FIFTH BLESSING MESSAGE

DON&#= 8217;T STOP TILL YOU’RE FINISHED

I Chronicles 28:20 AND DAVID SAID TO SOLOMON HIS SON, BE STRONG AND OF = GOOD COURAGE, AND DO IT: FEAR NOT, NOR BE DISMAYED: FOR THE LORD GOD, EVEN MY GO= D, WILL BE WITH THEE, HE WILLL NOT FAIL THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE, UNTIL THOU HAS FINISHED ALL THE WORK FOR THE SERVICE OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD.<= /i>

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THE WRITER OF THE BOOKS OF CHRONICLES IS SAID TO BE EZRA THE SCRIBE. HE IS FILLING IN THE OMISSIONS OF= THE RECORDS OF KINGS AND SAMUEL.

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THE CHILDREN OF ISRAELL UNITED UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF KING DAVID HAD MANY VICTORIES OVER THEIR ENEMIES. GOD GAVE THEM MUCH FAVOR. THE BIBLE SAYS THAT DAVID WAS A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART. DAVID LOVED THE LORD. EVEN WITH HIS MANY FAULTS AND FAILURES, HE HAD A HEART OF LOVE AND KINDNESS TOWARD GOD AND GOD’S PEOPLE. HE HAD A REPENTENT SPIRIT, SO THAT HE QUICKLY CONFE= SSED HIS SIN TO GOD AND RECEIVED HIS FORGIVENESS.

WE WO= ULD DO WELL TO FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE. THE SCRIPTURE SAYS TO US THAT IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS, HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS AND TO CLEANSE US FROM= ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.

DAVID DESIRED TO BUILD A HOUSE FOR THE LORD. GOD HAD GIVEN HIM THE VISION AND HE = HAD DREAMS OF BUILDING THIS HOUSE OF GOD. HE HAD EVEN RECEIVED THE PATTERN OR T= HE DESIGNS FOR THE TEMPLE. HOWEV= ER GOD WOULD NOT PERMIT HIM TO BUILD THIS HOUSE. FOR GOD TOLD HIM AS IT IS RECORDE= D IN THE THIRD VERSE OF THIS CHAPTER THAT “YOU CAN’T BUILD THIS HOUSE BECAUSE YOU ARE A MAN OF WAR AND HAVE SHED BLOOD”.

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WE CA= N JUST IMAGINE HOW DISAPPOINTED DAVID WAS. SO MANY TIMES WE HAVE DREAMS AND VISIONS AND GOD SAYS NOT NOW. WAIT. YOU CAN GET IT STARTED. I HAVE SOME OF THE WORK= FOR YOU AND SOME OF THE WORK FOR OTHERS. NO MATTER WHAT GOD SAYS FOR YOU, IF WE LISTEN AND OBEY WE WILL ACCOMPLISH WHAT GOD HAS DESIGNED FOR US. WE WILL BE COMMITTED TO DO THE WILL OF GOD. WE WILL OCCUPY UNTIL HE RETURNS FOR US. WE WILL BE BUSY ABOUT THE WORK OF THE LORD. WE WILL NOT BE WEARY IN WELL DOING, FOR WE KNOW THAT IN DUE SEA= SON WE SHALL REAP IF WE FAINT NOT.

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WHATE= VER GOD BEGINS IN US, HE IS FULLY ABLE TO BRING IT TO COMPLETION. WE HAVE TO REALIZE THAT OUR TIME IS NOT ALWAYS GOD’S TIME. BUT GOD’S TIME IS ALWAYS THE= RIGHT TIME.

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GOD K= NEW DAVID’S DESIRE TO BUILD HIM A HOUSE, BUT GOD SPECIFICALLY SAID TO DAV= ID, “YOUR SON SOLOMON WILL BUILD MY HOUSE AND MY COURTS: FOR I HAVE CHOSEN HIM TO BE = MY SON, AND I WILL BE HIS FATHER.”

