What happens when our lives are laid waste by Satan? Can God bring something good out of our failures? Taj shares about God’s power to redeem beauty out of the ashes of our lives.

GYC Northwest 2018: Return. Receive. Run.

<p>What happens when our lives are laid waste by Satan? Can God bring something good out of our failures? Taj shares about God’s power to redeem beauty out of the ashes of our lives.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

GYC Northwest

Morning Devotional

Chad Kreuzer

Receiving the Latter Rain- Part 1

Heavenly Father we're so thankful that we have this opportunity to open your word together to spend these next few days together.

I pray that your Holy Spirit would rain down upon us, that you would transform us into the image of your Son, that we would be changed, that we would go forth to be the light of the world that you've created us to be.

And I pray that your Holy Spirit would guide us just now we ask in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Imagine that God told you he had the right spouse for you, the right husband or the right wife.

He said, I have just the right person for you.

Now, I can imagine initially you find out you're gonna get married, you're excited, but then you find out, and the way that God states it immediately, if you have your Bibles, look with me in the book of Hosea.

Hosea is the passage in chapter 6 that we're really looking at this week.

That's kind of the foundation of this weekend that we're going to, we're gonna be looking into this, but we're gonna look right in Hosea chapter 1 and look at what God said to this man.

Hosea chapter 1, and we're gonna look in verse 2.

Hosea chapter 1 and verse 2, the word of God reads, the beginning of the word of the Lord to Hosea, by Hosea.

And the Lord said to Hosea, go take unto you a wife of whoredoms And children of whoredoms, for the land has committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord.

Imagine that you were called to go marry someone who is going to commit adultery.

Someone who you're committing your life to.

You are choosing to be faithful to, and God is telling you beforehand, they're not gonna be faithful back.

They may actually go and they may already have children from either prostitution or immoral living, and they may also have them in the future after you get married.

Can you imagine how difficult that would be?

Now the name Hosea in the Hebrew is very similar to the word for Yeshua.

Hosea means the Redeemer, like a savior or a deliverer.

You know the name that, where we get the name Jesus.

These names are very similar in the Hebrew that this man It seems that even the life of Hosea seemed to be a living illustration of the Savior who was to come.

And sometimes I think people read the book of Hosea, they look at Hosea and they think, how could God do something like that?

How could he ask this individual to go marry someone that would not be faithful, would run off, would give their life to other men and commit adultery.

It almost makes us angry, like that's crazy.

But I think many times it's because we don't really understand what sin is.

We think that our sin is okay because in actuality, we actually enjoy our sin.

She seemed to enjoy the lifestyle that she was living.

She goes back into her illicit relationships.

And if you're with me in Hosea chapter 3, in Hosea chapter 3 what ends up happening?

It says, Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet love a woman beloved of her friend, Yet an adulteress, according to the love of the what?

Toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love flagons of wine.

So I bought her to me for 15 pieces of silver and for an omer of barley and for a half omer of barley.

And as I understand it, you add up the barley that was added to these shekels of silver that if you add it up, it actually ends up being 30 pieces of silk.

So he buys his wife back, who's now run off as a prostitute.

She's run off, she's actually, her life has been sold to a life of sin, and he buys her back, seemingly for the price of a slave.

So his wife has become literally enslaved to her lust.

She's actually been enslaved to her lust.

And as this happens, he has to actually buy her back as a redeemer.

And he's asking her, listen, you stay faithful to me.

And this book is an illustration of what was going on both in the house of Judah and in Israel, also referred to as Ephraim.

That especially with Ephraim, especially with Israel, Israel's turning away from God time and time again.

And as they were turning from him, God was turning toward them.

And Hosea's life was an example of who God was to the Israelites.

That he was trying to save them from their their whoredoms from their prostitution from this life of immorality and he was doing everything he could to try to buy them back but the 1 thing he could not do or the 1 thing he would not do because it's against his character, is he would not force them to follow him.

He would give them choice whether they would actually give their lives to him.

