Rejoice! We Are His Workmanship!

Looks like you guys are in for the Phelps & Phelps show today. I have to admit, I think this is the first time Troy and I have shared the Sabbath together at a service. I mean, he always gives me a sermon after I speak anyway, but I'm...

No, this is pretty neat. It's kind of like a law firm or something. I don't know. Phelps & Phelps. I'm taking a look around right now. I'm looking for how many kids we have. We've got some teenagers, but I'm looking for some younger ones. I see some in the back. Because I have a question for you guys today. So you guys paying attention? Looking around? Talking to you guys. My question is, are you excited for the feast?

Let me see if your hand... put your hand up if you guys are excited for the feast. There we go. You know what? I am too. I am really excited. And you know what? Everybody else here, if I ask them to put up their hands.

Let's see. Let's see everybody. Who's excited for the feast today? Yeah! See, you kids are in great company because we're all truly excited. We're in the midst of a wonderful time of the year. A time where God's plan is portrayed through his holy days. A time that is so powerful for not only us, but the whole world. We were with each other just a few days ago, celebrating the Feast of Trumpets.

Picturizing... picturing God's and Jesus Christ returned to this earth with God's kingdom in his hand. To establish a new way of life that's never existed on this earth. That is something that we can truly rejoice in and that is simply amazing. And this week we're going to be celebrating the Day of Atonement.

Another amazingly awesome part of God's plan of Satan being cast away. Down to a pit. Not to impact humanity anymore so that God's way can go and spread without Satan going around behind trying to undo an amazing work that Christ and that we will have an opportunity to do with him. And then just a little over a week from now, the Feast of Tabernacles. A thousand years of Christ serving and teaching humanity how to live the His way. That is another time of rejoicing.

Not only because we'll be able to help and to serve and to encourage and to inspire people, but because they will have an opportunity to take this to heart without Satan's influence. And then at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, the eighth day, another time to rejoice. A time for everyone who has never known God's way and who have lived and died to be given an opportunity to be taught and to see that this way works. This way that you and I now know in our hearts works. They will get that opportunity. This is truly a time to rejoice in this fall holiday season.

It's a time to be excited. And I think you're picking up on where I'm going with all this and this aspect of rejoicing during this time. When we look at what God says about these Holy Days, there are some aspects of them that we should remember. Let's go ahead and start turning to Leviticus 23 as we kind of do a little bit of a review of God's Holy Days and why He wants us to observe these days. This is not an exhaustive list of reasons, but there's a few I just want to point out early in this message as we get started today.

Leviticus 23. And we'll read in verse 2 because one of the first reasons is because God says that these are His feasts. They belong to God. And we see that in Leviticus 23 verse 2. Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are my feasts.

These days don't belong to us. They don't belong to some other spiritual being. They belong to God. And He's invited us to partake in these days. And so we do with rejoicing in our heart. Another reason we observe these days. God says that these feast days should be kept and observed forever. In the same chapter in verse 14, I'm going to skim through a few different verses here. In verse 14, towards the end it says, I think it's 14. Yes, it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations and all your dwellings.

And then verse 21, it shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. And then verse 31, again, it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations and all your dwellings. And then another in verse 41, you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. So God says that these are not just old ancient holy days that have died and are gone, that they don't need to be kept anymore. He's shown us the power of His plan through these days, and His plan's not done.

We just did a quick recap of what these fall holy days represent, not only to us, but to all the world. So we do continue to keep and to observe these days. And another aspect, God says that we should rejoice in these feast days. We should rejoice in these feast days. We read specifically about the Feast of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23, verse 40. And you shall take for yourselves on this first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.

You shall rejoice. I'll read Deuteronomy 16, verse 13, because it also says that we should rejoice. You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your sons and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates.

Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you and all your produce and all the work of your hands so that you surely rejoice.

Rejoicing is mentioned twice in the Deuteronomy passage, so this aspect of rejoicing is important to our Father. We have a vision of God's kingdom and we believe that Jesus Christ will return and establish God's kingdom here on this earth. This is our dream, our vision, the whole reason we live and we breathe, and the reason we struggle against the world and our own human nature daily.

Life forever with God in his paradise, helping, serving, loving, and living with him, his son, and his family. And there's something else that we can rejoice in today, and this will be the focus of my message. We can truly rejoice that God will prepare his workmanship for his kingdom. We can truly rejoice that God will prepare his workmanship for his kingdom.

