"God Will Always Give You The Victory Especially If He Gets The Glory" By: Dr. Shuffel P. Hepburn

God will always give you the victory if you cry out to Him, and especially if He gets the glory. That's our message. The text is taken from 1 Corinthians15:51-58.

We're living in very difficult times but are they the most difficult times that the earth has ever seen? The short

answer is no, many have lived through times far more difficult than what we are experiencing today. For instance, consider the Holocaust and the days of

World War I and World War II. Consider the brutal years of slavery in America for black people and yes you can imagine that the days of the plagues were far more difficult than our today. You can also think about the great Jewish revolt of 70 AD, in which 1.1 million mostly Jews were killed when the Roman army crushed a Jewish rebellion

against Roman rule. Imagine how difficult it was for those who went through those times. According to scripture the times we now

live in will become even more challenging in the years of the tribulation looming ahead of us. That will for sure be the worst time on earth ever.

"But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." The Apostle Paul wrote this verse to prepare believers for the day of death and for the day of the gathering, but he's also telling us about the awesome victory that the Lord God gives us day by day, every day. Live victoriously my friend.

Father we thank you for this word, bless it as it goes forth. Bless the listener to the message in the name of Jesus and enlighten them Father we pray in Jesus

name. And we pray that some will come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and

Savior. Amen.

God surely gives us the victory but there are some whose healing or deliverance has been held back. Their victory has been delayed because they've refused to stop walking in sin. There are others who've been healed and then have gone back to their vomit and as a result they've suffered a relapse. I remember the warning Jesus gave to the man from the pool at Bethesda who had been sick for 38 years. Later the Lord saw him in the temple and told him to stop sinning or he will soon face something far worse, John 5:14. If we keep sinning there's no glory for God in our healing and perhaps this is why something worse happens to many.

The question is what does this victory which the Lord says He will give to us look like? Can you see it? Can you imagine it? And does it mean that you'll be healed of cancer and it will never

revisit you? Does it mean that you will no longer have to continue dialysis? That you can pull back and never go to another treatment? Does it mean that your loved one who lies dead before you will rise from that spot in a few moments and will not have to be placed in the city morgue? Does it mean that if you are in prison you will be set free by the end of the week or by the very latest at the end of the year? Does it mean that your loved one who's been suffering from

dementia and Alzheimer's will be restored to their former glory in a few weeks, once again having a sound mind and the peace that surpasses all understanding? Not necessarily. Even though God can do and indeed does perform all these miracles be assured my friend there is an obtainable victory for God's faithful

somewhere in all of these situations simply because God has promised it.

When Jesus Christ heard about Lazarus death, He said, "This sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified thereby," John 11:4. In other words, God is going to give Lazarus a victory here so that He may be glorified and what is more Lazarus will

have nothing to do with this

victory. He was given this victory simply that others may see and believe and God would be glorified.

And there was yet another

similar victory given for the glory of God. One day Jesus passed by and saw a

man who had been blind from birth and His disciples asked whether the man had

sinned or whether his parents had sinned causing him to be born blind. Jesus

answered saying "It was neither that this man sinned nor his parents but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." This happened so that God would be glorified wherever this man went.

Now let's get back to Lazarus, four days after he died Jesus arrived and Martha came out and said to him, "Lord if you'd been here my brother would not have died but I know that even now whatsoever you will ask God will give it to you." And Jesus said to her "Your brother will rise again." Martha then said, "I know that he shall rise

again in the resurrection at the last day." And then Jesus said, "I am the

resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me though he were dead yet shall he live and whosoever lives and

believes in me shall never

die." After shedding a few tears Himself He called Lazarus forth and the father

was glorified.

Today in our part of the world it does not appear that we are seeing many miraculous healings in dramatic ways, yet be assured that God is quietly healing many day after day. Many believers in Christ continue experiencing healings in their bodies and it is important for the one who is seeking the victory to understand what will be a victory for the Lord in his

particular situation. And this will help tremendously if we consider what we can do so that God can receive glory from our personal health dilemma, because the victory that He's seeking, that we are seeking must glorify God.

There's a story about a man who had terminal cancer and the doctors had given him but a short time to live, meanwhile his church building was badly in need of repairs. This man decided that he was going to fix it with the little strength that he had left. He could not even start it right

away because of his health, but when he gained some strength he began working on the building bit by bit, piece by piece. In a short while he finished the job and

guess what, God healed him of his illness and was glorified in him.

