It’s Time We Bless Israel

It’s Time We Bless Israel 

Subject – Israel: The Blessing to the World

By Rick Welborne

Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT2)
¹  The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.
²  I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
³  I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” 

--Today, again we are praying for Israel and the Jewish people. We bless them with our prayers, our words, and our support. God says to bless them so we do.

--We continue to pray for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for protection, wisdom, and success in this war defending their country and their people. 

--Hamas is refusing to let hostages leave and are still firing rockets into all parts of Israel trying to do as much carnage as possible. Remember God has a hook in their jaw.

--I hope and pray daily that Holy Spirit will come upon you with a call to intercession. Souls of men, women, children, babies, the elderly are slipping into eternity. Many without God.

--And, no, there will not be 70 virgins waiting for those who are killed or martyred for Allah in paradise. What a deceptive sick religion. Without repenting this is what they can expect.

Hebrews 10:27 (NLT2)
²⁷  There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.

--Please do not forget that God will take care of Israel and though things look bleak for that tiny nation, God will keep His Word and they will survive.

Zechariah 12:1-3 (NLT2)
¹  This message concerning the fate of Israel came from the LORD: “This message is from the LORD, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit.
²  I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah.
³  On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves. 

--God keeps His Word and today I want to show you that what God promised Abram about the Jewish nation has, in fact, come to pass. 

1. All the Families on Earth Will Be blessed

Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT2)
¹  The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.
²  I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
³  I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” 

--As you study history, you learn that the indestructible Jew has left his indelible mark upon history. The Jewish people are not great in number. 

--Of the world’s population, they are only 0.2%. That’s not two percent. That’s less than one-fourth of one percent. 

--Yet did you know that 22% of Nobel Prize winners have been Jews? In 2013, six of the 12 laureates were Jewish. Think of that. God said He would make them famous.

--Abraham’s descendants consistently win high percentages not just of Nobel Prizes but other awards in medicine, health, music, and public life. What a mark they've made upon our world.

--Did you know it was a Jew who financed Christopher Columbus when he set sail for the west? Of his crew members, the first to set foot on American soil was a Jew. 

--Did you know that a Jew, Haym Salomon, financed General George Washington in our Revolutionary War?

--Have you ever taken an aspirin? Friedrich Bayer, whose company developed aspirin, was a Jew. 

--Were you vaccinated for polio as a child? The injectable and oral polio vaccines of Salk and Sabin were so effective; the disease has been all but eradicated.

--Has the dentist ever deadened your tooth before he started to drill? Alfred Einhorn, who developed Novocain, was a Jew. 

--If you're an anti-Semite, the next time you go to the dentist, why don't you say, “Just drill away, don't deaden my pain.” Have you ever had local anesthesia? Its inventor, Carl Koller, was a Jew.

--When you developed an infection, the doctor prescribed streptomycin, developed by Waksman, a Jew. 

--Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was a Jew. Are you a student of philosophy? Spinoza was a Jew. Do you appreciate the Salvation Army? Its founder, William Booth, had a Jewish mother.

--It's amazing to study the mark God's chosen people have made on the world. God said I will make you a blessing to others and that all the families of the earth will be blessed through them.

--Jews can be thanked for the discovery of electromagnetic waves, the transistor, the first laser, oral contraceptives, antihistamines, anti-leukemia drugs, the electron microscope.

--They can be thanked for vaccines against cholera and bubonic plague, the camera phone, nuclear fission reactor, sound-on-film technology.

--Also we can thank them for the discovery of neurotransmitters, the process by which we do MRIs, the Hepatitis-B vaccine, the first exact map of the moon.

--And do you like American music? Thank George and Ira Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein, Lerner and Lowe, and Stephen Sondheim, to name only a few.

--All history has been dramatically impacted by six Jews: Moses, the Apostle Paul, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, and above them all, the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. God’s Promise to Israel

--We think Ezekiel 37 was just written so Pentecostals could shout but it was a promise to Israel.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (NKJV)
¹  The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.                                                                                                    ²  Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.
³  And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."
⁴  Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
⁵  Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.
⁶  I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD." ' "
⁷  So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.
⁸  Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
⁹  Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' "
¹⁰  So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
¹¹  Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!'
¹²  Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
¹³  Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.
¹⁴  I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.' " 

--Dry bones, Israel, hear the Word of the Lord, "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live… Then you shall know that I am the LORD." Israel will be saved.

Zechariah 12:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 

--There is a rattling, there is a noise but the bones are coming together. God is doing with Israel what He prophesied a long time ago.

Zechariah 13:9 (NLT2) ⁹  I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”

--They will be a great army because God will be fighting their enemies and they will win.

Zechariah 12:9 (NKJV)
⁹  It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 

Ezekiel 37:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴  I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.' " 

Wide Open Doors – 1

Wide Open Doors – 1

Subject – How to Walk Through Those Doors

By Rick Welborne

1 Corinthians 16:9 (NLT2) ⁹ There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me. 

Psalm 34:1 (NKJV)
¹  I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 

Ephesians 6:10-12 (NLT2)
¹⁰  A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
¹¹  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
¹²  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 

--Everyone say “Challenges.” We all have them and we all (I hope) have doors that we want to walk thru and do great things for the Lord.

