We serve a great God. Throughout history, he has done great things for his people.

We worship a victorious savior. He defeated sin, death, took all the wrath of a righteous God, he bought us back from slavery to sin and made us sons and daughters of

Last week - even in our failures, the victory of Christ is demonstrated.

When we fail, when we sin, we remember that Jesus' victory on the cross carried away my sins.

God wants you to think about, meditate on, study and explore the victories of Jesus. He wants you to see that his grace really is greater than all our sin.

There is no moment or circumstance of my life that is not impacted by God's greatness and the victorious work of Jesus Christ.

What about those times when we're discouraged and worn?

Do God's people get discouraged?

Ps 77:3, I remembered you, o God, and I groaned

Ps 102:4-6, I forgot to eat

Jer 20:14, I curse the day I was born.

Job 10:1 I loathe my very life.

Why does God allow his people to be discouraged?

1. Emptiness - Absence increases our desire, presence increases our joy.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Blessings lost and then found again become extraordinary.

2. Disappointment - So we find that nothing else will fulfill us and come to him alone.

Hosea 11:2-4

V. 2. God called, they went further away. Worshipped Baals

V. 3. They did not see God's kindness, took it for granted.

V. 4 God led them in kindness and love.

Hosea 11:5-8

V. 5. Return to Egypt - after God set them free, from slavery, they wanted to return there. We return to old idols, old habits, looking for fulfillment.

V. 6 God will allow them to be invaded by Assyria.

V. 7. My people are determined to turn from me.

Man comes to God only after finding emptiness everywhere else. William Bridge

So long as we can find fulfillment anywhere else, we will not come to God.

V. 8. In triumphant, unfailing love, God will not give up on you or let you go.

The greatness of God's love will bring you back to him.

His unfailing love will remind you that even if you have discouragement all around you, you have the greatest possession in the universe, you have the love of your great God.

You are His and He is yours.

God wants to have all the love of his children.

He allows us to figure out that no other pursuits will satisfy us.

3. Conviction - Jesus as a surgeon, uses discouragement to repair what is wrong in us. He points out areas in our lives where we are looking at external things rather than the demonstrated love of God for us.

Read the scriptures much. The promise yields its power when you put it to work, not before. Relying on the promise makes it yours.

Psalm 94:19 "when anxiety was great within me,

your consolation brought joy to my soul."

I want to spend the next few weeks talking about our triumphant God.

About the victories of God and, specifically, the victories of Jesus Christ.

Our God is victorious.

Our Savior has overcome.

God's patience overcame Israel's sinfulness

Jesus' obedience overcame Satan's temptations

God's forgiveness overcame man's sin

God's power overcame the schemes of Satan

Jesus' power overcame the grave

God's wisdom overcame man's deceptions

God's glory overcame man's suppression of the truth

God's love overcame man's hatred

But it's not just that He has overcome. His victory means something for our lives.

The story of God's victory is not just God's story.

God demonstrates his greatness in the lives of his people.

God's triumphs impact the lives of his people.

Jesus' blood overcame the sinful stains in my life and made me holy

Jesus' sacrifice overcame the wrath of God and made me a friend of God

Jesus overcame the bondage of my sin and gave me freedom

Jesus overcame the death that I dwelt in and gave me new life

Jesus' victories in life and teachings and in his death and resurrection and in His teachings have an impact on our lives today and every day.

There is no moment or circumstance of my life that is not impacted by God's greatness and the victorious work of Jesus Christ.

Even in our failures, the victory of Jesus and the greatness of God is seen.

John 13:36-38 Jesus' last night with his disciples. Peter promises to go all the way to death

Luke 22:31-34 Satan asked to sift you like wheat

God allowed Peter's faith to be tested

"When you have turned back" Jesus knew that Peter would stumble

But Peter's stumbling was not the end

John 18:25-27 while Jesus was being accused, Peter warmed himself and not only didn't speak up in Jesus' defense, he denied even knowing him

John 21:15-17 three denials, three opportunities to be restored

God never permits his people to fall into any sin but that he intends as an inlet into further grace.

