# We serve a mighty God

Key Passage: Jeremiah 32
Date: June 7, 2024

Turn your Bibles, if you would, to Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 32 in God’s Word. Jeremiah chapter 32. And VBS, what an exciting time it is. Appreciate everybody getting involved in that. If you can bring desserts for Friday night, that would be so helpful. That’s a need. I was asked Brother Anthony before, and he said that’s really one of the needs. If you like to help with that, that’d be great. Maybe even mention Brother Anthony, and that’d be wonderful.

Jeremiah chapter 32 in God’s word. And just for a little bit tonight, we serve a mighty God. I hope that the devil cannot put water on our fire and quench our faith in the power of the Lord in our day and time. Satan’s after that. He really is.

Where we are at here in this passage, Jeremiah, of course, has been preaching. He was preaching a lot about the destruction coming. If you don’t get right, destruction started coming, specifically to the southern kingdom, Judah.

At this point, God had spoken to him and said, “Look, somebody is going to come to you and say, ‘Would you like to buy a field?’” And when they come, that’s for me. So a relative came, one of the near kinsmen, and said, “Hey, would you buy a field?”

Now, it doesn’t make sense to buy a field at this point. Jeremiah is in prison. You typically don’t buy land when you’re locked up in the king’s court, if you will. And if I understand right, the first deportation has already taken place. The second deportation is about to happen, and then after that, just complete destruction of Judah. It doesn’t make sense for him to buy land.

But God said, “Jeremiah, you remember, you’ve been preaching if you don’t get right, destruction is coming, but there’s hope. Because after the 70 years, I’m going to bring God’s people back, and you’re going to possess this land again. You’re going to rebuild the temple and so on and so on.” That was just hard to believe at that time.

Jeremiah is in prison now, and they’ve already been captured. Babylon has its sights on them. Babylon was a world power. But Jeremiah follows God’s leadership, and he buys this land. He sends the money, buys the land, gets the title to it, really just to show God’s still working in the midst of rough times. There’s still hope. God’s going to do something.

That’s where we pick up this story in Jeremiah 32. We’re going to start in verse number 16. Verse 16 is really where he’s bringing the title deed, saying, “Hey, I bought this land,” wanting anybody to know about it to give them faith and hope.

Would you please stand if you’re able, just to show the Word of God respect? We’re going to start in verse number 16, Jeremiah 32, verse 16. The Bible there says, “Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase, the title, if you will, unto Baruch, the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the Lord, saying…” I love his prayer. It’s a wonderful prayer.

“Ah, Lord God, behold, thou hast made heaven and the earth by thy great power. Stretch out thine arm.” It looks like he threw it all into existence. I like that. “And there is nothing too hard for thee.” That’s a good way to pray: God, you can do anything. There is nothing too hard for Thee. “Thou showest lovingkindness unto thousands and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers unto the bosom of their children after them, the great, the mighty God, the Lord of hosts is His name.”

For just a bit tonight, let’s just try to focus. Would you pray that God would get our hearts and our minds focused on how mighty your God is, and just how powerful? Satan would just love to get you so down in the dumps and defeated, thinking God can’t do anything—life’s too messed up, the news is out there with all the problems. He’d love to get you where you are kind of defeated in your faith. Let’s just try to get our eyes a little bit more on the power and the might of God tonight. Would you pray that as I pray the same?

Lord, I come, Lord. You know I’m not a gifted speaker, Lord. I cannot do that, but You can do it, Lord. Father, I pray that You would take Your word, even the story here that You give us from Your word, Lord, and Father, give me the words and just the way You want it said. Lord, would You increase our faith? Lord, it’s a shame that I have to ask sometimes. Would You increase my faith in You? You can do anything. Lord, You know how frail we are. Lord, would You tonight just give us grace to trust You more? Lord, let us get a good glimpse of You and see Your power and Your might. Lord, send Your Spirit doing that, just encouraging and increasing our faith in You. Lord, we’ll thank You and we’ll brag on You for what You do. Father, we’re asking this in the name of Jesus. We pray. Amen.

Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated.

Jeremiah was really just preaching what seemed impossible: “God’s going to bring us back to this land. God’s going to bless again. We’re going to come back here and possess this land.”

