Do It Again | Pastor Jeff Williams

The Open Door Church 337

Message: Have you ever experienced something so good you didn't want it to end?

[Testimony of relationships and dating]

Psalm 126 is a community song of trust and confidence in God, where the Israelites are asking Him to repeat Himself, proclaiming Him as the One who brings joy out of sorrow, laughter from tears and good out of evil.

We often thing things are going to drag out, then God comes through. Then, we want God to keep doing it again, especially doing good when things are bad, where we are held captive or gripped by something. Things of this world are addictive, except God, in Him we choose to be rescued or delivered.

3 key points:

Sorrow is essential for the seeds of life to be produced, never wasted by God. Godly sorrow is repentance, worldly sorrow is death. Godly sorrow clears us from fear, indignation, etc., through tears and anguish we still get up. There is a sowing of tears in a field, the world, who is watching and wondering where our strength comes from.

The tears in the bag of God are precious, sown in the weeping, the trials and struggle, so Christ is lifted up in our need for Him. The world is watching us harvesting what is precious and valuable for God. It is important to see them as precious and valuable too, sharing with them God's ability to solve their problems.

There is a need for more harvesters with a sincere love of God and others. Tears show our compassion and get the Lord involved in the comforting, therein is joy. In Jeremiah 29:11 scripture states the thoughts of God are for our good. Joy is a word from God that goes beyond our circumstances. The world takes pleasure in our sorrow, but in God there is joy no one can take away.

Bundles of wheat are called sheaves. The sheaves are harvest evidence despite the conditions of the growing season.

[Sheaves testimony from an episode of Little House on the Prairie]

[Testimony of biblical Ruth and Naomi gleaming the fields and meeting Boaz]

There is a reaping of joy when we let God bring us to the harvest; He will not leave or forsake us.

Why does God do it?

To show us His faithfulness, to convince us to great joy and for the developing of trust and confidence in His ability to do it again.

In Philippians 4:11-13 we are encouraged to be content in the waiting, Christ will strengthen us.

Have great rejoicing, be expectant that God can and will come through again and again!!

Scripture:

"When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south."-KJV