You know, in chapter 5 in the book of Hosea, the Israelites continue to turn away, continue to turn away, continue to turn away.

And not only do they turn away from God, but they turn to other nations to try to find their own kind of salvation, their own freedom, their own safety we could say.

And look with me in Hebrew in Hosea chapter 5 and we're going to begin in verse 13.

It says, when Ephraim saw his sickness, so when Israel saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, Then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to King Jareb.

Yet could he not heal you, nor could you cure you of your own wound?

For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion and as a young lion to the house of Judah.

I, even I, God says, will tear and go away.

I will take away and none shall rescue him.

I will go in return to my place till they acknowledge their offense and seek my face and their affliction.

And in their affliction, they will seek me early.

So the Israelites are running after the Assyrians.

They want help from the Assyrians and the Assyrians couldn't heal them of their wound, the text says.

So the Israelites discovered that they're sick, they realize that they're weak, that they don't have enough strength to take care of themselves, so they run over to the Assyrians, but the Assyrians instead of, so it's as if they're running after another lover, but that lover doesn't bring freedom like they were hoping.

They, sure there may be an immediate pleasure because this person seems that they're gonna help you out, but then the Assyrians ended up bringing a heavy tax, a heavy burden upon the Israelites.

So now their life, and it's so true that when you run after your sin, initially it's exciting.

Initially it feels good, you actually enjoy it, right?

I mean, that's the only reason we go after sin, because it promises a reward.

And when you attain that reward, meaning the excitement, the anticipation of being able to acquire that which you're looking after is what leads us into sin.

And in the moment we actually finally have it, for a moment we might we may find pleasure, we may find ecstasy, but then afterward there's an emptiness.

Afterward there's a burden that comes upon you.

They actually brought a very heavy tax upon the Israelites so their life became a burden under the weight.

They thought they would gain something out of this but once they had it, now they were forced to pay a big fine, a big, you know, that was levied against them.

And so here they were under this burden, and God says, okay, I'm gonna back away.

I'm gonna back away, and I'm gonna let you experience the result of your turning from me.

But God's hope in turning away was not turning away so that they couldn't see him, but rather that they would seek him out.

That he would back off until they realized their need for him.

Because God wants more than anything, just as Hosea, even though He recognized this was going to happen.

Could you think about what it's like for God?

God knew that we would turn away from him.

Our Savior, even as he came to earth, recognized that his own followers would turn away from him.

Receiving the Latter Rain- Part 2

Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for Jesus.

We thank you for the time to gather together.

And Lord it's really too late in Earth's history to come to a meeting like this and leave the same way that we came.

So we pray that your Holy Spirit would rain down upon us, that you would open our minds and our hearts to receive you.

If you have your Bibles, turn with me to the book of Ezekiel.

This is an incredible, now the main passage that we're focusing on this week is in Hosea chapter 6 verses 1 through 3 about the latter rain.

But the book of Hosea, as we mentioned yesterday, is the story of the Prophet Hosea for some 70 to 90 years preaching to the house of Judah and to the house of Israel, and Israel ends up falling away, but yet God is doing everything he can through the prophet Hosea to try to bring the people of God back to him.

But we're looking at our first passage this morning is in Ezekiel chapter 36, and it is the picture of God's people leaving him, that they're scattered throughout, they're dispersed throughout the lands for their sins, though they turned away from God.

And it says in Ezekiel chapter 36, this is incredible.

Verse 19 says, and I scattered them, the house of Israel, And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries, according to their way and according to their doings, I judged them.

So the Israelites become scattered because of their sins, they're separated from God, they have to go forth, and they are led astray.

And it says in verse 20, "'And when they entered unto the heathen, ' the non-believers, the Gentiles, "'when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, "'they profaned my holy name when they said to them These are the people of the Lord and are gone forth out of his land Meaning because the Israelites are turned away from God because they had transgressed his name.

They're scattered abroad throughout all the Nations And then these people look at the Israelites and they say, these are the people of God?

