EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD

 First of all, I would like to congratulate you 

on your (    )th church anniversary foundation

It is indeed an honor and privilege to be here on your special occasion.

May GOD continue to bless upon this church 

and continue to use this church in winning souls for our Lord

Today I will share the word of God entitled "____"

 

Let's open the Bible in Isaiah 54; 1-8

"Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman  than of her who has a husband," says the LORD. "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.   For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband-- the LORD Almighty is his name-- the Holy one of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.   The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit-- a wife who married young, only to be rejected,"  says your God. "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you," says the LORD your Redeemer.

 

heavenly  father  our living God

On this Anniversary Sunday,

we give thanks for all you have done in our lives  

and we give thanks for all the blessings

And so today, as we gather in your name,

to hear your words once again

i pray in the name of Jesus

you bless this time

you bless this place

and you bless your word

Bless your servant

Use me as your mouthpiece

Pour your anointing through your words

Help us to welcome your word as the living word of God

and allow it to work in us

and bless each and

every one of us today

once again we thank you

in Jesus name we pray

 

God loves his chosen people forever and ever  till the end

today's scripture  Isaiah chapter 54  is about God's everlasting love

for his people (Israelites)

and this is also true to us because we are the people of God

Israelites received God's love and his blessing

yet they worshiped idols so God condemned them

so Israel had been divided and weakened

and they were captive.

there were a lot of suffering, grief and hard work in Babylon

and there is no hope any longer

 

but God did not reject them forever

as today's passage says

God's anger is moment  but his compassion is everlasting  amen

and God promised them who were in pain and distress

verse 2 it says

"for you will spread abroad to the right and to the left.
 And your descendants will possess nations
 And will resettle the desolate cities."

halleluiah ~~~

they are lot of suffering  in Babylon as a slaves

but God bless them and promise them

Don't worry you will recover everything

what a hopeful word is this !!

and this passage can apply to us today

so how can we receive this promise from God ?

the answers is

 

verse 2 it says

Enlarge the place of your tent,

stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back;

lengthen your cords,

strengthen your stakes.

In order to receive God's blessings meron pa our requirement

then what we have to do?

 

 

1st Enlarge the place of your tent- faith

 

God promised the Israelites who desolated woman to bless and prosper

God promised that Jerusalem will be restored

and God says enlarge your place of your tent

 

brothers and sisters

we should enlarge our faith

yes our life is not always  highway sometimes it is lubac lubac

but we have to know this one God is with us

he will never forsake nor abandon us

because God loves to us

 

Today's passage verse 5 says

"for your maker is your husband"

This verse represent Israel as wife ,  our God is (the lord) as husband

and verse 7 it says

with deep compassion i will bring you back

He is a loving God with deep compassion for us

and he is a mighty God who can save us

and he is our redeemer 

he loves the people of Israel and he is capable of saving them

and bringing them back home to Jerusalem

 

and  he also love us today

and he want bless us today amen

and what we need is enlarge our faith  amen

 

brothers and sisters

we have to know this one

what God plan to do no man can stop it

no nation as big as Babylon can oppose it

this is the God we believe today

trust him and increase our faith

and stretch our faith of vessel Amen?

 

there is a story about a widow  in 2nd kings chapter 4

Her husband died

and they have marami utang

so the creditor wants to get her anak as a slave

in this desperate situation

Elisha ask her  "what do you have in your house"

nothing except a little oil, the widow answered

then  Elisha said

Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars.

Do not ask for just a few.

and then go inside and shut down the door

and pour oil into the empty jars

the oil kept on pour out and filled all the empty jars

until there was no empty jar left

 

brothers and sisters

God stores up infinite blessings for us

yet God pour his blessing as the size of our faith

 

i will tell you one story 

there is a fisherman who was fishing

and when he gets a big fish, he threw it back to the sea

and when he gets a small fish, he put it in the basket

 

so someone ask him why you put  big fish  back in the water

and get small fish only

and fisherman answered

because in my house we have only small frying pan

so that we cannot cook big fish..

