STANDING - with God's truth the foundation of our lives.

Exodus 33:21 ”...Then the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;...”

- Moses was privileged to stand by God, and see His glory.

Leviticus 26:37 “...They will therefore stumble over each other as if running from the sword, although no one is pursuing; and you will have no strength to stand up before your enemies...”

- the penalty for disobedience included an inability to stand.

1 Kings 19:11 “...So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake...”

- Elijah stood on Mt. Horeb in the midst of wind, earthquake and fire, and heard the gentle, low whisper of God.

- are we standing in the midst of clamor and chaos, and hearing God?

1 Chronicles 23:30 “...They are to stand every morning to thank and to praise the Lord, and likewise at evening,...”

- a major duty of the Levitical priests was to stand and praise the Lord.

Psalms 24:3-4 “...Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully...”

- are there conditions that qualify a person to stand in God’s presence?

Ezekiel 22:30 "...I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one..."

- when there are wrongs, oppressions, and injustices, is there anyone who will stand in the gap?

Mark 11:25 "...Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions..."

- forgiveness is essential as we stand in prayer before God.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 "...Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love..."

Ephesians 6:10-13 "...Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm..."

- what do you think it means to stand firm in the faith?

Jude 1:24 "...Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,..."

- can we be kept from stumbling? can we stand before Him blameless with great joy?

We must be willing to be gathered together by Jesus, to lay down our wants and embrace God's.

We must be waiting to be strengthened and directed.

Having put on the full armor of God, we must be standing firm.

What is the foundation of our lives? On what do we stand?

WAITING - to be strengthened and directed.

Isaiah 40:31 “...Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary...”

Context:

- the glory of the Lord shall be revealed (40:5)

- the word of our God will stand forever (40:8)

- he will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms (40:11)

- it is he who brings princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness (40:21,-23)

- he gives power to the faint and to him who has no might he increases strength (40:29)

So much to do, so little time.

So many wrongs to be righted. So many cares that need compassionate time.

Once there is a willingness, how does one prioritize and proceed?

It is God who gives power and increases strength, but we must WAIT for it.

Acts 1:4-5 “...Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now..."

- Jesus instructed His disciples to wait for the promise, the Holy Spirit.

Psalms 25:3 “...Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed...”

Psalms 37:7 “...Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes...”

Psalms 62:5 “...My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him...”

Psalms 119:114 “...You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word...”

Psalms 147:11 “...The Lord favors those who fear Him, Those who wait for His lovingkindness...”

Lamentations 3:25 “...The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him...”

What makes us so impatient that we try to tackle things prematurely?

What can we accomplish with our own strength?

What happens when we grow impatient and refuse to wait?

WILLING - to lay down our wants and embrace God's

Matthew 23:37,38 “...Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!...”

Context:

- Jesus has harsh words for the religious leaders of the day.

- They shut off the kingdom of heaven from people.

- They work hard on making converts, which are ‘sons of hell’.

- They put value in the wrong things.

- They tithe, but fail in justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

- They work on appearance, but are really self-indulgent.

- They appear righteousness but are full of hypocrisy.

- They are offspring of those who shed the blood of the prophets.

- They will mistreat the prophets and wise men sent by God.

- Jesus longs to gather His people together, but they are unwilling.

What happens when Jerusalem wants what Jerusalem wants?

- It rejects the voice of God that is sent to it.

- It misses out on the unity and safety that God offers.

- The end result is desolation.

Luke 19:41-44 “...When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. "For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation..."

What was Jerusalem’s problem and end?

- Failure to embrace God’s reality, which would have brought peace.

- Blindness that falls on those who reject God’s truth.

- Victory for the enemy.

What happens when a church wants what a church wants?

What happens when a person wants what a person wants?

Is Jesus weeping over churches today? Over people today?

Is there any answer? Is there a way to avoid defeat?

- It always starts with repentance.

- Lord, fix our wanters! Move us from our selfish personal wants to the position of embracing fully what you want. Open our blind eyes.

Review of Week 52:

BOAST: Our boasting, like Paul’s, should be in the cross of Jesus Christ alone.

SECURITY: There is no safer place than in the will of God.

IMMANUEL: From outside of this world, God has come to be with us.

LIGHT: Walking in the light leads to fellowship and cleansing.

BATTLE: Surrendering our will to God positions us for victory in Jesus.

CONVERT: Our grown up pride must be converted to childlike humility or entrance to the kingdom of heaven is unavailable.

FOLLOW: Following is not always easy, but it is always the right choice.

Dec. 30 - SPRINGS

Psalms 87:7 “...Then those who sing as well as those who play the flutes shall say, "All my springs of joy are in you..."

Context:

- there is a dwelling place of God.

- there is a dwelling place of man.

- the Lord knows us and from where we come.

- life should spring from the dwelling place of God.

What are natural virtues?

- good things that we do by nature.

- qualities that may originate from our particular personalities.

- qualities that may originate from our earthly family upbringing.

Can our natural abilities and virtues accomplish the purposes of God?

- they can work around the edges.

- they can give some sense of accomplishment.

- they always fall well short of our potential.

From where does the living water flow?

- not from the dwelling of man.

- from the dwelling place of God.

John 4:13-14 “...Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life..."

Dec. 31 - SECURITY

Isaiah 52:12 “...But you will not go out in haste, Nor will you go as fugitives; For the Lord will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard...”

Context:

- the world can be a hard place.

- the good news is that God reigns.

- security comes from a God who is positioned both ahead and behind His people.

Do we have any regrets from our yesterdays?

How does God work even our past failures for good?

How does God protect us from our past?

- God delivered Israel from the slavery of the world (Egypt).

- God positioned Himself as a rear guard to protect Israel from being overtaken by their past, and to prevent them from going back to their past.

Do we have any concerns about our tomorrows?

Can God be trusted to move us into our future?

- the land that lies before us may contain a number of fearsome giants.

- God always equips us for things we will be facing.

Can we live with confidence in our todays?

- God is good, all the time.

- every day is a good day to give our Utmost for His Highest.