[0:00] 2 Kings chapter 6. We're going to begin reading from verse 8.! Hear the word of the Lord.
[0:13] Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel.! After conferring with his officers, he said, I will set up my camp in such and such a place.
[0:26] The man of God sent word to the king of Israel, Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.
[0:38] So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again, Elisha warned the king so that he was on his guard in such places.
[0:53] This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?
[1:08] None of us, my lord the king, said one of his officers. But Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, Tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.
[1:26] Go find out where he is, the king ordered, So I can send men and capture him. The report came back. He is in Dothan.
[1:37] Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, An army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city.
[2:00] Oh, my lord, what shall we do? The servant asked. Don't be afraid, the prophet answered. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.
[2:17] And Elisha prayed. Oh, lord, open his eyes so that he may see. Then the lord opened the servant's eyes.
[2:29] And he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the lord, Strike these people with blindness.
[2:49] So he struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked. Elisha told them, This is not the road and this is not the city.
[3:00] Follow me and I will lead you to the man you are looking for. And he led them to Samaria. After they entered the city, Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.
[3:17] Then the lord opened their eyes. And they looked. And there they were inside Samaria. When the king of Israel saw them, He asked Elisha, Shall I kill them, my father?
[3:34] Shall I kill them? Do not kill them, he answered. Would you kill men you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink, And then go back to their master.
[3:51] So he prepared a great feast for them. And after they had finished eating and drinking, He sent them away, And they returned to their master.
[4:02] So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel's territory. You're useless.
[4:30] You're worthless. You're fat. You're ugly. You're stupid. People don't really want you, And God probably doesn't want you either. That incessant, that constant, that relentless voice.
[4:46] And I said it's a voice that some of you hear all the time. And really the only hope that you have then is to hear a louder voice. A voice that can pierce through that voice And give you something different to listen to.
[5:01] A stronger voice. And it's God's voice. And God's voice says, I made you. I love you. I want you. I don't merely put up with you.
[5:13] I sought you. I found you. I want to be near you. No one forced you on me. I went looking for you.
[5:25] And I found you. And I want to be near you. That's the gospel. That's the good news that the Bible is all about. That Jesus Christ came to save sinners.
[5:36] And I'm the worst. And he came and he sought me. And he saved me. That's the gospel. And we talked a little bit about where that voice often comes from.
[5:48] Sometimes it's your temperament. Your general attitude. The way. Your general attitude toward life. The way God created you. Your posture towards life.
[5:59] But for many it comes from something in the past. It's a past traumatic experience. Like adoption. Or a big past failure. Or a series of little failures.
[6:10] And that voice has crept louder and louder and louder. Until now you hear it all the time. So it's what happened to me. Or what I did.
[6:21] What they did to me. Or maybe something that I did to them. And so the past. The past opens this door.
[6:32] To this present frozen heart. Paralyzed. Paralyzed under this voice. And that was two weeks ago.
[6:43] And today I don't want to talk about the past. Today I want to talk about the future. The future. Because we said God is greater than that self-hate.
[6:54] God's voice is greater. Has more authority. More power. Is able to free us from that voice of self-hate. So God is greater than the past. Now today I want to look at and see that God is greater than the future.
[7:10] Than the future. And so Christian. Our battle is against the devil. He opposes us.
[7:23] And I don't want you to miss this. Or misunderstand this. Because I sometimes think that. We think. The devil has to make sense.
[7:34] Or that he has to play fair. Don't miss this. He'll use your past against you. But he's not a one trick pony. He'll turn around and use the future against you.
[7:46] He doesn't hesitate to do something different. And I'm talking past, present. But we could talk about it in many ways. He doesn't mind doing something different. He doesn't even mind contradicting himself.
[7:57] He doesn't mind being inconsistent. His goal is consistent. He always wants to cripple the work of God in your heart. But he has no problem. Saying one thing.
[8:09] And then turning around and saying the exact opposite. Or saying one thing one time. And saying something different the next time. The only goal is to cripple the work of God in your heart. And however he has to do that.
