know better guess than what I had but just in our galaxy alone they estimate
200 billion trillion not 200 billion 200 billion trillion stars in our galaxy
well what is that that's 200 with 21 zeros following that's 200 with 21 zeros
it's 260 just to get a perspective that's the Milky Way galaxy and that's
just one
hallelujah baby preach with me I love it
do you think our God is mighty and it's not look the psalmist said it's not just
they're out there but he knows them by their name now let's get a little
something in perspective I might could call about 40 to 60 of your names when I
see you but your face come to me at Walmart Oh brother how you doing you
know that I'm drawing a blank if I call you brother or hey sis you say pastor
don't know my name for nothing but I know your face hello he not only knows
our faces but he knows our name and he knows that we have been fearfully and
wonderfully made because he has made us so the next time you feel all alone
remind yourself that you're not you're not sold out by his voice by his arm
you got to understand there's no committee that was in question or
convened he just created he's mighty in his compassion look what he says thou
show us loving kindness under thousands
you and I we all have a compassion limiter switch
I say you and I we all have a compassion limiter switch now most all of us have
empathy without a limit we all see people's problems we try to
understand their problems but empathy don't always give away to compassion
compassion takes it to the next level we see people's problems we understand
their problems and we are in effort trying to search out a way to help the
problem now that's where our limiter kicks in we limit it at the line of help
we all like to think we're very compassionate but I think we're more
empathetic than we are compassionate because I mean I'd love to be able to
when I pass individuals on corners with their signs I'd love to tell you that I
never passed one up without putting something in their hand no I'm not that
compassionate well pastor how do you expect us to be sometimes it's do what I
say not what I do
as I endeavor at the greatest of my ability to be the perfect example before
you I fail I fail do I have empathy yes I do but the on the other side of me
saying you look healthy get a job
if I see you fire up a smoke and dial on your cell phone my compassion is even
left with empathy I got to help myself somebody say help him Lord help pastor
move on he's taking too long
what I'm saying is we have compassion limiters God does not to thousands he
has compassion he not only understands and empathizes with you and I but he
suffered the Lord suffered beyond anything that you and I could ever
suffer crucified I've not been crucified so he not only has him but the but he
has compassion Matthew 14 14 Jesus went forth and he saw a great multitude and
was moved with compassion toward them and he healed their sick compassion our
limiters are because of prejudice hurts from past accusations and limits arise
and I know that we all try to be as compassionate as possible but there have
been those times and will be other times that we failed toward others but if you
got just an extra moment or two I want us to go to Psalm 136 if you'll just
indulge me for a few minutes to read this to us his mercy never fails his
mercy his compassions are new every morning Oh give thanks unto the Lord for
he is good for his mercy endures forever give thanks unto the God of gods for his
mercy endures forever Oh give thanks to the Lord of Lords for his mercy endures
forever to him who alone do with great wonders for his mercy endures forever
to him that my wisdom made the heavens for his mercy endures forever to him
that stretched out the earth above the waters for his mercy endures forever
there's 26 of these there's 26 of those descriptives of God's compassion and
God's mercy 17 to him which smoked great kings for his mercy endured forever
18 and slew famous Kings for his mercy endures forever 21 and gave their land
for an heritage for his mercy endured forever 24 and hath redeemed us from our
enemies for his mercy endures forever 26 Oh give thanks unto the God of heaven
for his mercy endures forever there's no end to his compassion and we in our sin
crucified his son his only begotten but his mercy endures forever and his
compassion for us in our failures are forever
only God creates and only God can cleanse of sin only God only God can
cleanse he's mighty in his counsel it's estimated 282 billion dollars a year in
the u.s. alone is spent toward mental wellness
282 billion dollars a year
why because this world that we're in is torn up and we don't have the answers
and people need help
you hear you pastor this morning oh there was a day when I'd preach it so hot
and hard that God's all you need and he is but then I turn around say if you're
going there you're wasting your time and money but you're not
there are times that we need places when we don't know how to help ourselves that
others that are trained and educated in the way of humanity can help us get back
on track they can help us see straight but they do not trump the counsel of
God's Word but sometimes we got to get our mind on straight enough to even see
the word to hear the word because we're so tormented people are so tormented by
the aspects of daily life relationships in their homes on their jobs many are
paralyzed unable to function in society and if we can help one another we should
help each other 282 billion dollars
in the u.s. alone that's not globally that's the u.s.
