This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "The Announcement Of The Birth Of Jesus", Luke 1:26-38. 12/1/2019

   

THE ANOUNCEMENT OF BIRTH OF JESUS

Luke 1:26-38

.

I. THE SELECTION OF A WILLING VESSEL

V:26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

1. God chooses those He wants to serve Him.

2. God chose to bring His son into a loving and obedient family

3. The choice was according to His prophecy.  Isa 11:1-10

II. THE RIGHT TIME

A. What was the 6 month?

     1. The sixth month of the Syro  Macedonian calendar would have been

          around March 25 our time.

     2. If Mary conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit at this time, His birth date

         would have been near December 25^th our time.

III. THE ANOUNCEMENT

V:28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus

A. Jesus birth was according to the prophecies recorded in the Old

    Testament.

   1. The angel Gabriel gave Mary all she needed to know about Jesus.

   2. She was a virgin, but would conceive a son.    Isa 7:13

   3. The name Jesus is derived from the Hebrew word Yeshua which

        means rescue or deliver.

       It is where we get  the English  word Joshua..

   4. He will be called the Son of God.    Psalms 2 :1-12

   5. He will have the throne of David.    2  Sam 7:12

   6. He will have an everlasting throne   Daniel 7:13-14

   7. He will be a descendant Jacob’s sons. Gen 49:10

   8. He would appear in Galilee.   Isa 9:1-2

IV. A FAVORED POSITION.

 The Lord chose an obedient family to bring  

 A Jesus into the world

     In human flesh

   1. We are just vessels for God use.

   2. Any time God decides to use us, we are in a favored position

   3. When God decides to use us, He blesses us with the ability to

       accomplish His plan.

B To serve God you may have to believe the impossible.

    1. Up to Mary’s time, there had been no virgin births.

    2, To serve God you have to allow Him to use you in His way.

        a. To be come pregnant before marriage would be adultery

            because Mary was promised to Joseph.

    3. To serve God you have to trust His way.

    4. The virgin birth was God way so that Jesus would be born

        by His power and not human intervention.

    5. The virgin birth was required so that Jesus would be free of the   

        generations of sins of man.

 C. When serving God troubles us, He provides comfort.

     1. It is natural for us to fear the unknown.

         God has not given us the spirit of fear, but power, love and

         sound mind.   2 Timothy 1:7

     2. God places His spirit with in us which protects and provides for our   

         needs.

     3. It is the spirit of God that gives us an understanding of His Word.

V. THE POSITION AND AUTHORITY OF JESUS

V:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God

A.  In order to listen to God, you have to humble yourself before Him.

    1. Mary had an obedient and willing spirit.

    2. She believed the Angel was from God and listened to him.

    3. How can you listen to a total stranger and believe his words are the

        truth?

    4. You have to believe that it is God that is talking to you and not your   

        flesh.

    5. How would you know?

    6. Maybe Mary’s life of obedience instilled in her the voice of God.

    7. The devil speaks lies and words of discouragement of to us,

    8, The Word of God will never contradict itself,

    9. You have to study the Bible for yourself to know the truth.

VI. LOOK AROUND AND SEE GOD’S MIRACLES

 A. If you look around you, you will see God’s miracles everyday.

    1. We are in the fall of the year,

    2. Leaves on trees that were green, turn brown and fall to the

        ground.

        a. How does a tree know the change in climate?

        b. Why are some trees and plants not affect by the weather change?

     3. If God can make the world out of nothing, why would he be limited by

         our lack of knowledge?

VII. GOD WILL ENLIGHTEN YOU TO HIS POWER

36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God."

   1. To enlighten us to His power, sometimes God will direct us to

      Specific miracles/

   2. Elizabeth, Mary’s relative was well past the child bearing age.

   3. Yet at time of announcement of Jesus, God pointed Mary to

        another one of His miracles.

    4. God used Elizabeth pregnancy to comfort Mary as she prepared herself

        for the miracle of a virgin birth.

    5. Nothing is impossible for God.

    6. Our lives in the hands of God can be the instruments of extraordinary

        events.

VIII. WHAT IT TAKES TO SERVE GOD

         A LESSON FROM MARY

V:38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

1. You have to believe that God exists in your life.

2. You have to love Him more than you love yourself.

3. You have to have your ears tuned to God at all times.

4. You have be willing to let God use you for His purposes

5. You have to know God’s Word for yourself.

6. You have to humble yourself before the Lord.

7. You need a willing and obedient spirit/

8. You have to be willing to be used by God when He calls you.

9. You have to believe that God’s way is the best way even if

    seems unreasonable to you.