[8:20] However he has to fill your heart with arrows. Or with fear. Or with consternation. Or with just difficulties or doubts. He'll do it. And so whether he's using the past.
[8:33] Or whether he's using the future. We have to see that the answer is the same. The answer is still the same. The answer is our God.
[8:44] God is greater than our past. And God is greater than our future. So whatever came before. You can think about your life. Whatever came before. Good or bad.
[8:55] God is greater than that. And whatever you will face in the future. Be it big. Or be it small. Be it terrible. God is greater than that.
[9:07] So not so many of you. I think struggle with self-hate. With what we talked about a couple of weeks ago. Although several of you. I did want to say this.
[9:17] Although several of you. Came up to me after that sermon last week. Or two weeks ago. And said. That's exactly what I needed to hear. And the reason I. And I'm sharing that with you now.
[9:28] Is because if that. If that's you. If that sermon was saying. Was really speaking definitely to you. I want you to know that you're not alone. There's brothers and sisters who know exactly.
[9:38] What you're going through. They know that voice of self-hate. You're not. You're not alone. Not at all. But on the whole. I don't think it's probably most of you.
[9:49] Struggle with that incessant voice. That I was talking about. But who here. Who here. Doesn't struggle with the fear of the future. With concerns.
[10:02] Whether it's short term or long term. With this anxiety about what is coming up. What is going to happen. What is ahead. Maybe it's the short term.
[10:12] The short term. So today's Sunday. Tomorrow is Monday. It's going to be the first day of the week. First day of the work week. For a lot of you. And you're going to face.
[10:25] And I know that feeling of. Oh no. Monday is coming. And I have to go back to that job. I have to go back and face that boss. And I have to go to that class. Or I have that appointment.
[10:36] And it fills you with this sort of low grade dread. I don't know if I'm going to be able to take it again. Or in two weeks.
[10:47] Two weeks. His parents are coming. And what are they going to say to me this time? What problem are they going to have this time? What are they going to pick on this time? We all know those kinds of short term anxieties.
[10:59] Those short term fears of. These things are coming. And I'm not looking forward to it. Or maybe it's midterm fears. What's going to happen in a year or two?
[11:12] So you're in high school. And. You've got to pick a college. And you've got to choose a major. And those are big decisions.
[11:24] What's going to happen? Where should I go? Am I going to have what it takes? Or maybe. I think what's even worse is now college is nearly over. And now the work world is really in front of me.
[11:39] And I have to go get a job. I have to go and sell myself. And I'm leaving the school bubble. And everything I've ever known. And I'm pretty good here. I'm pretty good with what I'm doing now.
[11:50] But out there that's going to be harder. Will I be able to find a job? Or I have a job. But it looks like the. Either the job is changing.
[12:01] The management is changing. Who knows what's going to happen? What about this happens? Or that changes? What is going to become of me? Am I going to be able to make it? Am I going to be able to cope?
[12:13] So those are midterm fears. They're not sort of going to happen tomorrow. But they're out there. They're out there. And we're going to be coming on them in the next year or so.
[12:23] But then there are all the long range fears. Of old age. Or retirements.
[12:34] Or will I get married? Will I be able to find anyone? Am I going to be 40? Am I going to be 50? And single?
[12:45] How am I ever going to retire? What about cancer? I mean it's frightening. Nowadays they can do these DNA tests. And you can find out how susceptible you are to so many cancers.
[12:57] And the question is do you find out or do you not? And once you know. How do you live with that? What do you do about it? Or maybe mom and dad had Alzheimer's or dementia.
[13:10] And I'm afraid. What about if that happens to me? What's going to happen to me? What's going to happen to me mentally? Or what about my children? What about our country?
[13:24] What about our children living in this country? What's it going to be like for them? What about terrorism? Maybe it's what am I going to be called to suffer? What is God going to call me to suffer?
[13:36] One woman. But she really could be any of us. She worried about that. That scared her.
[13:48] She was always afraid of what God might call her to suffer. And her pastor was talking with her. And she said I believe. But I don't know if I really could call myself a Christian.