people searching for help but God is mighty in counsel
hallelujah he'll never steer you wrong amen he'll never lead you off track
you can you can look through scripture and see how God counsels when you're in
unrecognizable situations with no escapes seeming possible he's going to
counsel you to do something that is contrary to what you're feeling we
search for the escape to run to flee but the Lord says stand still see my
salvation see what I will do for you see how I'll deliver you he would counsel
and Abraham to fear not for out of thee from you Abraham to a Joshua he would
say be strong and courageous as I was with Moses so shall I be with you and
there's no man gonna be able to stand in front of you and stop you because I'm
with you to a Paul he would say and this I think we can more of us can relate
with the Apostle Paul in his dilemma than we can with an Abraham or with a
Moses or with a Joshua because you see Paul had a physical condition that he'd
been praying for healing and deliverance and trying to get help trying to get set
free and he said I know I prayed through three times and I still got this thing
then he's praying and he hears the Lord speak to him my grace is sufficient for
you in weakness do I manifest my strength now you see that's where most of
us live I'm not standing in front of a Red Sea in an Egyptian army but
sometimes I get afflicted old flesh gets bound up and I've prayed and it doesn't
get any better hello anybody I've got problems and issues and situations and I
know I've prayed through not till I got finished but I touched heaven and it's
still the same and by faith I get up the next morning like we all do but to know
that his grace is sufficient no greater counsel stand with me I'm
closing
and I think what's best for us all to know
as we don't know what we don't know what's in front of us I want you to know
that God is mighty in compensation he said he's going to give to everyone
according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doing is what Jeremiah
said
you can't out give God
I have learned
to sow my way out of my greatest needs what does that mean that means when I
have a financial need I give
because you cannot out give God and he's mighty in compensation that's the reason
when you tell people well I'm a tither well what's that mean you said well I
tithe I give to the Lord 10% of my gross unless you're one of those net tithers
ask me about that sometime I got a story for you I'm a gross tither they say you
mean to tell me you you give 10% yes I do matter of fact it really gets them
when you tell them I've been known to do even better than that well how you make
it now I said ah therein lies the testimony y'all do more with my 90 than
I can do with the whole hundred percent of it
and they just I say you'll never figure it out so don't even try that's just the
way God works his math doesn't add up when you're trying to add subtract he's
trying to multiply and divide so we're behind you can't out give him but he
will reward you
you work all week some of you don't get what you deserve but you get what you
agreed to take
but you'll never be compensated like faithfulness to God he will supply all
of your need according to his riches to the Ephesians in the sixth chapter
nearing the end Paul wrote this finally my brethren be strong with the Lord and
in the power of his might his heights unscalable strength is immeasurable
greatness far surpassing our imagination
his glory is all illuminating his mercy is far exceeding power unlimited his joy
unspeakable his holiness is untouchable he's holy his mercy undeniable and his
grace always available father I love you this morning
when I'm down when I'm out when I'm discouraged
may I be like Jeremiah and just kind of take a good look around me and see how
mighty you are and what I see is impending chaos in my life and I'm
alarmed but that you are not alarmed but are in control and may I forever be
dependent on your mighty hand because in my chaos you can step in and
create calm
when I'm so down and I'm so out
your loving kindness extends to me
when I don't know what to do don't know which way to go in life don't know what
choice to make you are my counselor
and for every time Lord when I thought I couldn't make it
you supplied you supplied when we didn't have enough you saw that we had more
than enough
threatening to come take my home you make a way out of it
you make a way and I love you for it