10. You have to put your complete trust in God.

Why do you think doing Jesus 33 years of life, Mary did not reveal the

Virgin birth of Him to her other children?

Why do you think Mary never revealed to others that Jesus was the

 King of Kings?

    

Rev. M. MITCHELL

Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 West Sam Houston Parkway North

Houston. Texas 77041

     

Fom Halloween To New Year: Opportunities To Proclaim Jesus

   

HALOWEEN TO CHRISTMAS

OPPORTUNITY TO PROCLAIM JESUS

Acts 8:26-39

34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

The Ethiopian Eunuch travel 1600 miles from Ethiopia to Jerusalem

To worship God during the Passover festival.

Where did this rich African get his love for God?

The love for God in African began before the time of King Solomon,

963BC. As reported in 1 King  10:1-14. The Queen of Sheba an Ethiopian

Queen visited Solomon during the building of the Temple. This

Rich queen brought gold, precious stones to Solomon.. She had heard

about Solomon’s wisdom. She has a love for God. She travel by ship

to Jerusalem with her Hiram’s ships.

We have a rich African history. It is a history overlooked and under reported

by our American history books. God Himself highlights the importance

Of our history.

The reason I point this out is because this story of the Ethiopian Eunuch

Points to the spread of the Gospel to other nations, and the ignorance of

The Gospel in the in the US.

Starting in October up to Halloween we celebrate death, doom and gloom.

Departments stress are filled with costumes celebrating the realm of the devil  And his demon.

Immediately after Halloween department stores and grocery stores put up

Their Christmas declarations. This runs through the new year, We

Celebrate the birth of Christ, Even people who don’t believe in God are

Exposed to Him.

We have this awesome opportunity from October to January to proclaim

The the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God has given us the perfect platform to

Do it.

First, Halloween started  as Samhain  2000 years ago.. A day when the living

Could visit with the dead.  It revolved to a Christian celebration of All Saints day.

This Ethiopian Eunuch went to worship God, during the time of Jesus Death.

He found life in Jesus resurrection

Here is the platform for our teaching of the Gospel.

Everything about Christmas is a teaching moment.

Christmas is two words. Christ and mass. The celebration of Christ in

Mass.

 The word Christmas comes from Middle English Cristemasse, which in turn comes from Old English Cristes-messe, literally meaning Christ’s Mass.

Of course, we are not talking about the physical mass of Christ’s body. The origin of mass, in the Christian sense of the word, is not entirely clear. We know it comes from Latin missa, but there are several competing theories as to what missa is supposed to mean. Some scholars say it is a form of the Latin verb mittere, in which case it would mean “something that has been sent” (but it cannot refer to Christ himself because “missa” is grammatically feminine).

Others say that it is a late form of Latin missio, meaning “dismissal”. This is supported by the fact that Catholic masses are traditionally concluded with the words:

Ite, missa est.

which would mean, “Go, the dismissal is made”, provided this interpretation is correct.

Yet another explanation is that it is, in fact, the Hebrew word missah, “unleavened bread”, which God commanded to be offered with the Passover sacrifice in the Exodus.

The name “Christ”

The origin of the designation Christ is also not without interest. It comes from Greek Χριστός (Christós), meaning “anointed”, which is a translation of Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ māšîaḥ (“anointed”) that has been incorporated into the English language as “messiah”. Hence, “Christ” and “Messiah” mean essentially the same, the former originating in Ancient Greek and the latter in Classical Hebrew.

OUR OPPORTUNITY TO PROCLAIM JESUS

All of our pagan activities between  Halloween,  Christmas and The New Year can be taught as symbols of Christ.

Christmas Tree     Jesus is the tree of life

 Prov 11:30

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

and he who wins souls is wise.

The star on the top of the tree is represents Jesus

   

Matt 2:1-2

Magia from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the eastb and have come to worship him."

   

1 Peter 2:24

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;

   

Rev 2:7

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

  Christmas Lights.

Jesus is the light of the world

   

John 1:4-5

4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

       

John 12:36

Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.

The Christmas Decorations

The majesty of Christ

   

Ps 93:1

The Lord  reigns, he is robed in majesty;

the Lord  is robed in majesty

and is armed with strength.

The world is firmly established;

it cannot be moved.

   

Heb 8:1-2

The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.

The gifts under the tree represents the gift of salvation

   

Rom 5:15-16

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16

   

James 1:17

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Spiritual Gifts

   

Rom 12:6-8

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

At the center of worlds  illusion of Christmas is jolly old St Nick. Santa Claus

He knows when you are sleeping, He knows when you are awake

He knows when you have been good or bad.