 

do not throw the big fish but rather change your small frying pan

 

increase our vessel of faith

then we will get big blessing

 

as we know John Wesley had big vessel of Faith

He said  "The World is my Parish"

and it became true

also pastor David  yonggi cho 

when he started his ministry at the age of 20

he said, i will make the biggest church in the world 

and people laugh at him but he made it

becoz of his faith now

Yoido full gospel church materialized

 

like this, i will tell you this church

you also stretching your faith hanggang you embrace the world amen

God will make  this church biggest in this place

God will make many daughter church

God will send many missionaries through this church

But be faithful unto God, in your words and in your deeds

have  big faith brothers and sisters

our beginning was small, yet the end should greatly increase.

Everything is possible for him who believes.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

Trust the word of god and declare with your speaking

 

you know faith is seed

it seems small and weak,

but it has life in it

if it is cultivated, it will grow and release power

and it will be done according to our faith

 

do not listen and do not think negative way

and have a strong faith today

without faith it is impossible to please God,

so I want all of you to enlarge your place of faith and vessel of faith

so you will have a victory amen

 

2 stretch your tent curtains wide -love

 

when we pitch the tent we need curtains

if there is no curtain we cannot cover the rain or sun shine

here curtain means- love

God is a loving God

so even when the Israelites detached themselves away from God

even when they worshipped idols

Yet God embrace them with Love and deep compassion

we can go to God because God loves us

 we know this story

there is prophet Hosea in northern Israel in BC 800

and God directed  him to marry Gomer who was promiscuous woman

so Hosea obeyed and married her and they had 3 children,  isang babae

and dalawa lalake

but one day she suddenly disappeared

she avoid husband and lured back to her old life

today she sleep with some guy

and tomorrow she sleep with another guy

and finally she went down to slavery market

but God commanded Hosea to bring her back and love her again

and Hosea obeyed and got her back again in His house

this story is the very story between God and Israel

and this story is also the story of god and us

Hosea never gave up Gomer who was promiscuous woman, 

love till the end and this is God's love

God's love is like this

his love is endless love

 

diba?

we are born to love God and sing praises unto God

but from Adam  until now

many  times we betray  God

many times  we fall into the Satan's temptations

many times we lost

many times we fall apart from him

we are like Gomer who was promiscuous woman

but God is still there and love us Amen

 

Ptr. Jene Edward said in his book Divine romance

many times we betray to God ~~~~

why God still love to us ?

and the answer is because God loves us

 

one day my wife said to my anak

be a good boy so that God love you

but this is wrong

God even loves a bad boy

God hate sin but God loves sinner

That is why God sent His only son in this world and He died for us. 

In the Bible 13th chapter of John at the 1st verse: 

“It was just before the Passover Feast. 

Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to Father. 

Jesus knew that he was going to die. 

Jesus knew His disciples were to forsake Him and leave Him. 

Jesus knew Peter was to deny Him with a curse. 

Jesus already knew that Judas was that night to betray Him with a kiss. 

But Jesus still loved them. 

 

Now we find here that His love is unchangeable. 

Not only that His love has no limit. amen

 

Brothers and sisters 

He loved the people until His last breath. 

When they crucified Jesus on the cross. 

Jesus said “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” 

It is said in Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” 

It means love without end. 

Brothers and sisters God is love. 

His love is unchangeable. His love has no limit. 

His love is everlasting. His love is unfailing. 

 

Someone who still wander and still far from God

God still want you come back again. 

Because; God is love. 

He does not want you to perish but to remain in His love. 

 

Bible says in Jude 1:21, “Keep yourselves in God’s love” 

Yes, we should live in His love. 

Brothers and sisters 

Do you believe that God loves you? And do you Love God? 

Then, peace and joy shall be with you. 

And one more thing , you have to share God’s love to others 

even if we have strong faith but without love, we are nothing

even if  we speak in the tongues of men and of angels,

but have not love, we are only resounding gong

you know

A businessman can be successful in his work even without love. 

A movie star  can be successful even without love. 

But we have to know this one,

we cannot serve God unless we have love. 

So in order to become a successful Christian. 

We have to share God’s love to one another 

When we practice God’s love to others,

God's love will overflow more unto us. 

so I want this church, church of love

and i want all of you people of love amen

 

3 lengthen your cords,- prayer

.

