Rejoicing in God's Goodness and Enduring Mercy

Devotional

Day 1: God's Intentionality and Goodness

God's intentionality and goodness are evident in every aspect of our lives. He works all things together for our good, even in challenging times. This truth should be a source of constant gratitude. When we face difficulties, it is essential to remember that God's goodness remains steadfast. He is always at work, orchestrating events in our lives for our ultimate benefit. This understanding should lead us to a posture of thankfulness, recognizing that every situation, whether good or bad, is under His sovereign control. [06:53]

Psalm 31:19 (ESV): "Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!"

Reflection: Think of a recent challenging situation in your life. How can you see God's goodness and intentionality at work in that situation? Take a moment to thank Him for His unwavering goodness.

Day 2: The Importance of Expectation

Expectation is a powerful form of faith that prepares us to receive God's blessings. Just like the woman who came to the prayer meeting dressed for rain, we should approach God with the expectation that He will move in our lives. This kind of faith is not passive but active, anticipating God's intervention and provision. When we expect God to act, we align our hearts with His promises and open ourselves to the miraculous. Expectation is a demonstration of our trust in God's ability and willingness to meet our needs. [18:50]

Mark 11:24 (ESV): "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Reflection: What is one area in your life where you need to raise your level of expectation? How can you actively demonstrate your faith in God's ability to move in that area today?

Day 3: Enduring Mercy

God's mercy is everlasting, with no beginning or end. This enduring mercy preserves and protects us, even when we are disobedient. It is a testament to God's unwavering love and grace that He continues to extend mercy to us despite our shortcomings. His mercy is not dependent on our actions but on His character. As recipients of such boundless mercy, we should be continually grateful and strive to live in a way that honors His grace. Recognizing the depth of God's mercy should lead us to a deeper appreciation of His love and a desire to extend that mercy to others. [43:19]

Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV): "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you experienced God's mercy in a significant way. How can you show gratitude for His mercy today, and how can you extend that same mercy to someone else?

Day 4: Transformation Through Faith

True transformation comes through faith in Jesus Christ. This transformation is not about achieving perfection but about experiencing change and growth. As believers, we should openly express our gratitude and desire for continual growth and miracles in our lives. Transformation through faith involves a daily commitment to follow Jesus and allow His Spirit to work within us. It is a journey of becoming more like Christ, marked by a willingness to change and a desire to see God's power at work in our lives. [49:58]

2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV): "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need transformation? How can you invite Jesus to bring about that change, and what steps can you take today to cooperate with His transforming work?

Day 5: Visual and Verbal Gratitude

We should be both visual and verbal in our gratitude to God. This means not only feeling thankful but also expressing it openly. Our praise should be a reflection of God's goodness and mercy in our lives. Being visual and verbal in our gratitude helps to reinforce our thankfulness and encourages others to recognize God's work in their lives as well. It is a powerful testimony of God's faithfulness and a way to honor Him publicly. By expressing our gratitude, we acknowledge God's role in our lives and inspire others to do the same. [39:57]

Psalm 9:1 (ESV): "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds."

Reflection: How can you visually and verbally express your gratitude to God today? Consider sharing a testimony of God's goodness with someone or writing down specific things you are thankful for and sharing them with your community.

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Good morning, church! Today, we gathered to celebrate the goodness and intentionality of our God, who works all things together for our good. We welcomed first-time visitors, celebrated July birthdays, and acknowledged the importance of our music ministry. We also discussed upcoming events, including a crucial meeting about Medicaid, Youth Sunday, and the return of Bible study on August 1st. We emphasized the importance of attending Bible study to grow spiritually and highlighted our back-to-school backpack initiative, urging business owners to support this cause.

We then moved into a time of offering, focusing on our debt elimination campaign. We have made significant progress, reducing our short-term debt from over $100,000 to about $67,000. Our goal is to eliminate this debt by November, allowing us to focus on ministry in 2025. We shared a story about a woman who came to a prayer meeting dressed for rain, illustrating the importance of expecting God to move in our lives.