--Paul was saying there is a great opportunity that has presented itself to me but along with the opportunity is great opposition. 

--We, who are Pentecostals have a tendency to blame everything on the devil, and make no mistake, he is always trying to disrupt our lives.

--But sometimes, it is just life and sometimes we just make terrible choices.

James 1:14 (NKJV) ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

–With life we have seen many who lost loved ones (funerals or memorial services) and hearts were broken...I know because I lost dear friends and church family.  

–Many were confronted with cancer and other serious physical needs and challenged with all the questions that go with it.

–Some have had incredible difficulty in their families, with their marriages and children. Some have lost jobs and been faced with losing their houses and all they own.

–Our encouragement to ourselves and to the flock of God has been to say: I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 

--Is that easy? Of course not but it is the only way that we will make it through the wide-open door God has for us. We can sit on the porch and cry or we can get up and go through the door.

1. Getting Through the Wide-open Door Means Dealing with Stuff.

2 Corinthians 6:4-10 (NLT2)
⁴  In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.
⁵  We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.
⁶  We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.
⁷  We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense.
⁸  We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors.
⁹  We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed.
¹⁰  Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

–All this stuff is only commending us to be faithful ministers of God: blessing the Lord at all times! We put on the armor of God everyday...we must do it to be ready for the battles ahead of us.

–Some of you think that you got beat up pretty bad last year but just imagine with me the casualties we would have had without God’s armor. Sister Browne.

1 Corinthians 16:9 (NLT2) ⁹ There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me. 

Adam Clark Commentary and Critical Notes. A wide-open door is opened to me; that is, God has made a grand opening to me in those parts, which I perceive will require much labor; and besides, I shall have many adversaries to oppose me. Door often signifies occasion or opportunity; but here, the apostle may allude to the throwing open of the great doors of the Circus Maximus before the chariot races began; and the many adversaries may refer to the numerous competitors in those races. God gave him a grand opportunity to preach the Gospel; but he was not to expect that either Satan or wicked men would leave him unmolested.   

2. Getting Through the Wide-open Door Requires Expecting It to Happen.

–I believe that the Circus Maximus is about to open up for everyone who is pursuing God, those who are worshiping no matter what, those who are putting on the armor of God every day. 

Luke 11:9-13 (NLT2) ⁹ “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
¹⁰  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
¹¹  “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?
¹²  Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!
¹³  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” 

Barnes Notes - That such a work of grace, the opening of Wide-open doors, is often the occasion of increased opposition to the gospel. Why do we get so surprised when we have opposition to our efforts of serving Christ with all our heart.

 

–Paul chose to stay in Ephesus even in the midst of great opposition...why should we hang in there?

A. The opposition was regarded by Paul as an evidence that the Holy Spirit was there.

B. It was proof that the enemies of God were alarmed, and that the kingdom of Christ was advancing. 

C. His presence also would be needed there, to encourage and strengthen the young converts who would be attacked and opposed; and he deemed it his duty to remain. 

D. A Christian should regard it as his duty to remain faithful thru trials when there is such opposition.  

E. His presence is needed to comfort and encourage the church; and when the minds of men are challenged, it is often the best time to present truth, and to defend the great doctrines of the Bible. 

Matthew Henry - True courage is whetted by opposition; and it is no wonder that the Christian courage of the apostle Paul should be emboldened by the zeal of his adversaries. They were bent to ruin him, and prevent the effect of his ministry at Ephesus; and should he at this time desert his station, and disgrace his character and doctrine? No, the opposition of adversaries only awakened his zeal. He was in nothing daunted by his adversaries; but the more they raged and opposed the more he exerted himself. Should such a man as he flees?

--Adversaries and opposition do not break the spirits of faithful and successful Christians, but only enkindle their zeal, and inspire them with fresh courage.

3. Getting Through the Wide-open Door Requires the Armor of God.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT2)
¹⁰  A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
¹¹  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
¹²  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
¹³  Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
¹⁴  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
¹⁵  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
¹⁶  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.
¹⁷  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸  Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. 

–It is time that we lay hold of the promises of God...is there opposition...yes...put on the armor...will there be challenges...bless the Lord at all times...are there people who need to be set free? Fight!

–Again I reiterate to you there are wide-open doors in your future and probably even now. Remember God is for you!

Romans 8:31 32 (NKJV) 

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 

–This is our year church...pursue Him, trust Him, worship Him, love Him, and fight for Him. This will be a year to remember at Life Church Assembly of God...get ready!

–What if the enemy continues to attack? I can guarantee it but hear your Pastor:

Romans 8:37 39 (NKJV) 

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 

39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

–Put on the armor of God every day, pray in the spirit, worship no matter what is going on, fast, pray, and fight with us, and believe with us that this will be the year of victory!