Look at these people, look at their lifestyle.

These are the people of the Lord of Jehovah.

And so they profane God's holy name by their lifestyle, by their life, by their actions, they profane God's name.

God says, but I had pity for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.

Therefore, saying to the house of Israel, thus says the Lord God, I do not this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the heathen with the UN.

So get the picture, Israel, the Israelites have totally failed, they've turned away from God, they've run after idolatry, and they've, so as they've sought their idols, then they went to the heathen, to the Assyrians for help, And then they once again just laid a burden of tax upon them.

And so at this point, here they are amongst the heathen.

And not for your sake, O house of Israel, but I'm gonna do this for my holy namesake, which you have profaned among the heathen.

He says, and I will sanctify, I will make holy my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, Which you have profaned in the midst of the heathen of them and the heathen shall know That I am the Lord says the Lord when I shall be sanctified what in You before their eyes What a statement Get the picture God is saying listen you failed, you turned away from me, you were a terrible witness amongst the people around you, to your own family, to the heathen, to the non-believers, to the people that were not of your faith, you were total failure.

You turned away from me, and you, as it were, blasphemed my name.

You profaned my name amongst the world around you.

And God says, but I'm gonna be sanctified in the eyes of the people all those people around you I'm gonna be made holy in their eyes.

He says I'm gonna sanctify my great name when I am sanctified in you Meaning God is saying listen you have failed utterly and and you're doing terrible but what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna take the loser, I'm gonna take the failure, and I'm gonna take that individual, and as I change your life, your changed life will reveal to the world around you that I am holy that I am God Isn't that beautiful?

So here he is telling the Israelites, you know, yes, you're gonna turn away or you you have turned away But I can take you a broken vessel and I can put you back together.

I can fill you up so that you are filled with me and as I fill you, then your life will be changed, but it's not just for your sake.

I am doing this to reveal my name, my character, my glory to the world, and I'm gonna use the underdog.

The 1 who has failed, the 1 who has not succeeded.

I am willing, God says, to use you, even though you have not succeeded.

Because I think most of us, you know if you were like a boss of a company and you had people that failed that bad, you would just wanna fire them, you would just wanna get rid of them, you would say, hey, you know, come on, Why am I gonna waste my time with you?

But God doesn't work that way God always knows the potential of what could happen in your life God always knows that potential and he sees it and he works with you.

He doesn't turn away from you He's seeking you over and over now This is the picture we get of the house of Israel and I believe this is also a picture of God's people in the last Days now if you have your Bibles Turn with me to the book of Hosea back to our main passage for this week Hosea chapter 6 and We're gonna begin in verse 1 these 3 verses are the main verses that we are looking at Hosea chapter 6 in verse 1 remember even the the chapter before Israel turns away from God they go to the Assyrians and then God You know He punishes them and then it says in Hosea chapter 6 in verse 1 come and let us return unto the Lord for he has torn and he will heal us.

In the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight.

So when we come unto him, He will raise us up.

He will resurrect us as it were and verse 3 says then then shall we know if If that's the big that is what its contingent on God will raise us up if it is your choice, if we follow on to know the Lord.

His going forth is prepared as the morning and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and the former rain unto the earth.

2 of the main themes that you see in the book of Hosea.

Number 1, we looked at yesterday, and that was a harlot woman who is with a holy husband, and she runs off as an adulteress upon her husband, Gomer.

Really, this is the picture I think of most every Christian at some point in their walk, turning away from God.

And yet God has the picture, listen, you've messed up, you've been a terrible witness, you feel like a failure, you recognize you don't deserve my grace and mercy, but God says, I'm gonna use you if you'll come unto me again.

I will use you no matter how deep, no matter how deep the hole that you may have dug and you may have fallen into, I will raise you up, the text says.

I will lift you back up, I will buy you back just as Hosea had to buy his own wife back from her lover.

I will purchase you as a slave from your slavery.