This speaks to Christ Omniscience. Christ knows every thing about

Everybody.

This speaks to Christ Omnipresence. He is everywhere all the time.

This speaks to His Omnipotence 

   

2 Cor 9:8

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

God gives many opportunities  to proclaim the good news about Jesus

Christ so that we may fulfill his commission

   

Matt 28:19-20

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them ina the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

NIV

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "God Keep His Promises", Exodus 14:23-39, 11/24/2019

   

GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES

Exodus 14:23-31

FAILURE BY YOUR OWN DESIGN

23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord  looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.

A. God does not need your help to fulfill His promises.

    1. The previous day, the Lord told Moses to tell the people that

         they would not see the Egyptians any more forever.

    2. There are times when God moves immediately and there are

        times when God waits before He acts.

    3. This was the time when nation of Israel was in immediate

        danger and the time was right for them to see the fulfillment of

        God’s promise.

B. Notice, God acted without discussion with Moses.

   1. God saw Israel safe on the other side of the Red Sea and the Egyptian

       army in the middle of the sea.

   2. To do what God promised you, sometime God destroys you enemies.

   3. God set a trap for the Egyptian army,

      b. First God confused the minds of the army.

      c. He let Israel walk through the river bed on dry land

          letting the army think they could do the same.

      d. God moved the cloud that blocked the Egyptians from getting

          to the  people of Israel giving them a false expectation.

     e. God allowed the pride and the evil mind of the Pharaoh to

         drive his army in to a death trap.

   4. What God allows for you may be a trap for those who want to

        harm you.

   

TROUBLE DESIGNED BY GOD

V:25-27. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The Lord  is fighting for them against Egypt."

26 Then the Lord  said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place

A. Once the Egyptian army was in the red Sea, God filled the river bed

     with water so that it was like mud.

      1. There is a time when God prevents you from turning back.

      2. He will give you over to your own evil desires.

       

        Ps 81:12

        So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts

        to follow their own devices.

      3. The cloud blocking the Egyptian army was one last chance for

          Pharaoh to redeem himself.

B. The Pharaoh’s pride blinded him from seeing the power of God in

     the waters standing as a wall on both sides of the pathway.

    1. The Pharaoh couldn’t recognize that miracle wall of water would

        be his death.

    2. What God protect me in, may be the end of my enemies.

         Ps 1:6

         For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

         but the way of the wicked will perish.

    3. God hates the proud

    

        Ps 31:23

        Love the Lord, all his saints! The Lord  preserves the faithful,

        but the proud he pays back in full.

GOD HATES THE PROUD

V: 27b-28..The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen — the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

A. It was the Pharaoh’s pride that killed all his men.

    1. The evil in your heart, not only hurts you but others around you.

    2.  

    Ps 21:11

    Though they plot evil against you

    and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed;

   Ps 27:2

   When evil men advance against me

   to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me,

   they will stumble and fall.

SALVATION IN PLAIN SIGHT

V:29-31. But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord  displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord  and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

A, In God’s time, He will rescue us from our enemies.

     1. Israel was enslaved for 430 years according to a promise that

         God made with Abraham.

     2. Sometimes our troubles are designed by God to grow us up

         into a mature state so we can be blessed by Him.

B. God allows us to see His awesome power when He destroys people,

     so we can be driven to fear Him.

   1. God’s glory is in every terrible act He allows.

   2. It is by His grace and mercy that we are saved from ourselves.

      a. When Israel started complaining after being freed, God could

           have given them over unto their own desires.

      b. God could have allowed the Egyptian army to capture them.

      c. Our complaining does not change God’s plan for us.

THANK GOD FOR HIS PLAN FOR OUR LIVES

Rev. M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 West Sam Houston Parkway North

Houston, Texas 77041

For more Lessons follow me on facebook and visit my blogs

revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com

The Power Of Prayer, Mark 5:21-43

       

THE POWER OF PRAYER

Mark 5:21-24,  35-43

DON’T WASTE TIME, CALL ON JESUS

21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." 24 So Jesus went with him.

A. Why did Jairus seek Jesus?

     1. It was the rulers of the synagogues that gathered together and

         opposed Jesus.

     2. It was the rulers of the synagogues who planned the execution

         of Jesus.

     3. It was the rulers of the synagogues who chose their traditions

         over the Word of God.

B. There are folk who don’t like you, but will use you to their advantage.

    1. Jairus knew the work of Jesus even though he ran with those who

        killed Him.

    2. He may have been one of those who after witnessing the resurrection

        of  Lazarus, said ” lets, kill Jesus and Lazarus”.