We should be humbled by our sin, but not discouraged because Jesus has overcome our sin - past and future - all our sin, every stain, every one - Jesus Christ has covered by his blood.

When you sin, see it on the cross. See Jesus carry it to Calvary.

See his death carry it away and see his Father accept Jesus' sacrifice as payment in full for your sin when he resurrected Jesus body after three days of death.

Hearing and doing are what make the difference. - Andy Stanley

James 1:22-25

22. Do not merely listen; do. Listening without doing is deceptive.

We can come to church, sing the songs - even feel emotion.

But if we don't put into practice what we're learning, there's no real growth.

23-24. a word picture - we fix the outside but not the inside

Coming to realize after being in Gods word yourself or hearing Gods word and realizing you need to make a change

Honor God with your body,

Invest more time in your kids,

Or more in your marriage,

To become aware that something needs to change and then to leave and do nothing is like looking at a mirror, and forgetting what you see.

It'd be like getting up in the morning and looking in the mirror and see you need a shave, your hair is flat on one side and standing on the other, your teach need brushed, but you immediately forget and do nothing and go to school or work.

You stand in front of the mirror until you're better - until it's fixed

You do something about what you see.

James says when you read or hear the a Word of a God and become aware that you need to confess, or forgive someone, or address an addiction, or honor God with your body or your finances, or your marriage, or a relationship, an apology I need to make - if you become aware of the need for change and do nothing...

It's as foolish as looking into a mirror and forgetting what you've seen.

There's no credit for just being aware - God lovingly calls us to change.

We'll spend hours in a week on the outside, but it's the heart issues, habit issues, relationship issues, forgiveness issues, attitude issues that cause moral or relational or financial crashes in our lives.

Why wouldn't we dare to walk away from an issue in our appearance, but we refuse to deal with the internal issues we've been confronted with?

25. God's law gives freedom

The younger we are and the less time we've followed Christ, the more baffling this is. Seems like the Scriptures are filled with "NO" - not freedom.

God' sword seems restrictive, not freeing.

But then you gain some life experience and you find its true.

Money: Bible teaches us to be generous, don't spend all your money on yourself. Your money is not your money. Don't go into debt.

Give, save, then live on the rest. If you do that, you'll have financial freedom.

It works because the Bible is true and if you follow its teachings - if you apply them - if you put them into practice you'll find freedom.

Forgiveness: the perfect law that gives freedom says when someone hurts you, forgive. But we don't want to. Someone hurt me. I'm going to hold it against them. I'm not going to let them off. Why would I give them the gift of forgiveness?

The Bible says, cancel their debt. Forgive.

You know people who haven't forgiven. They are angry, bitter. And people around them suffer. People wound them get all the venom from some other relationship.

But we know that when we forgive, the person being set free is us.

We know that forgiveness removes the shackles - not from the person who hurt us - it removes the shackles from our own hands and feet.

There's freedom when you apply Gods Word and forgive.

The Bible teaches to honor God with your body and with what you put in your body. When you're young that seems so restrictive.

Honor God with where you take your body,

Honor God with what you look at,

Honor God with your relationships - with your sexuality.

There is freedom in God's perfect law, but only when we practice it.

Only when we do something with what we hear.

Jesus Christ died to set us free.

But you're only free when you do something with what you hear.

There is blessing when we hear and do.

Psalm 84:1-4 blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever praising - those who dwell in worship are blessed - they find happiness, joy in God's presence

Psalm 84:5-7

v 5 "set their hearts on pilgrimage" - journey to God's temple, to his presence.

blessed are those who journey to God's presence.

v 6 "valley of Baca" "weeping" no physical place identified.

Here's the picture -

Blessed are those who journey through sorrow to God's presence.

A place of springs, rains cover the valley of weeping with pools.

The practice of digging cisterns in the desert.

In the middle of desert, they would dig holes in the ground or cisterns.

