God holds me and shields us, as we go up and down. His love cannot fail. God will not put you down and walk away.  (Micah 7:8-20; Hebrews 13:5-6)

Speaker(s): Pastor Steven Scibelli
Sermon # 11470
11:00 AM on 5/13/2018

P. Schaller

So, mother’s day. Halleluiah. We have mother’s day today.

Abraham Lincoln was correct when he said, “He is not poor who has had a godly mother.” Abraham Lincoln was poor but he had a character that his mother, and then his stepmother because his mother died when he was young. I think eight years old or younger. And his father remarried Sarah Bush, I think her name was and she was a godly woman and raised him like he was her own. We know about the character of Lincoln because we’re fascinated to see his struggles and his fight that he had and his focus in his life.

Moms on Mother’s Day, Sunday, we rise up and call you blessed. But knowing you, you’ll feel uneasy in the lime light, but you’ll get used to it. You’d like to hide but we would like you all to stand up. Then you’ll sit down and we will stand up and we will call you blessed. Alright. That’s how we are going to do it this morning. Also, there’s coffee available out in the hallway for moms after the service. Yeah! We know moms love the coffee. Then the children are going to sing from GGCA. And also the Sunday school, so we’ll have a few minutes of celebration here. Whole service actually. If you’re a mom, congratulations. This is your day. Enjoy it while it lasts! All moms stand up please…Congregation, stand with me and call them blessed. We honor these women because of their lives and what it is. It’s tough raising a family sometimes, real tough but these moms are pretty rugged. Built for enduring and persevering and seeing it happen. We recognize that in our hearts and are thankful and that you are here this morning. We need to learn how to live our lives to teach others. We applaud you today. God bless you.

P. Scibelli

De 31:7-8, Josh 1:5, Josh 23:14, Good morning, especially mothers. In that last verse, it’s quite amazing not one thing has failed. He says it two times.

We see in the Scriptures, Josh 1:5, generation to generation, De 21 Moses is addressing Joshua as one who is leaving and going off the scene.

In Josh 1, it’s God directly speaking to Joshua. It’s two different voices but the same voice. First Moses, then God himself. Joshua is now going to address the leaders. He says the same thing, not one thing has failed. Moses said it to Joshua, God said it to Joshua and Joshua said it to the future leaders. I think of mothers. I have just one but my wife is a mother and I know many mothers. The enemy can tell them you aren’t doing a good job. Take a look at the results. That should no way reflect on the heart of a mother and the truth of the Word that not one thing has failed. There is always accusation to the mind. Anyone here ever been accused or analyze themselves? Accusations. Anyone ever evaluate your life, criticized your life? I saw some things written by teachers I had that were pretty dismal. My fifth grade teacher wrote destined for prison. You write what you think. Little did he know I would work ten years in a prison! It was prophetic. I had the great privilege, at the time I wasn’t so sure it was a great privilege, it seems painful but I was over a home for heroin addicts and alcoholics and people that did crimes related to addictions. I did that for ten years. If you are in a ministry looking for results, you’re not in that one. It taught me about unconditional love. Light House it was called. Two of those men working with me in that ministry one was a man named Jerry and another Eddie. Both together had 50 years of heroin addiction. One of them went to prison with a 10 year sentence and his mother said P. Scibelli I know you can get him out of prison. I prayed and God said leave him there. Today he has three children and doing well in his marriage and serving God. Are you not glad we don’t walk by sight?

2 Cor 5:7, never walk by what you hear outside of God’s word. Never walk by what even seems to be the facts because the facts are not ALETHEIA or the truth. This is one failure in regards to the flesh speaking to another failure in regards to the flesh. Moses killed an Egyptian and knew he was the deliverer. His parents knew he would be one used mightily in the nation of Israel. He went out and killed an Egyptian and dug a hole and put him in the sand. Anyone ever tried that? That’s failure and try to hide it from people but can’t hide it from God. God calls him at the burning bush and says you are going to be delivered from a mental aspect of thinking contrary to victory in Christ and I’ll use you to deliver the nation of Israel. Regardless of what they have been engaged in, I’ll bring them out to bring them in and I’ll use you to do it. God, you’re mistaken. Use Aaron. He hasn’t killed anybody yet. The gifts and calling of God are without God changing his mind. Your failure and my failure and we reverence God and it’s painful when it happens, but even when I fail God doesn’t change his mind. I’m looking at a few of us here and myself and thankful God doesn’t change his mind. You sons of Jacob are not consumed. He didn’t change his mind about Philippe Serradji. He told me he was going to come and live with us in Africa and he came a few days and was gone. His failure to come to Africa as a missionary wasn’t final. Failure isn’t final.