    3. Yet when Jairus was faced with the death of daughter, he rushed to   

        Jesus.

    4. Even though his group wanted Jesus dead, Jairus humbled himself

       before Jesus in the presence of many witnesses and prayed.   

   5. Are there some Jairus in our group who come to Jesus only when we

      are in need?

   6. The text says, Jairus got on his knees and earnestly prayed to Jesus.

   7. Is the only time our prayers are for real is when we are in trouble.?

   8. We need to be serious about God all the time.

   9. There should never be a time when we are not in prayer.

C. Anytime you call on Jesus, He will come into your life.

   1. You can’t be to bad to call on Jesus.

   2. You may be hanging with wrong crowd, but call on Jesus.

   3. You may be doing the wrong thing, but call on Jesus.

   4. You may be thinking the wrong thoughts but call on Jesus.

   5. Your troubles may be start of relationship with Jesus.

D. Your prayers need to be specific.

   1. Jairus said my daughter is near death, come lay your

       hands on her.

   2. Your prayers need to made with confidence that Lord

        will answer them.

         a. Jairus said Jesus put you hands on my daughter,

             she will be healed and live.

        b. When you are talking to Jesus, you have to put all

             you faith and trust in Him.

        c. There were medical doctors around, but Jairus called on

             Jesus.  St Luke was a medical doctor.

        d. Dr Luke may have been good, but he was not Jesus.

IGNORE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS, CALL ON JESUS

Mark 5:35- 43

35 While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?"

36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

A. God does not always answer your prayers immediately.

    1. God may delay answering your prayers until He shows what

        He can do.

     2. Jesus didn’t rush to Jairus house.

     3. He continues to bless the crowd around Him.

     4. Jesus stayed to teach the crowd about being determined to

         come to Him with your problems.

         a. The lady with the issue of blood pressed her way to Jesus.

         b. The crowd needed to learn how to ignore those who try

              stop you from getting to Jesus.

    5. Maybe Jairus needed to see the power of Jesus before he

        faced death of his daughter.

B. There are times when negative folk will tell you its to late to

      call on Jesus.

   1. It is Jesus who encourages us to ignore our negative thoughts.

   2. It Is Jesus who encourages us to keep our faith in Him, regardless

       of our situation.

   3. Since Jesus made Jairus daughter and gave her life, He could

       restore her life. 

YOUR PRAYER CIRCLE SHOULD BE MATURE CHRISTIANS

37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep."  40 But they laughed at him.

A. Not everyone that in church ought to join with you in prayer.

    1. There were 12 disciples, but Jesus only took three of

         His strongest prayer warriors with Him.

    2. There are some prayers that believers with weak faith ought not

        be involve in with you.

    3. The other nine disciples were not invited to Jairus house.

B. You need strong prayer warriors with you, because you going to

     run in to a host of negative folk.

   1. There are times when the Word of God is a joke to people.

   2. Some people will laugh about your faith in Jesus.

   3. Some people can’t see the power of Jesus because of their unbelief.

   4. As a prayer warrior, you have to get rid of all negatives thoughts.

REMOVE UNBELIEVERS FROM YOUR PRAYER CIRCLE

After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

A. When you are trust Jesus, you have to get rid of unbelievers.

    1. You can’t hang around negative folk trusting Jesus.

    2. When you are praying for someone, involve only those who are

         concerned about welfare of one who is being prayed for,

         and those who believe in the power of Jesus.

B. Cooperative prayer is powerful.

    

   1.   James 5:14-15

     Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray         

     over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the

     prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise

     him up.

 2. God will allow you to witness miracles so you can see His glory

    and to build your faith in Him.

3.  God is concerned about the welfare of those who have been healed.

     a. To let us know that daughter was normal, Jesus revealed her

         age.

    b. Jesus also want us to know she was restored to her normal

        functions.

4. Why do you think Jesus told the parents and the disciples not

    tell anyone how the girl was healed?

     a. Maybe Jesus didn’t want the unbelieving crowd to consider

        Him an idol god.

     b. Maybe Jesus wanted to leave the unbelieving crowd in the dark

         because they refused to give Him glory.

     c. Our charge is to tell the world the good news about Jesus.

Rev. M. Mitchell

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "When You Don't Know What To Do, Just Stand", Exodus 14:10-23, 11/17/2019

   

WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO

JUST STAND

Exodus 14:10-23

TROUBLE FOLLOWS YOUR DELIVERANCE

10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord . 11 They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"

A, Having witnessed the 10 plagues of God, which affected the Egyptians   

     and  not them, they still had no faith in God.

   1. They had escaped the death angel because of blood on their door posts,

       yet they could see  God’s protection against the same Egyptians.