Wider tents require longer cords to keep them securely held in place.

like this

for the widening tent we should lengthen our prayer

 

thank God

God bless this church so that

from house church you have new church building now

and I am telling you -you need more prayer

diba if the cords are loose

when typhoon comes the tent will fall down

it is the same with our lives

Remember brothers and sister

God is working through our prayers

so tighten your cord of prayer

 

Bible says, phil.4;6

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything, by prayer and petition,

present your requests to God

and psalms 107;13

cry out to the LORD in your trouble

then God will save  you out of your distresses.

Colossians' 4;2 says

Devote yourselves to prayer,

keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanks giving

 

brothers and sisters

we need lengthen our prayer time now

increase our prayer

if you pray 30 min now you increase 1 hours

if you pray 1hour  then you increase 2 hours

 

not only lengthen your prayer time

but also widen your prayer coverage

not only pray for ourselves and our family

but also pray for our church and pastors and so on

also pray for non- Christians in this place to come back to God

we have to know this one 

God is working  through our prayer amen

 

When david yonggi cho build a church in yoido seoul in 1973

suddenly the 1973 oil crisis began in October 1973

that time OPEC-Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries

plus Egypt and Syria proclaimed an oil Embargo 

By the end of the embargo in March 1974,

the price of oil had risen from $3 per barrel  to nearly $12 globally,

this is what we call The 1st oil crisis, or "1st oil shock",

and this embargo had many effects on global economy.

even in Korea

many people lost their Job, many stores closed

because of this oil shock

church offering decreased  and later on church construction  stopped

that time yonggi cho went to the unfinished church everyday

and holding  one  steel bar in the post  and pray every day for 3 hours

even it comes raining he prayed under the rain

he cried out to God

"Lord make this building collapse rather i would die here "

and later on church member start to join there and pray together

and many members bring their jewelry -even wedding ring

 they offer to the church

and church offering getting increased

and finally they could finish their church construction

i remember even my mother also offering a lot  ~~~

 

나의 어머니 기도

 

brothers and sisters

prayer will bring you break through

prayer will bring you deliverance

prayer will give you direction

Prayer changes the circumstance that surrounds us. 

Change all ,that is prayer 

 

The most important thing of today and tomorrow is prayer 

and I really want this church to be a church of prayer 

I want all of you to become a man of prayer 

 

4 strengthen your stakes - hope

 

this stake represent hope

Once you lengthen your cords you must also strengthen your stakes,

driving them deeper into the bedrock

if not,  the tent will not stay firmly

you know everybody has difficulties 

may you think big church has no problem.. no it is not

one time ptr. yonggi cho wife said

small church small problems big church has big problem

every body has a difficulties and  problems 

but i tell you successful Christians will never lose HOPE in any trials amen 

they were never discourage

they cling unto God in and situation 

and finally they overcome trials and difficulties

 

Brothers and sisters, there is always hope in hopelessness

while there is a life there is a hope amen?

 

May be you know the great Theologian Martin Luther 

he always preach “ our God is God of hope” 

so do not be discourage, because  God is with us 

 

but one day, he was disappointed with something. 

And He had a sad look all day 

So the wife asked him “what happened to you” 

But he didn’t say anything and kept his sad ｅxpression 

so the wife said, "I don't know what is your problem but God is our Hope, as you preached always."

So don't worry and trust our Almighty God and be happy.

But Martin Luther continued with his disappointed look

So she went to her room and changed her clothes 

She dressed in mourning (black dress) 

So Luther asked her “did someone died why are you wearing Black dress? 

And his wife said “God is dead” 

So Luther was surprised “what are you talking about God is dead ?” 

And the wife said, “If not then why are you so disappointed?” 

“You always say God is our hope (2X) 

but now you look at your face, it seems like you have lost your hope. 

That is why I think God is dead.” 

 

Brothers and sisters once again I will tell you 

“There is always hope in hopelessness.” 

 

todays passage verse 1 it says

"Sing... burst into song, shout for joy..."

but can the Israelites really sing under a lot of suffering?