There is one who failed in Is 14 and Ezek 28. Because of being an angel, and the situation with angels versus men made in God’s image, he failed and fell and can never come back. Satan is not going to get delivered. What do you think he would like to do to the church? I look at the church as the mother heart of God.

Gal. 5:6 the mother of us all. The church is like a large hearted mother. When I come in, I’m ministered to like a mother would minister to her son or daughter. She has a heart after God.

I can say my mother never disciplined me. You can say, I understand! She left that to my father. I didn’t leave my room for 90 days until my mother opened the window and let me out when he was working. He’s gone. Go out and play but make sure you come back before and look for the car and run back in the house and pretend you didn’t leave. She cooked and cooked. A mother’s heart.

Never fail. God never fails that. We have failing health. I know when I try to put my left sock on my health is not like it used to be. I have the worst time with my left sock. Don’t give me these long things. I know older age is setting in when the left sock is so stubborn. I curse that sock! We see people’s health failing. We see people go home to be with the Lord. Imagine the body you will have in heaven. Marty Veader, no more shoulder problems. What’s failing now is not final. Imagine what it will be like to have a new body. Halleluiah. The young people are saying be quiet. We are strong and able and things are going well. Talk to me in about 25 years. Health may fail but failure isn’t final. We get a brand new body. I think we will be able to soar like light anywhere you want to go. I want to watch David kill Goliath. I want to watch Jesus multiply the loaves, walk on water, be risen from the dead. Maybe God will play that back like a supernatural heavenly video. Failure isn’t final. Your check book ever fail? Finances ever fail? Finances can fail. All of a sudden there is this creditor and that creditor. We get to heaven and we have the riches of grace. There won’t be any need for a credit card. You go to pay cash and they look at you like you are an ancient mariner. A girl said what’s that? A twenty dollar bill. What era are you from? Finances can fail. One day it’s going this way and next day it’s down. When we get to heaven, failure isn’t final. There are relationships that don’t do so well. We don’t want that to take place. We want to see peace and love and finished work attitude in marriage and friendships. God allows there to be a problem because he is trying to get my attention. More concerned about earthly relationships. God allows it not to work to draw me to himself.

I’m not going to blame anyone for anything. The Bible says all things are of God 2 Cor 5:18 and all things are for your sake and all things work together for good. Is that enough? What happened has been allowed to happen by God. Not that he’s the source of it but he allowed it.

I came back from the mission field one time and my home church asked me to leave. You want to be a part of Greater Grace and we’re not interested. I was fighting mad. If that didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be in this church. God allowed that to happen to move me on. P. Stevens said plant a church in Massachusetts. I prayed three times and the H.S. said no, no, no. Move on. I said to my wife get a U-Haul. We’re going. Failure in Springfield, Massachusetts wasn’t final.

Peter, how many times should I forgive someone? Seven? 70 X 7. Unlimited. Failure is not final. We forgive and forgive. Forgive and be merciful and forgive and be merciful. Mercy rejoices over judgment and failure isn’t final. Can you imagine you are the king of Israel and you have a plan to kill Uriah the Hittite after having an affair with his wife? He should be moved out. Have his kingship removed and his reign over. Have mercy on me God. Have HESED, lovingkindness, mercy and grace for I have sinned. He washes himself, anoints himself and ascends the throne. Failure isn’t final. Maybe people close to us will fail. God allows it so we can have his heart for them. You know how many people in Baltimore, Massachusetts, and America walk around with this failure syndrome. They failed in school. 36 times I got an N – non-satisfactory in self-control. I came to the conclusion I was not ever able to be controlled. God comes in.