[14:00] And the pastor said well why? Why do you say that? Well I've been reading. I've been reading about these people in the past. These Christians in the past.
[14:11] And what they've had to suffer. And how they did it. And they were persecuted for Christ's sake. And they were imprisoned. And they had everything taken from them. And they lost family members. They lost children.
[14:22] And husbands. And wives. And they never forsook Christ. They never strayed. They stayed faithful. And I've tried to imagine myself going through that.
[14:34] I don't know if I would be able to do that. Now what made it worse is she had a little three year old boy. And so she would ask herself.
[14:46] If it came between giving up Christ. And giving up my three year old boy. I don't know if I could do it. I don't know if I would have the strength.
[14:59] Well she was afraid of that. And it drug her down. Never mind that God hadn't called her to that yet. And maybe never would. I mean I imagine proportionally.
[15:11] Something that extreme is pretty rare. But either way the devil had his way. Because now she was paralyzed in those fears. The fear of the future.
[15:23] And she was absorbed in that fear. Of that possible future. And she lost her joy. And she lost her ability. And her assurance. And she lost her ability to really live a joyful, zealous Christian life.
[15:36] Because this fear had gripped her. And that's something that we all face. You can read about Jacob and how he died.
[15:48] Remember Jacob and he died. He put his feet up in the bed and he passed away. And I think we all wish for that kind of death. Where we put our feet in the bed. And we fall asleep.
[15:59] And gentle as a breeze. But there's no promise of that. The promise is we'll have trouble. The promise is we will be persecuted.
[16:11] So we're not guaranteed any sort of death. We'll have trouble. So those kind of fears. And you could probably put your own face and name.
[16:24] And write down your own fears. But let's move on. I'm sure you can think of your own. Maybe some of you struggle with that fear of the future more than others.
[16:35] Maybe the long term doesn't concern you very much at all. It's the short term. Or maybe the short term is no problem. But your mind and your heart rests on those long term worries.
[16:47] It's all of us. To be human is just to not know the future. Isn't it? I mean, that's sort of stating the obvious. But when you don't know, that is fertile ground for fear to grow up.
[17:02] And when fear grows up, it can often be like those vines. And they just grow right around you and right around your heart. And paralyze you. And trouble you. Until you can barely move.
[17:14] You can barely breathe. And that's the voice of fear. Saying, what's going to happen? What's going to become of you?
[17:26] Are you going to have what it takes? Well, where is the answer? What is the answer? Well, the Bible is full of good answers.
[17:39] And I want to take you to three or four passages this morning. And I want you to look at and listen to what the voice of God says. And in hearing that, what you find is that God's voice cuts through the voice of fear.
[17:55] Because sometimes fear can be so loud and so constant that we can hear no other voice. But when we come to the Word of God, and when we really sit down under it, and we listen to it, we hear the voice of God cutting through that fear.
[18:10] Cutting those vines. Setting our hearts free. So that we can once again live in zeal, and joy, and assurance, and hope. Despite not knowing the future.
[18:22] Despite not knowing the future. And so, I want to turn to three or four passages, like I said. And the first one is Hebrews chapter 13. So if you could take your Bibles, and if you're in 2 Kings, you're going to have to turn all the way to the other end of your Bible.
[18:36] To Hebrews chapter 13. And I want to look at verse 5, and we're going to read a few verses here.
[18:46] Hebrews chapter 13, verse 5. And while you're turning there, I'll just remind you of the context of Hebrews. They had suffered for the faith.
[18:59] And there was probably more suffering going on. And the whole point of Hebrews is, you need to stay faithful. It's not about beginning well, it's about ending well. So stay faithful. In Hebrews 13, verse 5, the author is now going to pour out some sweet truth to help them with that fear of not knowing what they're going to face.
[19:20] So 13, 5. Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be content with what you have. Because God has said, this is the voice of God speaking.
[19:33] God has said, never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you. And so we say with confidence, the Lord is my helper.
