Well, thank you all. Whoa, that was loud. Thank you all for being here this morning. And once you found out that I was preaching, you didn't leave. So thank you for that. So this morning, if you picked up the outline at the front door, you'll see that our message is around a pathfinder. And our verse is going to be Sephaniah 3.17. So let me pray before we start, because it's really hot up here right now, and I think the air conditioning's working, but I can't tell. Heavenly Father, again, I just pray that you would be with me this morning. Thank you for your blessings. And we just pray that you would continue to be with us this morning in our services. And I pray, Father, that my message resonates and is useful to those here this morning. So thank you for your goodness and your mercy. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. So have you ever thought about what it would take to be a pathfinder? A definition of a pathfinder is a person who goes ahead of a group and finds the best way to travel through an unknown area. Also, a person or group that are the first to do something, that it makes it possible for others to do the same thing. In the United States Army, there's a band of soldiers designated as pathfinders. These soldiers have been highly trained in many military specialties. In time of war, Pathfinders are dropped deep behind enemy territory to secure communication lines and relay back to their troops the weather, the enemy, its strength, its location, and activity in the terrain. In 1944, they came up with a Pathfinder badge, and it was Lieutenant Prescott who came up with that badge. He was a navigator in the 9th Troop Carrier Pathfinder Group. The Pathfinder badge is compromised of a flaming torch with wings. The wings symbolize the flight and airborne capabilities of the units and soldiers, while the torch is represented of the leadership and guidance that these professionals provide. For the Christian, God has given us guidance for the pathfinders. These are truths we carry with us as we face uncertain times and trials that are common to us all. Truths that strengthen and equip us for victory in the battles that must be fought by soldiers of Christ. Today we look at what the Bible has laid out for the pathfinder. Found in a small book of the Old Testament, almost hidden in the lesser known, lesser studied, but not less important minor prophet, as a valuable pathfinder thought. It is a promise and it is all ours. So Zephaniah 3.17, the Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exalt over you with joy. He will quiet you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing. Here we see that the prophet Zephaniah was offering hope to Judah. His reason for writing was to warn the people to turn away from their idol worship and disobedience to God, and to urge them to return to the God of their forefathers. So let's start and look at the Lord, a person, in John 1, 4. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was the beginning with God. All things were made through him and without him was nothing anything made that was made. In him was life and the life was the light of men. So in the first verse of John And the Word was with God. Literally this phrase, the Word was towards God, was thought is repeated, it's thought is repeated in verse two. The expression indicates a relationship. The whole existence of the Word was oriented towards the Father. This with or towards protects us from three errors that we may see. First, from seeing that Jesus from seeing Jesus, the Word, merely as an expression or manifestation of God in any Unitarian sense. Jesus, the Word, existed in intimate relationship with God, distinct in himself, yet in such unity that as we learn later in the Gospels, what the Father says, the Son says. What the Father does, the Son does. Secondly, this was with God prohibits us from seeing no distinction between the Father and the Son. This with infers a relationship, an interface, an interaction between two distinct persons. There is a distinction. The Son, the Logos, the distinct from the Father. Thirdly, there are more subtle Thirdly, though more subtly, this with God, this towards God, also prevents us from setting up any thought of an antagonism or indifference or purpose between the father and the son. In all that the father intends and wills, the son is with him, in the sense that he is not against him or acting contrary to him or apart from him. They are together in will, in purpose, in choice of action. We also need to notice here that John does not say, and the word was divine or the word was like God. He makes the bold statement, the word was God. He leaves no room for anyone to see Jesus Christ as less than God, or in some way, or to some degree. Having first prevented us from merging the word and God by the phrase, the word was with God, here he prevents us from seeing the word as a lesser being. The word was God. The word was and is nothing less than God. And in chapter two, we see, again, John refers to the internal existence of the word and his close and eternal association and relationship with God, indicating at the one time an essential distinction and a perfect unity. Jesus Christ, the word, is eternal. He was there in the beginning. His existence did not commence at some point after the beginning. He is not a being that God created, not someone who has a beginning. Rather, he was already there, already in a state of eternal existence with God in the beginning. So as we look at John 1, verse 3, and we look at Jesus, the creator of all