OUR RIGHT-NOW BENEFITS

Psalm 68:19

Prayer

Concerning our right-now benefits, I want to discuss five things:

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ 1. The Giver.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ 2. The receiver.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ 3. The frequency.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ 4. The magnitude.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ 5. And some right-now benefits.

1^st---The Giver.

David said, ìBlessed be the LORD . . .î

ìLordî means ìMasterî or ìOwner.î

It signifies authority.

It refers to God;

The Creator and Ruler of all things;

The I Am who I Am that appeared unto Moses;

The Father of Lights that James talked about.

He said, ìEvery good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh Ý

down from the Father of lightsî (James 1:17).

So weíre talking about benefits that come from God;

Benefits that no amount of money can buy;

Benefits that we often take for granted.

One time, King Saul tried to kill David.

He had David on the run;

Hiding in caves;

Troubled.

David was depressed.

But he started thinking about all the times that God protected him;

All the times that God brought him out of difficult situations.

He said, ìO taste and see that the Lord is good:î

ìBlessed is the man that trusteth in himî (Psa. 34:8).

The giant Goliath mocked David.

But David trusted God.

And he had exactly what he needed to defeat Goliath.

Wicked men mocked Noah.

But Noah trusted God.

And Noah had exactly what he needed when the floods came.

God gives benefits to the faithful.

2^nd---The receiver.

David said, ìBlessed be the Lord who daily loadeth US . . .î

ìUSî refers to those that love Him;

To the people of God.

A poet asked:

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWhy do I meet to hear his voice,

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ And enter where thereís room;

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ While thousands make a wretched choice,

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ And rather starve than come?

He was asking, ìWhy have I decided to obey God when thousands have ÝÝÝÝÝ

decided to rebel against Him?î

Why have I decided to attend Church and feed on the Word of God when ÝÝÝ

thousands have decided to starve to death?

Why do I have benefits that thousands donít have?

The answer is found in one of my favorite verses of Scripture, ìEye hath not ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the ÝÝÝÝÝÝ

things which God hath prepared for them that love himî (I Cor. 2:9).

ìBlessed is the man that endureth temptation:î

ìFor when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath

promised to them that love himî (James 1:12).

ìHearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

that love himî (James 2:5)?

God has set a course before us.

If we will follow that course, we have benefits that the lost donít have.

3^rd---The frequency.

David said, ìBlessed be the Lord who DAILY loadeth us . . .î

We often give gifts to loved ones on special occasions, their birthday,

graduation, wedding and things like that.

But God gives gifts to us every day.

A friend who recently lost her husband said, ìI woke up this morning and ÝÝÝÝ

thanked God that Iím alive;î

ìThat I can breathe:î

ìThat I can work.î

I replied, ìItís a blessing to be able to work.î

ìI see people in the nursing home all the time that canít even go outside.î

Another friend said, ìI donít have an education.î

ìBut God gave me the ability to work with my hands.î

ìIíve always had a job.î

ìAnd Iíve always been able to earn a living.î

We pray the Lordís prayer, ìGive us this day our daily breadî (Luke 6:11).

And itís there every day.

Rachel and I went to the nursing home this week.

We saw people that couldnít even feed themselves.

I thank God that I can feed myself;

That I can sleep in my own bed at night.

4^th---The magnitude.

David said, ìBlessed be the Lord who daily LOADETH us . . .î

ìLoadethî speaks of Godís generosity.

How many times has He saved your life?

How many days has He added to your life?

We donít know.

But we know this.

God is always looking for ways to bless us (II Chron. 16:9).

A mission team went to Mexico.

Some thieves spotted them renting a van.

The thieves decided to set up a roadblock and rob the mission team the next day.

That morning the police went to the place where the mission team was staying.

They confiscated the van.

They were driving it away when the thieves sprung their trap.

It was a bad day for the thieves because they jumped the police instead of the ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

mission team.

When the dust settled, the thieves were in jail.

The mission team had the van.

Some of the police got saved.

And God received the glory for protecting His people.

5^th---I want to discuss some right-now benefits.

Our 1^st right-now benefit is access to God in prayer.

Paul said, ìLet us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we ÝÝÝÝ

may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of needî (Heb. 4:16).

God is on a throne of grace, love and mercy.