[19:44] I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? And then skip down to verse 8. And there it says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
[20:03] So we talked about the voice of self-hate. And again, fear has its own voice. And what does fear say to us? You're going to be alone.
[20:17] You'll be alone. You won't have what it takes. It will be too much. It's going to destroy you.
[20:29] It will ruin you. It will just, you'll be undone. If I'm single and 40, how am I going to ever live through that?
[20:44] How is that ever going to, how am I ever going to be able to make it? Or take it? If my boss keeps going on like he is, how am I going to make it?
[20:56] How am I going to be able to take that? I'll be there and I'll just be drowning. If I'm persecuted, it's going to be too much. It's going to be too painful.
[21:07] It's going to hurt too much. It's going to demand too much of me. I'm going to be ruined. I'm going to be undone. I'm going to be alone. I'm going to be abandoned. Or after I graduate, I won't be able to find a job.
[21:20] I'm not good at selling myself. I hate interviews. What am I going to do? I won't be able to provide. I won't be able to get on with my life.
[21:31] The voice of fear is like that, isn't it? It's real. It speaks to us and it tells us you're going to be alone. You're not going to have what it takes. You're going to be ruined.
[21:42] You're going to be undone. Abandoned and alone. But did you hear the other voice in Hebrews chapter 13? Never will I leave you.
[21:56] Never will I forsake you. If you are single and 40, I'll be there. I'll be there.
[22:09] And I won't change. Because I don't change yesterday, today, or forever.
[22:20] I'm not going to change. What I am for you right now, I'm going to be for you right then. I'm going to be supporting you. I'm going to be holding you. I'm going to be helping you. I'm going to be giving you strength. Just like I do now, I'm going to be doing that then.
[22:33] And if your boss keeps on going like he is, God says, I'll be there tomorrow. I'm going to be there tomorrow, Monday morning. I'm going to be there. And never will I leave you.
[22:43] And just as full of grace and help and mercy as I am today, just as I stand beside you right now and hold you up and support you today, I'm going to help you tomorrow.
[22:56] And if you're persecuted, if you're drug in front of courts and judges, I'll be there. I will be there.
[23:08] In 2 Timothy, Paul talks about what happened to him in a case just like that. And he says this, At my first offense, no one came to my support.
[23:20] That had to be one of Paul's worst fears actually coming to life, to reality. I am going to go and stand before Caesar himself, and no one's going to stand with me.
[23:33] No one's going to be there beforehand to pray with me. No one's going to walk up to the courtroom with me, to support me, to help me. No one's going to be there to remind me of what to say.
[23:45] It's just going to be me. That had to be one of Paul's worst fears, being alone. But he wasn't alone. Because Paul goes on and says, No one came to my support, but the Lord stood at my side and gave me support.
[24:04] And so what are we so afraid of when we look into the future? That we are going to be there, and we are going to be alone, and we're not going to have the strength to cope with whatever we're facing.
[24:16] The little anxieties of the future. The little anxieties. I have to preach. I've done it hundreds of times.
[24:27] You think that there would be no more fear. But who is sufficient for these things? Maybe this time will be different. Maybe I'll go up there and I'll lose it, and I won't have it.
[24:38] I won't have the strength. But Paul says, I wasn't alone. He stood at my side, and he gave me support. He had his arm right around me, and my arm was around him, and he was holding me up.
[24:53] So Paul says, I was alone, but I wasn't alone. Everyone else might give way. But Jesus won't give way, because he's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Never will I leave you.
[25:04] Never will I forsake you. So the voice of fear... The voice of fear says, this time will be different.
[25:17] Jesus says, I'm the same. The voice of fear says, you're going to be alone. And Jesus says, I'll never leave you. Jesus says, I've been on trial before.
[25:30] I've been in the worst of situations before. The whole Sanhedrin were there, and all the teachers, and the Pharisees, they were all there, and they were all bringing up these charges against me, and then they brought in the liars, and they just lied about me.
[25:46] And I was there. And so, I went to King Herod, and I went to Pilate, and they all stood against me. And so when it comes time for your trial, it's not my first time.