Despite the thirsty, dry conditions, they knew the rains would come.

v 7 The rains did come, filled the holes like pools in the desert.

The. They pass through the desert, from one pool to the next, "strength to strength".

Those who go to God in times of sorrow find strength.

Even in dry places, you have to prepare for rain.

In the midst of discouragement, go to God's presence, prepare for his blessing

Discouragement is disorienting, but God is still good.

He is for us.

Our struggles do not overcome the joy and strength we find in his presence.

Perhaps the theme of Habakkuk is

Habakkuk 3:2a

Lord, I have heard of your fame, I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord

Renew them in our day

Habakkuk knew of God's great work for his people - in the past.

But in the present, he could not see God'S work.

"Renew your goodness in our day"

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,

Though the olive crop fails and the field produces no food,

Though there are no sheep in he pen and no cattle in the stalls,

Yet I will rejoice in The Lord, I will be joyful in god my Savior.

Habakkuk was writing at a time of devastating famine.

No crops, no livestock, no food.

"Yet I will rejoice in The Lord, I will be joyful in god my Savior."

How can we find joy in the midst of discouragement?

In the midst of defeat? In the midst of trouble that seems to have no end?

We all face discouragement at times in our lives: finances, marriages, jobs, medical problems, relationship problems.

We can deal with those when they last a short time.

But when the struggle continues for a long time, it can go from struggle to discouragement.

Long-term struggles can outlast your hope.

Discouragement can set in and make it feel like there is no hope of change.

What do we do then? Where do we go?

Are we supposed to give up? Is this the new normal?

How can we survive those times, not of days or weeks of struggles, but those struggles that go on for years?

If The Lord chooses not to rescue us from the struggle, can we find joy again?

Psalm 43:1-5

v 1-2 feeling rejected by God... In mourning... Oppressed by the enemy

v 3 prayer for light and truth to guide him, to lead him to God,

To lead him into God's presence.

Discouragement causes us to withdraw from God and people.

Ask God to guide you back into his presence.

We tend to withdraw from God.

The author here prays, God, guide me into your presence.

"Send forth your light and truth, let them guide me"

Discouragement is disorienting; making us think our struggles are bigger than God.

Ask God to help you see your struggle in light of His Presence.

v 4 go to the altar - worshipping God

Worshipping God in the midst of discouragement renews the joy we find in his presence.

v 5 why so downcast? Put your hope in God.

The kingdom of God is to be

Taken hold of

Advanced

Treasured

Matthew 13:44

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The parallel account in Luke omits "and his righteousness" and adds an assurance: "...seek his kingdom, and all these things shall be yours as well. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:31-32).

The kingdom of God is the treasure.

The kingdom of God is of higher value than everything else.

We are to seek God's kingdom as our most valuable possession.

Even if it costs you everything else, the kingdom of God is worth it.

The kingdom of God is a matter of priority - a matter of heart.

The value of God's kingdom was greater than everything else he had.

The treasure that is God's kingdom has inspired countless saints for two millennia.

The kingdom of God inspired people like Jim Elliott, One of the five who gave their lives to reach the Auca Indians in January 1956. When he was warned that he might die trying to bring the kingdom of God to this unreached tribe, he wrote in his journal, "I would gladly give my life for these people." And...

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

- Jim Elliott

William Carrey was an English missionary to India who was a skilled linguist, writer and printer. He translated portions of the Bible in different languages.

Eric Liddell the Olympic runner from the1980s film Chariots of Fire.

After school, and his time as an Olympic athlete, he returned to China as a missionary in 1925. In 1941 British nationals were encouraged to leave China by the British government because of the coming Japanese invasion.

Eric sent his wife and children home to Canada, but Eric remained to work in a hospital with his brother. In 1943 he was put in a prison camp by the Japanese and continued to teach children and preach the Bible in the prison camp.

He was given the opportunity to leave the prison camp, but turned it down so that a pregnant woman could be released and he could remain there to be a father and teacher to the children in the camp

The kingdom of God is the treasure.

