





October 11, 2020
“I cry to the Lord; I call and call to Him.
Oh, that He would listen.
I am in deep trouble and I need His help so much.
All night long I pray, lifting my hands to heaven, pleading.
There can be no joy for me until He acts.
I think of God and moan,
overwhelmed with longing for His help.
I cannot sleep until You act.
I am too distressed even to pray”(vs. 1-4, LB)!
Pastor Jerry Rice September 20, 2020
Pastor Jerry Rice September 13, 2020
The Eruption of Krakatoa
(August 26, 1883)
1. A Message of God’s _______________ (Exodus 20:1-17).
Pastor Jerry Rice September 6, 2020
This is the proclamation of Nebuchadnezzar the king, which he sent to people of every language in every nation of the world:
Greetings! I want you all to know about the strange thing that the Most High God did to me. It was incredible—a mighty miracle! And now I know for sure that his kingdom is everlasting; he reigns forever and ever.
I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living in peace and prosperity, when one night I had a dream that greatly frightened me. I called in all the wise men of Babylon to tell me the meaning of my dream, but when they came—the magicians, astrologers, fortune-tellers, and wizards—and I told them the dream, they couldn’t interpret it. At last Daniel came in—the man I named Belteshazzar after my god—the man in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, and I told him the dream.
“O Belteshazzar, master magician,” I said, “I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and no mystery is too great for you to solve. Tell me what my dream means…
Pastor Jerry Rice August 30, 2020
King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet high and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon; then he sent messages to all the princes, governors, captains, judges, treasurers, counselors, sheriffs, and rulers of all the provinces of his empire, to come to the dedication of his statue. When they had all arrived and were standing before the monument, a herald shouted out, “O people of all nations and languages, this is the king’s command: “When the band strikes up, you are to fall flat on the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue; anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a flaming furnace.”
So when the band began to play, everyone—whatever his nation, language, or religion—fell to the ground and worshiped the statue.
But some officials went to the king and accused some of the Jews of refusing to worship!
“O King, live for ever,” they said to him, “you made a law that everyone must fall down and worship the gold statue when the band begins to play, and that anyone who refuses will be thrown into a flaming furnace. But there are some Jews out there—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whom you have put in charge of Babylonian affairs—who have defied you, refusing to serve your gods or to worship the gold statue you set up.”
Then Nebuchadnezzar, in a terrible rage, ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought in before him. “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,” he demanded, “that you are refusing to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I set up? I’ll give you one more chance. When the music plays, if you fall down and worship the statue, all will be well. But if you refuse, you will be thrown into a flaming furnace within the hour. And what god can deliver you out of my hands then?”
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee”(Isaiah 43:2, BRG).
III. Stand-Up People bring ________________________ to God!
2020 VISION | Day 21 | Beginning!
“Behold, the former things are come to pass,
and new things do I declare”(Isaiah 42:9, KJV).
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing”(Isaiah 43:18, KJV).
“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things
are become new”(II Corinthians 5:17, KJV).
We started with “It Is Finished.” We fasted. We prayed for Victory, Vision, Validity, Visitation, and Vigilance. Now, we begin. As a person, and as a church, let’s put these concepts, and this new 2020 VISION on the road. Let’s get busy for the kingdom of God. We came to this fast like we were. Let’s begin on a new path. It isn’t hard to find. The path may be new to us, but it is old to Adam, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, David, Daniel, Isaiah, Micah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul. The new path is a walk in the sweet grace of God. It was forged on a lonely walk up a hill by His son but worn smooth by those who have gone before us in the way of the cross. Let’s join the body of believers in our community and around the world. We have more to he happy about, more to be excited about than any other people on earth. In this fast, we have been sustained and strengthened, enlightened and excited, provided for and proven – every day – that God’s mercy really is new every morning. Let’s begin sharing this truth with others. Let’s begin the work God has for us.
Prayer: Father, we honor You alone for all the mercy and love you show us. Give us Daniel’s confidence, David’s reliance, Paul’s certainty, Elijah’s vision, and the humbleness of the disciples who left all their seeming security behind to discover eternity through Your Son. Give us peace, provision, and a path to serving your kingdom. Bless our church to be a light that shines brighter than the darkest night. Give us work and willing workers. Give us a mission and a mandate from You that we can truly be more than conquerors because we love You. Father, be the center of our lives and center us in Your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
2020 VISION | Day 20 | Help!
“Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed.
I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will uphold you with My victorious right hand”
(Isaiah 41:10, TLB).