Not only do we have a desire, a vision of being in God's kingdom, but God also has this desire and vision for all of us who have ever lived with him to be part of his kingdom. God has called each one of us to be here and is currently working mightily in our lives. He's working to switch out the hearts that desire to follow our own ways, and he has given us his spirit as a helper to lead and to guide our lives. In all these ways, God is preparing his workmanship, that is you and that is me, for his kingdom.

So let's look at some points today and how we can rejoice in the fact that God will prepare his workmanship for his kingdom. The first point is that we are his workmanship. We are his workmanship. There is a great analogy that the prophet Isaiah was inspired to use that really helps us to understand how God is working in our lives.

Let's turn to Isaiah 64, verse 8, as we look at the analogy of the potter and the clay. Isaiah 64, verse 8. But now, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay, and you our potter, and all we are the work of your hand. This is a beautiful analogy that we can all picture.

We've seen potters who will take a lump of clay, something that is just nothing. Maybe we have some artists in this room that have done it themselves. They take something and they pick out this clay. They have a vision in their mind of what they want this clay to be. They put it on the wheel and start working it. They are hands-on with this clay. It starts to spin and they've got their hands on it.

At times, they're really getting their hands into the middle of it to make this clay do what they want it to do. And at times, they take different angles. They may get down next to it and see how this bowl is taking shape. Or they may stand up over top of it, no longer sitting, to really get an above view down at what they're trying to do and to see if it's coming out straight. They're an artist. They have a craft and they want this lump of clay to become something useful.

There's a plan, a purpose for it, and they are working with this clay. It's out of love that they have this desire to turn it into something else that is usable, that has a purpose, and they are working hard with this clay. God is the one that is working with each of us in the unique ways that he chooses. We see other scriptures describing this aspect of God working with each of us in our own ways. One such scripture is 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. All things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. As that clay bowl or vase was being shaped, the artist had an idea of what that would serve. There's a purpose to what it would do. A vase to hold flowers from the garden, a bowl, maybe, to hold fruit. God intends that we also do something based on his workmanship he is doing in our lives.

In Ephesians 2 verse 10, the scripture reads, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. We can see and we know that we were created for good works. These are the many things that we do in service to God, to our brothers and sisters, and to those opportunities we have to anyone in the world. These are the things he has created us for. And we can really rejoice knowing that God will transform our hearts. He will form that clay, that lump of clay, that has no purpose into something beautiful, and that's what he is doing in our lives. And we believe, we believe that he is doing this for us today.

Let's turn to Philippians 1 verse 6. Philippians 1 and verse 6.

Philippians 1 verse 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. God wants us to be confident in this truth. Not overly confident, that's a whole message for another day, but he wants us to be confident that he will remain active and involved in our lives until the end of our lives or until the return of Jesus Christ. This is a promise, as the same goes, that we can hang our hat on. It is sure. It is true. So it's with us again that we can rejoice that we are God's workmanship. The second point in how God is preparing each of us is that he will not forsake us or forget us. God will not forsake us or forget us. One of the definitions for forsake is to renounce or give up something valued or pleasant. To renounce or give up something valued or pleasant.

In 1 Samuel chapter 12 and verse 22, we have recorded for us a scripture that says, For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great namesake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you his people. God's people are something that is valuable and special to him. This scripture that I just read was expressed by Samuel after Israel had asked for a king. God didn't want them to have a king. He wanted to be their king. But the people wanted a king. Was God disappointed? He was. We have that recorded as well. He wanted to be their king and not some man. But even with that, even with it, he did not turn his back on Israel. We must never forget that we have been called by God the Father himself. No other being, no other person, extended this invitation. If we have accepted the invitation and through baptism accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, then we truly are Gods. He called. He made us his people. He will never forsake us. Does this make us perfect? Do we live sin-free lives? There's another section in Isaiah where he again goes back to the potter and the clay analogy here, but then adds to it. Let's again look at Isaiah 49 verse 9 because in this section Isaiah turns the analogy around a little bit to make a very important point. This is in Isaiah 49 verse 9. I'm going to read from the New Living Translation because of the the different words it uses. It really paints a picture. Imagine this with me for a moment. Just just imagine this as I read from the New Living Translation. This is Isaiah 45 verse 9. What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator? Does a clay pot argue with its Maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, Stop! You're doing it wrong! Does the pot exclaim, How clumsy can you be? How terrible would it be if a newborn baby said to its father, Why was I born? Or if it said to its mother, Why did you make me this way? This is what the Lord says, the Holy One of Israel and your Creator, Do you question what I do for my children? Do you give me orders about the work of my hands? I am the one who made the earth and created people to live in it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the stars are at my command.

