When Hope Becomes Knowledge

When hope becomes knowledge Job 13:15 

• This past Sunday’s message on the promises of God was great (Israelites/400 years) 
• We have had great messages reminding us to be prepared, we are fixing to go through it 
• And here is the best part “The more they afflicted them, the more they grew” 
• Like Pastor Matt put it on Sunday, there is no excuse of not growing regardless of what’s happening around you – If you are not growing, you are dying 
• Coincidently on Monday prayer meeting, Eva spoke on trusting God to keep His word “That when we say He is going to do above, beyond anything we can think or do – He does that/it’s in His resume. And the words in our Prayers should reflect the trust we have in HIM!
• That covered everything I wanted to say – However we got 30 minutes
• From the string of messages that have come across – we are in somewhere between Judgement, Persecution, hard times and eventual redemption– We all know the end – God will be faithful to His promises 
• That bring me to this very necessary question, “How to we stay “rooted” in the waiting?”
• How do we, in the middle of suffering do we have the same attitude that Job had when he said;
• Job 13:15 (Kjv) Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
• Job’s story
• Who Job was before suffering can be summarized in this very first verse
  • Job 1:1(Amp) – There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God [with reverence] and abstained from and turned away from evil [because he honored God].
• When we read the book Job, there are at least two things that we note in todays sermon;
  • We cannot ignore the demonic influence that exists in this world – “Apostles Peter – Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 
  • “Have you seen my servant Job” – God gave him up to be tested – God removed a hedge of protection around Job 
• What happens when the same God you love and are praising allows you to go through trials?
• If God is for us, who can be against us?  – Now doesn’t sound as appealing 
• The Truth is found in Psalms 124:1(Nlt) – What if God had not been there for us? Our enemies, in their violent anger, would have swallowed us up alive! 
• I liken it to when a bomb goes off, but the Lord has a force field that allows for a containment – Y’all have not been watching fantastic 4 movies
• Job 2:4-6  So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely [b]curse You to Your face!” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”
• How do you hold on in such time?
• Even Jobs friends were confused as we are sometime;
  • That is, if you are doing well (no affliction) then you are blessed by God 
  • And that if you are being afflicted then you must be doing something bad 
• Here is the hard truth: When you are a child a God, everything has a purpose – the Bible say in:
  • Proverbs 16:4  The Lord has made everything for its own purpose,
    Even the wicked [according to their role] for the day of evil
• Nothing in Gods kingdom is a waste, If He is allowing it, then it must serve a bigger purpose that what we see 
• Remember:  Isaiah 55:6-8 (Nkjv) For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways ,And My thoughts than your thoughts.
• The biggest issue is that we look with our own eyes, we listen with our own understanding, its only when we ask God that we may see what He see, that we can truly see what God is doing
• Quickly through this lens we see God transforming us through trial but at no time, are we out of His careful hands- Porters hands  
• However more than often we fool ourselves: We say ‘ I will give up my life for Christ or I will stay grounded – its easy when you are looking through the lens of today’s suffering or even victories  
• However, we cannot rely on our past success to keep us going unless we are rooted in Him continuously 
• We have to be rooted “drawing from the source – new mercies, new nutrient, renewing of our minds – It’s like your cell phone or computer, there are new viruses that come up everyday but if you don’t keep up with the updates – then bye bye 

Suffering is a must 

• John 6:33 (Nkjv) These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you [a]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
• Some of you will suffer so God can break you: 
  • Some of you are like a wild horse, powerful but running around with no purpose. You are unkept, undisciplined, disobedient, unmanaged and diseased for lack of taking care of the temple of the Lord – “Remember that your body is the temple of the Lord”
  • God will allow trials in your life to break you; Its only then that you can be usable 
• Hebrews 12:5-11  “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Sometimes it will be a test of the genuineness of your Faith