Babylon was the one taking them captive, eventually destroying them, wiping them out. Babylon was the most powerful kingdom in the world by far. I don’t think there’s ever been a world power quite as mighty and majestic and powerful as Babylon. Remember that image over there in Daniel? Babylon is the head of gold—Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, all that. But Babylon is the head, the leader, made of gold, showing just the power and the might of Babylon.

That was the country coming against Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, we read about him in Daniel. He was a cruel leader. Eventually, they came and wiped out Jerusalem. Remember Zedekiah was the king there, and he would not listen. During the siege of Jerusalem, Zedekiah tried to slip out and run away. Of course, Nebuchadnezzar captured him and took him over to Babylon.

Let me read for you what Nebuchadnezzar did to the king of Judah at the time. It’s in 2 Kings 25:7: “And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.” Can you imagine? The last thing you saw was your boys getting killed, and then they put your eyes out? That’s how cruel Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar were.

So when Jeremiah says, “Hey, God’s going to bring us back here one day, and we’re going to be fruitful again, and we’re going to build the temple again, God’s going to bless again,” they said, “Wait a second, Jeremiah. You realize this is Babylon. This is Nebuchadnezzar. You hear how he’s plundered all these other countries and he doesn’t let up an inch? Why in the world are you buying this land for? You realize we’re about to get captured.” That’s what was going on. You are trying to visualize how impossible this was, humanly speaking. So why are you buying this land?

Of course, God always fulfills His Word. It’s amazing: 70 years after that captivity, God really changed the political realm of the whole world to make sure His Word was fulfilled. You remember Cyrus? He came in and took over Babylon and became the world leader. God really changed the whole world to make sure His Word happened. Cyrus became the leader, and God worked in Cyrus, saying, “Hey, I want you to go back and rebuild the temple.” As far as we know, Cyrus never got saved, but God called him His shepherd. It’s amazing what God does. Hardly ever in the Bible does God call a lost man that, but God used Cyrus. Some people have compared Trump back in the day to Cyrus.

Cyrus changed the whole world scene to fulfill His Word. Let me read from Ezra 1, verse 1: “Now in the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus the king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”

It’s amazing. He took the head of the world, humanly speaking—Babylon—off the scene, put Persia, Cyrus, in charge, and He spoke to Cyrus, a lost man. He changed his heart and said, “Hey, I want you to send the children of Israel back over there to build the temple.” Cyrus even helped finance it. That’s God. He changed the whole world to make sure His Word happened.

But back here, way before that, Jeremiah is just saying, “Hey, God’s going to bring us back here. I’m going to prove to you there’s hope by buying this land,” when, humanly speaking, there really was no hope. God likes us to believe in hope, believe in the Lord when there is no hope. Abraham did that. Friend, I believe we are at that point where it’s just time for us to believe in God.

I love this prayer. Look down there in verse 17 of Jeremiah 32. I love the way he praised this prayer; it’s wonderful. He says, “Ah, Lord God, behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power, and thou stretched out thine arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.” Friend, maybe it’s a good thing in your prayer life, your prayer time, just to stop and say, “Woo-hoo, man, I’m praying to the God that made the Rocky Mountains.” We had the preference of flying over to Oregon to visit our grandchildren. Yes, we visited our son and daughter-in-law also. But we crossed over there, and boy, just to see these snow-capped Rocky Mountains—beautiful, magnificent, just an amazing sight. That’s the God that spoke those things into existence. That’s the God you’re praying to. It’s a mighty God. We’re going to cross over Mount Eagle soon. How many know about Mount Eagle down there, that big old mountain? The God that made Mount Eagle is the God you pray to.

Just think about the power and the might, and nothing too hard for God. The Hicks family visited the Grand Canyon out west. That vast, beautiful, massive thing—the God that made the Grand Canyon is the God you’re praying to. The God that flung the sun out there, the stars out there, and the moon by night—that’s the God you pray to. He’s a mighty God. Don’t you let Satan steal your faith that God can work in this day and time. He’s a mighty God. It is so important that we don’t lose our faith in God Almighty.

Last summer, we had the privilege of flying over to Montana—a vacation of a dream, a dream of a lifetime. We rented that motorcycle, we showed you pictures of it, rode the Rockies, went up to Glacier National Park. Boy, just amazing scenery, one beautiful scenery after another. I just can’t take it all in. The God that made all that is the God that you and I get to serve. We get to pray to Him. He’s the one in control of your finances, He’s in control of your doctor’s report, He’s in control of your marriage, if you let Him. He’s the one that can bless you; He can use you. That’s the God we serve tonight.