The kingdom of God is of greater value than anything else.

Matthew 13:45-46

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Two ways to interpret this parable, the first is that it has the same meaning as the treasure in the field.

But in this one, The kingdom of heaven is the merchant.

The merchant gives everything to obtain the pearl.

The man who gave up everything to obtain the pearl may be Jesus Christ who gave his life to pay the debt of sin for the whole world.

Within the world of sinners, there would be some who would believe in him - the treasure and pearl.

In that case, this is similar to the parables in Luke of the woman who lost a coin and would not rest until she found it.

It's like the parable of the shepherd with one hundred sheep, but left 99 to find one lost sheep.

The lessons of these parables:

The kingdom of God is a treasure more valuable than anything else.

The kingdom of God is about a savior who made the supreme sacrifice for his people.

Wk 1 we are to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Wk 2 Most will not accept the kingdom. Like the good soil, we have to be receptive and obedient God's word.

Wk 3 This is a time of God's grace and patience, but it will come to an end with a time of separation of those who do not follow Christ.

Wk 4 The Kingdom of heaven is destined to advance.

Matthew 13:31-32 the parable of the mustard seed

The mustard seed is like a tiny speck- the smallest seed a farmer would plant.

But it would grow to be the largest plant in the garden, growing to 10 or 15 ft high.

Matthew 13:33-35 the parable of the yeast

Usually yeast is portrayed as representing sin in the Scriptures because of the way it decomposes the dough and a small amount permeates throughout.

But it is used here to show that the kingdom of God starts small, but grows to affect the whole world.

This was not the first time that God's kingdom was prophesied to advance from small and insignificant to huge growth.

In the Neo-Babylonian empire, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream.

He was so upset with it that he called his wisest advisors to interpret it, but he wanted to be sure that the interpretation was true, so he told them to tell him his dream first and then to give the interpretation - or he would have them killed.

Daniel was a Jew, a captive from Judah. He prayed and God revealed Nebuchadnezzar's dream and the interpretation.

Daniel 2:31-35

The meaning of the dream is a vision of five earthly kingdoms that would rule their world.

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Head of gold - the Babylonians

Chest of silver - the Medes and Persians

The waist and thighs of bronze - the Greeks

The legs of iron - the Romans

The feet of iron and clay - a restored Roman Empire in the end times that will be crushed by God's Kingdom

The stone not cut by human hands is the kingdom of God.

It started small but crushed the statue - the kingdoms of men - and grew to the size of a mountain.

Two points of application:

1) God's kingdom is destined to advance.

We feel like we're the underdogs, like we're in retreat as our society walks further away from God.

But God loves to start with something small and insignificant so that he can show that it grew and advanced by His power.

Slaves in Egypt escaped a powerful nation - and plundered them - why? Because God fought for them.

David was a boy when he came to a battle where warriors were afraid to face Goliath and he said, this man defies the God of Israel, I will fight him. Why? Because God fought for him.

"Jesus grew up in a backwards province of a conquered people to poor parents;

He taught for three years in neighboring villages, and occasionally at Jerusalem;

His followers were mostly the poor and uneducated;

then he fell into the hands of his enemies, and died the shameful death of the cross;

That is how kingdom of God began - but it would advance to world-wide influence.

Ultimately, the kingdom of will outlast all earthly kingdoms, all philosophies, all societies, all religions.

Are we defeated?

No, God's kingdom is destined to advance - God will work to advance his kingdom.

2) The kingdom of God advances around us as we let it advance within us.

You want your kids to follow Jesus? You follow Jesus everyday, more and more.

Your coworkers need the kingdom of God in their lives? You take hold of the kingdom.

Matthew 11:13

The Kingdom of Heaven advances into this world with conflict. There are forces of evil which oppose God’s word and His work. But God’s Kingdom is also coming with power and many people are being freed from the power of Satan as they take hold of the good news of Jesus Christ.