It is important for us to be ready to exercise our faith. We need to have a picture of God being glorified by our healing, by our deliverance. In some situations, through

revelation from God believers may know what the will of God is for their specific situation. Whatever they are being faced with at that time. For instance in Matthew 9:29, Jesus healed two blind men and first He

asked them, "Do you believe that I'm able to do this?" They both said "Yes." Then He touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith let it be to you." Yet strangely He told them to tell

no one about it, but they went everywhere in that country telling people about it anyway because God must be glorified. They could not keep quiet about it.

God has faithfully promised to give us the victory and there are many ways that He tells us this. For instance, in Psalm 60 and 12, He says, "Through God, we will do valiantly for it is He who shall tread down our enemies." This word doing valiantly means prevailing with courage, prevailing with victory. Believe it my friend, through God we will be given the victory and we will overcome the enemy.

Then in 2nd Corinthians 2:14, the Apostle Paul tells us that God uses us to spread the knowledge of Him throughout the earth. We are His envoys. Here's what the word says, 'Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.' So this means that He causes us to gain the victory so that we can spread the sweet fragrance of His love, the sweet fragrance of His power, of His mercy and the wonderful fragrance of His

glory, that all may know Him.

Then in 1 John 5:4, we are told that believers in Christ gain the victory over the world. The apostle Paul wrote that whoever has been born of God overcomes the world and

this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. It is therefore our faith that gives us the victory, because our faith causes us to be rooted and grounded in Christ Jesus our Lord when we are born of the Father, and it is our faith that

makes us overcomers.

And then Romans 8:37 says "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors

through Him who loved us." Yes friend the evidence is there, the people of God are a victorious people of an

extraordinary nature no matter how bad it looks for them.

Wait for Him and you

will see. There are many treacherous waters in our lives and we must navigate

all of them, our very life depends upon it. Hang in there, be encouraged, God will give you sweet success over the enemy. He will cause you to prevail time and time again, but do not relax your guard, do not lose your focus, do not take your eyes off the road. Be ever vigilant especially after a victory.

Many have died and gone to the grave and have not received their healing. What about them? Here's a personal testimony. My mother died of cancer in 2008. She went into a coma three times

before she died and when she came out of the coma I asked her, "Mom where did you go?" She said, "I do not know son but it was the most beautiful place I've ever seen." And then one day 3 o'clock on the morning of her death she was in her room walking

around with her hands raised praising the Lord. I came in and asked what happened? The Lord had told her that she was going

to be with him that very same day. She went to be with the Lord at 5 p.m. that very same day. She was not

healed physically here on earth yet she was victorious and God was glorified.

When Christ cried out at the

resurrection He said, "It is finished." A great victory had been wrought for all

mankind for you and for I. The great highway to forgiveness of sins was

opened wide for the first time in the history of the world. The streets of this

highway are not paved with gold but are paved with the blood of Jesus Christ on

every square inch. It is a glorious thorough affair, and there's an endless stream of stories of the victories won by the saints of God over Satan and the world on every inch of that glorious

highway leading to heaven. At His resurrection Christ

triumphed over sin and death and showed us how we can also obtain the victory. Whoever is born of the father overcomes the world and this is the victory that has overcome the world even our faith.

May God increase your faith and bless you eternally, and may he be glorified in your life. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen. You've been listening to this message and perhaps you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Well we want to give you an opportunity to make this commitment. In these troubling times we need to be close to the cross of Christ. Please say this prayer after me and the Lord will give you the victory.

-Father I am a sinner and I'm sorry for all my

sins.

-Dear Lord I crave your

forgiveness, I need your

forgiveness.

-Thank you Lord for your mercy.

-Today I invite Jesus Christ into my heart.

-Dear Lord Jesus, please make my heart your home.

-I give you the key to my heart because I now belong to you forever.

-You have my permission to keep the key.

-Please give me the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth.

-Thank you Lord for saving my soul. Amen.

The Lord bless you my friend. Welcome to the kingdom of the Most High God. There are many of us here awaiting the return of Jesus Christ. In the meantime we encourage you to become water baptized as quickly as possible, let your pastor know that you'd like to be

baptized. Begin reading the word of God every day. Begin in the book of John and then go to Matthew Mark and Luke, reading audibly as often as possible because faith comes by hearing the word of God. Pray daily, attend at your local church and one glad morning the Savior will come and receive us all

unto Himself and we shall be forever with the Lord. God bless and keep you in

Jesus mighty name. Amen.