God’s people say, “Hey, we serve a mighty God.” Someone said, “Instead of telling God how big your problems are, why don’t we tell our problems how big our God is?” Jeremiah says, “Hey, nothing too hard for Thee.” I love it. In the midst of unbelief, doubt, fear, and problems, Jeremiah says, “Hey, I serve the God that made the universe.” What a wonderful God.

Can I say He is still changing lives today? I understand how bad everything is going on the news and all the rest of that, but friend, He is still changing lives today. I was thinking about the lives that God has changed over the years. It has been wonderful to see.

I think about a man who used to come to the last building, the storefront building, and sat over here. I didn’t know what was going on. I found out later on. He said, “I’d go to work, and on the way home, I’d stop by the liquor store. I’d get some hard liquor. I’d come home, sit in my easy chair with my two dogs, and I’d drink until my feet got numb. About that time, I’d go to sleep. Next morning, wake up, do the same thing over and over again.”

He came down over here in the old building when I preached on the mercy of God that morning. My goodness, God was doing a work in his heart and his life. He cried through the whole service. If I remember, he came forward and did some business with God, but that week he went and did the same thing again.

But the next week, praise the Lord, he came back, and God worked in his heart again. As far as I know, he is serving the Lord today, him and his wife and children now—he wasn’t even married at the time. As far as I know, after that second service, he hasn’t touched a drop since then. I’m talking about the power and the might of God changing lives today. Praise the Lord for all those old stories. There are men who got saved out of the bottle. Hey, God’s still saving people getting off the bottom today.

Think about another man who remembered coming. He said, “Well, I don’t drink; that really doesn’t affect me or my wife or anybody else. Just do a little social drink.” You know, that’s always a common thing you hear. Well, his wife came behind him a little bit later on, and she said, “Pastor, that’s not true. It’s affecting everything that’s going on.” Praise the Lord, on a Sunday night, he came forward and rededicated his life to the Lord Jesus Christ, and as far as I know, he hasn’t touched a drop since, and God has used him in a great way. He did so much, even in our church for years and years. I’m saying God is still changing lives today.

I think about a couple of men that have been to my office regarding pornography. Boy, that’s such a tough thing. “Well, you can’t get off that thing.” No, friend, as far as I know, some of those men are serving God today, some in our church, and they are winning. Someone told me recently, “Pastor, I haven’t had an issue with that in a good while.” I’m saying, God is still changing lives. Don’t you believe the devil when he says you can’t have a changed life today? I know the internet is out there. Hey, but God is greater than all that. It is a shame when God’s people are just so defeated, and all we talk about is how bad it is. They are bad, but God is greater than they are bad, amen. We serve too mighty of a God just to believe we can’t do anything today. Twenty twenty-three is bad, yeah, but God is a whole lot greater, if you will. I want to say “mightier,” amen. He is a wonderful God.

I thought about a lady in our church. She went to counseling, and somebody said, after 30 years of counseling, “You’re the most abused person I’ve ever dealt with.” Holy lady. I’m just saying God can work in lives. He can change lives. He can save souls. He can transform them.

I think of a man who got saved—God’s working. He was on heroin. Heroin is one of those things where they said you just don’t recover from it. And praise God, he has recovered from heroin. How do you do that? The grace of God, that’s how he has done that. God’s still working. Nothing too hard for Thee.

You know, the honest truth is, RCBC shouldn’t be here. We really shouldn’t. And no credit to me; I probably would have located a whole lot better job with somebody else than me. But I’m saying, we came here to start a church. We had a little support that lasted for a while. We didn’t know anybody. I had another preacher, older and more experienced, say, “Don’t do that. That’s one of the thousands who can start a church from scratch.” Well, hey, it’s the Lord, but 23 years later, God still has a church here. Amen. That’s no credit to me or you or anybody. That’s credit to the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s still working in our day and time. Don’t listen to the devil. He’ll tell you, “You can’t, not in our day and time.” He loves to say those things, and he’s after getting your faith. “Well, God can’t use you anymore.” If you’re still breathing, I believe God likes to use you, friend. He still has a purpose for you; He wants to do something through your life.