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DAVID= BEING A RIGHTEOUS MAN BEFORE THE LORD AND KNOWING WHAT GOD REQUIRED INSTILLED WIT= HIN HIS SON SOLOMAN WHAT GOD WAS REQUIRING OF HIM. IN VERSE 9 HE SAYS TO SOLOMAN, “AND THOU, SOLOM= ON MY SON, KNOW THOU THE GOD OF THY FATHER, AND SERVE HIM WITH A PERFECT HEART AND WITH A WILLING MIND: FOR THE LORD SEARCHETH ALL HEARTS, AND UNDERSTANDETH A= LL THE IMAGINATIONS OF THE THOUGHTS: IF THOU SEEK HIM, HE WILL BE FOUND OF THE= E; BUT IF THOU FORSAKE HIM, HE WILL CAST THEE OFF FOR EVER.” THIS WAS DAVID’S WARNING TO = HIS SON. WE WOULD DO WELL TO HEED THIS SAME WARNING. DAVID WAS REMEMBERING THAT= GOD HAD CHOSEN SAUL TO BE THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL, BUT WHEN SAUL FAILED TO OBEY GOD AND SERVE HIM WITH HIS WHOLE HEART AND SINNED GREATLY BEFORE THE LORD, = GOD REMOVED HIM AND HIS FAMILY FROM THE THRONE FOREVER.

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WHEN = GOD GIVES US A WORK TO DO, HE EQUIPS US FOR THAT JOB. GOD GAVE DAVID THE PATTERN FOR THE TEMPLE AND DAVID PASSED IT ON TO SOLOMON. HE GAVE HIM THE DIMENSIONS AND THE WEIGHTS OF ALL THE MATERIALS THAT WERE TO BE USED. DAVID BEGAN PUTTING TOGETHER ALL T= HE MATERIALS THAT WOULD BE NEEDED FOR THIS UNDERTAKING. THE NECESSARY GOLD, SILVER, BRASS, IRON, PRECIOUS STONES. AND WOOD. MUCH OF IT CAME FROM HIS OWN TREASURY, BUT MUCH OF IT ALSO CAME FROM THE PE= OPLE. THE PEOPLE WILLINGLY BROUGHT THEIR SACRIFICIAL GIFTS TO THE LORD SO THAT HIS HOUSE COULD BE BUILT.

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THE W= ORK OF THE LORD IS TOO IMPORTANT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY. EACH OF US HAS BEEN GIVEN GIFTS FO= R THE UPBUILDING OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. WE ARE TO WORK TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND THE EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT ANTIOCH TABERNACLE AND WHERE GOD HAS BROUGHT US, WE CAN REJOICE AT EACH STEP WE HAVE TAKEN. BISHOP BOWENS BROUGHT US HERE AND ESTABLISHED US AT 46 NORTH 12^TH STREET. GOD ALLOWED US TO STAY T= HERE FOR 15 YEARS AND BE A BLESSING TO THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. MANY SOULS WERE SAVED = AND FILLED WITH HIS SPIRIT. BUT LOOK WHERE WE ARE TODAY. WE REMEMBER FROM WHENC= E GOD HAS BROUGHT US. HE USED US TO MOVE TO THIS EDIFICE AND THIS NEIGHBORHOOD TO= BE A BLESSING TO THIS COMMUNITY. WE CAN NOW DO SO MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF MINISTERING THAT WE COULDN’T DO THERE. AND JUST THINK. GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH US YET. WE HAVE VISIONS FOR GREAT EXPANSIONS. NOT ONLY TO THIS EDIFICE BUT TO THE MINISTRIES GOD IS GIVING US.

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YOU A= LL HERE ARE NOW A PART OF THIS NEW MOVE OF THE LORD. GOD IS STRENGTHENING AND HELPING US AS HE PREPARES US FOR WHAT IS ON ITS WAY.