I just personally love the descriptive words used here in the added depth of the analogy because I can visualize this clay pot talking back to its Maker as it's being worked. I mean, would we be shocked to say the least? Or a brand new baby saying, Why was I born? It's a beautiful analogy that God inspired Isaiah to say. It could have been as simple as, Don't you know who I am? But no, Isaiah was inspired to write so much more and to use so much more descriptive words. And it's that perfectly worded discourse that brings to end a discussion because people realize, I've got no comment back for this. I've got nothing else I can say. It's kind of like something when it's so, this is me, so don't go and do this necessarily. This is that moment when I see something so unbelievable or so strange that I just say to myself, Seriously? Seriously?

That's sometimes my own human nature coming out. But that's the extreme that I believe God has inspired Isaiah with. Because God is so much greater and His plan is so much greater. His strength is so much greater. Yet at times, people question the work that He's doing in our lives.

No, we are not perfect. We do live sin-free, we do not live sin-free lives. But like Israel, God remembers those He calls His. He is the perfect, ever-loving Father, always extending mercy to those who come to Him.

Let's look at Isaiah 44 verse 21. Isaiah 44 and verse 21.

Remember thee, O Jacob and Israel, for you are my servant. I have formed you, you are my servant, O Israel. You will not be forgotten by me. I have brought it out like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins, return to me, for I have redeemed you. We are reminded again that God has formed you and me. He's turned us into a new person, renewed, and alive again because Jesus is inside of us. We are not the old man. We are a new formed person.

As with so many of these passages, God is extending His hand and His mercy back to His people. He wanted them, and us, to always remember that He will not forsake those who are His. With so many of these passages, He's asking us to turn back to Him when we stray from the way that leads to eternal life. He doesn't just say, oh, that's okay, just keep doing what you're doing. I'll be here when you're ready or whatever. Just do what you want. No, we know that He does not treat sin that way in our lives. He's always asking that we come back to Him, and He's expressing that He will always remember us. This concept of God not forgetting or forsaking His people is a concept that King David understood very clearly. In many of the Psalms, he references and praises God for this very fact. I'll go through these scriptures quickly. You can just write them in your notes. Psalms 106 verse 4, Remember me, O Lord, with the favor you have towards your people. O, visit me with your salvation, that I may see the benefit of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance. And Psalms 94 verse 14, For the Lord will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance. Psalms 9 verse 10, And those who know your name will put their trust in you, for you, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. In Psalms 37 verse 28, For the Lord loves justice, and does not forsake His saints. They are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.

Many years prior to David, a similar promise was handed down to Joshua from Moses, and later from the Lord Himself to Joshua. Let's turn to Deuteronomy 31 verse 1.

I really enjoy the book of Joshua, and it's one of those that I think I've mentioned before you in the past, because I put myself in Joshua's shoes. What would Mike do if I was given this responsibility from God?

Here we have in Deuteronomy 31 verse 1, Joshua being encouraged by Moses. Joshua, or Deuteronomy 31 verse 1, Then Moses went and spoke these words to all all of Israel. And in verse 6, Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them. For the Lord your God, He is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you, nor forsake you. Then Moses called Joshua and said to him, In the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers, to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. In verse 8, And the Lord, He is the one who goes before you, He will be with you, He will not leave you, nor forsake you. Do not fear, nor be dismayed. And then let's flip to Joshua 1. Just a few pages forward to Joshua 1.

Joshua 1 in verse 1, After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua, the son of none, Moses's assistant, saying, and in verse 5, No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you, I will not leave you, nor forsake you. I just love how many times this passage, this phrase, is repeated to Joshua. Did he need the encouragement? I think he did. I know I would, but I love that God was just reminding him that he will not be left alone. He will not be forsaken. God understands the great calling to which we have been called. He understands the world we live in and how it's ruled today by Satan the devil. As the Israelites were encouraged to go forth into the Promised Land with strength and courage, we are encouraged to continue through this world with the same strength and courage. And we can only do this because of the power that comes from knowing that God will never leave us, nor forsake us. So it's with this again that we can rejoice that we are God's workmanship, for he will not forsake us, he will not forget us. The third point in how God is preparing each of us is that he is our righteousness. He is our righteousness, and he is our salvation. He is our righteousness and salvation.

