Blessed Hope Chapel Treasure Valley Sermon Podcast Pastor Nick Pinneri

Psalm 62:1 states, “My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.” One commentary describes the mind of the person who waits on God as “…the whole mind lies before the Lord like the sea beneath the wind, ready to be moved by every breath of his mouth, but free from all inward and self-caused emotion, as also from all power to be moved by anything other than the divine will.” In the world we live in we need all the more to spend quiet time with the Lord, hearing Him speak through His word. The paradox is that in a culture championing baby murder and LGBTQ pride, the Christian cannot be silent but must speak up, stand up, and rescue those who are headed to the slaughter. Like Jesus, we wait in silence for God in prayer finding the strength and power to engage the culture with the truth and self-sacrificial love. Lord help us.

2 Corinthians 1:3 states, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” The Greek word for comfort means to come alongside and bring help, encouragement, and consolation. Our Father in heaven is near and pours out His lovingkindness on those who call upon Him. David knows this quite well as we see a man in Psalm 86 who wrestles with God in prayer, pleading for these truths to not be mere head knowledge but experiential knowledge. He waits upon the Lord trusting in the Father of mercies, the God of all comfort.

The Apostle Paul spent a year and a half ministering to the Corinthian church pouring his life into them laying a foundation for others to build upon. In 1 Corinthians 3:10-17 Paul lays out the blueprint for successful building, mediocre building, and destructive building. All Christians are builders in the kingdom of God. The question is what kind of builders are we. Paul shows forth that on the last day the works will be laid bare, people’s motives will be revealed, and the good will remain while the useless will be burned up like chaff.

In 2012 a polish women named Joanna Kryzstorek was in labor for 75 days before giving birth to baby girl Iga and boy Ignancy. In the article titled “Polish woman saves babies with 75 days in labor” found on Reuters.com Joanna stated, "I sighed with relief that there was a chance to keep the pregnancy and to give the babies a chance to be born successfully.”
What we learn from the this story is that love for others can motivate people to do amazing things. As Joanna labored out of love for her children so the Apostle Paul labored endlessly over his spiritual children. He was not content until they were fully matured in the Lord, and he was willing to labor with all his might until the Lord faithfully brought this about.

Throughout the Scriptures, God moves in miraculous ways showing His faithfulness to His children. Since He knows they’re prone to forget, He sets up memorial days as a reminder for them perpetually. From Moses to Aaron, to Joshua, to Jesus we see how God interweaves glorious typologies to show off His faithfulness and love; all the while He’s directing the focus to His beloved Son, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I came that they might have life and might have it abundantly.” The abundant, joy-filled life is found only in Christ. The three-fold enemy would have us believe joy is found somewhere else or in someone else. The fact is if we search for ultimate joy in anyone or anything else we will come up empty. David rightly says in Psalm 27:4, “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to meditate in His temple.” May we rejoice in our redeemer, the greatest treasure and wellspring of our souls.