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IN OU= R TEXT DAVID SAYS TO HIS SON SOLOMON, “BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE, = AND DO IT. FEAR NOT, NOR BE DISMAYED: FOR THE LORD GOD, EVEN MY GOD, WILL BE WI= TH THEE: HE WILL NOT FAIL THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE, UNTIL THOU HAST FINISHED ALL= THE WORK FOR THE SERVICE OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD.” JUST LISTEN TO WHAT HE IS SAYING. H= E IS GIVING HIS SON WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT, WHICH WE CAN TAKE UNTO OURSELVES. FOR GOD’S WORD IS AS RELEVANT TODAY AS IN THE DAYS IN WHICH IT WAS WRITTE= N. DAVID IS SAYING TO SOLOMON AND GOD IS SAYING TO US TODAY, BE STRONG AND OF = GOOD COURAGE. HE DOESN’T WANT US TO BE FAINT HEARTED. HE DOESN’T WAN= T US TO BE WEAK KNEED. HE DOESN’T WANT US TO BE FEARFU= L NOR DISMAYED. HE DOESN̵= 7;T WANT DISCOURAGEMENT TO CREEP IN AND FILL OUR HEARTS WITH DOUBTS.=

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HE GE= TS REAL PERSONAL FOR HE SAYS THAT THE LORD GOD, EVEN HIS GOD WILL BE WITH HIM. WHEN WE KNOW THAT THE LORD IS OUR GOD AND WE HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP W= ITH HIM, WE CAN SHARE HIM WITH OTHERS. IT IS ONLY WITH THAT PERSONAL EXPERIENCE THAT WE CAN TRULY KNOW HIM AND BE ABLE TO SHARE HIM. WE NEVER LOSE ANYTHING= BY SHARING THE GOOD NEWS OF SALVATION WITH THE SINNER AND WITH ALL THOSE WHO A= RE LOST. THEY HAVE EVERYTHING TO GAIN WHEN THEY ACCEPT THE FREE GIFT OF SALVAT= ION. EVEN WHEN WE SHARE OUR EXPERIENCES WITH FELLOW CHRISTIANS THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US, HE CAN AND WILL SURELY DO FOR THEM ALSO.

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DAVID= KNEW ABOUT TRUSTING THE LORD. THE PSALMS ARE FULL OF SONGS OF TRUSTING AND DELIGHTING IN THE LORD. HE SAID, I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES A= ND HIS PRAISE SHALL CONTINUALLY BE IN MY MOUTH. HE SAID, I WAITED PATIENTLY FOR THE LORD, AND HE INCLINED UNTO ME, AND HEARD MY CRY. HE SAYS, I WILL PRAISE THEE, O LORD, WITH MY WHOLE HEART, I WILL SHOW FORTH ALL THEY MARVELLOUS WO= RKS. HE SAID, I HAVE BEEN YOUNG, BUT NOW I’M OLD, YET HAVE I NEVER SEEN THE RIGHTEOUS FORSAKEN NOR HIS SEED BEGGING BREAD. HE SAID, WHEN MY FATHER AND = MY MOTHER FORSAKE ME, THEN THE LORD WILL TAKE ME UP. HE SAYS TRULY MY SOUL WAI= TETH UPON GOD: FROM HIM COMETH MY SALVATION.

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SO HE CONTINUES TO SAY THAT THE LORD WILL NOT FAIL THEE NOR FORSAKE THEE. GOD NEV= ER FAILS AND HE WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ALONE. GOD IS GOING TO HELP YOU FINISH THE = WORK SOLOMON. HE IS GOING TO PERMIT YOU TO BUILD HIS TEMPLE. AND WE READ FURTHER OVER INTO SECOND CHRONICLES WHEN THE TEMPLE IS BUILT AND DEDICATED TO THE LORD. HE IS NOT SA= YING ANY LESS TO US TODAY. HE WILL LET US FINISH THE WORK HE ASSIGNS TO US. PAUL PUT IT THIS WAY, I HAVE FOUGH= T A GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE FINISHED MY COURSE, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH. HENCEFORTH TH= ERE IS LAID UP FOR ME A CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH THE LORD, THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, SHALL GIVE ME AT THAT DAY: AND NOT TO ME ONLY, BUT UNTO ALL THEM ALSO THAT LOVE HIS APPEARING. THE WORK THAT THE LORD HAS BEGUN IN US, HE IS ABLE= TO BRING IT TO COMPLETION. SO LET’S JUST DO IT.

DON&#= 8217;T STOP UNTIL YOU ARE&nbs= p; FINISHED.