Let's turn forward to 1 Corinthians 1, verse 26.

I've been spending some time in the Old Testament. We're going to flip forward now to the New Testament for this point. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 26.

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world, and the things which are despised, God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence, but of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, that as it is written, he who glories, let him glory in the Lord. There are a couple different ways that this passage can be applied in the scripture, or it can be applied. The first is that that saying that I like to remind myself of not getting too big for my britches. This is that phrase that I remind myself when I start the thing, I'm thinking I'm getting pretty good at what I'm doing. I'm a pretty good guy. I work pretty hard at my company. I'm doing okay for myself. You know what? God loves me. Sometimes when you read through a passage like this, you just realize, yeah, it's not all about me, is it? It's God doing mighty works in my life. It's me making mistakes and learning from the school of hard knocks, but him always letting me come back to him. That's one way that we're reminded. The second way is we can apply this scripture to remember that God has chosen to work through man to do much of his work on this earth. With all of our flaws and our weaknesses, he is still using each of us to be a light to this world that his way works. People see that we aren't the mighty. We aren't the rich of the world. If we're watching the political things going on, we see the mighty. We see the rich, don't we? Do we want to be any part of that? We see what the mighty and we see what the rich, their approach to this world, their philosophies, the way that they want to do things. But God doesn't need the mighty or the rich to spread his gospel message. In fact, as the verse says, he uses the weak and the foolish things to put to shame the mighty and the wise. And as we know, it's not our wisdom that separates us, but God in us that distinguishes us from the world around us. It's his wisdom, his word, his truths that he has shared with us and put into our hearts. And it's the gospel message that we desire shared with the world, wanting all to hear and all to come to repentance before God. Let's turn to 2 Corinthians 5 verse 20. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 20.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God, for he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. It's only through the righteous sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we have become righteous before God ourselves. Paul references this concept in Philippians 3 verse 9.

Let's turn to Philippians 3 and verse 9.

I turned right to it quickly, so I'll give you just a second. It doesn't always happen that way. Philippians 3 and verse 9.

And be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. I broke into the passage a little bit, didn't I? Why is Paul making this statement about not having his own righteousness from the law? Let's look a few verses earlier up to verse 3. For we are the circumcision who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I also might have confidence in the flesh, if anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so, like this next part, circumcise the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin. A Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. That's powerful for somebody to say. Anybody who really believes that, going back to my phrase, a little bit big for their britches. Paul again confirmed that this is not through our own works that we become righteous, but only through faith in Christ that we can become righteous before God. And let's continue in verse 7. But what things were gained to me, these I have counted lost for Christ. Yet indeed, I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and counted them as rubbish that I may gain Christ. And now we're back to verse 9 again. And be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. Paul got it. Paul got it. We can see clearly that Jesus Christ is our righteousness, and that we achieve this only through him. This is so encouraging to me, because if I had to achieve some level of righteousness on my own, it's not going to happen. I've failed too many times trying to do things my way, thinking that my way was the right way, or that I might be able to to think through this in a way. We've all done that. It's encouraging to me to realize that I don't have the righteousness on my own. There would be no hope for me. So it's with this that we can rejoice that we are God's workmanship. He is our righteousness. And what about the second part of the point of number three? Let's now look at how he is our salvation. Let's turn to Isaiah 12 in verse one.

Isaiah 12, verses one through three.

Isaiah 12, verse one. And in that day you will say, O Lord, I will praise you. Though you were angry with me, your anger is turned away, and you comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid, for Yah the Lord is my strength and my song. He also has become my salvation. Therefore, with joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Matthew Henry commentary has this to say about these scriptures. This is from the commentary. Those that have God for their salvation may enjoy themselves with the holy security and serenity of mind. Let faith in God as our salvation be effectual for one to silence our fears. We must trust and not be afraid, not be afraid that the God we trust will fail us. No, there is no danger of that, nor be afraid of any creature, though ever so formidable or threatening, and for the second part, to support our hopes, to support our hopes. Is the Lord Jesus Christ our salvation? Then he will be our strength and song. We have work to do and temptations to resist, and we may depend on him to enable us for both. That's from Matthew Henry commentary. And let's note verse three again. Therefore, with joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Couldn't help but when I studied this verse, it was ringing a bell for another verse. Can you guys think of another one? Thinking about drawing from the wells of salvation? It took me straight to John 4 verse 12. John 4 verse 12 through 14.