things, this verse identifies the word as the agent of creation, and in doing so again, identifies the word as God. Jesus expresses this truth both positively and negatively. Positively, that God the Father created all things through the word. that every individual thing that exists as a result of the creative agency of the word. Negatively, that there is nothing in existence that owes its existence to any other agency other than the word. There is nothing that exists that exists independently. Nothing that came into being apart from the creative action of the word. So the first half of John 1 chapter 4, it talks about in him was life. Throughout his gospel, John presents Jesus Christ as the one in whom spiritual eternal life is to be found. While the spiritual eternal dimension of life is not absent from this verse, John is here writing primarily of physical life. Here we find the ultimate answer to the question, where does life come from? It comes from Jesus Christ. The word. It is not simply the life was created by Jesus Christ, but the life exists in him. It is not that here is Jesus Christ, and there is something which is created as a living thing, which can now exist apart from him. Rather, it is that here is Jesus Christ, and if he did not exist, neither would, neither could anything else exist. If we withdrew, if he withdrew, if he distanced himself from the creator, all life would cease. Life does not exist apart from him. That I have physical life at this moment is completely dependent on the fact that life exists in Jesus Christ. The relationship between my existence and Jesus Christ is only of absolute dependency, irrespective of whether I am aware of the knowledge aware of it or acknowledge that of that dependency. And the second half of John 1, 4, and that life was the light of men. This half of verse 4 leads us to realize that John was more than physical existence in mind. This life that is in the word is the light of men. We do not get light, real spiritual truth from any other source. We cannot get light, real spiritual truth from any other source because it was one source. One source only, the word Jesus Christ. Christ is the life. And Christ is the light. So as we talk about His sovereignty in Psalms 103.19, the Lord has established His throne in the heavens and His kingdom rules over all. And in Psalms 115.3, our God is in the heavens. He does all that He pleases. He is the maker and possessor of heaven and earth. The one in his throne and the other is his footstool. He dwells in the highest heaven and overlooks all persons and things on earth and overrules all. He is higher than the highest and his kingdom rules over all. And in Psalms 135, six, whatever the Lord pleases, he does in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the depths. God made us for his own pleasure. He didn't make me for my pleasure, nor will our lives ever be fulfilled if we seek only our pleasure. That can be a very empty, futile, frustrating life, seeking our own pleasure. We can only find fulfillment when we bring God We can only find fulfillment when we bring God's pleasure, when we bring God pleasure, because that's why he made us. And in Psalms 138.8, the Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. What a powerful declaration. The psalmist acknowledges that God has a specific purpose for his life, and he expresses unwavering faith that the Lord will see it through to completion. This verse also reminds us that each of us have a unique purpose and calling in this world. Our lives have meaning and significance in God's grand plan. And because God's love for us endures forever, we can have confidence that we will never forsake the work he has begun in our lives. It is also important to note that God's purpose for our lives may not always match up with what our expectations or desires are. Sometimes we may face challenges, setbacks, or detours along the way. But even in those moments, we shouldn't worry. We can take heart in the truth that God's purpose remains unshakable. He is not limited by our circumstances or hindered by our failures. In fact, he often works through them to shape you and me, teach us, and ultimately bring about his perfect plan. His specialty is noted here in Genesis 18, 14. Is anything too hard for the Lord? At this appointed time, I'll return to you about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son. Sarah shall have a son. Which words are repeated not merely for the confirmation of Abraham's faith, which staggered not, but to remove Sarah's unbelief and to encourage her faith in the divine promise. And in Jeremiah 32, verses 17 and 27, we see, Oh, Lord God, it is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outreached arm. Nothing is too hard for you. And in verse 27, behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? These verses remind us of God's omnipotence and his ability to accomplish his purposes in our lives and in the world. It encourages us to place our trust in him, knowing that he can do what seems impossible to us. He is training us, preparing us to be pathfinders. In Luke 1, verse 37, for nothing will be impossible with God, That is consistent with his nature and perfections with his counsels, purposes, and promises. Everything that he has said, purposed, or promised, he is able to do and will. Every word that he has spoken, every prediction by his prophets, or declaration by his angels, he can do. And in Luke 18.27, But he said, what is impossible with man is possible with God. This verse is the theme of the entire chapter