[26:02] I've been there before, and I'll be there again. And so I'll never forsake you. Tomorrow, two years from now, 25, 30, 40 years ago, retirement, cancer, old age, widowhood, singleness, I will be there.
[26:22] Full of grace. Full of help. Full of strength. Ready to help. Just as I am today, that's how I'm going to be tomorrow. And the day after that, because I don't change.
[26:35] Well, that's Hebrews chapter 13. The second passage I want to turn you to is 2 Timothy 1, 7. 2 Timothy. So turn back just a few pages.
[26:47] 2 Timothy, chapter 1, verse 7. I've kind of already, remember, I've given you some of the context. We've already quoted this. Paul is on, has been on trial.
[26:58] He's in prison. And he's really come down to his last days. And Paul is writing to Timothy.
[27:13] Now, if you're Timothy, how are you feeling? Then just think about this. Paul is dying. He's on his, he's getting ready to be executed.
[27:24] It seems like the end is near for Paul. Now, you're Timothy. How do you feel? What would you think if your mentor, your father figure, the one who helped you and guided you?
[27:43] Seems that Timothy had a hard time standing up for himself sometimes. Timothy was never going to be the CEO of some sort of Fortune 500 company with a powerful personality that he just rose to the top, a natural born leader.
[27:59] That wasn't Timothy. Time and again, Paul had to write on Timothy's behalf. He said, listen to him. There's no one like him. He had to write for Timothy because Timothy is just this naturally more passive person.
[28:18] He's not impervious to fear. He's not, it's not like he just has no problem with it. And so here, here's Paul, the one who stood by Timothy for so long and stood up for him and helped him and taught him and instructed him.
[28:35] And now he's on his way out. And so Timothy has to be thinking, what's going to be happening to me? But also, what's going to be happening to all these churches? What's going to be happening to this huge movement?
[28:48] What's going to be happening to this ministry? Now look at 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 7. And Paul says, for God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
[29:09] Now, you can't, you can't miss the correction here. This word of rebuke, maybe, and maybe it's as harsh as that, this rebuke. Timothy, God did not give us a spirit of timidity, of fear.
[29:26] That's not what kind of person you are. That's not what spirit, the spirit of God is. That's not what kind of spirit you have received. Fear shouldn't, shouldn't dominate you.
[29:38] That's not right. It's not fitting. It doesn't belong. That fear, the fear of the future, that fear, that doubt of, is God going to show up for me?
[29:50] What's going to happen? That maybe even pessimism about everything in the future. That fear dishonors Jesus. That fear dishonors God.
[30:02] That fear dishonors the Holy Spirit because he's not that kind of spirit. He himself is not a coward and he doesn't make us cowards. So Timothy, God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but what kind of spirit has God given us?
[30:21] A spirit of power. Remember again, what is one of the things that fear is always saying? You're not going to have what it takes. You're not going to have the power.
[30:32] You're not going to have the strength to endure. You're not going to have the strength to overcome. You're not going to have it. And Paul says, no. God has given us the spirit of power.
[30:45] And he's given us the spirit of love. We fear that we're just going to collapse in on ourselves, don't we? We're just going to fall in like a building and collapse down upon ourselves.
[31:03] But Paul says, you won't collapse in on yourself. That moment that you so much dread, when that moment comes, instead of collapsing in on yourself, the spirit is going to be there with this power of love to move you out.
[31:21] Instead of just crashing down and thinking only of yourself, you're going to reach out and you're going to have love and concern for others.
[31:31] that's what the spirit does. He's the spirit of love. And then Paul says, now Timothy, he's also the spirit of self-discipline or self-control or sober-mindedness.
[31:43] And Sunday evening, several weeks ago, in the communion service, I told you the story or I told the congregation the story of this young English or Scottish girl.
[32:00] She was a covenanter. And she lived in Scotland about 350 years ago and she lived in a time of persecution. It was called the killing times.
[32:11] 18,000 covenanters were caught, arrested, hanged, and scattered all throughout South Scotland are memorials and graves of these covenanters.