And John 12. That's not gonna help me.

John 4 verse 12. Actually, let's read 13 and 14. Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. Speaking to the woman at the well, the physical water that was at the bottom of that well. Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into an eternal everlasting, everlasting, excuse me, everlasting life. It's with joy that we draw the waters that lead to everlasting life. And God the Father desires that we rejoice before him and his Son. They desire that we partake in these living waters that lead to eternal life and that we allow them to be our sustenance. In Hebrews 5 verse 9, you can put that in your notes, Hebrews 5 verse 9, we read this of Jesus Christ. And having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him. The author of eternal salvation. We have before us our Savior through whom we receive salvation. No other being, no other way can our salvation be secured, only through Jesus Christ. So it's with this again that we can rejoice that we are God's workmanship. He is our salvation. The fourth point of how God is repairing each of us is that he is our confidence and hope. He is our confidence and hope.

We have within us a deeply seated confidence and hope in all that God has shared with us and in all his promises. This hope is strong and this hope is secure.

Let's start out in Psalms 31 verse 24 with this point. Psalm 31 verse 24.

Psalm 31, 24. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Let's break this verse down a little bit because there's lots of good little nuggets in here. Be of good courage. We have had each seen and experienced the goodness of God in our lives and it's through this personalized experience that we can be encouraged that God is for us. God is for us and he's with us and as we covered earlier he will never leave us nor forsake us. So be of good courage. The second part, and he shall strengthen your heart.

God will give us what we need to endure through life all the way to the end. He will grant us strength during trial or those times in life when we feel like the world is against us and at times we have sure felt that, haven't we? That the world and everything around us is against us. He will grant us encouragement to keep us from reaching the bottomless pit of despair. He will not let us go there. He won't. He will strengthen our hearts.

And the third part, all you who hope in the Lord. We have each learned firsthand from this life that there is only one solid foundation of hope in this world. All you have to do is look around outside of these walls in our neighborhoods, in our schools, work, politics. Do you see hope? I don't. I see a lot of people wondering and looking around for hope. I see them placing their hope in things that then just dissolve and their hope is lost again and they're on looking for another place to place their hope. This world struggles so mightily looking for hope in this world and wanting to believe it and wanting to find it. They want it so bad. Just keep slipping right through their hands like sand.

There is only one true source of hope in this world and we found it. We have found it. It's through this hope that we can be confident that our future is with God, the provider and source of true hope. True hope in God. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord. And it's in this hope that we can find peace when we experience physical death in this world. Death is not the end of those who belong to God. We can have peace knowing that death is not the end. Many in the world have a real fright of what happens after death. What two things are people most scared of in life? Public speaking and death. I believe those are still the top two. Public speaking and death.

People wonder what will happen to me? What will happen to my loved ones? But God has a plan, doesn't he? God has a plan. I'm reminded of a personal story or personal account with a family member, Laura's grandmother, who was not someone who believed with our beliefs. And as her time came to an end, it was not pretty to see her suffer through these doubts, through the pain of wondering what will happen to me. She cried sincere tears of fright, of being scared. And it was just something that was hard to watch. Something that she was encouraged, this isn't the end for you. But to see somebody in that shape that just, it hurts. They hurt because they don't know that they have done anything worthy enough to be in heaven, as the world views it. And so they suffer and they beat themselves up and they hurt so bad.

But with God, He has a plan, doesn't He? And it's through this plan that we know and understand that this life isn't the end. That we won't just die and that be the end. Or as many in the world believe, there's either heaven or hell. You've got a 50-50 chance, I guess, since there's only two options.

I'm not a statistician. Or what about reincarnation, the belief that we'll turn into something else, another life form. Maybe I'll be a tree for a long time if I'm a redwood. I'm just going to be a tree hanging out. I don't make light of other religions believing these things because they do it with all that they've seen from God, all that He's opened their minds to see. But He has shown us. He has shown us that this is not the end. No, we have recorded in Scripture for us that God has not does not God has a plan, not just for those called and baptized now, but a plan for all of humanity that has ever lived. It's through this promise that we can have peace and hope in our lives for those that we love. And yes, it's sad when we lose someone in this physical world. But it's sad, but we're sad because we're going to miss seeing them, or talking to them, or hugging them, or being encouraged by them. We know it's a temporary goodbye and it's not permanent. It's this plan from God that gives us each the peace of knowing what really happens after death. A real encouraging Scriptures in Romans 15 verse 13.