I love this truth. Would you look over in Mark chapter 6? It’s an amazing truth. I say I love this truth; it’s a fearful truth, I’ll say it that way. Mark chapter 6, if you would please. Mark 6. Look at verse number 4. It’s amazing. If I wouldn’t read this in the Bible with my own eyes, I’d say, “I don’t know about that,” but it’s right there in our King James Bible. Praise the Lord for the King James Bible, by the way. I still believe God is big enough to give us an every-word Bible in the English language, amen. See, I believe that.

Look at Mark 6, verse 4. “But Jesus said unto him, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” He is in Nazareth, his hometown, with his own family, his own house. Watch what he says in the next verse. It’s amazing to me.

“And he could there do no mighty work.” Is that what it says? This is amazing to me. That’s what the Bible says. “And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.” It kind of reminds me of Psalms, where they limited the Holy One of Israel. Why? Lack of faith. And he could there do no mighty work. Satan loves to get us there. He loved it. How would he get us there? Let’s keep reading. He marveled because of their unbelief. That’s why he could do no mighty work there—their lack of faith. God responds to faith. “According to thy faith be it done; thy faith hath made thee whole.”

Look over Romans 5 real quickly while we are talking about it. Look over Romans 5. This is a wonderful passage. The Lord has all the grace you need, and God is able to make all grace abound toward you. That’s amazing. God is able to make all grace abound, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. That’s the grace of God. You can abound to every good work. That’s an amazing verse.

How do you get this grace in your life? Two things: humility, and right here, look at this, verse number one, Romans 5, verse 1: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by what? Faith. Faith, into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” You have access to that faith that is available. Jesus has stored it up for you. You can abound to every good work. You have access to that faith that you are standing in by faith.

So, I’m against saying, “God can’t work in my life. I can’t win over this sin. I can’t have a great prayer life. I can’t win a soul to the Lord Jesus Christ. I can’t be the man I ought to be. I can’t be the lady I ought to be.” You are limiting the Holy One of Israel by your lack of faith. Never doubt God. Never doubt God. Let’s believe we have a mighty God. Let’s trust Him, even during the tough times, let’s believe in Him.

Satan loved to get your faith. Jesus said to Peter, “Satan would—he wants to sift you as wheat. He wants to chew you up and spit you out.” What did Jesus pray? Jesus said, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy what? Faith.” Jesus knows what to pray for. His God in flesh—what was it in? Faith. Faith. The battle going on today is over the faith of God’s people: whether they believe God can still work in our day and time.

I am getting way out of schedule on this outline. I was talking to a fellow just this last week—a good man. He said, “You know, America’s gone; there is no hope. Now it’s just all over. The Lord’s coming back. No hope.” Biblically, if you check it out, it’s not necessarily a matter of the political scene; it’s a matter of God’s people. God always looks to His people. That’s the key right there.

I tried to quote Isaiah 1:9 to him. I couldn’t quote it. I thought I had it memorized, but I lost it. I had to look it up on my cell phone: Isaiah 1:9. You want to look over there real quick? You’ve seen it before; it’s a great verse. Isaiah 1, right before Jeremiah. Isaiah chapter 1, look at verse 9: “Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and should have been like unto Gomorrah.”

Friend, I’m saying, if Satan can get that very small remnant where we doubt that God can do something in our day and time, we will not be a part of that very small remnant anymore, and that’s when the devil can get America. But as long as there is a very small remnant that believes there is a mighty God who answers prayer and saves souls and changes lives, hey, there is still hope for America. Just ten righteous people, God said, will spare.

The key is you, and Satan is after the faith of God’s people. Don’t you let him get your faith. Whatever happened to, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”?

Praise the Lord for the nine individuals who have been going to Bible Institute. I don’t know if all of them will be in the ministry. Some say they are planning on being pastors, this and that. Hey, I’d just like to say to our young men who are planning on serving God with their lives: Don’t you believe the negativity that God can’t bless, can’t build a church in this day and time, and God’s not working in the end times. You just believe God, no matter what they say. You just keep living for God. God can bless. He will be blessing. He will be saving souls. He will be changing lives. He will be building churches until the second He comes back. Satan loves to get our faith. If we lose our faith, then he could there do no mighty work. Don’t lose it.

Someone this morning said, “Preacher, I’m having a battle.” It wasn’t with drugs or anything like that, but they were having a battle and shed a few tears telling me about it. I said, “Praise the Lord, you’re still in the fight.” If you are battling some sin, maybe it’s a stronghold the devil has been working with in your life for years and years, don’t you give up. Don’t quit on that thing. Don’t lose your faith that you can win that battle. God can help you win over that sin.