Our sermon today was based on Psalm 107, emphasizing the proper response to redemption, which is to rejoice. We explored the historical context of Thanksgiving and how the pilgrims gave thanks despite their hardships. This teaches us that God deserves all praise, glory, and honor for His goodness and mercy. We discussed the importance of being visual and verbal in our gratitude to God, acknowledging His goodness even in challenging circumstances.

We also highlighted the enduring nature of God's mercy, which has no beginning or end. His mercy preserves and protects us, even when we are disobedient. We shared personal testimonies of how God has continually put up with us despite our shortcomings. Finally, we emphasized the importance of transformation through faith in Jesus Christ. True believers should not remain silent but should openly express their gratitude and desire for change and miracles in their lives.

###

Key Takeaways

1. God's Intentionality and Goodness: God works all things together for our good, and this should be a source of constant gratitude. Even in challenging times, His goodness remains evident, and we should always be ready to give thanks. [06:53]
2. The Importance of Expectation: Just like the woman who came to the prayer meeting dressed for rain, we should come to God with an expectation that He will move in our lives. Expectation is a form of faith that prepares us to receive God's blessings. [18:50]
3. Enduring Mercy: God's mercy endures forever, meaning it has no beginning or end. This mercy preserves and protects us, even when we are disobedient. We should be grateful for His continual grace and mercy in our lives. [43:19]
4. Transformation Through Faith: True transformation comes through faith in Jesus Christ. This transformation is not about achieving perfection but about experiencing change. Believers should openly express their gratitude and desire for continual growth and miracles. [49:58]
5. Visual and Verbal Gratitude: We should be both visual and verbal in our gratitude to God. This means not only feeling thankful but also expressing it openly. Our praise should be a reflection of God's goodness and mercy in our lives. [39:57]
### [39:57]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:27] - Welcoming First-Time Visitors
[06:00] - Celebrating July Birthdays
[07:15] - Upcoming Events and Announcements
[09:30] - Importance of Bible Study
[12:13] - Back-to-School Backpack Initiative
[13:14] - Children's Offering and Debt Elimination
[15:44] - Progress on Debt Elimination
[17:54] - Expecting God to Move
[18:50] - Story of Expectation
[20:42] - Offering Time
[22:35] - Prayer and Blessing
[34:42] - Psalm 107: Proper Response to Redemption
[37:13] - Historical Context of Thanksgiving
[39:57] - Visual and Verbal Gratitude
[41:37] - God's Goodness in Challenging Circumstances
[43:19] - Enduring Mercy
[44:52] - Personal Testimonies of God's Mercy
[46:17] - Release Date: God's Deliverance
[48:18] - Transformation Through Faith
[49:58] - Open Expression of Gratitude
[50:59] - Call for Change and Miracles

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What does Psalm 107:1-2 say about the nature of God's mercy? How is it described in the passage?
According to the sermon, what is the proper response to redemption as highlighted in Psalm 107? ([34:42])
How did the pilgrims' historical context of Thanksgiving, as mentioned in the sermon, illustrate their gratitude despite hardships? ([37:13])
What story did the pastor share to illustrate the importance of expectation in faith? ([18:50])

Interpretation Questions

How does the enduring nature of God's mercy, as described in Psalm 107, impact a believer's daily life and faith? ([43:19])
In what ways does the sermon suggest that visual and verbal gratitude to God can transform a believer's perspective during challenging times? ([39:57])
How does the story of the woman dressed for rain at the prayer meeting serve as a metaphor for expecting God to move in our lives? ([18:50])
What does the sermon imply about the relationship between faith in Jesus Christ and personal transformation? How should this transformation be expressed? ([49:58])