Romans 15 and verse 13. Romans 15 and verse 13. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. May the God, now may the God of hope, fill you with all joy and peace. We must believe to have hope. Without belief, there can be no hope. And it's through the Holy Spirit living inside of us that this hope comes to life. We feel it. We believe it. We know it to be true. We come to trust and depend on this hope to help us deal with our daily struggles and difficult times in life. It's the reason we continue to press on. It's the reason we continue to endure our race to the finish. Our hope is alive and it is certain. Let's turn to Titus 2 verse 11.

Titus 2 verse 11. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people, zealous for good works. This is our hope. The fifth point in how God is preparing each of us is that he is our victory and triumph. He is our victory and triumph. It's through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that our victory is secured. And it's through the fulfillment of the feast of trumpets that we kept last week and the return of Jesus Christ to this earth that we triumph over death. Let's turn to 1 Corinthians 15 verse 57.

1 Corinthians 15.

And we'll read 57 and 58.

But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. This is victory over sin, death, and the grave. And it's through God, the Father, that all of this is even possible. The Father formed the plan and He executed the plan through the giving of His only Son. Victory is in front of us. Victory is secured and established. It won't go away and it won't change. And as the scripture says, this is why our labor is not in vain.

You can put in your notes 2 Corinthians 29 verse 11. 2 Chronicles 29 verse 11. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, and the glory, the victory, and the majesty. For all that is in heaven and the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head over all. The victory of Jesus Christ comes triumph over death for the saints of God. Let's turn to Revelation 20 and verse 4. Revelation 20 and verse 4.

You may have read this on the Feast of Trumpets, but we'll read it again because this is our future, our secured future in God. Revelation 20 verse 4. Did I mix that up? I say it's Revelation 20 and verse 4. And I saw thrones and they sat on them and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who have been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the Word of God who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their forehead or in their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. And what does this thousand-year period look like? Let's turn back to Isaiah 35.

Isaiah 35 and verse 1.

We want this vision, this promise, to be in our hearts, to be secure in our brains, to know that this is what is being promised to us through Christ's victory and through triumph. Isaiah 35 verse 1. The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. This is all picturing a future Jerusalem in the kingdom of God.

It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice. Even with joy and singing, the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon, and they shall see the glory of the Lord, the excellency of our God. Strengthen the weak hands to make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fear-hearted, be strong and do not fear. Behold, your God will come with vengeance and with recompense of God, he will come and save you.

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing, for water shall burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water in the habitation of jackals where each lay. There shall be grass with reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, a road, and it shall be called the highway of holiness. The unclean shall not pass over, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up into it. It shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransom of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sign shall flee away. It's again with this that we can rejoice that we are his workmanship because he is our victory and our triumph.

This holiday season that we are currently in the midst of is truly a time that we can rejoice before God. He wants nothing other than to open his kingdom to each and every one of us, and for all of us to be his children. This is the great God that we have a relationship with today. This is our father that wants to hold nothing back from us. As we wrap up, let's turn to Psalm 89. Psalm 89. Psalm 89. Psalm 89. Psalm 89. Psalm 89. Psalm 89. Psalm 11. The heavens are yours, the earth also is yours, the world in all its fullness you have founded them, the north and the south you have created them. Taber and Herman rejoice in your name. You have a mighty arm. Strong is your hand and high is your right hand. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Mercy and truth go before your face. Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound. They walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance. In your name they rejoice all day long, and in your righteousness they are exalted. For you are the glory of their strength, and in your favor our horn is exalted, for our shield belongs to the Lord and our King to the Holy One of Israel. Our Great God is sending back His Son to this earth to establish His kingdom and to spread His way of life throughout this earth. While we have a duty to remain faithful, to serve others, and endure to the end, we can rely that God will complete the work He has started in each and every one of us. His love and His mercy is unmeasurable and without end. Let's read 89 verse 15 and 16, one last time. Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound. They walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance. In your name they rejoice all day long, and in your righteousness they are exalted.