You have this marriage theme that goes on, like a thread throughout the book of Hosea.

But then the second 1 you see is 1 that has to do with farming.

Farming, gardening, taking care of the trees and receiving the fruit in the latter rain that rains down.

And it gives, well, the early rain gives life at the beginning of the season so that the seed germinates.

At the end you have the fruit coming forth with the latter rain after the latter rain falls.

So you have these 2 symbols going on in the book of Hosea.

Now look with me in chapter 10 in verse 12 as this second theme continues on.

In Hosea chapter 10 in verse 12, what does it say?

Hosea chapter 10 in verse 12 says, so to yourselves in what?

Reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain what?

So what is the latter rain bringing to God's people.

It is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is God raining down His Holy Spirit, but in this case, it says that He rains down His what on us?

Now, when you read through the New Testament about righteousness by faith, It's interesting because righteousness by faith, I mean, 1 of the most important subjects you could possibly think of in the Bible.

You know, just a quick side note that what is righteousness?

Well, righteousness must have to do with something good, obviously.

But, you know, the Bible says in 1 John chapter 5 and verse 17, all unrighteousness is sin.

And there is a sin that is not unto death.

1 John chapter 3 verse 4 says, "'Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law, "'for sin is the transgression of the law.'" So sin is transgression of the law.

That means unrighteousness is breaking the law, right?

Well then if breaking the law is unrighteousness and unrighteousness is the opposite of righteousness, then righteousness would be keeping the what?

The trouble is on our own we don't have the capacity to do that.

Now the text we just read in Hosea chapter 10 tells us that God it says he wants our fallow ground to be broken up.

So the ground of our lives, the soil of our hearts, the soil of our lives has been unworked for years.

It's like a field that nobody's taking care of.

Taj Pacleb

Beauty for Ashes

Thank you so much brothers for that beautiful song.

I'd like you to bow your heads with me as we pray this morning.

As we get into our topic, beauty for ashes.

Thank you so much, dear Lord, for giving us life today.

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of another Sabbath where we can come together and receive a new revelation, a fresh revelation of Jesus.

Thank you for bringing us safely through another week into your house and now Lord speak to us as we open your word.

Give us spiritual ears to hear what the Spirit has to say to the church and I pray Father that our lives will be changed, that we would be touched, we would be blessed, that you'd make our lives a transparent medium to display your glory in this dark and cold world that we live in please be with us Holy Spirit lead us and guide us in Jesus name we pray amen.

Our message this morning is entitled beauty for ashes.

I invite you to take your Bible and turn with me to the book of Isaiah chapter 61.

As we begin our study today in the 61st chapter of Isaiah we find a beautiful messianic prophecy pointing to the great work of Messiah and it reads Isaiah 61 we're gonna read verses 1 to 4 and if you're there if you're excited about Jesus and if you're ready to study the Bible would you please say amen.

The Bible says the spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, the opening of prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourned, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion and to give unto them beauty for ashes the oil of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness that they may be called the trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified and they shall build the old wastes they shall raise up the former desolations and they shall repair the way cities the desolations of many generations.

During the time of Isaiah Israel was wavering between wickedness and righteousness in their superficial head knowledge they were losing a heart experience with Jehovah they had become more and more concerned with formalism rather than faith more focused on rules Rather than a relationship they desired earthly pleasure above heavenly peace and because of their sinful abominations a Dreadful desolation was upon the horizon Soon the literal city of Jerusalem would be destroyed by the Babylonians and the pride and joy of the Jewish nation would be reduced to ashes and Yet despite their sins and their unfaithfulness God remain faithful still Isaiah saw in the prophetic vision that the old waste places will be rebuilt repaired restored Raised up and redeemed and the prophet Haggai said that the latter house will be more glorious than the former house Greater in glory why?

Not because of the generous offerings of gold from Herod, but greater in glory because the desire of ages would come into that house and bring a new foundation.

His presence would bring the beauty of spiritual grace and he would offer to humanity a garment of praise in exchange for their spirit of heaviness.