of Luke. And so I'll look at, I'll break down quickly here the chapter of Luke in groups of verses. So Luke 18, one through eight. In the parable of the persistent widow, God's elect put their faith in him. They knew their father will willingly and quickly give them justice. What people barely offer, if ever, God gives freely. And in Luke 18, nine through 14, in this parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, the Pharisee exposes his own greatness, but heavenly mercy is reserved for those like the tax collector, who repents in humble faith, where human arrogance results in a dead end. God's mercy breaks through. And in verses 15 through 17, when the disciples try to keep parents from bringing children to Jesus, he rebukes them. God opens his kingdom to those who know they are powerless, not those who think they deserve it. Verses 18 through 30, finally here a crowd learns that even someone bearing all the worldly signs of being a good person cannot earn eternal life. Only God saves. What human efforts could never do, God's love and mercy will accomplish. And in verses 31 through 34, Jesus explains why God can give such mercy. Because Jesus will go to the cross. Then a blind beggar proves that decorum is nothing compared to a bold, loud faith that God will save. And then in Luke chapter 19, 1 through 10, God will reach into the heart of a rich man and show him his money is nothing compared to the spiritual riches of the kingdom of God. The young man of this verse is not willing, but Zacchaeus is. So then in Mark 9, verse 23, And Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible for one who believes. Jesus is talking to a father who is needing a miracle for his son. The father was struggling with doubt and unbelief concerning whether Jesus could heal his son. Jesus responded to his doubt by saying that anything is possible if a person believes. is in his midst, his presence. Samuel judges Israel. So why don't you open your Bibles to 1 Samuel 7, and we'll read verses 3 through 17. And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, if you're returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods in the Ashtoreth and from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only. And he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreth and they serve the Lord only. Then Samuel said, gather all Israel at Mesba and I will pray to the Lord for you. So they gathered at Mesba and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mesba. Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mesba, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. And the people of Israel said to Samuel, Do not cease, do not cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines. So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. And the men of Israel went out from Mesbah and pursued the Philistines and struck them as far as below Bethkar. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mesba and Shenn, and called its name Ebenezer. And he said, Till now the Lord has helped us. So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mesbah, and he judged Israel and all these places. Then he would return to Rama and for his home was there. And there also he judged Israel and he built there an altar to the Lord. So let's turn over to Joshua. Chapter one, and we'll read verses one through nine, this talks about his present. After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying, Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore arise and go over this Jordan, you and all of this people, to the land which I am giving to them, the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the great sea towards the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded you. Do not turn from it, to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This book of the law should not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For when you will make your own way prosperous and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid nor be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. So Isaiah 4110, fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. The purpose of these verses is to silence the fears and encourage the faith. Perhaps it is intended in the first place for the support of God's Israel in captivity, but all that faithful serve God through patience and comfort of this scripture may have hope. Observe with what tenderness God speaks, and how willing he is to let the heirs of a promise know the immutability of his counsel, and how desirous to make them easy. Fear thou not, for I am with thee. not only within call, but present with thee. Be not dismayed at the power of those who are against thee, for I am thy God and engaged for thee. Art thou weak? I will strengthen thee. Art thou destitute of friends? I will help thee in the time of need. Art thou ready to sink, ready to fall? I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Our pathfinder, he will take us by the hand as our guide to lead us in our way. Will help us up when we are fallen to prevent our falls. When we are weak, he will hold us up. He will fix us trembling. He will encourage us and so hold us by his right hand. Peter believed he would never let Jesus down. He saw himself as brave and totally sold out for the Lord. When Jesus told Peter in Matthew 26, 34, that Peter would deny him, Peter didn't believe Jesus. Maybe someone else would fail, but surely not Peter. Sadly, Peter found out Jesus was right. And when Peter heard the rooster crow, he wept bitterly. But did God leave Peter