FAITH IN JESUS BRINGS SUCCESS
Ps 118:14-29
REFLECTING ON HIS GOODNESS
V:14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
A. This is a declaration of faith.
1. It is easy to say this, but it difficult to live this
proclamation.
2. At the moment of trouble, doubt enters our mind.
3. The Apostle James said, count it all joy.
4. The problem is the last thing that comes to mind
in the middle of a problem is joy.
5. It will take a change in the way we see ourselves
weak and in need of the Lord’s strength.
B. As we continue through this coronavirus, I suggest we find a
Song to praise God.
1. Ps 22:3
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
2. God is in your praise.
3. If you want to feel close to God in times of trouble, start
praising Him.
C. God has already prepared a place for us in heaven, through the
death of Jesus on the cross.
1. How we get through our time on earth depends on our faith
in Jesus.
2. He hears our prayers and makes intercession for us continuously
with the Father.
THE TIME TO CLAIM THE JOY OF JESUS
V:15. Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
\”The Lord \’s right hand has done mighty things!
16 The Lord \’s right hand is lifted high;
the Lord \’s right hand has done mighty things!\”
17 I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
A. When we consider that God is on our side protecting
us there should be joy in our household.
1. If we really believe the proclamation we made,
there should be no doubt in our minds.
2. If I take my mind off the circumstances and
place them on the goodness of the Lord, there
should be shouts of joy in my home.
3. The key is to quit being anxious for that which
you cannot control.
4. Prov 12:25
An anxious heart weighs a man down,
but a kind word cheers him up
a. Words of encouragement come from the Word
of God.
b. It is your negative thoughts that weigh you down.
5. The way to get rid of negative thoughts is to focus
on the authority of Jesus.
Phil 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God.
6. The right hand of the Lord is the hand of blessing.
a. If you want some idea of how mighty God is, consider
gravity which He made that keeps all the planets,
stars, and moons in their orbits so that they don\’t
crash into each other.
b. God blessed the earth with an environment that man
can live in. We have not found a livable environment
on any other planet.
7. God sent us Jesus so we never die.
a. The body returns to the dust from which it was made,
but the spirit returns to the Lord.
b. The spirit of those who love the Lord will spend
eternity with Jesus.
THE LORD’S MERCY AND GRACE
V:18 The Lord has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous may enter.
A. Many of the tough times we have are a result
of our own disobedience to the Lord.
1. The tough times are ways in which God disciplines
us.
2. The wages of sin is death.
3. Because of God’s grace, He tolerates us until we
repent of our sins.
B. The Lord made a way for us to enter heaven with Jesus
Death on the cross.
1. The righteousness of Jesus was imputed upon us.
2. Jesus took our place on the cross.
3. We have been cleansed of all unrighteousness by the
blood of Jesus.
4. We owe God thanks for His mercy.
DAYS OF THANKSGIVING
V:21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;
23 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
A. God blessed us before we knew our sins.
1. Eph 1:4
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and
blameless in his sight.
2. We did not have to prove our worth for salvation, all we had to do
is believe.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
B. Jesus offered salvation to the Jews first.
1. The chief priest, scribes, the Sadducees and the Pharisees rejected
Jesus as the long-awaited messiah.
2. The nation, by not speaking in His defense at the trial, rejected Him also.
3. Their rejection led to the cross where Jesus became the capstone of
Christian faith.
4. The Jew\’s rejection brought salvation to the Gentiles (you
and me).
5. God has planned our lives so we have many reasons to be
thankful.
THE THOUGHT FOR TODAY
V:24. This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
A. The word rejoice is from the translation of a Hebrew word
which means to spin around with excitement.
1. The word glad is from a Hebrew word which means to
cheer up
2. Each day when we wake we should cheerfully spin around
with excitement
B. The fact that God has given us another day to live is a
blessing according to His mercy.
Matt 6:34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
A REQUEST FOR MERCY
V:25 O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord, we bless you.
27 The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.
A. Those who love the Lord are encouraged by Him to
Pray for success in life.
1. We are blessed to have Jesus as our Savior.
2. We were blessed before God made the world to
be included in the body of Christ. Eph 1:4.
3. To have the faith to come to God in prayer in the name
of Jesus is a blessing.
a 1 Cor 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
b. God has two classes of people; those who perish and those who are
saved.
c. Why were we blessed to be saved?
B. The faith we have did not originate with us, it was given by God.
1. Rom 12:3
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of
yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith
God has given you.
2. God brought us out of darkness into His marvelous light that we
may be a blessing to others.
2 Cor 4:6
For God, who said, \”Let light shine out of darkness,\” and made his light
shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Christ.
DECLARATION OF FAITH
V:28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
A. It is important for us to continuous focus on the goodness
Of God in our lives.
1. The more we focus on the blessings He has shown us, the
more we should give Him thanks,
2. God blessed us when we didn’t know Him and was deep
in our sins.
3. He has truly been better to us than we have been to ourselves
B. We should lift up the name of the Lord because He is good all
The time.
1. He is to be praised above all others.
2. There is none good all the time but God.
Mal 3:6
For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not
consumed.
God was good before this virus and He is good now
Those of us who love the Lord are safe this coronavirus pandemic.
Therefore be of good cheer for the Lord is protecting you.
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church
5510 West Sam Houston Parkway North
Houston, Texas 77041
For more lessons, follow me on facebook and visit my blogs
revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com