I thought about a man who used to sit in the back row right there, where Brother Theo is right now. He sat back there in that back row years and years ago. He was just a young man, wasn’t married at the time. He told me his story. He said, “You know, I drank, and I think maybe drugs—I can’t remember wrong. He said, ‘I was messed up.’ He said, ‘Twelve times I would go on a drinking campaign, usually ending up in a fight or something. I always ended up in jail.’ And he said, ‘Twelve times a preacher friend/relative would somehow work and help me get out of jail, and he would befriend me, get me back in church, level me a little bit, and help me a little bit, trying to get me back on my feet.’ And he said, ‘I went right back to it twelve times.’” But he did not give up that God could work in his heart and his life.

The last time I talked to him—he moved away—he was in church, married, and has kids now, and he was helping another fellow start a Baptist church. Twelve times. But he didn’t give up that God was working. God can bring victory in his life. He didn’t lose that. God can do mighty works in my life.

Here is what we are prone to do. We will say, “Well, God is a mighty God, but boy, I don’t know about me.” That is an escape where you are really not believing that God is mighty enough to work in your specific life. It still goes back to your lack of faith in God. God is working. We are all messed up individuals; God works in your life. Don’t let Satan tell you—

I thought about, “Well, I can’t win a soul for the Lord. That’s for other people. Those are soul winners.” I thought about Brother Chad. He used to be a member of the church for years and years. Brother Chad started trying to win a soul to the Lord Jesus Christ. He came faithfully to our soul-winning class for maybe a year—I think it was on Saturday then. For a year, he was working at that, trying to win a soul to the Lord Jesus Christ. Man, he had prepared and planned, got a New Testament, got it marked—I mean, everything ready. For about a year, maybe even longer, he just worked at that. Nobody got saved, but he didn’t lose his faith that God could use him as a soul winner. Those of you who remember Chad—he wasn’t a loud man, just quiet. When I thought about Brother Chad, he never lost the faith that God could use him to win souls.

I remember it was a Saturday when we went out over here in LaVerne. By that point, he had already led some people to the Lord. He led a person to the Lord. They came to church a couple of times, and then I never saw them again until I went to Speedway, right across the interstate over there. At Speedway, they have a pretty good little restaurant. You can get their personal pizzas, amen. Get their breakfast paninis. Come on now. Get a sausage one. Come on now. Get everything you want on there. That’s the good stuff right there. I get everything on there so when I’m eating it, it leaks down on my shirt.

That man was in there. I hadn’t seen him in a while, and he and his wife had been visiting. He said, “You know what?” His wife was a Black lady. He said, “When we came, everybody was friendly to us both. Very good to us. I’ve got no complaint. I’m not trying to complain. He said, ‘The reason why we don’t come back is she just didn’t feel comfortable.’ No problem with your people and you, but she just didn’t feel comfortable. Everybody was good to us, but I want you to know we’re still in church today.” And it’s what he said: “That day that man came by my house and told me about Jesus, that changed my life.” Amen. Praise the Lord Jesus. Brother Chad never lost his faith that Jesus can use him to save souls and change a life.

Just keep believing in Jesus. Jesus said, “If you believe in Me, the works that I do, you shall do, and greater works than these shall you do because I go to the Father” (John 14). Believe in Him. Believe you can win over sin. Hey, can I say this? Believe that God can bless your finances.

I don’t know everybody’s financial situation. I’ve been trying to find out the millionaires in our church. We’re going to build that building, but I haven’t found too much there yet. I’m working on it still. You are probably a better illustration than myself, but I couldn’t think of anyone that knew a lot of details about it while I was studying for this.

I thought about it: We came here to start the church. We didn’t have any debt. We didn’t have any money. We had some support that lasted for a while. We came to start the church, and we had two kids: John was four, Sarah was two. We had a certain amount of support that lasted only so long, so we had to be wise with it. We were looking for a place to live; you have to pay rent, and you have to rent a building for the church. We were having a tough time finding anything within our budget unless we moved way out to the country, which was tempting. But we almost bit the hook there, but then we said, “Well, nobody’s out here but cows to reach for the Lord Jesus Christ. God didn’t call us here to reach the cows.” So we said, “No, we’re not going right out there.”