in his fear? No. He was ever present. While Peter faced his fears and frailties, God ultimately equipped Peter to become a mighty witness, a pathfinder. So in Hebrews 11, six, let's look at this. And without faith, it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. The problem some have with quoting or reading this verse out of its context is that the danger of blind faith or wishful thinking. As shown in prior passages, the writer of Hebrews is now advocating for a gullible wishful thinking attitude. On the contrary, the entire letter has been an exercise in evidence and logic. The writer's point is meant to emphasize the primacy of true faith over insecure works. Robotic obedience without legitimate trust in God is worthless. So let's look at the future in Matthew 28, verses 19 and 20. Go therefore to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. Jesus' command is to make disciples. A disciple is someone who becomes like his or her master by living in a servant relationship to them. They learn from and submit to that person's example. That what each of the 11 disciples hearing this for the first time had done in answer to Jesus' call. So let's turn in your Bibles again to Hebrews chapter 13 and let's look at verses one through six. Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for therefore some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held an honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money and be content with what you have. For he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we can confidently say the Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me? So. In Hebrews 13, one through six contains practical and real world instructions for the Christian believer. This mirror these mirrors some of the more common themes in the New Testament. Brotherly love, hospitality, care for the abused, sexual morality and contentment are all commanded. The writer ties the ability to be content and faithful to our trust in Christ. are trusting Christ to be there with us and for us in all our circumstances. So the third phase, a victorious warrior, his protection. So in Deuteronomy 23, 14, because the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you. And in John chapter 10, verse 9, I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and he will go in and out and find pasture. 1st John 4, 4, Little children, you are from God and have overcome them. For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. And in Romans 8, 31, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Paul continues to offer encouragement to Christians on this side of eternity. It's true that we are suffering, as all of creation is, as we wait to be glorified with God forever. In fact, the fact that we suffer, though, does not mean that God is not with us or for us. In the previous verse, Paul was shown that God is working to complete a purpose in us that he set out to do before he even formed the world. That purpose is to make us like Christ. And God is still using all things to finish this process. Again, Paul speaks from the perspective of saved Christian believers. Reference here is to us or we. and this is not inclusive of the entire human race, but only those who have accepted Christ in faith. So section four, he will exalt over you with joy his plans and his promises for us. In these verses, we'll bear this out here. In Jeremiah 29, 11, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Romans 8, 28, And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purposes. And in Romans four, verses 20 and 21, no unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. And in John, chapter eight, verse 58, Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was I am. and in 2 Corinthians 1.20, for all the promises of God find their yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our amen to God for his glory. So section five here, we'll see, he will quiet you in his love. And these verses will expound his peace. So in Isaiah 49 verses 15 and 16, can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are continually before me. And in Isaiah 40, 11, he will turn his flock like a shepherd. He will tend his flock like a shepherd. He will gather his lambs in his arms. He will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young. And in John chapter six, verse 20, but he said to them, it is I, do not be afraid. And in John 14, verses one through four, Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and I will take you to myself. And where I am, you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going. And in John 1427, peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Not knowing brings a kind of terror at times. Experience makes people less nervous. The more we do things, the more we experience things, the more comfortable we become. Some of you may remember the first time you were driving a car, how nervous you were because you'd never done it before. And you may have had a parent yelling at you the whole time. That was me. Some of you may have had the opportunity to fly an airplane. How nervous would that have been to fly solo for the first time? You've always had somebody sitting there beside you, hopefully not yelling at you, telling you how to do it. And then you had to fly for the first time. How nerve wracking must that be? Some children have a difficult time with thunderstorms because they've never experienced them before. So a lot of lightning, a lot of thunderstorms, I know our pets will have those issues. So what changes with us as we do those