He encourages us to come boldly to Him in time of need.

Following the Civil War, a sad looking Confederate soldier was sitting near ÝÝÝ

the White House.

A young boy approached.

He asked, ìWhy do you look so sad?î

The soldier said, ìIíve been trying to get in to see President Lincoln.î

ìI want to tell him that my farm has been unfairly seized by Union soldiers.î

ìBut every time I try to enter the White House, the guards stop me.î

ìThey cross their bayonets.î

ìThey turn me away.î

The boy said, ìFollow me.î

They approached the entrance to the White House.

The guards snapped to attention;

Stepped back;

Opened the door.

This boy was President Lincolnís son Tad.

The soldier gained access to President Lincoln through his son.

One of our right now benefits is access to God through His Son.

God is not only concerned about our salvation.

Heís also concerned about our problems.

And no matter what our problems are, He promises to hear us.

Itís good to pray in Church.

But David prayed in the field.

Jonan prayed in the belly of a whale.

Moses prayed in the desert.

Paul prayed in jail.

Philip was on his deathbed.

We have access to God wherever we are.

Our 2^nd right-now benefit is access to forgiveness, cleansing, mercy and ÝÝÝÝÝÝ

pardon.

John said, ìIf we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our ÝÝÝÝ

sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnessî (I Jn. 1:9).

Isaiah said, ìLet the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his ÝÝÝÝÝ

thoughts:î

ìAnd let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him;î

ìAnd to our God, for he will ABUNDANTLY pardonî (Isa. 55:7).

Itís our nature to sin.

And itís Godís nature to forgive.

Forgive means ìLet go.î

God lets go of our sins because Jesus died for us.

Abundant means ìbountiful,î ìprofuse,î ìmore than enough.î

The death of Jesus was more than enough for God to let go of our sins.

Billy Graham was driving through a small town.

He was going ten miles an hour over the speed limit.

A policeman pulled him over.

He said, ìYou will have to appear in court tomorrow.î

Billy Graham went to court.

The judge recognized him.

He asked, ìHow do you plead?î

Billy Graham said, ìGuilty.î

The judge said, ìIím fining you ten dollars, one dollar for each mile over the speed limit.î

ìYour fine must be paid.î

ìBut Iím going to pay it for you.î

He pulled out a ten dollar bill;

Attached it to the ticket;

And asked Billy Graham, ìWill you allow me to treat you to dinner.î

Thatís one of our right now benefits: The abundant forgiveness of sins.

I donít care what youíve done.

If youíre a Christian,

And you will confess your sins while youíre here today,

You will walk out of this Church a forgiven person.

Our 3^rd right-now benefit is that peace of God that passes all understanding.

Paul said, ìBe careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and ÝÝÝÝÝ

supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.î

ìAnd the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your ÝÝÝÝÝ

hearts and minds through Christ Jesusî (Phil. 4:6-7).

Henry Blackaby wrote a book called ìExperiencing God.î

ÝHe said, ìBecoming a Christian doesnít make our problems go away.î

ìBut it gives us an Advocate to whom we can take every concern.î

He said, ìëCasting our caresíî is a choice we make.î

ìIt means consciously handing over our anxiety to Jesus.î

ìAnd allowing Him to carry the weight of our problems.î

Jesus said, ìIn this world, we will have tribulation.î

He also said we can choose not to be troubled.

We can choose to trust God;

Choose to believe that God is still on the throne.

And prayer changes things.

Great ships move across the Atlantic Ocean.

Violent storms cause great waves that bounce these ships up and down like

little toys.

The bouncing ships move past huge icebergs.

These icebergs glide along peacefully.

Most of every iceberg is below the surface of the water.

And for the most part, theyíre unaffected by the giant waves splashing against ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

them.

Thatís one of our right-now benefits;

Stability when the storms come;

The ability to endure problems.

And still have that inner peace.

Our 4^th right-now benefit is the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, ìIt is expedient for you that I go away:î

ìFor if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you;î

ìBut if I depart, I will send him unto you.î

ìAnd when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

and of judgmentî (Jn. 16:7-8).

He added, ìwhen the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truthî

(Jn. 16:13).

Jesus knew that He would soon die.

He also knew that we need help.