Application Questions

Reflect on a recent challenging situation in your life. How can you practice visual and verbal gratitude to God in that context? ([39:57])
Think about a time when you felt God's mercy in your life despite your disobedience. How can you share this testimony to encourage others? ([43:19])
How can you cultivate an attitude of expectation in your daily prayers and interactions with God, similar to the woman who came dressed for rain? ([18:50])
In what ways can you actively participate in the church's debt elimination campaign or other initiatives to support the ministry? ([15:44])
Identify one area in your life where you desire transformation through faith in Jesus Christ. What steps can you take to openly express your gratitude and desire for change? ([49:58])
How can you support the back-to-school backpack initiative or other community outreach programs mentioned in the sermon? ([12:13])
What specific actions can you take to ensure you attend and benefit from the upcoming Bible study sessions starting on August 1st? ([09:30])

Sermon Clips

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "I don't know about you, but when I come here, I'm expecting rain. Somebody can testify. I've exhausted all of my peace this week. When I came here, I expected peace to rain. I exhausted all of my joy this week. So when I came here, I expected joy to rain. Look at somebody next to you and say, neighbor, are you expecting? If not, move your seat, because I'm expecting him to do something." [18:50] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "If you take care of God's house, he'll take care. If you take care of your house, amen, and I hear you, but the tithe is just what you owe. There's no negotiation on the tithe. The offering is the seed that you sow, which really should be above the tithe. The sacrificial giving that I'm asking you to do is really going to cost you. It's going to inconvenient you. It's going to change you. It's going to challenge you, but it's going to benefit you." [16:46] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "The point I want to get you to understand is that God deserves. God deserves the praise, all praise, glory and honor for all he's done in our lives. That's... that's mimicking Psalm 103 that says bless the Lord, O my soul, if at all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all of his benefits. Who forgiveth all of thine iniquities and heals all of thy diseases." [38:16] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "He says God's goodness was on display in spite of challenging circumstances. As a result of my disobedience, is there anybody in here can testify? Well, let me turn this pulpit into a confession stand. Having said what I shouldn't have said, having been where I shouldn't have been, having did some things I shouldn't have done. And even in my disobedience, he did not cut me off, but he sent two twins to look at me. Grace and mercy." [41:37] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "He says that in my lostness, I saw the goodness of God, that God has a superb reputation in my life. And then he says you ought to say so, number two, because he remained. Let church say he remained. He says not only is he good, but God has done some things that only God can do. Here it is. For his mercy endures forever." [43:19] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "If you are going to grow, it is essential that you sit under authoritative teaching. Amen. Amen. Sunday morning is just a dessert. Thursday night, Sunday school is where you eat dinner. It's where you get your meal. It's where you are fit, the word of God." [10:33] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "The proper response to redemption is to rejoice, let the redeemed of the hand of the enemy, you may be seated, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever, let the redeemed of the hand of the enemy, you may be seated, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever, let the redeemed of the hand of the enemy, you may be seated." [34:42] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "A believer is a person who has been reconciled with Christ through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That when a man encounters Christ and connects to the heart of the master, his entire being is transformed. Transformation is not a representation of perfection, but it's a representation of change. Writer of the psalm expresses that if for no other reason, I'm obligated to praise God because I've been changed." [49:58] (47 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "He says the expression in verse number one, the A clause is because of an encounter in verses four through nine. He says we ought to give thanks to God because there was a moment in time where we lost our way. And even in our lostness, we saw God's goodness. He says it was in the time where you, the children of Israel, was in Babylon and captive in Judea and you were in great danger. But even in great danger, you were in great danger. You were in great danger. And even in captivity, God provided." [39:57] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "He says that in my lostness, I saw the goodness of God, that God has a superb reputation in my life. And then he says you ought to say so, number two, because he remained. Let church say he remained. He says not only is he good, but God has done some things that only God can do. Here it is. For his mercy endures forever. In the Psalm, this phrase has almost a liturgical quality to it. It's really used 34 times. It's an appreciative declaration of God's people." [43:19] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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Transcript

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