My mother said, every time you get an N in self- control. I said I can’t stand it. I know more than the teacher. I didn’t but thought I did. It’s called arrogance. I kept getting N, N, N, N. At times I had two report cards. One I wrote and one they wrote! I was a forgerer even in the sixth grade. Failure isn’t final.

I was thinkin of Hosea. After they have gone into adultery and idolatry, they go back into it, come out and go back and God says go love them again.

Hos. 3:1-3, Hos. 11:4 I drew them with the cords of a man and bands of love. I took the yoke off their jaw. Oh Ephraim, how can I give you up? God can’t give up on you. God is not a quitter. You hear some of these messages if you fail or sin, God leaves you. That means you have God coming and going all day long. Even he would get tired. I can’t give you up, Ephraim. I will never fail you. I will love you with an everlasting love. I will build you again oh virgin Israel. They were into so much idolatry he calls them a virgin. He’s creating a capacity in them for response. Truth is ALETHEA. I am the way, the truth and the life. Truth is not the facts or sight. Truth is in God. The truth is in a person and that person loves and is merciful and is kind and compassionate and cares about people. Your version of truth is already baked in a lie. It’s facts but not the truth. These men who had tremendous problems. One man robbed the same bank two days in a row! He said if you get away with it the first time, they never think you’ll try it again. For him it was final. 20 years sentence and I took him. He’s from another persuasion religiously and fundamentally aggressive. This is the kind of guy I want. This guy is awesome. He became a great preacher. He got saved, delivered, and became a preacher. Failure isn’t final. If you are involved in sports, don’t worry about who wins or loses because failure isn’t final. We will play the angels in heaven. You’ll slam dump over Gabriel. Just joking! Peter denies the Lord with a six fold denial.

Luke 22:31, Simon, Satan has desired to have you. He has demanded to have you back for himself that he might sift you as wheat. When you are converted, strengthen your brethren. You’ll be an amazing preacher of the Bible and lead the church. Remember the story of the man who placed a baby on the pulpit in a 3,000 person church. The man said this child is the fruit of the whoredom of the pastor with my daughter. He brought the baby home and raised the child. Five or six years later they said we lied. The elders said why didn’t you defend yourself? You mean you’re going to take this child from me? The church tripled in size. Failure isn’t final. What it looked like was horrifying but failure isn’t final.

1 Cor 13:8 love never fails. What is your situation today? Love never fails. Not one time ever, no never. Mothers, you never fail because God never fails. Looks are not what God is into. He is walking by faith and sees me in the finished work.

Micah 7:8 he said my enemy is prevailing against me but don’t rejoice in that. I will rise again.

vs. 18-20. He says twenty things. I’ll pardon your iniquity, pass by your transgression, not retain my anger, delight in mercy, turn again toward you, I’m going to have compassion; I’m going to subdue your iniquities; I’m going to put your sins in the depth of the sea; I’m going to perform truth; I’m going to perform mercy; I’ve given you an oath and I’m everlasting and eternal. He can say I’m going to arise because He knows the heart of God, the truth of God. That failure is not final.

The first time Pastor Stevens tried to preach he sat down in failure. Are we not glad that failure isn’t final? I heard a message from him on Friday night. ABD on Friday night is a message from him. He preached a message on the heart of God that was phenomenal. After he preached that message, I forgot everything I studied. He quoted 85 verses in one message. All these years we had him as a father or pioneer of the ministry, failure isn’t final. I have to remember that and let it sink into my soul.

Joshua was told by God in all your heart and soul not one thing has failed. That should be in my emotions, my conscience, and my self-image that I have victory in Christ. I’m more than a conqueror. Even when you think we are defeated, we are more than a conqueror. Let’s go out of here today with one thought: failure isn’t final. Failure wasn’t final for Jacob. Trickster, deceiver and supplanter and God named him Israel. One who has power with God. He returned after 22 years of backsliding. Abraham after….walk before me and be perfect. I’m changing your name from Abram, father, to Abraham, father of many nations. Failure isn’t final. You know why Abraham, Jacob, Moses, failure isn’t final.

Daniel 10, Zech 3, failure isn’t final. You are prejudice and have an area in your life, even Peter, but failure isn’t final.

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