[32:31] And that's what this young lady was. Anyways, it was a Sunday afternoon and she was hoping to go out of town, out into the countryside. to have a communion service.
[32:43] And of course, those communion services were strictly prohibited. And soldiers and agents were all around the city looking for people who were going to this communion service.
[32:56] And she turned around the corner and as she turned around the corner, there was a band of soldiers right there and she was trapped. She was stuck. And who are you?
[33:10] Where are you going? What are you doing? Well, what would you say? Well, amazing, in a flash, in a moment, like lightning, it just came to her what to say.
[33:25] And she said, my elder brother has died and they're going to read his will this afternoon and he's done something for me and he's left something for me and I want to hear them read the will.
[33:36] And that's true. Her elder brother had died. He had done something for her. He had left something for her. And in communion, you read the will of what Jesus Christ has done and left for us.
[33:53] And so they let her go. And that's what 2nd Timothy 1 7, this little word, self-control, self-discipline, sober-mindedness, is talking about.
[34:04] God gives us a spirit of that sober-mindedness. He helps us to keep our wits about us. He helps us to think in moments of great fear and great danger.
[34:21] And she knew exactly what to say and she knew exactly how to say it. Well, how was that? It wasn't she was so smart. She was so educated. The spirit of God helped her in that moment.
[34:33] He's a spirit of self-discipline to help her think. And so this is a great comfort to me and it should be a great comfort to you because tomorrow and the next week and two years and so on, however, wherever that fear is, the spirit of God is going to be there to help you, to give you power and love and to keep your wits about you so that you'll be able to go through that situation, whatever that situation might be, not out of your mind, not collapsed in on yourself, not undone, but with power and love and self-control.
[35:17] that's the second passage and just one last passage. It's the passage I had read for you.
[35:28] It's the passage about the king of Aram and Elisha from 2 Kings. And this passage just illustrates, it illustrates another reason we don't have to be afraid of the future.
[35:42] You don't have to be afraid of the future. And you remember the story, the king of Aram had sent horses and chariots and that's a very important term. I want you to remember that.
[35:53] It's repeated at least three times in 2 Kings. The king of Aram sent horses and chariots against the town where Elisha was. And so there they were, they wrapped around the town, they filled up the hill, there they were, they were ready to get Elisha.
[36:09] And so you remember, Elisha's servant woke up, went outside and he sees the horses and chariots. And he says, my lord, what are we going to do?
[36:20] What shall we do? We can't escape. We're done for. So now it's the, the fear of the future is the immediate future. What's going to happen in one hour?
[36:30] What's going to happen in a half an hour? How are we going to escape? And Elisha said, don't be afraid. There's more for us than there are for them. And the servant must have had this incredulous, like, I can't believe, I don't know what you're talking about.
[36:42] Look. And so Elisha says, Elisha prayed, Lord, open his eyes. And the Lord opened his eyes. And what did he see?
[36:56] He saw horses and chariots from the king of Aram. But then he also saw more horses and chariots. And this wasn't from the king of Aram.
[37:09] Those horses and chariots were from the king of heaven. And the horses and chariots were flesh and blood and metal and steel. But the second pair of horses and chariots were of fire.
[37:25] It was almost like God was saying, are you sending horses and chariots against my servant? I'll send horses and chariots too. Are you going to send so many?
[37:37] I'll send more. Are yours metal and flesh and strong? Mine are going to be a fire. Now why shouldn't we fear the future?
[37:50] Either tomorrow or a long time from now? Because of what this story in 2 Kings teaches us. And it teaches us this, that whatever trial, whatever enemy, whatever danger, whatever situation you're in, no matter how big and bad it is, my help will be bigger.
[38:19] My help will be greater. My help will be stronger. And so when you face horses and chariots, I'll be there. And I'll be there with horses and chariots of fire.
[38:29] the New Testament version of this is from 2 Corinthians, where Paul was facing an enduring trial, the thorn in his flesh.