It’s Time We Pray for and Support Israel

It’s Time We Pray for and Support Israel 

Subject – Israel: The Apple of God’s Eye

By Rick Welborne

Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT2)
¹  The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.
²  I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
³  I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” 

--Isn’t it amazing that God would say, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.” God’s heart has always been toward His chosen people Israel.

--We have tried here at LIFE CHURCH Assembly of God to focus our attention on blessing and praying for Israel. Why?  

--The simple answer is that God has told us in His Word to do so and we are trying to obedient to Him. We want the blessings of God to be upon us and upon our church so we pray for Israel.

--Today I want to continue speaking about Israel because my heart is so burdened for God’s people and I believe, the more we know, the more we will pray.

--How can we not pray and be burdened when you see babies, children, women, men, and the elderly dying senselessly? Souls now spending eternity with or without God.

1. It’s Time to See Israel is Important to the World and to Christians.

Israel: the geographic center - Israel, called “the navel of the earth,” is strategically located at the hub of three continents. Everything evolves around Israel and Jerusalem.  

Ezekiel 5:5 (NKJV) ⁵ "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her.

Israel: the revelation center - From this land, the land of Moses, the prophets and the apostles, came the Word of God.

Israel: the spiritual center. In Bethlehem Jesus was born. In Nazareth He grew to maturity. In Galilee He walked and taught on the mountainsides and beside the Sea. 

--In Jerusalem our Lord was crucified, buried and rose from the dead. From the Mount of Olives, He ascended. And to the Mount of Olives He will return; His feet will first touch down upon the Mount of Olives. 

Zech.14:4 (NKJV) ⁴ in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. 

Israel: the prophecy center. Prophecy is “pre-written history.” The land of Israel is the only land belonging to God’s people. The details of their future are recorded in the Bible. If you want to know what God is doing, study Israel and her people.

Israel: the storm center. The Middle East, specifically Israel, is the world’s greatest trouble spot. 

Zech 12:3 (KJV) ³ And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

--And indeed we see in the daily news the gathering storm clouds of Armageddon. Get ready and look up!

Israel: also the peace center - There will never be peace on earth until there's peace in Jerusalem, until Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, rules and reigns from Jerusalem. 

--When we're praying for the peace of Jerusalem, we're praying, “Even so, come Lord Jesus.” We want our Lord to reign from Zion, to sit upon the throne of his father David.

Israel: one day will be the glory center - When our Lord returns, all nations of the world will come to Jerusalem to worship 

Zechariah 14:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶  And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

--Jerusalem will be the capital city not only of Israel but of the entire world, and the Word of the Lord shall go forth from Zion.

Isaiah 2:3 (NLT2) ³ People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the LORD’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. 

--Jesus will reign from Jerusalem. Listen to the angel in His conversation with Mary.

Luke 1:31-33 (NLT2) ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
³²  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
³³  And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

--Israel is at the center of God’s plan. God has proven over and over again how He has Israel in His hands. We spoke of how Israel became a nation in just one day in 1948 but there is more.

--Similar things happened in the Six Day War in 1967. Again it seems God was present. Jordan, Egypt and Syria united with one stated goal: “Wipe Israel off the map.”  

--But it was over in six days. Outnumbered 80 to one, God gave His people Israel the victory.

--The same was true in 1973, the Yom Kippur War. Israel’s enemies invaded on Israel’s holiest day, when no one would expect it. 

--God again seemed to intervene when both Israeli and Syrian forces reported strange events that caused Israel’s enemies to surrender. A lady from our church was there when it happened. Ann Howell.

--The Bible predicts that in the last days the same will happen when Russia invades the Middle East. Russia will be brought to her knees on the mountains of Israel. Ezekiel 38 and 39 relate this amazing prophecy.

--When the battle of Armageddon is fought, when the forces of anti-Christ gather once more against Jerusalem, God will again come to the rescue of His people in that great, final war for Israel and her survival. 

Zechariah 12:1-3 (NLT2)
¹  This message concerning the fate of Israel came from the LORD: “This message is from the LORD, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit.
²  I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah.
³  On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves. 

2. It’s Time to See Israel Will Be Saved.

Zechariah 12:9-10 (NKJV)
⁹  It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
¹⁰  "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 

--What a day that will be! The eyes of God’s people will be opened. With deep mourning, they will recognize their Messiah as the one their forefathers pierced.

Zechariah 13:1 (NLT2)
¹  “On that day a fountain will be opened for the dynasty of David and for the people of Jerusalem, a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and impurity. 

--God will remove the idols from Israel once and for all. Then He will bring those remaining through the fire.

Zechariah 13:9 (NLT2)
⁹  I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”

--One of the signs that Jesus Christ is coming soon is the sign that Zion is being built up. We long for this day! This is Israel’s glorious future—and you may be sure, God is going to bring it to pass.