[August 10. 2008] THIS IS A JOB FOR GOD
- pastor Dennis Leonard (Heritage christian Center in Denver, Colorado, the US)
Daniel 3:14-17 (KJV)
Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them,Is it true, O Shadrach, Mechach, and Abednego, donot ye serve my gods, norworship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; will: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that Godthat shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Nechach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar; we are not careful to answer theein this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
1. The three Hebrew boys refused tocompromise their stand for the Lord.
a. The enemy gets mad shen you take a stand for the Lord.
b. When youstand up to the ways of this world, the enemy will heat wituations upin your life.
c. The enemy will attempt to use discouragement because of your stand for Jesus Christ.
2. When you are in a spiritual fight, you have toget down in the trenches and pray.
a. "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:16
b. It's our prayers of earth that move all of heaven.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ is under attack as never before.
a. There is great persecution today for those whostand up for Jesus Christ.
b. The enemy is waging a final war against those who love the Lord.
c. The true Church is the devil's only threat.
4. We think that if we're living for the Lord, everything will go nice and smooth.
a. God may not take the heat out of your situation, but He will preserve you in the middle of it.
b. You may be in an impossible situation, but that is when it is a job for God.
c. Out of nowhere, the Son of God jumped out of eternity and into the lives of the three Hebrew boys. What He did for them, He will do for you.
5. Do you ever wonder why God waits until the last minute to answer your prayers?
a. It is so He receivers "Maximum Glory."
b. If the king would have changed his mind about throwing the three Hebrew boys in the fire, the king would have received the glory.
c. God waits until the last possible minute, so you know that it was God that delivered you.
6. Some people think faith will get them anything they want.
a. True faith continues to serve the Lord, even when you don't get what you want.
b. True faith says,"I will trust in the Lord and in the Power of Hes Might."
c. God wants each of us to reach the point thatwe walk in faith and put control in His hands.
7. God doesn't want to help you fight your battles, He wants to fight your battles for you.
a. He wants you to trust Him so much that you quit worrying over your problems.
b. He wants you to reach the point that you realize that this is a job for God.
c. "... casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7
8. It is in your weakness that you will learn to pray and trust only in Him.
a. You will never have a resurrection, without the death of your flesh.
b. You need to come to the end of yourself, so that you can see God move.
c. Be still and know that I am God... Psalm 46:10
9. God wants you toreach the point that you can say, thebattle is the Lord's and my victory has already been won.
a. It's easyto praise God when He blows up a furnace.
b. God wants to know if you will praise Him when your problems ge hotter and hotter.
10. Do you think we shout, clap, dance and sing because we are putting on a show?
a. Paul and Silas couldn't get out their mess until they began to praise God. (Acts 16:25)
b. We are sending in the Tribe of Praise and trusting God to fight our battles.
c. When trouble knocks at your door, let praise answer it... this is a job for God.
11. The Bible says that praise is the language of faith.
a. The Children of Israel were captive in Egypt for generations. Only the Blood of the passover Lamb set them free, it was a job for God.
b. When Joshua was in Jericho, he faced walls that were sixteen feet thick. There was no way to defeat that mighty city; it was a job for God.
c. Daniel faced hungry lions. He was a dead man walking, but it was just another job for God.
12. Everythins around you may look lost.
a. The odds may seem as though they are compoetely againstyou, but it's just another job for God.