[38:43] And it wasn't going away, and it wasn't God's intention for it to go away. And Paul prayed three times, three seasons of prayer, of intense, fervent prayer, Lord, please take this away.
[38:56] And Jesus responded, no, but my grace is sufficient for you. It's enough. Whatever trial you're facing, Paul, whatever that thorn in the flesh is doing to you, my grace is more than that.
[39:11] However, is the grace, or is the trial up to 80? My grace is going to be 90. It's going to be 100. It's going to be more than whatever you confront. And so, put names, put faces, write it down.
[39:26] Now, what about the future makes you afraid? What do you so much dread? Now, listen to their voices. Listen to what they're saying. You're not going to have enough.
[39:38] We're going to be bigger and better than you are. We're going to overcome you. You're going to be undone. You're going to be ruined. You're going to be alone. Open your eyes and open your ears and listen to what God is saying.
[39:54] I'm going to be there. I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. And I'm going to be there with enough help to get you through it, to protect you, that you might conquer, that you might overcome.
[40:11] Because the story in 2 Kings has this amazing turnaround. Because it begins with Elisha and his servant at the mercy of this king of Aram and his army.
[40:23] But by the end of the story, the king of Aram's army is at the mercy of Elisha. They lived or they died based on Elisha's word.
[40:37] God had so turned the situation around that Elisha was the conqueror. And that's our God. That's our God.
[40:47] whatever you face, he will make that situation, that trial, those circumstances, those people, he will make them end up serving you. He will make them do you good.
[40:59] That's our God. He's greater than our past. He's greater than our future. He's greater than that voice of self-hate that comes out of the past. And he's greater than that fear of the future.
[41:12] And so let me ask you, do you know that God? Can you look at your future whatever that is and say, you know what? I have peace in my soul. It's going to be good.
[41:23] It's going to be great. God is going to be there. Jesus is not going to change and yeah, I will have needs, but God will have greater help. So do you know that God?
[41:35] Is that God your God? For many of you, he is. For many people here, that is your God. God, they came to know God.
[41:47] And how did all these people come to know God? How did they come to have this relationship and this great expectancy and this hope? Well, it wasn't through their own good works.
[42:00] It was through Jesus Christ. They trusted him. Because Jesus said, I came to save sinners. I came to rescue. And they cried for mercy.
[42:12] mercy. And I heard them. And now I'm never going to leave them. So my question for you, if you're lost, is why can't that God be your God? Why can't this great God of the past and the great God of the present and the future, why can't he be your God?
[42:29] Jesus' arms are open wide. There's no reluctancy in his heart. He's pleading with sinners to come. The only reluctancy, the only reluctant heart is your heart.
[42:42] So why can't that be you? The gospel is come to me. Come weak, come tired, come afraid, come to me, and I'll heal you, and I'll help you, and I'll forgive you, and I'll save you.
[42:54] And he'll change you, and he'll rescue you from your past, and he'll give you a bright future. He's that kind of God. He's greater than you are, and he's greater than your sin, and he can save you from it through Jesus Christ.
[43:07] And so press in, press home, and come to Jesus. Let's pray. Our Lord, we do thank you that we can have this great hope because of these promises that you have given us, because you are the same yesterday, today, and forever.
[43:29] you've promised that you'll never leave us, you'll never forsake us. So, tomorrow morning, with the burdens, and the trials, and the situations that so many here are going to be facing at work, and we're at school, the problems that we feel are just going to be too much, and they'll undo us, and we're not looking forward to it, I pray, Lord, that you would show us that you're going to be there for us, and with us.
[43:56] And you've not given us a spirit of fear that should just be in dread all the time, but you've given us a spirit of power, and of love, and of self-discipline.
[44:09] That whatever help we need, you will send. Whatever trials we will face, your help will be greater and stronger. So, I pray for my brothers and sisters, and I pray that you would give them strength and faith and believing.
[44:26] Hope and faith. For those who are lost, Lord, what a way to go through life afraid of the future. Please save.
[44:41] Please rescue. Do it for Jesus' sake. In his name, amen.