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Living Hope SDA Church

Christian Martin

Hostages No More

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, and take me home, with joy shall fill my heart, then I shall bow in humble adoration, and there proclaim, my God, how great thou art.

Do you long to proclaim those words 1 day?

Do you long to be able to just be in the presence of this great God.

My message today is entitled, Hostages No More.

Let's bow our heads together as we acknowledge Him.

Father in heaven, Lord we have acknowledged you already from the very beginning through praise, through song, through giving, through testimony, through our children's giving and attention.

And we've come here today, Lord, because we know that you're coming as soon.

And so we ask that you would encourage our hearts through your word.

We thank you for answering this prayer that you're faithful to answer.

Waves of joy, relief, Closure swept across Israel on Monday morning, as the final 20 surviving hostages came home.

After 2 long years of anguish, after nights that seemed to have no end, families finally embraced what they'd only dreamed.

Their loved ones, their brothers, their sons, all 20 survivors.

Young men held captive in Gaza's underground tunnels were freed as part of a fragile, fragile ceasefire agreement.

They walked out thin, trembling, broken, but breathing.

And as the news spread, Tel Aviv erupted with the shout of, thank you, thank you.

Crowds chanted as fireworks illuminated the night sky.

The President of the United States declared, the long and painful nightmare is finally over.

Because as we listen, we remember that we too are hostages.

Not in Gaza, but in a fallen world that's groaning, aching, waiting for release.

You know, church, let me tell you something.

And sometimes I read the news and I just, I'm left shaking my head.

There were some clever drug traffickers who thought they had it all figured out.

They took propane tanker truck crossing the border from, into El Paso from Mexico, and they rigged it so that the propane gas would be hissing out of every single valve.

But inside, inside these tanks, they hid over 6, 000 pounds of drugs.

Oh, they were clever, all right, but not too bright.

You see, They misspelled the name of the gas company right on the side of the pickup truck.

I just have to ask, why in the world Would you do that?

Down in Lake City, Florida, there was a woman who decided to go rob a Howard Johnson's hotel or motel.

And again, I have to ask, why in the world would you do that?

We have enough of these modern day kind of stories.

I read about Israel and how Israel let them out of Egypt.

And yes, when Moses went up to receive the law, the people stayed behind and they turned their backs and they made themselves a golden calf.

And when Moses comes back, he sees Aaron.

And he asked Aaron, Aaron, what's going on?

And I've got to say, church, why in the world would you do that?

When I read about Judas walking with Jesus, seeing the miracles of Jesus, hearing the words of life from the master himself.

And yet selling out his savior for 30 pieces of silver.

Tell me, church, why in the world would you do that?

They pretended to give what they had committed to.

And I can hear Peter say, you did not lie to man, you lied to God.

And I want to say, why in the world would you do that?

It's not just about them And the stories in ancient times he found in the Bible.

It's about us, too, because even today, I see people who who know Jesus.

Yet still, we try to live with 1 foot in the church and 1 foot in the world.

And some of us, we come to church on Sabbath, but we live like the world on Sunday.

Some of us, we lift up our voices in worship, but we won't lift a finger in forgiving our brother.

Some of us want the blessing, but not the obedience.

And I've got to say it 1 more time, why in the world would we do that?

And sin is a part of the world that you and I live in, A world that's under the sway of the enemy.

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Hostages No More

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