With six grandchildren – Caleb, Noah, Allie, Callie, Lydia, & Symeon – there is not a day that goes by that I do not realize that they can’t make it without someone helping them. That was never more obvious to me than on a warm summer day this past summer. I was swimming with Callie (3 years of age) in the shallow end of their pool. She is barely tall enough to stand on her tiptoes and keep her head above water. On this particular day as she had gained confidence in swimming back and forth from one person to another, she turned and headed to the deep end. Out loud I said, “Where does she think she’s going?” Without hesitation, she stopped, stood on her tiptoes, and with her face barely above water she said, “I tink (think) I’m going to the deep end.” She then turned and headed for deep waters. I followed close behind. Within seconds she began to struggle. I swam up beside her and held her up with my right hand. There is a great lesson here to be learned by God’s children. At times we feel over confident and find ourselves in deep waters of temptation, bitterness, fear, loneliness, anger, thinking we can handle things on our own. Don’t be ashamed to cry out for help. David said, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord”(Psalm 121:1-2, KJV). You are never beyond His reach. Just as a mother hears the cries of her baby, His ear is always turned toward you. What a privilege to know that we are children of God. John said, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God”(I John 3:1, KJV). Rest in His love and don’t forget to cry out for His help when you find yourself in deep waters. He will Hear and Help!
Prayer: Dear Father, I thank you for loving me and for being near me today. Forgive me for thinking that I could ever do anything without Your help. I rest today in the strength of Your victorious right hand.
2020 VISION | Day 19 | Brave!
“Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up
of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice,
and he heard me out of his holy hill.
I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid…”(Psalm 3:3-6, KJV).
“I do not fear bad news, my heart is steadfast,
trusting in the Lord”(Psalm 112:7).
Many years ago, when my son Jason was around 5 years old, I had come home from preaching several weeks of revival. As I sat in the den relaxing, Jason bolted through the back door, breathing hard, and with a wild look of fear in his little eyes, he slammed the door and blocked it shut with all his might. I remember asking, “What happening?” He described the horror that was facing him: the neighbor’s basset hound, Freckles, was after him and he was scared to death. I knew that the worst consequence that could come from this encounter was a really good licking from an aggravating puppy. I reassured him that Freckles would not hurt him in any way. For about 10 minutes I watched him turn and look through the blinds to see if Freckles was still there. Suddenly, I watched as Jason stood tall, squared his shoulders and said, I will trust and not be afraid. I found later that he had learned this verse the week before in VBS. He then turned, opened the door and stepped out to face his fear. It works! God’s Word, His Spirit within us, His Son who will one day return to earth to rule and reign have all assured us of how our story will end. We do not need to be afraid of anything if we are truly in Christ. Of all people, we are to live with certainty of a bright future filled with “things ears haven’t heard, eyes haven’t seen, and our hearts haven’t dreamed. Because we know this we can lift our hearts in praise and live a brave life in Christ. For us, there is no bad news!
Father: Help me never fear any bad news. I rejoice that my heart is steadfast because I trust in You. Let me live filled with Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
2020 VISION | Day 18 | Greater!
“The glory of this present house
will be greater than the glory of the former house,”
says the Lord Almighty. “
And in this place I will grant peace,”
declares the Lord Almighty
(Haggai 2:9, NIV).
You know the feeling when you’re the one responsible for making good on a promise? It could be as simple as delivering a pizza in 30 minutes or less or meeting deadlines or quality expectations at work. When we make promises, people are depending on us to deliver. In Haggai 2:9 God said that the glory of the temple that they were to build was going to be greater than Solomon’s temple. Solomon had all resources afforded to a ruling king undertaking a grand project. In Haggai’s time, this ragtag group of returning exiles didn’t have many ne things with which to rebuild the temple. But God made good on his promise. Some 400 years later, we can read about a greater glory in this rebuilt temple. Time and time again the gospels inform us of Jesus’ ministry and visitation in and around this temple in Jerusalem. The glory of the temple to come wasn’t greater because of building materials, it was greater because of the very presence of God himself. That is exactly what we’re praying for in this fast as we look forward to our own church (temple) refurbishment project. Pray fervently that the glory will be greater. Pray that He will move in even greater and more powerful ways to save those who are lost, heal those who are sick, bring freedom to those who are oppressed, and bring hope to those without hope.
Prayer: Father, awaken my faith to long for your presence and your glory in an even greater way. Open my eyes to see that in your kingdom, the best is yet to come. Let your coming glory transform us into your likeness and send us forth to carry your gospel into the community and world around us. In Christ’s name, Amen!