Then, by that time, my wife got sick. We were staying in that motel as you go into Murfreesboro, on Broad Street—that wonderful motel just past the Ford place. I’m teasing. I’ve lived long enough to realize Chevys, GMCs, and Fords all break down, in honest truth. Anyway, a little bit past the Ford Place on the left-hand side of that wonderful motel is where we were staying. When Tammy got sick, I thought, “Lord, what are we going to do?”

We got on our knees and opened the Bible, just as a family, kids included, and tried to claim Mark 10:29-30. Jesus answered and said, “Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come, eternal life.” I’m saying, wait a second, Lord, You said that right there. We claimed that on our knees by that wonderful bed in that wonderful motel.

And Ben, what—and I spend almost 24 years now—it’s amazing how God has taken care of us. We raised two kids, put them through Christian school. Where were we going to have the money for that? God did. God did. Even as the kids were growing up, we did things we didn’t really have the money for, but God always just provided. The Lord has given us a beautiful house, a truck, a car, and all the rest of that. I’m saying 24 years later, in all honesty, and this is no bragging on me, it’s bragging on the Lord Jesus Christ—and I say this cautiously, but it’s the Lord—we are honestly debt-free.

We’ve had hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical bills: cancer, the broken femur, chemo—you name it, we went into it all. We really should not be in the shape we are financially. Did we get super intense? Were we going to work 12 hours, seven or eight days a week trying to pay all our bills off? No. We just tried to honor the Lord. We didn’t get unreasonable debt. We tried to be wise about it, just try to honor God about it and do it God’s way. God is the one who has blessed us over the years.

I want to say to so many people: just do it God’s way. Yes, make sure you are tithing. God will bless you for that; He rebukes the devourer. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I sat in a room with about four men, and they told me a little bit about their debt. I didn’t say anything to anybody, but I thought, three of these men have their houses paid for. The honest truth is that they have not worked 20 hours a day trying to make money. They have just honored the Lord, been faithful to God, paid their bills, didn’t get unreasonable debt, and just stayed faithful. When they tithe, in the end, hey, God’s blessing those men. Their houses are paid off. That’s unheard of in our day and time. God can do those things. Do it God’s way.

I see so many where the husband is working, the wife is working, and they don’t have time for each other or their kids. I want to say, “Hey, do it God’s way.” He can take care of your finances. Oh, it’s so true. He can bless. He is still working in our day and time. He is capable. I thought about the verse: “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” A faithful man shall abide with blessing, but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. Just do it God’s way. I’m saying God’s work is for you in this day and time. He can bless finances. He can take care of your situation. Just believe in God.

What a wonderful prayer: “Ah, Lord God, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out thine arm. There is nothing too hard for Thee.” Do you just believe God tonight? How big is your God really? Do you just have a God where you think, “Well, he’s a ritualistic God, and we do this”? But really, do you believe there is a mighty God you can pray to and talk to, and He does things in your life?

It might even be someone who shared with me this morning about a small—he called it a small answer to prayer. Sometimes a small answer to prayer just increases your faith so much. But when you pray, do you believe God is hearing you? Just believe in a mighty God. He can work in your life and your situation. And don’t let Satan get your faith. He is after the faith of God’s people.

Hudson Taylor, that great missionary, went to China. God used him in such a great way. The China Inland Mission ended up sending missionaries all over China. God used them so greatly. Amazing story. I didn’t mean to tell this part, but we have to get done because we have volleyball.

Years later, his name became a little bit of a legend in China. Of course, the communists took over everything, and they tried to get rid of his name, reputation, all that. So they hired a man to write a book against Hudson Taylor. He studied his life and just researched and researched and researched. The more he found out, the more he found out about Jesus. And the man hired to write the book ended up getting saved. Amen.

On Hudson Taylor’s first voyage, he was sailing—ships back in the day just had sails, and it was months long to sail over there. He was on this voyage heading over to China, and there came a point where there was no wind. Back in the day, you couldn’t sail a ship with no wind. They were sailing around some islands and the coast, and the current began to take them in towards the coast where they all knew there were cannibals. Visiting cannibals is not a pleasant thing. The situation was going on for days. They kept getting closer and closer, and there was no wind. The captain was worried because the current kept taking them, and you can’t steer if you have no wind blowing.