   2. Their lack of faith show up in their complaints to Moses.

   3. We must have confidence that if God saved us once, He can do it again.

B. Many of our complaints are about the blessing of God we already have.

   1. Israel never knew freedom, therefore didn’t know the responsibilities of     

       freedom.

   2. Israel never knew how to plan for themselves, Now they would have

       to plan.

   3. Israel never knew how to trust anyone, now they would have to learn

      to trust God.

   4. They complained because they doubted their ability to stand on

       their own.

   5. They called on the Lord, but they complained to Moses about

       God has done for them.

GOD USES YOUR TROUBLE TO GLORIFY HIMSELF

13 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord  will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.

TESTING YOUR FAITH DURING TROUBLING TIMES

1. The Israelites were physically free from Egypt, but

     spiritually enslaved to their past.

2. The had been controlled by the Pharaoh all their lives.

3. They would have to learn to allow themselves to be

    controlled by God.

SALVATION IS A PROCESS

1. Salvation starts with a Word of Promise from the Lord

    a. God promised your deliverance before you were born

        Genesis 3:15

2. God opens the door to His salvation.

    a. God open the Red sea so Israel could walk to

        the other side.

     b. The objective of getting to the other side of the Red Sea

         was worship.

             

Ex 10:3-4

"This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.

3. We have to voluntarily walk to salvation.

4. Our faith grows as we walk toward salvation.

5. Salvation is a selection by God.

    Ephesians 1:4

6. God will not allow anyone to stop you from worshipping Him

7. God will protect you as you walk toward Him

      a. The Israelites were guided by the Lord from Egypt into

        the desert.

      b. As a parallel, Jesus ministry began in the desert when He was tested   

          by the devil.

8. Whatever you are going through, It is not your battle, it is the Lord.

GOD USES YOUR TROUBLE TO SHOW HIS POWER

17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen."

19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

1. God planned your troubles so He will get the glory.

2. God planned your troubles so that your enemies will know that He is 

    God.

3. God planned your troubles so you can see Him destroy your enemies.

4. God provides protection throughout your troubles.

    a. God provided a pillow of a cloud to protect the Israelites by day

        and a pillar of fire  to protect them by night.

    b. God used His pillar of cloud to separated the Egyptian army

        from the Israelites.

    c. God gave light to the Israelites, but darkness to the Egyptians.

5. God gives light to all believers and darkness to the rest of the world.

6. In your darkest hour, God is your light.

     

WE ARE INSTRUMENTS IN GOD’S GLORY

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen.

1. The hand of the Lord is over the lives of all believers.

2. On our behalf, God opens doors that are closed to others.

3. God reveals His glory to us when He does what is impossible for man.

4. For the salvation of the Israelites, He made the water stand as a wall

    and dried up the river bed .

5. When we walk with God, we walk on solid ground.

6. When we wall with God there are walls that protect us from ourselves.

    a. There is the wall of God’s glory.

    b. There is the wall of ignorance.

    c. There is the wall of His forgiveness.

    d. There is the wall of His honor.

    e. There is the wall of His tolerance.

    f. There is the wall of His grace.

    g. There is the wall of His mercy.

    h. There is the wall of His power.

    i. There is the wall of His protection.

BREAKING DOWN WALLS

7. There are walls in us that have to be broken down as we

    walk toward salvation.

        

  Phil 2:12

  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence    

   only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation

   with fear and trembling.

    a. There is the wall of pride.

    b. There is the wall of sin.

    c. There is the wall of unforgiveness

    d. There is the wall of selfishness.

    e. There is the wall of fear.

    f. There is the wall of hatred.

    g. There is the wall of selective love.

    h. There is the wall of sadness.

    i. There is the wall frustration.  

BUILDING UP WALLS FOR SALVATION

8. There are walls that must be built up in us as we walk toward

    salvation.

    a. There is the wall of humbleness

    b. There is the wall of love.

    c. There is the wall God’s joy.

    d. There is the wall of God’s peace.

    e. There is wall of reverence to the Lord.

    f. There is the wall of tolerance.

    g. There is the wall of forgiveness.

    h. There is the wall of gratefulness.

    i. There is the wall of faith.

As they walked to the other side, Israel were hidden from

the Egyptians by God’s cloud of protection.

When we look back, we see God’s love and not our enemies.

When we look forward we see God’s salvation.

        

Exodus 15:2

The Lord  is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

THANK GOD FOR HIS SALVATION

Rev. M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 Sam Houston Parkway North

Houston, Texas 77041

For more lessons follow me on facebook and visit my blogs;

Revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com