Isaiah says Sing  for there is hope in god

God has not forgotten them

i mean

the woman was called to sing while still barren, without a child

circumstances have not changed but Isaiah calls the people to sing

because God's plan will come true

it is not just a song of hope but song of faith

trusting what God has prophesied will come true

he is going to bring his people back

we sing under the suffering becoz  we have hope amen

we sing becoz we have great future

We can rejoice in the midst of difficult circumstances

because what God has promised will come true.

The journey may be tough, but the end point is  sure  Amen

 

in Korea there is a movie  entitled  "sunny"

there is a scene like this

1980s two high school students had a talk

now we listen only voice when we call the phone

but in the future we can see the face to face in the phone

really ha ha that is a funny story

 and in our future we have to buy water with money

oh my goodness we will buy water with our money 

oh that is nonsense~~~~~

but after 30 years later their imagination became true

pweda ba video mobile calling and talaga we buy water~~~

 

you know

in these days we cannot predict our future

mahirap na ang guess what's coming next

we call it these -the age of uncertainty

 

i remember one time

 I brought our student to mountain ministry -pangasinense

And while we were climbing the mountain 

I asked her, “Are you okay?” 

And she answered , “Mahirap dito, mas dadali ang buhay ko.” 

and I told her, “No, it will not, this is good for your health.

Maybe you will live longer.” 

 

brothers and sisters

we don't know our future

we don't know about tomorrow

we don't know when we will die?

we are living in an uncertain days now

everything is confusion and chaos

but i tell you

there is hope in God

The Lord said to Isaiah in Isa 49:23,

"...Those who hope in Me will not be disappointed." amen
In this troublesome world today, we need to cling on to God.

Hold on to His Word.

God has not forgotten His people.. Brothers and sisters 

Do you have any problem? (x2) 

I tell you something and promise you 

After 10 years all your problem will be gone amen. 

 

God is alive 

And because he lives, there is hope 

today's passage says

sing, sing with Joy

God will not let us down

 

sing

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. 

Because He lives, All fear is gone. 

Because I know~~~ He holds the future

 

prayer

 

father, once again we thank you this morning 

and we thank you the word that you given us today

and thank you for the fact

no matter where we are you are with us

and i pray in the name of Jesus

and father, help us continue to walk in Faith  

even though we cannot see tomorrow 

we believe that you hold our future

Increase in us, father, the faith you have given us

give us strong and steady faith 

 

thank you Jesus we bless your name

we exalt your name

thank you Jesus we sing to praise you 

we worship you hallelujah Jesus 

and Father, I come before you, in the blessed 

name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit 

and, I pray in the name of Jesus (2X) 

you anoint us with your power of the Holy Spirit 

you release your power to us now

and use us mightily for your glory and your kingdom

 and help us magnify the work of our hands to bring glory your name

and father you continue to shower your blessing unto us 

bless our ministry /family / life

if there is hindrance for your blessing 

I rebuke now in the name of Jesus

all the problems will go a way

all the frustration will go a way

all the destructive will go a way

all negative will go away  in Jesus name

오~

 we will conquer any hindrance in Jesus name

we  will conquer any trials in Jesus name

i declare that we have a victory today

i speak we are winner and victor

i proclaim that we have victory after victory halleluiah

thank you Jesus 

and thank holy spirit

 

Once again I pray for this church 

father you cover this church with precious holy blood 

and continue to use this church for expanding your kingdom in this place

and continue to  pour out your blessing  upon blessing

upon this church

through this church many lost soul will come to you

through this church gospel will spread to the end of the earth

through this church people will be blessed/prosper 

through this church people will be healed/anointed

through this church people will have victory~~~

  

make this church, the church of prayer 

church of love and church of power

 

and bless all this church pastor workers and congregation

may you refresh and empower them today

Pour in renewed passion and strength. 

and Speak life into their days

open their eyes to see more of you in their every day life

use them mightily for your kingdom and your greater glory 

bless them physically, financially, and spiritually 

and give them victory every day in their lives

thank you Jesus thank you Holy spirit

you are the one who king of kings and the lord of lords 

we give highest praise and glory to you 

in Jesus name amen