Welcome to the Baptist Church of Pavana. Pastor Renita got up and welcome everyone to worship service especially their guests from North America. Meida looked at me to come and read the scripture in English for her which I had no idea about until then. It was out of Matthew 5. I turned around and ask Cassie could she do this for me because I was having a lot of pain in my knee this day. Cassie graciously got up there and did a phenomenal reading God's Word for worship today. Tammy, Jessica and Becky, mother/daughters team got up in church on Sunday morning filled with the Holy Spirit and a lot of practice prior to coming to Honduras to see a song called "My Grace is Sufficient" in Spanish. They sang the entire song in Spanish.
This team along with the church family sang hymns in English and Spanish. Andres had written a song and wanted to sing it on Sunday morning. What a beautiful voice this fourteen year old shared with us this morning. Juan, a church member sang a special as well. The team got up there to sing "Victory in Jesus". They all had learn the chorus in Spanish. What a wonderful way to praise and worship up our Lord this morning leading up to an amazing message from God's Word.
Brenda was asked by Mateo to read his scripture reference from his sermon out of 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. After Brenda got through reading the scripture in English our Meida then translated it in Spanish for the Honduran congregation. As I was sitting there thinking back over the week behind us I pictured the pharmacy up on this same stage Mateo was getting ready to preach from. During the week Mateo dispersed physical needs to the Honduran people but this Sunday morning Mateo was getting ready to share God's Word to the North Americans as well as the Hondurans. I know personally for myself I needed his words of encouragement he shared from God's Word today. Mateo opened us up in prayer before sharing his sermon.
God has a divine purpose for each experience we have in our lives.
Satan delights in our weaknesses. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
These weaknesses that Paul refers to could be how our neighbor persecutes us for believing in Christ, our lack of faith when the storms of life take priority, the things of the world becoming more important than Jesus to you.
God's plan is the ultimate plan. We may try to write our own story and put a timeline on our life for the way it should go, but only God knows and His plan is always greater.
Paul had a thorn in his flesh given to him by Satan that he did not want. Paul discussed how he felt exalted above everyone by the amount of glory received by God and the abundance of revelations he was experiencing, this thorn was to humble Paul and became a constant weakness and stirred up persecution.
He prayed to take it away and God would not take it away. Once God spoke to him and told him that "My Grace is sufficient for you and My Power is made perfect in your weakness." Paul responded in an amazing way. He said, "therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ will rest upon me." He wanted Christ to be magnified in his time of weakness.
The Christian life is not supposed to be easy. The devil may blind us into thinking that it should be easy. We should press on and share the love of Christ no matter how difficult
it may become.
Mateo continues with "My Yoke is Easy"
The devil may also make us feel like God has failed us when we experience hardship, examples, death in our families, sickness, etc.
We must stay true in our faith and put our trust in Him when we have good days and when there are difficulties along our journey in life.
We need to seek strength from the Lord boasting in our weaknesses. If we think that we are strong and do not seek God, we will become dangerous in a delusion of strength. The Lord is the ultimate provider of the strength we need and the power of Christ will move in us as we seek the Lord.
When our hearts ache and break, Jesus is strong. When we are angry or face injustice, Jesus is strong. When we are grieving, battling a health issue or experiencing other trials, Jesus is strong. We serve a mighty God and He is only a prayer away. When we are weak He is strong.
As we focus on God delighting in our weaknesses and navigate the Christian life, the most important tool besides reading the Bible daily is praying daily as well.
As the old Christian hymn goes,
"What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear,
What a privilege to carry,
Everything to God in prayer."
The Bible says to pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances, this is the will of us in Christ Jesus.
An Christian leader once said, "Our God does, however, turn those streams, and splits seas and open spiritually blind eyes through prayer. God makes our humble, dependent, expectant cries for help the instruments of what He does in the world. We should assume that God has very few plans for the world that do not involve the prayers of his people. His will will be done whether I pray or not. But His will will not be done without prayer, because He has chosen to make prayer indispensable. The Sovereign God hangs the Universe on the prayers of His people, and then inspires and empowers us to pray. he works in our praying, "both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
Mateo refers to Hebrews 4:14 referring to God's grace, and how God's Spirit is gently and lowly.
Hebrews 4:14 "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens Jesus the Son of God, let us hold on fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are yet without sin. Let us than with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
God is there for us in all of our needs. he is a sinless God that knows all of our temptations and gives us the grace and mercy to pick us up when we fall as humans. God was tempted beyond comparison and yet he saw through to the other side without sin. he understands our worldly temptations so much more than we do.
Christ is compassionate, this comes from His deepest heart for us.
We have a friend in Jesus that will share our burdens with us and He will always sit close to us and embrace us.
We are never alone with Jesus.
"No, you dont know what you will face today, but your Sovereign Savior does, and His mercies are new and given to you for what you will face."
As Mateo closed out he said What a VICTORY we have in JESUS OUR SAVIOR FOREVER.
Mateo at this time closed in prayer.
Jenny came forward to thank the church for having us this week and in church today.
Thank You Mt. Moriah Baptist Church for all you did in prayer and donations to make this week happen for these dedicated hard working servants of God.
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