Hudson Taylor had been having services on that ship, trying to lead some of those sailors to the Lord. He wasn’t married at that point. Anyway, he was having services trying to get some of them saved. The captain knew of it. The captain went to Hudson Taylor and said, “Hey, this is getting bad. It’s going to be really ugly. This current is taking us into these islands where there are cannibals. They are ready for us. They have their knives and forks in their hands, napkins around their necks. They are ready for us.”

The captain said, “Sir, would you pray for God to send some wind?” And Hudson Taylor said, “I will if you put your sails up. But if you don’t put your sails up, I’m not going to pray. When I go to God and pray, I want to go in faith.” The captain said, “Sir, if I put my sails up when there is no wind, all my crew members are going to laugh at me. You don’t do that. You put the sails up when the wind blows.” Hudson Taylor said, “I’m not going to pray then.”

It was a while, and they were coming right to the shore. Finally, the captain said, “All right,” and told everybody to put the sails up. They asked, “Why? There’s no wind.” So Hudson Taylor went down in his room and began to pray. He prayed, “No, Lord, I believe in You. I told the captain I would not pray unless he put the sails up.” Later on, the captain himself knocked on his cabin door and asked, “Are you praying for wind?” Hudson Taylor said, “Yes, I am.” The captain said, “Would you stop praying? We have more wind than we can handle. It’s about to turn us over.” We serve a mighty God, friend. Hey, let’s believe: Nothing is too hard for Thee.

Would you bow your hands and close your eyes? Let’s just go tell the Lord we believe in Him tonight. Let’s just go say, “Hey, You’re a mighty God. I love You. I believe it. You’re mighty. You’re powerful.” I don’t want to call it, but there is faith that You can do something mighty in our day and time. Maybe you have a wayward child; don’t lose your faith. God can work there. I don’t know the situation, just don’t lose faith that God can work in your situation.

Would you stand? We’re going to have a word of prayer. Let’s just go to the Lord. Let’s tell Him tonight, “I believe in You in the Word. God can use you at your workplace.” I don’t know the situation, but you just believe God. Would you believe God tonight?

Lord, forgive us, Lord. It’s a shame that I don’t believe You like I ought to, when You are a mighty, all-powerful God. Father, help us to increase. Help our families. Keep our eyes, our heart, and our mind stayed on You. We do believe in You. Lord, our church—You’ve been so good. You’ve done so much, but I believe You can do more. I know You can. I know You want to. Lord, we just come to You tonight as Your children, believing in You. I’m kind of clapping, cheering for You, saying, “Hurrah, thank You, Lord. You’re so mighty and powerful.” Lord, forgive me when I come to doubting and worrying and down in the dumps. Lord, You’re a mighty God. We’re excited by what You’ve done, Lord. We’re excited about what You’re going to do. Help us tonight just to believe in You. We’ll thank You for it in Jesus, and we pray.

Would you just come tonight? Say, “I believe in You.” For your Sunday school class, for VBS, your ministry, your life, your reputation, your family—let’s just believe in God. Let’s trust Him. Jeremiah spent some good money on that land, and it looked like it was impossible. He said, “I believe in God.” Believe in God. You have hope. Oh, there is something God can do. He is still working among God’s people. Let’s not lose our faith that God can work. Let’s not listen to the lies of the devil; he always loves that. As long as God is alive, there is still hope. Let’s keep our faith in God. Let’s just put our trust. Let them know, “I believe in You, God. You’re a mighty God. Nothing is too hard for Thee.” Would you let Him know that?

I’ve wasted many precious years. My God is so big, so strong and so mighty. Could you lead us in that? There’s a song. It’s usually sung in children’s church and all that. It’s a great song. I want us all just to sing that: “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do.” Brother Anthony will, of course, do a much better job not leading in it, but think about those words. Let’s sing it from the heart.

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do for you. Let’s just sing that. Amen.

All right. My God is so big. My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do for you. My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do for you. The mountains are His, the rivers are His, the stars are His handiwork too. My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do for you.

Thank you, Brother Anthony. I appreciate that. Maybe go home and sing that. How many know that song? That’s good. Let’s all just sing that thing. Go home and sing it to the Lord and sing it to the devil every once in a while. Amen. Say, “Hey, chew on that for a while. We serve a mighty God.” Glad you’re in church tonight. We’re going to pray for dismissal.

Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar - We serve a mighty God - Sunday PM 06042023