Count Your Many Blessings

PRAIRIE GROVE BAPTIST PASTOR: CLIFTON JONES SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 COUNT YOUR MANY BLESSINGS INTRODUCTION This will not be a normal Sunday morning message, as to explanation or time My comments will be short, my time will be cut short, then it will be your turn to share In the early days of my ministry testimonial services were very common, especially in revivals In our current time they are very rare, but our current time has witnessed many things that are rare A year ago, we were in the beginning of coronavirus with no idea of what we were going to face A year later and we are still living under the life changing events of the coronavirus pandemic The subject for today is not to share all of the difficult days of 2020, more than we ever expected We all have a personal testimony of those days and we have all shared it many times with others It is time to change the subject, it is time to share a good word with one another And not just in this service today, but wherever you are in the days ahead with whoever you meet We were all looking forward to 2021, when 2020 would be gone and life would be different Well, for the last 10 days there has been a difference, but not the changes we wanted to witness Weather shared with us throughout Texas and many other states record breaking statistics And we have all shared our personal testimony of how difficult those days have been Again, it is time to change the subject, it is time to share a good word with one another The news media is not going to share what the Christian has to share, what we must share If we are not willing to share the Grace of God and the Joy of Jesus in a church worship service I doubt that you will share it with those who desperately need it today, a lost and hopeless world One other point I want us to consider, God gave us the opportunity to prepare to share Consider the opportune times we have had during the days of recent weather and coronavirus Time that could not be spent in the normal activities of life, so, what did you do with that time? What an opportunity it has been to prepare spiritually for what God has called us to do, 1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: To “sanctify the Lord,” is to place Jesus first in your life, number one above anyone or anything “In your heart” refers to your total being, the complete range of the activities of your life People have questions today and they are turning to the news media and government for answers As Christians we have the answer, are we prepared to share it? Are we willing to share it? The ordinary conversations of today open the door of opportunity for us to share the answer Peter said, we must “be ready,” be prepared, ready for every opportunity to speak for Christ Peter sums up the answer in one word, “hope,” Christians have the hope within us We must share it in “meekness,” sharing with others the same way Christ shared His love with us And “fear,” which is first of all respect and honor toward God and then toward others “Fear” is recognizing God, who He is, and then recognizing who we are because of God “Fear” is recognizing the importance of God’s purpose for our life “Fear” is recognizing the importance of what we are saying and doing for God It is that Godly fear within our heart that will motivate us and guide us in what we say and do Hope is a patient, disciplined, confident waiting for and expectation of the Lord’s hand Hope is faith waiting for God to do what He is going to do, which will be through Jesus Christ Through faith, grace, and hope, we can stand in the times of trials, troubles, and tribulation Page 1 of 2 Biblical patience is the ability to continue to stand in times of difficulty and hardship Standing strong in the faith and continuing to be a witness of the truth of Christ in us WHY ARE WE FACING THESE DIFFICULT DAYS? Are we living in the days identified in Matthew 24? Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. The present times are not yet those days described by Jesus in Matthew 24 Our present days are the evidence that those days are possible and can happen even today Take a close look at the meaning of famines and pestilences, notice “in divers places” Now then listen to Jesus, Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Yes, we are most likely that generation that will see “all these things fulfilled” Even more reason why we must be the generation to share the “Good News of the Gospel” Are these days the days of joy? For the Christian “YES, YES” We studied Matthew 24 and the future events last year and then I went to the study of Philippians Why Philippians? Philippians is the “Letter of Joy,” the key words are “joy” and “rejoice” Paul tells us why the Christian can rejoice at all times and through all the things we face We must read it, study it, learn it, live it, and now is the time to share it CONCLUSION Are the days we have faced and are continuing to face days of opportunity or God’s discipline? One way or the other God’s purpose will be fulfilled, obedience to God’s will is the best for us Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. No chastisement is ever pleasant or enjoyable The chastisement of God is not an enjoyable experience We are not told to enjoy it--we are told to endure it We don’t like to learn through suffering because it hurts--It is “grievous The chastisement of God will cause pain and sorrow and will not be pleasant at the time The discipline of God hurts but it does not harm or damage the life of a Christian Two positive results are listed in this verse And both of them are beneficial to our daily Christian life When our training session that comes through chastisement is all over It yields a return just like a good harvest from the field that has been properly worked It produces a harvest of fruit known as peace That which is “peaceable” is the opposite of unrest It is the spirit of satisfaction that overcomes a rebellious spirit The joy is not in the time of suffering, it is in the end results God is not going to send us out into the world without being properly trained Chastening is a training process through which God gets us in shape spiritually Our share time today is for the purpose of sharing the “JOY OF JESUS” with our troubled world It is your turn to practice and prepare. 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