things, the more we drive, if you're fortunate enough to fly a plane or even own a plane, the more you do those things, the more thunderstorms you experience, the more challenging things that you experience in your life, it changes our expectations. We feel comfortable, we know what's gonna happen. We have confidence. because we've experienced it before. And the more we drive and the more we fly and the more bad weather we see or experience, we understand it. It brings confidence and greatly reduces our fear. It brings us peace. So in section six, he will rejoice over you with singing. So in Psalm 16, three, as for the saints in the land, they are all excellent ones in whom is all my delight. And in Psalms 18, 19, he brought me out into a broad place. He rescued me because he delighted in me. And in Psalms 27, 23, the steps of a man are established by the Lord when he delights in his way. In Jeremiah 32, 41, I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness with all my heart and all my soul. He rejoices over us. And most significantly here in Isaiah 53, 10, yes, it was the will of the Lord to crush him. He put him to grief when his soul makes an offering for guilt. He shall see his offspring. He shall prolong his days. The will of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. Judas may have betrayed him. Herod may have convicted him. False witnesses may have accused him. The chief priest and the Jews may have condemned him. condemned him to death. The crowd may have cried, crucify him and let his blood be upon us and our children. And the soldiers may have mocked, scourged and lacerated his head with thorns and driven the nails into his innocent flesh. But no one had power over Christ. It was given from above. For it pleased the Lord to crush Jesus and to put him to grief so that he would be the guilt offering, the sin offering, the blood sacrifice, the innocent lamb of God through whom man individually and humanly collectively could have forgiveness of sins by faith. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whosoever believes on his name would not perish but have everlasting life. It pleased God to put him to death and from his side was the flow his bride because through his blood was issued forth a multitude of believers as numberless as the sand on the seashore and as numerous as the stars in the heavens. It pleased God to put him to death so that his plans and purposes for man individually, humanity collectively, and nature universally could be redeemed by faith in Christ alone. He did this so that in the ages to come, he might show forth the incomparable riches of his grace. expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus, so that all the saints individually and collectively can join with the choir of heaven to sing forth his praises to the glory of God forevermore. God is more than the creator. He is the Lord God who is in the midst of us, loving us, caring for us, protecting us, defending us, indwelling us, and who died so that we might have life and have it with abundance. This is no less true for the church than it was for Israel. It is not truer for Israel than it is for the church, for God's word to his people is sure, steadfast, faithful, and true. He is always near at hand to help us, to help and to heal. to hold and to carry us in his everlasting arms. God not only in the midst of us, God is not only in the midst of us, but he is the almighty God, and as such, he is mighty to save his people, not only from their enemies without their fears within, but also from the curse of sin and death. Christ is a provision for our need, the remedy for our fears, the cure for our problems, and the antidote to sin. He is our protector, a defender. As much as he is our victorious warrior, he is our triumphant savior who is mighty to save. God is not there to condemn us. but he delights to bring us to salvation and he pours out eternal life and life more abundantly and exalted gladness upon all who trust in his name. Yes, the Lord rejoices over all that believes in him and he takes joyful delight in those who trust the word and abide in his love. God desires all His children to seek Him, to come to Him, to draw near to Him, to rest in Him, and to abide in His truth, for He is the God of peace, and He has a peace that passes all understanding. He longs to shed abroad His love and peace and joy and hope. on all who believe in his word and trust that he rewards those who diligently seek him. How wonderful to fully understand that God rejoices over his children with gladness and delights in his flock with shouts of joy. As modern day believers in Christ, we too make a mockery of our worship when we live in open sin. Do we come before the Lord with a false face, week in and week out, looking the part without acting it? Allow Zephaniah to remind you how seriously God takes your life and your relationship with Him. And if you have failed, remember this message of Zephaniah 3. God is always a God of restoration and hope. He is our pathfinder. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, you are a loving and wonderful, gracious God, and I thank you for putting the Lord Jesus to grief for my sake. And for all who trusted his name, forgive those that misunderstand the depth of your love. For each of us individually and collectively, knowing that without Christ as our guilt offering, We could not have been redeemed to become your children. Praise your name forever and ever. I trust my message today prepares and inspires us to be pathfinders for you. In Jesus' name, amen.