He would bring them heavenly beauty in exchange for the ashes of empty formalism and so Isaiah here describes the work of Messiah he points to the 1 that would come to rebuild broken humanity by the power of his message the purity of his life and the promise of his sacrifice he would bring liberation to the captives, restoration to the brokenhearted, revelation to the wandering and salvation to the suffering because my friends no matter how long we've remained in the ashes of brokenness and the fires of unfaithfulness.

He is the God that can bring beauty even from the ashes.

As many of you know who were here last night, our house was destroyed by an arsonist just a few weeks ago.

And the firemen, even though they were able to save our home, at least the structure, the soot and the smoke had permeated every single room of our house.

Everything has been contaminated in our home.

The toxic poisons of dust and ash are everywhere.

It's in every room and in every closet on my clothes on my books my electronics on my pictures and friends I have to say that it's very very upsetting To see all my stuff covered in this toxic black ash You see there are very few things I dislike more than dust and ashes.

I spent a great deal of my time personally trying to get rid of it, removing it from my space.

You ask my wife I'm always trying to sweep and vacuum and wipe dust.

I don't like it in my nose or in my eyes on my stuff on Or even in the atmosphere.

Well, I had 3 air purifiers They're on 24-7 To remove the dust particles even from the atmosphere.

I despise feather dusters because all the feather dusters do is spread the dust The only way to actually get rid of it is by air filters or vacuums you know sometimes my friends and my family members they think I have OCD because I'm always trying to clean and organize and get rid of, trying to remove dust from my life.

But I never understood why someone would consider a desire for order a disorder.

I think that most rational people would agree that it's completely normal to want your life and your space to be as clean as it can be.

Now don't get me wrong I grew up racing dirt bikes playing in the mud camping at the beach and so in the context of work and recreation I don't mind getting dirty but when it comes to day-to-day life I believe in the old saying that cleanliness is next to godliness and so friends when the fire penetrated our home and the dust and the smoke and the soot permeated every corner and surface of our house It was difficult For me to see it to say the least and now that the smoke is cleared my family and I are left with the time-consuming task of Cleaning away the dust and the ash and the charred wood of our home.

But now we're left with the frustrating and time-consuming task of rebuilding the brokenness and clearing the ash.

And I just have to say, for a clean freak like me, it's been a very challenging and testing experience and yet I still have so many reasons to smile.

Because I've understood with greater clarity that it's in the fire.

That our God is the God that can bring beauty from the ashes.

And so this morning I want to share with you another lesson that God has been teaching me in the fires of this trial.

You see, in the beginning of time, God made man beautiful from dust That's what we are made from He brought something beautiful from the dust But tragically because of sin Bible tells us that we will return to dust 1 day from ashes to ashes from dust to dust But the gospel story declares unto us that through the grace of God instead of going from ashes to ashes and from dust to dust we can go from faith to faith and from glory to glory amen but how does this take place You see ashes are simply the result of fire and I want you to notice what God says concerning fire.

It's on the screen in first Peter chapter 4 verses 12 and 13.

The Bible says beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you but rejoice but do what everyone rejoice in as much as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with not just joy, but exceeding joy.

You see, my friends, living in this spiritual war, It is expected that we will be attacked by the dragon.

The enemy is angry with those who are a threat to his kingdom.

And Jesus said that a servant is not greater than his master.

If they hated me, they will hate you too, Jesus said.

And so for being opposed, we must be doing something right, amen?

For all those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution but in the midst of this fiery trial Bible says that we can rejoice we can be happy with exceeding joy.

God has given us so many reasons because when we partake in the sufferings of Christ we're also going to partake in the glory of Christ as well amen and while we're in the fires of suffering the fires of trial God will give us 3 things 3 things I want to share with you this morning.

He will bring the beauty of lasting liberation, the beauty of transparent transformation, and the beauty of comforting consolation.

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Morning Devotional

Beauty for Ashes

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