• We all have faith. Your Faith is not an indication of your spiritual maturity 
• Faith without action is dead – James 2:26 (Nkjv)
• In a few days my family and I will board a 15hr plane from here to Dubai – We have faith that the plane will take is safely to Dubai, we will even sleep at one point 
• The genuineness of our faith will be evidence when we take the action of going to the airport, checking in and proceeding to board the plane when they call for boarding 
• Some of us go as far as buying a ticket, going to the airport, only to stop when we are called to board
• When we go through trials and we keep holding on- we are saying “Lord I am putting your word to test” 
• The integrity of anything is proven when it’s put to a test – your doors, alarms systems, your structure (office window) 
• 1 Peter 1:7(Nlt)  These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
• James 1:12( Nlt) God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
• Sometimes we suffer so that we can identify with others that suffer 
• 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (Esv) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
• In this world there will be trouble – Be of good cheer, I have overcome – Jesus 
• The story of Job 

What is the Solution to staying rooted during these time?

• I think of suffering like a swinging ride at the fair, what will stop us from opening that little chain and stepping out in the middle of the ride – I have seen many people do that – We thought they were rooted until something went wrong – the chain breaks loose

Here is how you are guaranteed that you are still going to be seated and fastened to that seat no matter the turbulence 

• Jesus is friends with Lazarus family, Lazarus is dead, Jesus come 3 days later and now He arrived
• John 11:38-44 (Nkjv) 38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone [a]from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

• Please don’t miss this, Father, I thank you that you have heard me – What is Jesus referring to? Is it this specific situation? Is it that God has heard him regarding Lazarus death?
• The next sentences give us the answer that we are looking for – Father I know that you always hear me – sounds like there is a trust, a confidence, a relationship, a deep connection that doesn’t start here 
• And Jesus continues, I say this because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.– What Jesus is saying, is that he didn’t have to say “Father, I thank you that you have heard me” – The permission to raise the dead, heal the sick, cast out demons, was awarded way back when Jesus spent time with God – “You always hear me”
•  The Bible tells us that Jesus retreated often to go and Pray – And it’s at these moments that the authority was awarded 
• What this Miracle and all the others that Jesus did are doing, is confirming the relationship that Jesus and God have. The raising of the dead is a byproduct of this intimacy, connection that He had with His father 
• Here is where we clearly see the difference between praying with hope vs praying with knowledge  
• Hope says, I hope that as I pray for this kid, for this situation, that when I say Amen God will do something 
• But praying with knowledge knows that it’s a done deal, that power was awarded already, and permission was given 
• We see this applied again in Exodus 14:15- And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 
•  Moses is called out by God for, he forgot about the connection, the intimacy with God – Moses like us, gets to that place where he is overwhelmed by what he sees that he forgets the authority already given to Him 
• Matthew 6:33(Nkjv) – But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
• Deeper union/intimacy/same mind – it’s not hoping but knowing that He “always’ hears you! 
• Here is where most of us stop -We can quote the promises of God, but our doubt has not been eroded by our intimate times/union with God. We pray with settled doubt – “If its your will- an out”
• This evening am pushing you a little further – closer to God – Beyond hope 
• I was thinking about the people who do great and mighty things for God, they don’t just stand there and just pray and hope that God will move 
• In Acts 3 Peter and John went the temple to PRAY 
• Acts 3:6 (Nkjv) – Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength
• Dude, is saying that and at the same time reaching out to get the man up- there is no doubt 
• Thought you slay me I will still praise you..”You don’t say those words unless, there has been some serious quality time spent with our father – where you know, know Gods heart 
• The issue is that we are not confident in what we pray about because, we are not confident with the answer we will get  
• Shouldn’t we all be tired of powerless Christianity – yet we Speak of Our God who has give us power and authority through Jesus Christ
• Andy and I have been meeting for many years (maybe 5+) – Gate code 
• Your prayer time, your intimate time with the Lord, not just on Mondays, even though that’s a great place to start, but every day
• My friends, this is where Hope becomes Knowledge!! –“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me,
• 1 Thessalonians 5:17(NLT) Never stop praying. 

For more sermons please visit our SERMON PAGE

Please subscribe to our YOUTUBE PAGE