He said, ìIím sending the Holy Spirit.î

The Holy Spirit will do two things: 1) Convict the world of sin, and 2) Guide

you into all truth.

If the Holy Spirit didnít help us, we would sin and not care.

But the Holy Spirit wonít let us sin and not care.

If the Holy Spirit didnít help us, we would believe the Devilís lies.

But the Holy Spirit helps us recognize the Devilís lies.

A chemistry teacher told his students, ìYou can put anything you want on one ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

sheet of paper.î

ìYou can bring it to your final exam.î

One student brought a sheet with notes.

But they were so small he had to use a magnifying glass.

One student brought a sheet covered with formulas.

One student brought a plain sheet of paper.

He placed it on the floor beside his desk.

Then, a graduate student came.

He stood on that piece of paper.

He told the student when he was making a mistake.

He told him the right answers.

Thatís one of our right-now benefits.

The Holy Spirit tells us when weíre making a mistake.

He guides us in ways that are right.

Our 5^th right-now benefit is adoption into the family of God.

There are three ways to enter into a family.

We can be born into a family;

Adopted into a family;

Or marry into a family.

Concerning Jesus, Paul said, ìWhen the fulness of the time was come, God Ý

sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,î

ìTo redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

of sonsî (Gal. 4:4-5).

Jesus was born into the family of God.

But God wanted to redeem a people that He could adopt into His family.

This is shouting ground.

Why?

Because an adopted child has all the rights that a natural born child has.

When God adopted us into His family, we received all the rights that Jesus ÝÝÝ

has.

Thatís what Paul meant when he said we are heirs of God, ìJoint heirs with ÝÝ

Christî (Rom. 8:17).

He said, Christís seed are Abrahamís seed, ìand heirs according to the ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

promiseî (Gal. 3:29).

God has adopted us.

ÝAnd given us every benefit that Jesus has.

A childrenís class had a new Sunday School teacher.

She asked each child, ìHow old are you?î

She had two brothers in her class.

Both brothers said, ìSeven years old.î

The teacher was puzzled.

ìHow can both of you be seven years old when youíre brothers, but not ÝÝÝÝÝ

twins?î

They said, ìOne of us is adopted.î

ìWhich one?î

They said, ìMommy and daddy said they canít remember.î

Jesus was born into the family of God.

We were adopted into the family of God.

Itís difficult to understand.

But one of our right-now benefits is the fact that God loves us just as much as ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

He loves Jesus.

Our 6^th right-now benefit is everlasting life.

Jesus said, ìFor God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

lifeî (Jn. 3:16).

Some of you will remember a famous comedian named W. C. Fields.

He claimed to be an atheist.

He was at the point of death.

A friend visited him.

W. C. Fields was reading the Bible.

His friend asked, ìIf youíre an atheist, why are you reading the Bible?î

He replied, ìIím looking for loopholes.î

John said, ìthis is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this Ý

life is in his Son.î

ìHe that hath the Son hath life;:

ìAnd he that hath not the Son of God hath not lifeî (I Jn. 5:11-12).

John didnít say, ìGod will give to us eternal life.î

He said, ìGod hath given to us eternal life.î

We already have it.

We received it the instant we received Jesus into our heart.

Itís one of our right-now benefits.

There are no loopholes.

God cannot lie.

Our 7^th right-now benefit is that Jesus is always with us.

He said, ìLo, I am with you alwaysî (Matt. 28:20).

ìI will never leave thee, nor forsake theeî (Heb. 13:5).

We live part of our life on a mountain top.

And part of our life in a lonesome valley;

Part of our life on sunny days when everything seems like theyíre going good.

And part of our life on cloudy days when everything seems like theyíre going ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

wrong.

But whether weíre going through good times,

Or bad.

We can confidently say, ìThe Lord is with me 24/7.î

Heís ìA friend that sticketh closer than a brotherî (Prov. 18:24).

In closing, weíre all free to accept or reject Jesus.

If you havenít accepted Jesus, youíre like a person who has no benefits, no Ý

insurance, no retirement, no hope for the future.

You need to do something about that.

If you have accepted Jesus, youíre a child of God;

A beneficiary of His covenants.

You have more than 7,000 promises that have to be fulfilled right now or in ÝÝ

the future.

Would you like for God to make 7,000 promises to you?

If youíre saved, He already has.